There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t leave the house without a full face of makeup.
Not because I loved wearing it.
Not because it made me feel empowered.
But because I felt like I had no choice.
One day, my skin just… changed. Painful, cystic acne appeared out of nowhere. It didn’t matter what I did—it wouldn’t go away. And as someone working in skin care, that made it even harder. I felt like I should have had the answers. Instead, I was scrambling, trying every product, every treatment, every solution I could think of.
But nothing worked.
So, I did the only thing I could—I covered it.
I layered on foundation, concealer, powders. I told myself that if I couldn’t fix it, at least I could hide it. But thick makeup didn’t make me feel better. It made me feel trapped. Like I was masking myself just to be acceptable.
I refused to have photos taken. In fact, the photo on this blog is one of the few I could find from that time, and I remember how I used my scarf and pulled a bow out of my bag to try to hide my skin—even for something as simple as a bike ride.
I declined social invites. I avoided mirrors when I could. Life just… shrank.
And then came the diagnosis.
When I Finally Understood My Skin, Everything Changed
I learned I had lupus—an autoimmune disease that affects my skin, my health, and how I move through the world. Suddenly, the acne, the reactions, the flare-ups—all of it made sense. My skin wasn’t just being difficult. It was screaming for help.
Lupus changed my life, but it also changed the way I approach skin care. It taught me that my skin wasn’t something to fight against—it was something to support.
Here’s what I’ve learned:
💛 I have to be incredibly careful about anything that compromises my skin barrier. Because lupus makes me more prone to infections, I can’t afford to take risks with treatments that leave my skin vulnerable. This means I’m thoughtful about everything I do to my skin—and I bring that same level of care to my clients.
💛 I know within 30 minutes if a sunscreen works or not. Lupus makes me UV and light-sensitive, so much so that I had to change every lightbulb in my house. If a sunscreen doesn’t protect me, my butterfly rash tells me instantly (and by rash, I mean deep, painful cystic acne). This means I know, firsthand, what actually works.
💛 Poor circulation means my skin needs more support—beyond just products. My skin and hair don’t get the same level of nutrients as someone without lupus. So I’ve had to build an approach that includes lifestyle, treatments, and products that actually nourish my skin from within. This is why I don’t just focus on skin care—I focus on the full picture.
And here’s what I want you to know: If you’ve ever felt like your skin is working against you, there’s hope.
Your Skin Isn’t the Enemy—It’s Trying to Tell You Something
When I stopped treating my skin like a problem and started treating it like a relationship, everything changed.
For the first time, I worked with my skin instead of against it. I learned what it actually needed, and I stopped throwing products at it just hoping for a miracle. And when I did?
✨ My skin got better.
✨ I stopped feeling like I had to wear makeup.
✨ I started recognizing myself in the mirror again.
I know so many of my clients feel the same way. It’s not about changing who you are. It’s about understanding your skin, so you don’t feel like you have to cover it up.
If you’re tired of feeling like your skin is unpredictable, exhausting, or impossible to manage, I see you. I’ve been there. And I want you to know—there’s a way forward.