BAREFACEDNESS

That's right, I have on absolutely no make-up! Surprise, surprise, I have acne & hyper-pigmentation. To the majority you've probably never seen me this way. Adult acne has played a major role in my adult life for the past two years. And frankly it has been a killer to my self-confidence. I'll be honest the first few months I NEVER left the house without make up or a hat on. Sadly that did nothing but make the acne worse. Growing up my face never broke out, maybe a pimple or two at that time of the month, but shortly after it would go away. So, to go through twenty-years of life with no acne, no scarring and then to wake up being Pimple Patty was a complete shock.

You guys I was losing it, I was constantly wearing make up, trying new face washes, and running from the nearest camera and mirror. I would be lying to you if I told you I woke up one day and decided I was beautiful and walked out my house with no make up. But unfortunately that is not how this story goes. For those whom don't know, I am a full time fitness instructor. Working out, sweating, and make-up don't quite go well together. So it started out that I wouldn't wear make up to the gym. As time progressed not wearing make up to the gym lead me not to wearing make up all day. However, I wasn't really leaving my house. Ironically, at this time I discovered a young woman on YouTube by the name of Ashley Devonna. She and I are about the same age and experiencing the exact same thing. Seeing her journey, transparency, and even her tears let me know that I wasn't alone. Shortly afterwards we became friends and rant for hours with one another about the rude comments we would receive, tips and tricks, etc.

Fast forward to now, I am still a work in progress. I've gotten better. I only wear make up on special occasions. However if we are being honest, pictures still aren't my favorite. Typically if I don't have on make-up I am not taking a picture. Hence the photo shoot for this blog post was very difficult for me. Lately, my skin has been doing a lot of breathing, and it feels great. If you don't take away anything from this post please, understand that acne , discoloration, scars, uneven skin tone. lose skin, etc. DOES NOT make you ugly!