We love our affiliates and think you will love them too, so we are spotlighting them here on our blog. This week we are spotlighting Amanda Earnest.
Hi Amanda, tell us about yourself.
Hey now! I am a stay-at-home mom of five kiddos from Southern California. I have been a beauty junkie ever since I was a teen, and now that I have a career in the beauty industry I truly feel like all is right in the world!
Most days you can find me doing makeup, hair, or skincare tutorials online, running carpool, or even dragging my kids onto just “one more ride” on our after-school Disney adventures!
You can find me at Beauty by Amanda Earnest on Facebook OR @amandaearnest on Instagram!
What’s your skin type?
I’ve got combination skin -- dry around the mouth, oily in the T-zone. I’ve really struggled in the past with cystic acne, hormonal breakouts, and a LOT of melasma thanks to my five pregnancies.
Tell us your skin story, Amanda.
Once upon a time, I was a broken-out, hormonal teen who never wore sunscreen! Yep. Who wasn’t!? I remember even back when I was 16 years old, my pediatrician put me on accutane for cystic acne.
Not long after graduating high school, I moved from humid Southern California to DRY northern Utah. Wow was that a good time for my skin -- not! I went from acne-prone and medicated, to dry and dull.
In my early 20s, I started having babies. I was pregnant or nursing or just trying to “get back” to where I was for the better part of a decade. During that time I experienced significant difficulty with melasma, dark spots, acne scarring, and more hormonal breakouts. Around this time, I became so self-conscious about my skin that I began to wear camouflage-grade makeup on my face -- the kind people use to cover tattoos.
Now that I am in my mid-30s, my biggest challenge is just trying to get that overall youthful “dewiness” and glow back. I continue to use dedicated products to help hydrate and lift, brighten and soothe. And anything that does all that, and at the same time reduces the appearance of pigmentation and sun damage is a WIN in my book. Thank you Soon!
Do you have experience with a specific/unique condition?
Yes! I’ve experienced challenges with cystic and hormonal acne both from my teens and again once I started having babies. And I struggle even now with dull skin and a LOT of pigmentation and scarring both from the acne of my past and the melasma from my pregnancies.
When did it start?
In my teens! It’s been a rollercoaster, really, for decades! I am so glad to have found a line that is helping with all my challenges.
What was helpful in managing (ie your best skin decision)?
The single BEST thing I have ever done for my skin, apart from starting to wear a dedicated, daily, facial sunscreen, was the decision I made to INVEST in my products for my at-home daily regimen. High-quality products have made all the difference!
What was NOT helpful (ie your worst skin decision)?
The worst thing I ever did for my skin was failing to use a daily sunscreen! Yikes! Those dark spots and that sun damage is coming to the surface now that I’m in my mid-30s, nearly two decades later.
How are things now?
Now that I am done having babies, and now that I have really made an effort to nurse my skin back to health with monthly visits to my esthetician AND high-quality products, I have noticed a huge difference in the overall tone and texture of my skin. I no longer break out, and it seems like every day the pigmentation fades a little more! I really am quite jazzed about my skin -- finally!!! And it’s truly thanks, in part, to Soon!
What would you suggest to someone dealing with this skin condition?
I would tell her to get some sunscreen, book a facial, and get some brightening masks from Soon!
Favorite Soon Product and what you love about it?
I think my very favorite Soon product is the Biocellulose Brightening Face Mask! I really love how it gives me that Soon “glow,” and it helps diminish the appearance of acne scars and melasma I have struggled with for years.
