Lifestyle

Acne + Accutane, Beauty, Lifestyle, Skincare

my accutane journey: months 8 + 9

November 6, 2018November 6, 2018by Samantha MilburnLeave a Comment

it is so surreal that I am OFFICIALLY DONE WITH ACCUTANE!!!! overall, my journey has lasted about 12 months. I had my initial consult last november and started my preliminary lab tests. as far as the medication part, I ended up being on it a little longer than normal, just because we weren’t seeing the progress we were hoping to by month 6, but if it’s what kept me from having to go through the process all over again, then I’m not complaining. truthfully, I would have been done a lot sooner but I was so bad about missing a random day here or there that it delayed my end date. oops, but oh well.

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Beauty, Faith + Inspiration, Health + Wellness, Mental Health, Miscellaneous

choosing confidence

September 21, 2018October 23, 2018by Samantha MilburnLeave a Comment

hello wonderful readers! I’m sorry that I have been so silent lately. as I have mentioned in some blog posts before, my creativity has been lacking – so, in attempts to get ideas and opinions of what it is exactly that readers want to see, I asked my Instagram followers send me their ideas.

one of the responses I got was about gaining confidence. this is a popular but hard topic to write about because I feel like finding confidence in yourself is not a cut-and-dry template for everyone. it takes identifying your insecurities, why they are what they are, and doing whatever necessary to cut them down.

the submission specifically said “how to believe you’re beautiful to have a happy life + gain confidence.” my first comment on this is that it’s backwards, and I’ll explain why.

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Acne + Accutane, Beauty, Lifestyle, Skincare

my accutane journey: months 6 + 7

August 25, 2018August 27, 2018by Samantha Milburn2 Comments

I decided to do this update a little differently by combining the last couple of months into one post. month 6 was actually a very bad month in terms of progress, so it was frustrating (and little embarrassing) and I felt like it didn’t warrant an “update” post since it regressed rather than progressed. I’m not sure whether it was my diet or stress or both, but at one point I had about 3 pimples on my forehead, 2 on my cheek, and 1 on my chin at a time – I’m talking like, the worst breakout I’ve had since first starting the medication. but oddly enough, month 7 was the complete opposite and I have had zero breakouts. keep reading to see the before + afters and to see some exciting news!

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Faith + Inspiration, Health + Wellness, my life

health as a mission

August 14, 2018October 23, 2018by Samantha MilburnLeave a Comment

how many times has our health held us back? whether it be from having fun and simply living life, or from something bigger? from a purpose? maybe we felt too fatigued. we had migraines. our anxiety or depression felt too great. we let the outward manifestations of our health dictate our worth or ability to pursue a calling.

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Beauty, Fashion, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous

easy summer essentials, zebrawood watch + $100 giveaway!

June 25, 2018October 23, 2018by Samantha MilburnLeave a Comment

there are so many things to have on hand over the summer – so I’m bringing you a few of my faves! PLUS I get to host my first giveaway! keep on reading for details! also, huge shout out to my sister Shannon for her beautiful photography skills. be sure to check out her blog the vivid for all things fashion!

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Beauty, General, Health + Wellness, Skincare

tips for finding the best sunscreens for face + body

June 21, 2018October 23, 2018by Samantha Milburn1 Comment

summer in the south is in full swing. it’s not usually something we look as it generally feels we’re going to melt within seconds of stepping out the door; we either find ourselves aggressively avoiding having to step foot outside or spending hours down at the pool or water parks to try and keep cool.

when it comes to sunscreen, there seems to be a lot of controversy. I googled “sunscreen news” and saw mostly negative headlines saying things like, “are you getting burned by your sunscreen?” and “most sunscreen products don’t even work.“ everyone has become up in arms over the chemicals in sunscreen and how they are probably causing more instances of skin cancer than overexposure to the sun. it honestly feels hard to keep up anymore – we almost feel like we just have to decide between the lesser of two evils. here are some things I keep in mind when I’m choosing sunscreens. Continue reading “tips for finding the best sunscreens for face + body” →

Acne + Accutane, Beauty, Lifestyle, Skincare

my accutane journey: month 5

June 16, 2018June 16, 2018by Samantha Milburn2 Comments

this update is a couple weeks behind, but for half of this month I was on half of my regular dosage to help cut down on the weird side effects I started seeing in month 4. buuuut lucky y’all – it’s looking like these accutane journey posts may extend past 6 months! this process has been all over the place between me forgetting to take it some days, having to travel nearly 200 miles for refills, my followup appointments being inconsistently spaced lol so it’s looking like I might end up on an extra month of Accutane, which I personally don’t think will hurt. Hopefully I’m not someone who will end up having to do a second round of it all (if anything because I’m tired of being pricked by needles every month). but let’s go ahead and get started with this month’s update!

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