A lot of people have asked me about Botox – how long I have done it, do I recommend it, what does it do to me, and on and on. I have always been loud and proud in my praise of Botox, but pictures will always speak louder than words.
Just so you have all of the details, I am wearing only Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (on entire face), MAC Paint Pot in Barely There (on eyes), Maybelline Great Lash Mascara (on eyelashes) and MAC Lipstick in Blankety (on lips). Normally with my melasma (and especially with the black eyes I seem to be sporting today) I would have a lot more makeup on, but I wanted you to be able to see all of the lines pretty clearly to get a good idea of what we are working with here. That being said, I didn’t want to go completely natural… Don’t want to scare everyone away!
So I present you, close up and in minimal makeup, an almost 35 year-old’s face.
The above image is of me doing a “natural” smile. You can see that I have fine lines under my eyes, but not much else. Below I am giving you the biggest smile possible. More intense lines form under my eyes, but I don’t get any of the crow’s-feet that normally accompany such a wide grin. I think it looks pretty natural, but you can be the judge.
Below, I am doing my “thinking very hard” face. Clearly, I am never getting an acting gig as I just look constipated. So if I am concentrating or constipated, you can see that my eyebrows still move but my forehead remains line free.
Now the one below is kind of funny (and showcases the most unnatural of all faces) – my surprised/interested face. I am using all of my might to lift my eyebrows up. No movement on the forehead, but that left eyebrow seems to be trying to make a break for it (but not getting too far). Mind you, even when I am completely surprised, I would never strain my forehead this much. So hopefully people don’t call me “crazy eyebrow lady” behind my back… Then again, I have probably been called worse.
Below is my stern face. Why I feel the need to make a trout pout when doing this face is beyond me. (Speaking of lips, I don’t do anything to those. They are pretty full naturally and I don’t want to look like a target for a Gorton’s Fisherman any more than I already do.) As you can see, the skin between my eyes is scrunching a teeny tiny bit, as is the skin above my eyebrows, but not much other movement.
And so you have it. I have been doing Botox for four years now and feel really great about how I am aging. I am not trying to completely paralyze my face and acknowledge that the fine lines are still very much creeping up on me. I will never look 20-something again and that is okay with me. I am just trying to look “good” for my age.
And before I forget to mention, all of those pictures above were taken by Pickle. I set up the tripod and positioned the camera, then let her do the directing. Not too shabby and it entertained her for at least 10 minutes. I even managed to get her to pose for me on camera.
Apparently the constipated look runs in the family.
Botox has always scared me but I am amazed at your wonderful results! I know I have crow’s feet creeping up and this is something I will consider asking my dermatologist about now. From all the years of being in the sun and playing tennis it really seems to have taken a toll on my skin. Thank you for such a great post!
I know that I don’t look completely natural (because I am not), but I really have been pleased with the results. The thought of doing a facelift is what scares me most, so having needles stuck into my face is nothing!!! Let me know what you decide on doing. I love to hear what has worked for others.
Going next Wed for my first dose….why I waited until 35 I have no idea.
Exciting!!! But I know why you waited… You have a beautiful and youthful face that didn’t need it so early on! Let me know what you think of it.
Just Botox, haven’t tried any other fillers??
I do Juvederm in my smile lines but I haven’t done it in over a year… And I am not sure that I really need it all that much yet. When the line around the lips start coming in (or threaten to), that’s when I’ll start hitting the Juve harder. Soooo, are you going to let me show your face next???? It is a gorgeous one!
One post couldn’t cover it.
Ha ha ha! So you are volunteering for a series?
HA HA
I love this topic! I was working for a plastic surgeon when botox first hit the market. It was exciting to see its effects and to learn all about this fine botulism! I will admit that I judged people and the words, “I will NEVER use botox” came out of my mouth. Fast forward 4 years; I had two children under the age of two, sleep was limited, the look of exhaustion was something I wore frequently as was spit up, I digress. At the age of 30 I took the plunge and I loved it! Who doesn’t want to look well rested, fresh, their age? I highly recommend botox. I’d like to point out that physicians generally recommend that you re-inject every 4 months or so. Just because they recommend that doesn’t mean that you have to follow their recommendation. They are after all, selling a product! I have found that I can get away with 2 times per year. Having praised the effects of botox, I’d like to point out that I do not recommend people purchasing their botox via groupon or one of the discount coupon sites. As we all know, you get what you pay for. Right now my neighbor looks semi-Asian on one side of her face….
OMG, the last bit… So funny, yet sadly so true. Thank you for sharing! I would have never guessed that you were a “user”, you are one of those lucky women who will always look ten years younger than her age regardless. But it makes me feel good to know it isn’t entirely natural now!!!
I am not a fan of the Botox. But you do look great. And pickle looks sassy.
Pickle is sassy. And you don’t like Botox because you have probably seen one too many overdone politico brides? Or just Nancy Pelosi. That would be enough to turn anyone off of the stuff.
Going for my appt. at the end of March! Thinking of trying Juviderm for the first time also. Your face is looking fantastic, very natural, in my opinion!
Thanks Tatyana! Let me know how you like it!!
Wow, your face looks amazing! Do you use a dermatologist or plastic surgeon? Any chance you want to share the name of your doctor with those of us considering taking the plunge?
Thanks Allison! It does look MUCH better. I have been plagued with adult acne among other skin issues for a long time now… I have tried really high end aestheticians and would not longer recommend that. I have found that MDs (at least from my experience) do MUCH better work. I currently go to Dr. Sarah Jackson in New Orleans (a dermatologist) and lovelovelove her. Did I say that I love her?
You look amazing! I have been considering it now for awhile but see adds for $50-$500. What is an average price range? I appreciate the Dr advice over an aestheticians.
I don’t know what “average” is, but I can tell you what I have spent over the years… I went to a highly reputable aethetician when I lived out West that charged me $250 for my forehead and between the eyes. And it did absolutely nothing. Biggest waste of money ever. I am pretty sure she mixed the Botox with water. Now I get my forehead, between the eyes and crow’s feet done for $450 and I think it is a great use of money. In my experience, if someone is advertising, you probably don’t want to go there.
This post may beat the chocolate-covered bacon one in popularity! Given the choice, I would take youthful face over jewelry every time.
Ha! I am not sure that staring at close-ups of me is for everyone. But I hope I never meet a person who doesn’t like either chocolate or bacon. As for the good jewelry vs. good face, I say we just try for both so we don’t have to make a decision!!!!
you look great!
and your daughter is adorable!
madisoncary recently posted..gourmet gala.
Ehhh, now looking back I should have done these pictures on a day after a full night of rest and not one where I downed a bottle wine and tossed and turned all night. But what can you do?! Thank you for the sweet compliments and so glad we connected!!
I can’t tell you how helpful this post is! I just got a little test hit this week to make sure I’m not allergic to it before going full board. Like Leanne, I’m not sure why I waited this long.
britta recently posted..The gift of unstructured time
I love it but it definitely isn’t for everyone… And not something you should let just anyone handle for you. Thanks for reading Britta! So excited to “see” you here. Your blog is really lovely – you are a talented writer!