As I approach 30, I have spent a lot of time and money chasing after the perfect skin, and the fountain of youth everyone so desperately seeks. I wasn’t always struggling for perfect skin though. For most of my life I was blessed with pretty good skin actually. I never had to do the dreaded Accutane that many who go through puberty have to suffer through to get skin they feel comfortable in and I didn’t have to learn crazy makeup tricks to cover anything up either. I’d get an annoying pimple here or there, right before a big event or stressful test. For the most part though, I was always able to maintain good skin, especially in the summer when I could tan more. But after having my daughter my skin has gone through many different phases of hormonal imbalance and I am constantly having to shift and find a new routine that works for me. Just when I would find a product I thought I loved and thought was working for me….bam…..it would stop working and I’d have to go back to the drawing board and research the next recommendation.
I had finally just accepted that my skin was going to be in this downward spiral and not get better before discovering this new system that has been transformative for my skin.
*disclaimer: I’m not being paid or “sponsored” to say any of this, I just genuinely love the products and am so happy with how well they have worked for me that I want to share them with everyone.*
Anyway, I’ve used top name brand products that have a price tag to match their status with zero luck, I’ve tried many “organic” brands that are clean and free of parabens that have caused terrible reactions with my sensitive skin, and I’ve seen my dermatologist for medicated creams that are supposed to work wonders that have not made a difference in the slightest.
One day I was scrolling TikTok, not looking for anything, just mindlessly passing the time while my daughter napped when I came across a guy named Brendan. Brendan had immaculate skin, absolutely flawless and everything I wished my skin could be. And Brendan was selling what he called “botox in a bottle.” Which immediately made my ears perk up. It was called a “philler peptide serum” which has the benefits of fading fine lines and wrinkles, promoting collagen, tightening your face and extending the life of your botox, if you get botox. As someone who used to get botox, I missed everything about that experience and how my skin looked when I had it. But surelyyy he was using a filter over his video, surely he had to be selling another scam product that was just being overhyped…I mean he was a guy, what could he possibly know about skin? Right? WRONG! After an hour of scrolling every single video he had posted and heavily exploring the brands website I was speechless and impressed. He really knew his shit, you could tell he was passionate about what he was speaking about, that he had put a lot of time and research into his brand.
So, I followed the brand, and started adding products to my cart, when I got a message. It was from the brand, The Phix. A standard “hey let us know if there’s anything we can help you with,” which was greatly appreciated as I didn’t know where to start. They don’t have an overwhelming amount of products, it’s all pretty simple and straightforward for the most part, but with me having sensitive skin I didn’t want to overdue it and order too much at once. I knew I wanted that botox in a bottle but past that I was unsure. So I let them know that I found them on TikTok and that Brendan’s skin was amazing and what I needed in my life and the basis for following them. Well, low and behold, it was Brendan messaging me. We exchanged a few messages and I asked him how his brand was so good, but so affordable. Because it was. Unbelievably affordable actually. The 3 part system I ordered, cleanser, moisturizer and vitamin c serum was $68…..the moisturizer I had been using prior to The Phix was $48 by itself……so how was it an entire system was only $20 more. Better yet, the “botox in a bottle” was $24……$24?!!? And that’s when he sent me a voice message that sold me. Brendan let me know he started his brand because of his mother that had stage 3 breast cancer. And after experiencing how her skin reacted to chemo he wanted to create something that could help all skin types and that wouldn’t break the bank. The mission and drive behind why he created his brand instantly sold me. Because from watching his TikToks you can tell he is passionate and puts so much time into his brand. As a small business owner myself, I appreciate that level of hard work, and a drive behind it that isn’t related to money.
I have been religiously using The Phix for 2 months now, and let me just say, my skin has never looked better. I use the skin barrier repair system as well as the peptide serum (botox in a bottle) and it’s the chef’s kiss. Prior to using The Phix, my skin looked old, it looked tired, it had texture, it had redness. There wasn’t a filter in the world that made me feel 100%. Now, after a few short months of sticking with it, I have the confidence I was lacking to now send a video or take a selfie without a filter. In fact, I rave to my friends on snapchat at least once a week about how good my skin looks and how in love I am with it now. My forehead lines have started to soften, the lines around my mouth have also softened, my texture and rosacea have disappeared, the puffiness I used to have is gone, my skin always has a dewy and hydrated glow, and my acne has finally been contained and the scaring I had before is starting to disappear little by little. What really blew me away though, is most recently I was hanging with old friends I hadn’t seen in a while, laughing and reminiscing when I noticed my face actually felt tight and somewhat sore from all the laughing, which had me confused, until I realized what the cause was….that botox in a bottle honey. I love when you finally get results from something and can tell it works.
In addition to changing skin care systems, I also do a lymphatic drainage massage on my face each morning. This has helped tremendously with puffiness. It also helps drain the toxins your face can hold onto, improve circulation, help with under eye discoloration and manage those unwanted breakouts. Finally, I finish everything off with a gua sha massage. Gua sha massages also help with puffiness, but as someone who grinds their teeth at night this also helps with tension in the face. And finally, drinking water…I know everyone always says “drink water and hydrate your skin,” but let me tell you it makes a difference. Truly.
So shoutout to The Phix for well, fixing my skin, and giving me the confidence back that I have so been lacking. My skin feels amazing and looks amazing. I can’t wait to see what another 2 months time will do for my before and after photos. I finally feel like myself again and feel comfortable in my own skin. Another special thanks to my wonderful friend, Mason Gray for helping me create the images for this blog, having great skin again finally gave me back the confidence for a photo shoot. And as always, Mason helped bring my vision to life and the images are everything I wanted them to be.
Imagery by: Mason Gray / instagram: @CreativeThirdPictures