I’m a winner, baby.
And I’m not being facetious when I say so; I actually won!
This year, I’ve been focusing on my positive mental attitude (PMA), and it’s beginning to pay off. If you’ve been following along, you might remember I attended Beauty Boost’s “fitness sampler” in April, where I met a number of local health and wellness vendors. While onsite, I took a chance, submitted my contact information into a raffle, and hoped for the best. Then I forgot about it.
If you’re like me, you are probably caught in an infinite loop of (mostly scammy) giveaway lifecycles (“Follow us and all 100 of our partners, like this post, tag your friends, subscribe to our newsletter and all 100 of our partners, extra points for sharing the giveaway in your stories…”).
It’s really just formulaic. No wonder these “ultimate giveaways” are so forgettable. Honestly — does anyone ever win?
I’m not trying to sound salty. From a branding perspective, I get it. Giveaway sweepstakes drive a metric shit ton of organic, user-generated content. And in doing so, the audience becomes a brand advocate, which means free advertising. According to Digital Marketing Institute, 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, and 40% have purchased a product after seeing it on Twitter, YouTube or Instagram. Studies show that when consumers feel assured by an influencer’s recommendation, they are more likely to make a purchase. It’s a symbiotic relationship; brands essentially piggyback on the accreditation of influencers.
A week after entering the giveaway, I received a phone call from Circadian Rejuvenation. I had apparently won a microneedling three-pack giveaway! My face, I’m sure, expressed equal declarations of confusion and excitement. Probably a contorted amalgamation of, “I won something?” combined with, “Holy fuck, I actually won something!”
On the other end of the phone, the actual human congratulated me on winning the package. My immediate thought? Surely this is something companies “throwaway” instead of “giveaway.” It can’t be worth that much that they are giving it away.
I stand corrected. I hit the jackpot. That microneedling three-pack cost a whopping $1,500.
What is microneedling, you may be asking? According to Circadian Rejuvenation, the process “smooths wrinkles and improves skin texture by stimulating collagen naturally. This treatment also reduces the appearance of acne scars, erases fine lines, and minimizes pores.”
At this point in time, maintenance is the name of the game. Not trying to age myself, but as a woman pushing 40, wrinkles, texture, and fine lines are all areas of concern. While many external elements cause our skin to age, some we have control over.
For example, I wear a hat and SPF while outdoors, quit smoking a long time ago, avoid repetitive facial expressions thanks to Botox, and drink water when I’m not drinking wine or whiskey. Aren’t I doing great? This is where you nod as encouragement.
Cosmetic procedures like microneedling are also within our control. Once the staff member at Circadian Rejuvenation shared an overview of the process, I booked my first appointment.
The office is tucked away in the Elizabeth neighborhood. Walking through the front door, with the reception desk to my right, I was greeted warmly and provided some initial paperwork. I bided my time in the modernly decorated reception area flanked by inviting gray wingback chairs.
Once collected by my aesthetician, she guided me toward her workspace and invited me to recline in her chair. She then explained what microneedling is, how it improves the skin, and what to expect during the recovery period. After a 10-minute numbing cream session, she got to work. The tool she used sounded similar to the buzz of a tattoo gun but hurt significantly less. It felt like a light agitation as she guided the tool upward, downward, and in small circles across the planes of my face.
Thanks to the numbing cream, it wasn’t painful at all. Additionally, the treatment took under an hour and recovery time was minimal.
The first two days after the treatment, my skin looked deeply sun-kissed, like I forgot to apply sunscreen before spending the day at the beach. Within 24 hours, the miscoloring subsided from an inflamed shade of red to soft rose. By day three, my face was flaky in some areas, but not to the point where I felt reptilian.
My conclusion: If you are interested in exploring ways to improve your skin’s overall look and texture, microneedling is an accessible option to consider.
And if you’re balling on a budget like me, keep submitting your information in hopes of winning some freebies. I am living proof that it works! Just use this as a friendly reminder to unsubscribe from all the annoying spam mail accompanying your efforts.
This work by Queen City Nerve is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
