By Emma Crosswhite

For years, I have struggled with poor skin. Not the kind that needed medical attention, but the kind that I was embarrassed by. With no insurance to see a doctor, I felt defeated. At age twenty-two, I was still battling acne like a teen and worried about what that meant for the future of my skin. I found myself in a never-ending loop of Korean skin routine videos, trying out derma-rolling (ouch), and every kind of facemask imaginable. I finally gave up. 

Then, I heard about Curology.

Everyone was advertising their subscription and swearing by the products- but I was skeptical. How could a company solve all of my skin problems without really knowing me or my skin? 

Months passed ignoring ads, then one day through a form on Missouri State Gals, I started to see a common trend… Curology. Even girls that I recognized said it significantly improved their skin, and they would never go back. At this point, I was spending about 25 minutes each day just devoted to my skin routine. So I took a leap of faith and decided to sign up for a free trial ($4.95 for shipping and handling).

Ordering: 

You start by creating an account where you take a quick quiz to explain your typical skin problems and give a brief health background. After about 24 hours, you will hear about your personalized bottle of cream from your Curology medical provider. 

Next, you decide what type of subscription you would like to have. 

The Curology Set: (Ships every 60 days for 59.90)

• Large Custom Bottle

• Large Cleanser

• Large Moisturizer 

• Free Shipping and Handling

The Large Custom Bottle: (Ships every 60 days for 39.90)

• Large Custom Bottle

• Free Shipping and Handling

The Large Custom Bottle: (Ships every monthly for 19.95 + 4.95 S+H )

• Small Custom Bottle

I chose The Curology Set because I didn’t want the extra hassle of buying a cleanser and a moisturizer when for $20.00 more, everything would be shipped to my door. 

Here is what I experienced during my first six weeks using Curology:

Week one: 

My subscription came in a cute brown and purple box with instructions on how to use the products properly. I said “goodbye” to my old routine and “hello” to a new journey. At first, I felt like I was doing something wrong considering it only took about 5 minutes to complete my new skincare routine. 

My first impression was pretty intense. The cleanser removed my foundation with little need for scrubbing and the moisturizer made my skin feel so soft. Nothing burned or itched. So far, so good. 

Pimple count: 11 

Week two: 

I felt I had fallen into the placebo effect. My skin felt cleaner, my makeup went on smoother than ever before, and did I mention - I was spending no time on it.

Pimple count: 7

Week Three:

I started to notice my skin breaking out once again. However, I wasn’t too discouraged since I had been through product changes in the past

Pimple count: 9

Week Four:

My product was starting to get a bit sparse. My cleanser was down to the last bits, and my prescription Curology bottle had almost no pumps left. I found myself taking q-tips to scrape as much product out as I could, and my moisturizer... well, that was gone. Luckily, I had some leftover from my previous skincare routine. After this, I made sure I would be a little bit more careful with the amount I used during my routine. 

Pimple count: 5

Week Five: 

My larger shipment arrived, and I reminded myself to make sure to be sparing with this one. I noticed my skin felt softer, it was less red, and my pimple count was down. Instead of my pimples sometimes staying for weeks, they would disappear overnight.  This was the first time other people started to notice my skin improving. 

Pimple count: 3

Week Six - Now: 

I found that the smaller bottle ran out a lot quicker than the larger shipments. I have so much leftover cleanser that I don’t even crack into the new bottle until a month after receiving the shipment. The moisturizer and prescription bottles usually cover me for about an extra two weeks when using roughly two pumps each use. My skin is finally clear and my redness is gone. 

Pimple Count: I hardly even have one.

Week One through Six

Here are the pros and cons I found while using Curology.

Pros:

• Only three easy steps.

• Provides all base skin products you need and delivered to your front door.

• Customizable to your skin.

Cons: 

• More expensive than a typical skin routine.

• You need to keep track of your product use, or you may run out before your next bottle comes.

• You have to be patient and give the product time to work some magic. 

My final thoughts? It is worth the money. Now that I am nearing ten months of using Curology. I couldn’t be happier. What started as an experiment to disprove the works of a skin subscription became the best thing that has ever happened to my skin. This product did everything it promised. I finally feel comfortable going into public with no makeup —  a dream I never thought could be achieved.