Mission: Taking Care of my Skin!

After one of my recent very cold weather workouts, I pulled the buff down under my chin to expose my face. I looked at myself, puzzled.

Wow. I looked… old!

Look at these lines under my eyes… and crow’s feet?!?

Yay wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and lots of little lines that have started to show up. I don’t want to grow up.

Now, I’ve never been one to really care THAT much about my appearance. I wear make-up mostly on holidays or date nights. I wash my face nightly, apply moisturizer when needed, sunscreen when I’m going on a particularly long/hot run (I know, I should be better about this… but my moisturizer has SPF in it, does that count for something?), etc. You get the picture.

I thought about the image I saw for a good week, then approached Nathan:

“I never EVER thought I’d say this, but I think I need to start investing in my skin a little more.”

He responded with some sort of “old woman” wise crack. Awesome.

I wondered where to go. Should I ask for product advice via Facebook? Do some research online? I decided to head online first and became intrigued by reviews of Rodan + Fields. I reached out to Lauri (Huettl) Smith, a high school friend & XC running teammate who now sells Rodan + Fields products.

Lauri. Pretty much gorgeous. AND – seriously, perfect skin?!?

Haven’t heard of them? Yep, neither had I! I won’t bore you with too many details, but here are a few fun ones:

-Developed in 2002 by Stanford-University trained dermatologists Katie Rodan, M.D. and Kathy Fields, M.D., the same doctors who created Proactiv.

-They are the #4 premium skin care line brand in the US behind Estee Lauder, Clinique, and Lancome. Rodan + Fields has been growing at 100% the last few years (fastest growing line the last 6 years), though, so is poised to overtake “The Big 3” soon.

-The company’s marketing budget: $0. Because they don’t have to. In 2014 alone they had 112 million unpaid media impressions. Not too shabby.

Lauri and I talked for over an hour one day. No joke. She took that much time for me! She is now determined to help others through R+F. She explained:

Lauri took an hour with me to help me find exactly what I needed, then hooked me up with the REVERSE regimen (which also targets discolorations), specific eye cream to target the wrinkles there, and the Macro E exfoliator.

Reverse Line – lots of bottles/steps!

She then helped me figure out how to work around my running schedule, which is tricky when I’m running twice a day. When should I put it on so it’s most effective? I don’t want to go through mountains of product really fast. Yep, I’m frugal cheap, remember, people?!? Also, it takes time to do all of this, and I’m usually moving from one activity RIGHT to the other so as not to waste a minute.

Part of the regime is a 50 SPF sunscreen that I’ll apply before every run. I’ve only periodically used a sunscreen, and know I should use it all the time. I just find it thick and slimy, and having it run into my eyes isn’t that much fun. Deena Kastor would be ashamed of me (article about her battle with skin cancer here). Do you wear sunscreen before your runs?

I digress. I’m really excited to give it a go! Is that odd? I’m giddy excited to test facial products? Where is the real Nichole & what have you done with her? For the next 60 days I’ll take a picture every week, showing my progress every so often.

This arrived yesterday. VERY excited to start!

There are some impressive before and after photos out there – wonder if I’ll see results. I’m really skeptical, but I figure I have nothing to lose, right?

My before pic. Note awesome tie-dyed shirt. It’s Nathan’s and size Large. I swim in it. Also on: very frumpy pullover and (not pictured) sweats. When I’m going to settle in & get comfortable for the night, I don’t care what I look like, as long as I’m COMFORTABLE! 🙂 Another before close-up

Is anyone interested in trying this with me? Give it a thought – if you don’t see results in 60 days, you can simply return the product. So – nothing to lose! Email Lauri: laurismith (at) myrandf (dot) com.

Your turn:
Have you used any skin products that have worked well? If so, what ones, how, why, etc?


Have you tried Rodan + Fields before? Did it work for you?


Do you wear sunscreen before your runs? Or have SPF in your daily moisturizer & that’s enough?