 Hi guys, it's Monica. I thought I would share with you a quick update on Retin-A and my eyelash serum and share with you a new bronzer that I'm using. So I'm really excited. So stay tuned and before I tell you and give you the update, if you're new to my channel please subscribe and like the video and leave me a comment. I really, really do enjoy engaging with you all. Thank you so much. So first of all, I am rapidly approaching my one and a half year anniversary of Retin-A use and I've learned so much on this journey. I'm really looking forward to doing a full blown update a year and a half into my Retin-A journey because I think there's just a whole lot of exciting things that have happened to me since I've been using Retin-A. The one thing that I really, really wanted to tell you about tonight was some of you know that I had started the Ole Eyes. This is the pro Retin-A Ole Eyes. I am, this is the American version, the red tube. This is not the European with the white tube that other folks have talked about. So I've been using this and the really interesting thing that I've noticed since I've been using this two months now, actually a little over two months, is that all of the time that I've been using Retin-A on my face, as I've gone into a higher dose and to more frequency of applying it, I have always gone with my Retin-A around my eye area, right up to my eye bags, right in the weakest dose usually right around my brow bone. I've always done that. I mean, so pretty consistently, I've been doing that but since I started to use this, what I do is I put a drop on here, so it's, you know, it comes out, it's white, it's creamy, I put a little drop and I do one drop each eye and I go right up, right up high and then I go right over and I go all around my eye and I then do another drop and I do the same thing on the other eye. So I've been doing this for two months now and haven't had any irritation, I've had no redness, I've had nothing, you know, that indicated to me that I was getting sore. I like how it feels on my eyes. Have I seen my crow's feet disappear? No. Do I think there's a little bit of a diminishing of the sharp impact of them? I would say yes. Is it the Olay? It's too soon to tell. But the one thing that I've noticed since I've been doing the Olay and I've not noticed this the entire time with Retin-A is that, and I don't know if any of you have ever experienced it, but I have not. When I flake from my Retin-A, I flake on my lower face sometimes right around here, you know, every now and then maybe a little bit on my nose but not much, but I have never, ever, ever flaked under my eyes, ever. And so I don't really know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but about two weeks ago I noticed that I was having little flaky spots here and also here. And I'm thinking the only thing that I've really been doing different to this area is applying this. So I'm kind of excited because I'm feeling that as that skin is flaking off a little bit, you know, that maybe newer, younger, better skin is underneath, but of course I'm very careful because you can't exfoliate that area like you could normal. So I'm very, very careful on how I'm washing under my eyes. They always have been, been super, super careful. So I apply this and then I typically at night I apply my timeless eye cream. I've been using this for an awful long time, so this is not anything new. This would not have been anything that could make this kind of a different reaction. My under eye area doesn't feel any drier. You know, when I put in my, you know, when I do my serums in the morning and I apply my oils in the morning, I'm not feeling any kind of a, you know, major dryness or any impact like that. I put my oil very lightly around there. My eye area feels really good. My skin feels kind of plush actually, but I, but it is peeling or lifting or, I gosh, I don't even know how to describe it. A faint, faint peeling, noticeable to me in the 10 times mirror when I look at that thing, but it's noticeable to me because I do look at myself in a magnifying mirror every morning when I'm doing my eye makeup and doing my treatments. And I can see the little flaky, beady spots of the skin in areas I've never seen it before. So again, this is a little over two months and it took six, seven weeks for this to happen if it's this. I really don't know if it's this, but other than that, I am, because everyone always asks, I am using, I'm still using until I'm out of this. I'm using my three strengths of my Retin-A. I have the 1% gel. I like the gel. I like how it spreads on my face easier. So I have the 1% gel. I typically will use this, and I've said this many, many times, five to six nights a week, most often six nights. And then I have a Retin-A 0.5 for 0.05, and I have a Retin-A 0.025. And I use this one with my neck, with my rosehip oil. I put this and I go all the way down in my neck and I usually do the tops of my hands and I always do that. Now my five hasn't gotten as much. My 0.05 hasn't gotten as much use lately at all. But every now and then, if I'm feeling that my skin is extra flaky and I want to step down a little bit or I have a big event coming up, I'll either eliminate the Retin-A or I'll go to the 0.5 for a night or two. And when I derma roll, I never use my Retin-A after derma rolling. Although I have been thinking about using the weakest, the 0.025. But I haven't done it yet. But that's really what I want to talk to you about. A year and a half into Retin-A, I'm going to do an update video on that. But the Olay Pro Retinol Eyes, I'm impressed. Is it the miracle eye treatment? No, at least not for me. But I'm impressed enough that I have my backup and I'm going to continue to use it. And the other thing I wanted to mention is my eyelashes. Many of you know that I've tried a couple of different things. I've been using Careprost on my eyes, my eyelashes for an awful long time. I've been extremely happy with Careprost. Yes, it has side effects. Yes, there have been issues. You do have to do your own research. But I've been really lucky with this. I've had no side effects at all. I stopped using it because I just felt like maybe it'd been a good idea to give my eyelashes a rest. And then I did a collab with Carol