Monday, November 18, 2013

Botox Results Before and After | A Giveaway from Elase of Utah

Remember that one time I went to the amazing Elase of Utah and had BOTOX®?

Well the results are in!

Here are my before photos:
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Here are my after photos:
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This was me trying to express with all of my might. As you can see in the photos I can still express myself, but my muscles are not over working like you can see in the before photos. I am especially happy with the almost non existent wrinkling on my upper forehead.

I tried very hard to pay close attention to how I felt after my last treatment. Around day 2 my forehead area started to feel really "heavy" meaning I was very aware of it. Full effects of the procedure took place around day 10. The area on my forehead where I had JUVÉDERM® was not sensitive at all, but my lips were sensitive for about three days. Both are very subtle and I love the results.

I would definitely recommend BOTOX®  and JUVÉDERM® and plan to do both again in the future.

To schedule your free consultation, contact Elase today! What have you got to lose except for your scowl?

Now for a VERY generous giveaway. My dear friends at Elase are giving away, get this:

20 units of BOTOX®!

Friends, this is unheard of and I feel so grateful to be the one to offer this to you.

Enter below:a Rafflecopter giveaway To schedule your free consultation, contact Elase today! What have you got to lose except for your scowl?

***Disclaimer: For the next month I will be blogging about my experience with Elase Medical Spas. While I am receiving treatments in return for my opinion about my experience, please be assured they are my own and I have chosen to be very choosy about the things I share with my readers, and any and all opinions I have about Elase and my experiences will be my own. I have chosen to work with Elase because I believe it can benefit so many of us who may be curious about a medical spa but may not feel comfortable approaching one on their own. I hope to change those feelings. Let's take care of ourselves and treat ourselves!***

Friday, November 15, 2013

Just a glimpse.

This week I had a most amazing gift. For four whole hours, I was free of depression, stress, guilt, worry, STRESS, and every other little bitty thing that keeps me down. I was able to stay dressed an entire day. I was able to smile, LAUGH, B R E A T H E.

I basked in it. I kept breathing in, pinching myself. It was as if the weight of the entire world was off of my shoulders and I could feel ME.

I am not sure why I was given the trial of depression, of anxiety...but for whatever reason I was, and I long for it always. It was a reprieve of nearly years of heaviness. It is not something I can just turn on and off, oh how I wish I could!

I hope for a day when I no longer have to be tormented by this excruciating weight...but if I must, I will continue to hope for another day like Tuesday afternoon. The day when the sun shone, and I could pierce past this world of sorrow and sadness and grief, and see my beautiful soul.


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Tuesday, November 12, 2013

BOTOX® and JUVÉDERM® | Elase Medical Spas

When I first decided to have Elase Medical Spas give me BOTOX® , I never thought I would love it so much that I would want to do it again, but I did!

This time I took my awesome brother Marcus along to help capture it all for you. Marcus also happens to be one of my photography students, and he did an amazing job, so again, many thanks Marcus from me and from Elase Medical Spas.

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Isn't Elase so beautiful? Every time I go to Elase it feels like, well a trip to the spa! It feels like home. Everything is so fresh and clean and every single employee is so friendly. My favorite is walking in, and I hear, "Hi Kim!" It is almost like a 2013 version of Cheers, except I am Norm.

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Here I am ready to consult with Shari, my injector.

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Shari is model gorgeous, and the nicest and smartest woman you will ever ever meet. I just adore her. Here we are consulting about what I hope to accomplish. My first visit I was so nervous that I asked for the bare minimum (which I loved) here I am saying, "Give me what you got!" (With a little more proper English.)

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After discussing what I wanted, we compared to what we did the first time, and decided to go about twice as much on my upper forehead as we did the first time, and to hit my "grouch lines" as I call them, right between they eyes.

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I also have this wicked awesome scar on my forehead from where my 5 or 6 year old self went head first into the handlebars of a three wheeler when we were snow tubing with my family.

On my first visit, Shari and I discussed using JUVÉDERM® to fill in that little area of my forehead. This is where we began.

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Here Shari is putting the JUVÉDERM® in with the tiniest needle ever. (The needles she uses are the same size as an insulin needle. The needle on the left is the one she uses, the needle on the right is the size the JUVÉDERM® comes in.) it did not hurt in the slightest.

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Shari was just ooohing and awwing and I couldn't wait to see for myself. Even my brother was impressed with how JUVÉDERM® just pumped out that little scar.

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While nothing can be done about the lighter discoloration of the scar except for makeup, you can see here how the divot of the scar is virtually gone.

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Me in love with the results of the JUVÉDERM®...my face looks so gross this close up.

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Onto my BOTOX® before and after. My grouch lines are above and my worry lines below. Shari says my muscles are really strong, so it took a bit of BOTOX® to freeze them up.

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A little prep.

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I wanted to pay VERY close attention to how it FELT to have BOTOX®. I wanted to be able to describe it to you, and the best thing Shari and I could come up with is that, at least for me, it doesn't hurt, but feels more like an annoying mosquito bite.

I almost feel weird mentioning this next bit because you would not understand what I mean unless and until you have it done for yourself, but it almost feels like it crunches when it goes in. Like the way your teeth feel biting into a chip? It doesn't hurt, that is just the only way I know how to describe it. 

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Some people bleed a little, some don't. I am a little bit of a bleeder. No big deal. Shari just applied some pressure. I hope this doesn't make anyone pass out! SO worth a little bit of blood to rid myself of these gross lines.

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Let's get rid of those forehead lines!

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After the BOTOX® treatment was done we had a bit of JUVÉDERM® left, so Shari talked me into putting a tiny little pout in my lips. I will not lie, this hurt a bit. The reason for this is that our lips have many, many more nerve endings. I have a high tolerance for pain, and luckily JUVÉDERM® has a numbing agent in it to help ease this pain. The pain only lasted as while she was injecting, with just a mild sensitivity for the next day or so.

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A little bit of blood.

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My cute little pout is complete! I LOVE IT. Oh my goodness I love it. JUVÉDERM® lasts anywhere from 6 months to a year, and longer the more treatments you have.

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Love cute little Shari! Thank you SO much!

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Now, all of you have been wondering, "Yes it is awesome, but HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?!" There is no straight forward answer since everyone is different, everyone's needs and desires will be different. Remember I mentioned I have strong facial muscles? You may not. Your best bet will be to call Elase, and schedule a free consulation.

Plans however, start at $69 a month.

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Here I am 20 minutes after my appointment. The redness is gone, and as you can see no bruising, or signs that I had anything done, other than my AMAZING lips.

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Come back next Monday to see my results. I PROMISE you won't want to miss it. Rumor has it I may be giving away some BOTOX® love.


Check out Elase Medical Spa's website for more information on membership fees for BOTOX® and their other amazing services!

***Disclaimer: For the next month I will be blogging about my experience with Elase Medical Spas. While I am receiving treatments in return for my opinion about my experience, please be assured they are my own and I have chosen to be very choosy about the things I share with my readers, and any and all opinions I have about Elase and my experiences will be my own. I have chosen to work with Elase because I believe it can benefit so many of us who may be curious about a medical spa but may not feel comfortable approaching one on their own. I hope to change those feelings. Let's take care of ourselves and treat ourselves!***