I’ve talked A LOT about dealing with acne and the scars that came after over the past few years on this blog. And I’m constantly looking for new ways to improve those imperfections and feel better in my own skin! So today I’m sharing with you all the treatments that I’ve been trying lately and absolutely LOVING!

But before I get going, I definitely recommend checking out these posts:

Ok, now that you checked all that out, let’s talk about what I’m loving the lately! One of my most recent treatments I’ve done is the Venus Viva laser. The Venus Viva helps with wrinkle reduction, acne scars, texture improvement, skin tightening, and facial rejuvenation. My esthetician Shawn (if you are in the Colorado area, contact her at 720-459-7960) says that it gives your skin a airbrushed look and I definitely think it does after doing it! After your skin is dermanplaned, she numbs your skin for about 30 minutes then your skin is cleansed before the treatment. The treatment takes about 15 minutes. It’s not comfortable. I thought it was rather uncomfortable, honestly, but not near as bad as Profractional (which I will be doing again soon). Afterwards your skin is red and slightly swollen and you have some dryness and flaking for the next few days, but nothing too dramatic. This picture below is probably 4+ years apart, right when I started accutane to now, after I healed from the Venus Viva treatment. The only makeup I have on here is some concealer under my eyes, a little bronzer on my cheeks and forehead, and I put on my mascara and filled in my brows.

PaleOMG Venus Viva Results

I posted this photo a couple days ago and I had many people ask if the change in my skin has to do with eating paleo and it definitely has to do with that, but it’s also many factors. Working out less (the hormones fluctuations messed with my skin), going on accutane, cutting out eggs and nuts (still eat both on occasion but not regularly), going on spironolactone, using Vivant skincare products, and going to see my esthetician months. So it wasn’t JUST paleo, it was many things and lots of hard work to get my skin to where it is now. And I hope it continues to improve over time! Again, it you are in Colorado, you MUST see Shawn (303-956-8887). She truly works miracles. I feel so lucky to have met her!

Ok, let’s talk about my next treatment I tried recently! After getting my eyebrows microbladed and absolutely loving the results, I talked to my wonderful permanent makeup specialist Lea Curry (contact her if you are in the Colorado area – 720-252-3182) about getting permanent makeup for my eyeliner. She numbs your eyelids for a while then uses this pen type instrument to draw on a super thin line. Recovering from it is super easy compared to microblading, you just have to stay away from eye makeup for a bit and steer clear from rubbing that area. I honestly thought this hurt more than microblading. I didn’t find microblading very painful, but this is uncomfortable because it’s SO close to your eye, which makes it rather uncomfortable. Lea makes it very minimal to begin with, which just makes your eyes pop a little more! At first, I thought I may want a thicker line but I’ve liked how it’s healed over time and I like that it’s not an obvious thick line that we think of when we think of permanent eyeliner. In the photo below you can see my first eye that was done before the other!

When I do full makeup, I still put eyeliner over it because I like the thicker look when I’m getting dressed up, but I love it when I have no makeup on! My goal since I had acne was always to feel great without any makeup on, which was why I did even tried permanent makeup, and I’m SO glad I did it!

PaleOMG Permanent Eye Liner

Last but not least, lash lifting! So lash extensions are all the rage right now. Almost all my friends have them and love them. But I’m just not into it. I don’t want to keep up with them, I don’t like how they look when they start falling out, I don’t like how you can’t put mascara on so once you put eyeshadow on, it makes your lashes a lighter color. I’m just not into them. No offense to anyone that is, again, most of my friends have them. So whenever I go out, I just put on fake lashes because I don’t mind that. BUT one day while I was doing the normal instagram explore feed stalking, I came across something about lash lifts. I had never heard of it and quickly did a google search and watched this quick video. So lash lifting is pretty much perming for your lashes. You can see the full how-to video here. They cleanse your eyes of all makeup, tape your lower lashes down so they don’t curl up too, then they put these silicone pads on your eyelids and pull the lashes up onto the pad then use a perming solution to curl them. This is left on for 20 minutes or so before they remove it then she also tinted my lashes. It is totally pain free, no burning occurred. It was simple and painless. In and out the door in probably 40 minutes!

Below is a photo of my lashes before, then right after (with no makeup on), then with mascara on. I seriously have LOVE the results!

PaleOMG Lash Lift

And here is a photo from the side so you can see how the lashes turn up!

PaleOMG Lash Lift

I didn’t know anyone who did lash lifts, so I simply hopped on yelp and looked up lash lift and found Lashology which had awesome reviews and they were great and super professional!

