I'm getting really, really, real today and talking about something most people do (especially in L.A.!) and never mention a word about: botox and fillers. GASP.

First of all, I think the double standard in this country ('Merica) needs to go. The fact that a female should always look beautiful effortlessly and never talk about what they did to get there is so totally ridiculous. I'd really like to change how procedures like Botox is looked down on, and maybe that's a tall order for one blog post, but I hope if you're reading this that it removes even the tiniest bit of stigma about trying something you've been wanting to do in the realm of beauty treatments or plastic surgery. While I've never had plastic surgery, I did recently try botox and fillers for dark circles that have always bothered me. If I needed it, I'd get plastic surgery, too. I believe if something bothers you and you have the means to fix it, by all means DO it! 

For my recent experience I visited SkinByLovely, which is this gorgeous, super nice medi-spa in Santa Monica. Centrally located to the Westside of LA, but also close to Brentwood and Central Los Angeles, I would highly HIGHLY recommend them. Their space is beautiful, clean, and they specialize just in doing these types of treatments so I knew I was in good hands. For my visit I was attended to by the lovely Morgan, who was like a Botox fairy who made me feel SO at ease. Seriously I went in there nervous about the experience, which totally went away after about 5 seconds in their lobby. I literally almost changed my mind about doing this blog and going in for the treatment, but finally grew some and thought it was a great opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and talk aobut something most just won't. 

If you're in your mid 20's - early 30's and wondering about trying Botox, Juvaderm, Restalyn, or any other kind of filler, keep reading for some tips and for some words of wisdom about my experience. 

The rooms are SkinByLovely, clean and bright.

1) Why fillers?

Like I said above, I went in not even sure I'd do the filler under my eyes, cause I was actually scared, even though it's something I've been thinking about trying for a while. Why fillers for dark circles? Well, basically, as you age, your dark circles get worse due to loss of collagen and volume in your under eye skin, which is very thin.  Sometimes people naturally have dark circles under their eyes even at a young age. I've always had them, not terribly bad, but I've noticed lately them being worse with how stressed I've been and because of work. Other than that, I've always been blessed with good skin, which made me really focus on this one thing I didn't like about my face. (OK there's others but we all have flaws, whatever) Anyways, I heard about doing fillers in this area to make dark circles better probably 10 years ago, but I finally bit the bullet and decided to try it this time around.

Here's what the experience was like. First, Morgan took a numbing agent to my upper cheeks above my cheek bones to numb the area under my eyes which is obviously really sensitive. After I was numbed, I basically didn't feel anything except for a little pinch when she put the (very) long needle into my under eye area. This was the hardest part. She asked me if I wanted to see her putting it in and I said yes (stupid), which FREAKED me out. Turns out I don't like the way it looks with a needle 1/2 an inch from my eyeball. That being said, if you're squeemish like me, don't ask to look during the process, LOL! 

2) It doesn't hurt.

As for the botox, it was really mild. I asked her to put it in my forehead where I feel like I furrow my brows a lot, but I was really emphatic about her only using a little bit. I don't want freezer face EVER, and she totally understood - and said she wouldn't have given me a ton even if I asked for it. ha. I think I had something in the 10 units range. Most places charge 5-15 dollars per unit, so really it was just a small amount. You usually don't need a lot in your forehead unless you're older or have a lot of really deep lines. 

3) How does it work?

Botox basically paralyzes the muscles to smooth out the skin that's on top of it, and prevents wrinkles by relaxing the muscles wherever it's placed. It's good to do in small amounts in your 20's to prevent wrinkles, especially if you start to notice them early on. As for the fillers, there are different kinds for different uses and there's too many to try to go into them all here, but basically they can be used to plump up any area - lips, cheeks, filling in lines like around your mouth (called nasolabial folds), or under eyes to help with dark circles. Clearly, I got the filler under my eyes for this purpose. Two of the most popular fillers are Juvaderm (commonly used in the lips), and Restylane.  The one I tried is called Restylane.