from The Ocaro Show. I will link her channel below. But we did this awesome collab. She was comparing the L eyelash serum and we both used this different eyelash serum and both of us did not like the results. And about that same time, I was contacted by this company who wanted me to try their product, Blink, they call it. And I've talked about using this. I actually started to use this in February. I think it was right around the 19th or the 14th, I'd have to look at the paperwork. But when I stopped using the lash serum that Carol and I were experimenting with, I went on to this. I've been using One Drop just like I use my Careprost. I've been putting One Drop in the little cap. I trim the little brush. I sanitize it every night. I dip it into the cap and I put it along like I was applying an eyeliner along my eyelashes. One Drop does both eyes for me. I have completely finished one container and it took me almost two months to go through this. Again, I use the One Drop. If you're using One Drop per eye, you'd probably go through it a lot quicker. But it took me almost two months to go through this. The one thing I've noticed with my lashes is that maybe it's because I gave the Careprost a rest and this is the same ingredients. But one thing when I started using this up again, I noticed that not only was my eyelashes growing, but they were growing and thicker. So I have like a shorter row of lashes and then the longer spouts, if that kind of makes sense that I've trimmed back. But this, I believe, has number one, docked my natural lashes. They're actually a lot darker than they've ever been. And it has really boosted the growth on my lashes. So I'm liking this. The company did send me five free ones, so I'm going to continue to use them. They are a little bit more pricey. You can buy them off of the pharmacy overseas as well. They're a little bit more pricey than the Careprost. The Careprost has been really phenomenal. I buy my Careprost overseas as well along with my Retin-A. And when I increase or do my next order, I will probably stock up on some Careprost. But so far, the eyelash serum, I'm going to continue using the Blink. I'm very, very happy with it. Very happy with the growth of my lashes and the condition of my lashes. So I think that's really, really good. How does it compare to Careprost? I think it's a budget type thing for me right now. Careprost would be a lot, a little bit, oh yeah, a lot more affordable. Absolutely. So that's my quick update. I just want to tell you about my eyelashes and what was happening with my, yeah, I'm having like peelies under my eyes and around my eyes. So keep your fingers crossed because I'm like thinking, to me, I'm thinking this is a good thing but I'm going to monitor it very carefully for sure. If I can get rid of some of the crinkles, or not even so much get rid of them, diminish them. I've had a filler. I've never had Botox. I've never had anything other than when I derma roll, you know, as far as doing something to my face that I consider to be more extreme because derma rolling I did think was like unbelievably wicked extreme when I before I started it. And even now I'm like, oh, I can't believe you're derma rolling your skin, derma rolling your hair. But to quote Mary Ellen after 60, it's all good. I think that's what she says. It's all good. And I'm really, really pleased, pleased with the results. So yeah, I just want to share that with you. Thanks so much for watching. And again, if you're new to my channel, please subscribe, please leave me a comment. And I think I'm going to do a Q&A. I think I'm going to, you know, maybe post on Instagram and have everyone ask me questions and maybe do a Q&A type video. I think that'd be kind of fun. So but anyways, thanks so much guys. I will talk to you later. I almost forgot. I did forget. I wanted to share with you this bronzer that I'm wearing. Many of you may be aware, well, maybe not, but some of you may be aware of the fact that I really like the NYX Wonder Stick. I actually have a backup of this. I like it because it's a really nice cream bronzer. And then it has the highlighter on the other end. And that's about what I need. But Susan from Little Poet had talked about this particular bronzer and it's a Becca bronzer called Maui Lights. The name alone makes me happy. I went to Maui many, many years ago and Jay and I loved it. And we're actually planning a trip next March. But anyways, I digress. So anyways, I saw this on the Octoly website and I put in for it. And I said, I would just really love to review this bronzer. And I was actually approved. So Becca sent this bronzer to me via the Octoly website and the color is Maui Knights. It is, let me just tell you that when you put it on, you have to, at least for me, go lightly because it is, it's a little bit more intense than probably what I'm used to. But when you put it on lightly, it really does give my complexion a lovely tint, a lovely shade. It really does. I've actually had compliments on it. I've had people say, oh, you know, you look like you've been outside and I hadn't. I was just wearing this bronzer. So I have to tell you, I've been wearing this all week long and I've had a number of compliments on it. I think I am in love, in love with a new bronzer. So this, again, was sent to me via the Octoly website free in exchange for review. And I am so glad that I feel as fondly about this as Susan from Little Poet did because of her I was inspired to request it. And they gave it to me. And the other thing I wanted to mention while I'm on the topic of Becca, I received this in my Octoly, not Octoly, I'm sorry, I received this in my boxy charm. And this is a highlighter. This is sort of like a gold highlighter. When I first opened it, I thought, yeah, you know, and it kind of sat there and I really didn't use it because I wasn't really a super fan of the gold. But then I started to use it and I just use it very lightly. I don't know if you can see anything, but I just use it a little, very lightly. And the one thing that I was actually doing was dabbing it on my eyelids too, just to give you a little bit of a, of a oop, of oop. So anyways, I have to just come back and tell you guys because I am really, really loving my Maui Nights bronzer.