{UPDATE ON LASH LIFTING: I went back in after 5 weeks since my lashes were beginning to drop just slightly. This time I had a different person than the first time and she TOTALLY f*cked up. Instead of “perming” then part of the lash at the lash line, she permed the entire lash so my lashes completely turned in instead of just up. So curly that I couldn’t even put mascara on or fake lashes. So I called the manager and she had me come in to try to fix it. It’s better now but still a tad too curly. So going forward, I won’t go back there or probably get them done again. I LOVED it the first time, but they f*cked up bad the next time around. I honestly wouldn’t recommend going there now, sadly.}

I’ve seriously loved all these treatments lately and would recommend all of them! If you have any sort of questions, feel free to ask them below! And if you are in the Colorado area, check out these amazing people and companies:

  • Shawn at Cherry Hills Facial Aesthetics 720-459-7960
  • Lea Curry at 720-252-3182

You May Also Like:

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

58 Comments

  1. Trisha Saunders says:

    I love that you are posting all about your experiences with various treatments. After reading about your microblading experience, I had it done myself and I LOVE it!!! Now I have been looking into the lash lift and tint. I was considering extensions but wasn’t sure about the upkeep, not to mention the expense. My brow lady does lash lifts too so I’m getting that done next. Can’t wait to read more about your experience and try it out myself. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  2. Nikki says:

    Hey Juli – Have you ever used BeautyCounter products? If so, what did you use/would you recommend the product line? I would love your thoughts if you have experience with the brand. 🙂

    1. juli says:

      i’ve dabbled with them a little bit and they are a great company, i just love the stuff i use so i haven’t really gotten into it!

  3. Cynthia says:

    Hi There! I have a question about Last Lift. I loved your review on it and found a place near me that does lash lift + tint. My question is I run/work out a lot and get all sweaty…how do your lashes hold up? I’m just wondering if it’ll last that long since I sweat a lot and wipe my face a lot when working out.

    1. juli says:

      my lash lady said i didn’t need to worry about that at all, there would be no change from sweat or makeup or even makeup remover!

  4. Emily P. says:

    I love that you share all of this info that some people might keep as a private beauty secret! I too got botox for the first time last month at age 32.8 partially because you said you do it and I asked a lot of friends and they all said they have been doing it for years! I didn’t like it the first 2 weeks, I felt like it was too strong, but now I love it! I had across the forehead wrinkles and 1 part of the eleven going on that wasn’t cute. Probably because I judgey face a lot….anyway, I might try dysport next after hearing that botox metabolizes faster than dysport especially for us crossfitters. I want to do microblading but I haven’t had the free time to go look at people’s portfolios. Love you, keep doing you!!

    1. juli says:

      that’s the main reason I share it, because I wish others would share that info with me! it sucks most people keep it a secret or are ashamed to talk about it. i’ve never heard of dysport, i’ll have to ask about that!

  5. Alex says:

    Hi Juli-

    Have you or your esthetician/skincare specialist heard of Micro-needling? If so what are your/her thoughts? It it effective?

    Thank you!
    Alex

    1. juli says:

      the treatments she does is pretty much like microneedling and does the same thing, from what i understand! but from what i know, the lasers she does are more effective than microneedling alone!

  6. Robyn says:

    Random Accutane question; I just completed 6 months of the stuff,,,, I LOVED my skin while ON it but in my first month OFF it my skin has gone crazy. As in lots of crappy bumpy areas and its red. What happened to my beautiful glow??? So to the question: how was your skin after you were done with the treatment and did it change at all? I mean in texture or appearance after the Accutane was out of your system? I am scared to put anything on it except for my hydrabalm. Appreciate all the openness!!

    1. juli says:

      i didn’t have a huge change right away when i got off it, but after a year i got acne again. the texture wasn’t much different though, not that i remember at least. i would honestly talk to your dermatologist about that, they may have some helpful information to help with the texture!

  7. Chelsea says:

    Hey Juli! I’ve done a little research on dermatologists vs. estheticians, but in your experience, which do you prefer to go to? Are there certain skin issues or procedures that are better for a dermatologist to treat/do rather than an esthetician? Which do you feel helps the most with acne?

    Thank you for sharing! It is very interesting & helpful and your results are amazing!

    1. juli says:

      after i finished my accutane, my dermatologist gave me the information for a medical esthetician to get lasers and treatments done, so i think it just depends on what your dermatologist does! for me, my esthetician knows much more about the treatments than my dermatologist does. i needed a dermatologist for accutane which is why i saw her. i hope that answers your question!

  8. Ashley says:

    Hi Juli,
    Your skin looks incredible! So happy for you! I remember reading one of your first posts about the treatments and how happy you are that you found your medical esthetician. It stuck out to me that you mentioned you have gone to people in the past that did not do a great job and that we should do our research. You are so lucky to have found someone you trust! My question is, is there a certain kind of training or certification that I should look for in a medical spa in the Seattle/Tacoma area? Would it be possible for you to ask your esthetician if she knows anyone or can recommend someone with similar training/abilities? Ready to start the anti-aging process with dermaplaning, Botox, and Venus viva.
    Thanks so much 🙂

    1. juli says:

      my esthetician has a degree in science with an emphasis in medical skincare then she has up to date certifications with all the lasers and products she uses!

  9. Kaitlyn says:

    Hi Juli, I was just wondering if you heard of anything for clearing unwanted bump on arms and legs, known as I believe Keratosis Pilaris. I know its quite common and I am researching some more natural methods of helping to clear these up. Thanks so much and love all your help!

    1. juli says:

      i haven’t! maybe talk to your dermatologist about it?

  10. Ruth says:

    Hey there! Love your podcast!
    How was your experience been with spironolactone? I was on it briefly but had to go off because we were trying to get pregnant. All done with kids now and looking to get back on it.
    How much are you on? Any side effects? Would love any feedback or experience you’ve had with it.

    1. juli says:

      my experience with it has been great! i’m just thirsty all.the.time. constantly. i’m on 50mg a day! but i love it!