4) Do I see a difference?

Yes, but I don't think a lot of other people can tell. It's not drastic, but I never wanted it to be!  It's almost just like I look like a more relaxed, well slept version of myself. I like it. ALOT. Maybe too much! I'm kind of scared for it to wear off because I like the results so much. 

5) How long does it last?

Again, it depends. Botox usually lasts 3-6 months but it depends on the area and strength of the muscle. People even get it in sweat glands or put it in their jaw for teeth grinding, which are really strong areas that have to get treatment usually more frequently. The fillers last longer, up to 2 years, depending on which ones you get.

5) Would I do it again?

Yes!!! Especially the botox. I think I'll keep maintaining it twice a year or something like that to prevent wrinkles, depending on when or if I think I need it. Like I said before I never want to totally freeze my face, though. I think human expression in a face is beautiful and I'd never want to get rid of that.

I hope this blog was useful and informative for any of you interested in trying Botox or fillers in the future, and eases fears for those who have been thinking about trying this! Feel free to message me on social media or leave comments below with questions, I'm always here to answer any you may have! Thank you so much to SkinbyLovely for having me and giving me such a great experience, I'll be back soon! 

x, Genevieve

After the fillers with the marks in my cheeks. No dark circles!

Interested in trying injectables, peels, or other skin rejuvenation? Contact SkinByLovely Los Angeles or Portland by visiting their website here.

Let’s start this off by saying I haven’t gotten a facial in a year. I KNOW that’s bad but I just haven’t found anyone I really like and I usually do tons of treatments at home anyhow. That being said, Los Angeles is known for a few things, and beauty treatments is one of them. You’d be hard-pressed to find a city that has the extensive offerings of as many stay-young-for-freaking-ever treatments that L.A. hosts. All that aside, I’ve lived in L.A. for 11 years and I’ve tried a bevy of facials, but never really found my favorite person.  Insert Gayle Miller. As an aesthetician for the past almost 20 years, she’s no beginner at the skincare game. I recently went in for a treatment with her that totally changed my idea of what a facial even is. In the past it’s always been painful (ugh, extractions), somewhat stressful (thoughts like am I going to break out come to mind), and even akin to going to the Dr.’s office on levels of things I should do, but don’t really want to do – for reasons mentioned above.

The entry to BeautySkinGlow in Los Angeles.

Books and buddhas make Gayle's facial room feel zen and relaxed.

The hallway where BeautySkinGlow's room is

That being said, I’m SO glad that I found Gayle because her facials are none of those things.

What Gayle does best is custom facials. She’ll examine your face, and then gauge what your skin needs. After she’s assessed your skin, she then will start to work her magic. To begin, she gave me a small facial/ scalp massage, and then wrapped my face with a hot steam towel to open the pores. My facial consisted first of a Vitamin C peel, then was followed by a microdermabrasion with a diamond-tipped sucking machine that did all the work of extractions without any of the discomfort. These extractions actually made my skin feel good. After my “extractions” that didn’t feel anything like extractions, she saved the best for last. At the end of my facial, she blasted me with an oxygen machine which felt incredible. It felt like my pores were literally being filled up with water and made my skin feel uber hydrated and dewy. I loved this machine so much I literally asked her where I could buy one! (I’ll let you know if I actually find one because it’s so amazing)  

The bottom line for BeautySkinGlow, is that when I walked into her space I felt immediately relaxed, and I left feeling that way and with glowing skin, too. Yes, I will even drive to the Valley to get a facial when it’s a really good one, and she’s not expensive, either. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, go see her and your skin will thank you for it.

Right after my facial - my skin was literally glowing from the oxygen.

To book and appointment with Gayle call BeautySkinGlow at 818.963.0007 or visit her website here. 

 

Now…it’s time for a fabulous giveaway! I’ve teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to give YOU a chance to win: a $1,000 Nordstrom Gift Card, just in time for the Anniversary Sale!

