7 Day Rapid Wrinkle Repair Challenge

I just turned 38 a few weeks ago. Through the years I haven't been very kind to my skin. I am fortunate that I haven't had any major skin issues through the years. In high school, I never had a face full of zits. Oily skin has never been an issue and dry skin hasn't plagued me. I have been faithfully using a moisturizer that contains SPF since I was in my teens but I must confess, I am not the best with reapplying sunscreen when I have sun exposure throughout the day. I rarely if ever wash off my make-up before I go to bed. Year after year I promise I'm going to start taking care of my skin and every year I sort of forget. Which is why I was so excited when Neutrogena wanted to partner with me to take a 7 day Rapid Wrinkle Repair challenge.  I needed to hit a restart on my skin care routine.
At night I would use the Rapid Wrinkle Repair line after washing my face, during the day, I would use the Ultra Sheer collection. I planned on documenting my results every night over the course of a week to see if taking care of my face and using retinol based products with a broad-spectrum sunscreen would help improve my skin's visible signs of aging, and then I was going to share with you the results.

So lets start with what those visible signs are. I've got wrinkles. Not many. I'm not that old! But I do have some fine lines forming around my eyes, around my mouth and on my forehead. I have uneven skin tone because I have been naughty with my sunscreen usage. Like I mentioned, I use a moisturizer that has sunscreen in it, but often times I don't think to reapply. If it's hot out, I sweat and I notice in those places where I am sweating {my forehead and my upper lip} that damage is worse.
Here I am, day one ready to expose myself all for the art of science to let you decide for yourself {they do say the proof is in the pudding} if you can see a difference in my skin from the love I gave it in only one weeks time. 

A few years ago, I went to the dermatologist for the very first time in my whole life. Not only did I have to wait three months to get in to be seen for this appointment, the visit was about a nano second long. I was concerned with some patchy skin changes I had been noticing and thought that I should get a professional opinion. Well, hundreds of dollars later, that professional opinion pretty much told me to wear more sunscreen and use a retinol based skin product.  I'm pretty much saving you money just by telling you this. You're welcome.
Apparently, when you put retinol and broad-spectrum sunscreen together they work like a skin powerhouse to give you the best anti-aging results. Our high deductible insurance made the retinol product he was trying to sell me around $150 {did I mention it was for only one product!} and so I thanked the man and went on my way. I was sure that I could find an over the counter product with retinol that would work. Well...I kind of forgot {are you sensing a theme here?}. I went to the drugstore and got totally overwhelmed and honestly didn't know what product to get, and I meant to go home and do some research, but well...life.
Fast forward to today. I literally had this product shipped to my door {and you can too when you use CVS.com} and I set to work doing science so you don't have to. Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair is the fastest retinol formula available and has a promise to deliver noticeable results in just one week.

Side by side before and after photos are always my favorite, so lets take a little look see shall we. One thing you can't see in the pictures is how much smoother my skin is. I'm serious. It's like a baby's. I'm also noticing the my skin tone is starting to even out and that the deep lines in my forehead and by my eyes are becoming not quite so deep. 

Please don't judge my nightly mug shots. I'm putting myself on the internet without a lick of make-up. I might as well be standing here naked.
You can see the 7 day progression and I am feeling pretty good about the results. In fact, so good that I think I found my new skin routine. 

New research is showing that regular use of retinol provides cumulative improvements in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as skin clarity, tone and texture even after one year of continuous use. I think it's worth a shot to try.  And because I gave this challenge a try, I want to give you the opportunity too!
Enter to win a pack of Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair & Ultra Sheer filled with all the goodies I used all week! Giveaway will include: Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night Moisturizer, Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair, Moisutizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30, Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum, Neutrogena Rapid Winkle Repair Eye Cream, Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 70 and Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face + Body Stick Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 70.
There are a total of 30 prize packs {approximate retail value of $122 each!}. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you are anything like me and you are doing very little to take care of your skin, give this routine a try. I'm excited about the results that I've seen in one week and I can only imagine the kind of results I will be able to see after one month and then one year. Take care of the skin you are in!
disclaimer: this is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Neutrogena. All opinions are 100% my own.