Simply enter below by completing the rafflecopter. You’ll receive one entry per completion. This giveaway is open internationally and runs until 7/24. Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Living on the Venice Canals for the past 3 years has been such a great experience. An area of L.A. that 10 years ago I barely knew anything about, the canals has now become near and dear to my heart. With it being such a popular tourist destination, I get asked A LOT of questions about the canals. The fact is, there's a lot of history about the canals, most that you probably didn't know. Check out below some of the most fascinating facts about the historic Venice Beach Canals, and how to get here! 

The Venice Canals are always a popular tourist and photo shoot location. Here I'm wearing a gingham skirt, orange sunglasses, and page boy hat. Photo via Stefanie Marie.

1) The Venice Canals were built in 1905.

Opening day was on the 4th of July, 1905! Yes, they're over 100 years old. When they were first built, they were originally for families to come for vacation or for weekends, which is why the homes were smaller and mostly just meant as boat houses. There's still a lot of houses that are original and you can tell they were meant to be boat houses!

2) There's 6 canals, and each one has a name. 

There’s actually 6 canals and they’re all named: Eastern Canal + Grand Canal run north to south and make the two borders, Linney Canal, Sherman Canal, Howland Canal, and Carroll Canal are the four that run perpendicular to Eastern and Grand making a 2 mile loop. 

3)  The Venice Beach Canals are a replica of the Italian version.

The streets around the area are appropriately named things like “Rialto” for the Rialto Bridge. Grand Canal is named after the Canal Grande which is the biggest canal in Venice, Italy. There used to be gondolas for visitors to rent and take rides in. 

4) We have annual boat parades. 

If you're lucky enough to live on the Venice Canals like I am, you get to participate in bi-annual boat parades every year for Christmas and the 4th of July. Every year resident's deck out their canoes and kayaks and get to participate. There's even prizes for the fastest wind powered boat (no paddles!). 

5) Abbot Kinney built them. 

Most people don't even know this, but Abbot Kinney was an actual person. That's who essentially built the whole canal system and most of modern day Venice Beach as we all know it now. The famous street now known as "Abbot Kinney" was named after him. He came to California with tobacco money from New Jersey in the early 1900's and fell in love with Venice, like most people do :) 

6) They used to be MUCH bigger. 

The original Venice Canals were around a 7 mile long loop, but the Venice Canals have had various points of falling into ruin since they were built in 1905. In 1929 at the beginning of the Great Depression, half of them were filled in with concrete, due to the rise in popularity of cars. The remaining canals were almost filled in entirely in the 80's over budget fights who would foot the cost to repair them. Thankfully, they weren't, and eventually they reopened in 1993 with the way they look today.  Windward circle used to all be water up to where the Venice Sign is. It was called "The Lagoon", with each street stemming from it being canals. The entire area between Abbot Kinney, Pacific, and Venice Blvd. were originally water canals.

Part of the Venice Canals that are now destroyed. Pictured in the middle is "Little America Island" an island where houses existed in the middle of the canals. Photo courtesy of the LMU library. 

These canals were:

• Coral Canal (now Main St.)
• Cabrillo Canal (now Cabrillo Ave.)
• Venus Canal (now San Juan Ave.)
• Lion Canal (now Windward Ave.)
• Altair Canal (now Altair St.)
• Aldebaren Canal (now Market St.)
• Grand Canal (now Grand Boulevard)

Siting on a bridge on Grand Canal - part of what still exists!

Relaxing on the canals with a picnic and a magazine is a great way to spend any summer day. 

Bag, Hieleven. Shoes similar here. 

How to get here:

The canals are easy to find. They are just off of the beach - one block east of Pacific Ave. between Venice blvd. and Washington Blvd. I would recommend start on one end and walking through to the other. Use the map below to get you here. 

 

All information in this post via Wikipedia, KCET, or from asking my neighbors :)  Check out this great article to learn more. 

Photos in this post of me courtesy of Stefanie Marie - check her out!