In case you hadn’t noticed, in the last (almost) two years we made a  big move - from Los Angeles to my hometown, Seattle. As anyone who’s moved can relate, moving to a “new” city means finding all new people, go-to places, and adjusting to a new routine. 

 After having lived in LA for 10+ years, it was a difficult quest to find replacements for all my go-to beauty pit-stops. The thing at the top of my list was to find someone local that I trusted for botox, skin care, beauty maintenance, and whenever I felt in need of an extra “glow up”. 

Initially when we moved, I was still traveling back and forth quite a bit for work trips so I’d try and sneak in some beauty + botox when I was back in La La Land. This held me over for a little while… However, now that I have a 5 year-old + 1 year-old twins, my trips to LA are less frequent and much shorter duration. With that said, my escaping south for Botox was no longer a viable option.

On the hunt for my replacement Botox-person, I started doing my research and interviewing my local girl tribe to see who their recommendations were. After one not-so-good Botox experience in Seattle (“too much” is definitely not a good thing in this category) I finally found my forever guy in Bellevue! A mutual friend introduced me to Dr. Daniel Levy and I was instantly impressed at his comprehensive approach to beauty. Another reason he stands out from any injector who I've met is that he's also a board-certified Dermatologist who specializes in cosmetic dermatology and anti-aging treatments. With so many nurses and PAs popping up in medspas everywhere, it's really hard to find an actual doctor who not only is a specialist, but also an artist.

My initial consultation started with the quest for Botox and ended with a whole new game plan for optimal beauty – a truly comprehensive strategy to attain my reverse aging goals. Three months later, I’ve never felt more confident in my skin and I’ve never received so many compliments on my complexion (even when I am out-and-about with ZERO make-up)!

In no particular order, here is my new-and-improved beauty regimen with Dr. Levy:   

Botox - 

• 64-units in my upper face (eyes and above). The areas I treated: forehead, in between my eyebrows, around my eyes.

• 20-units in neck - to prevent neck wrinkles, often caused by looking down at your phone (thanks Instagram!)

• Another game-changer for me – I had small amounts injected into my jaw joint to eliminate TMJ. Doing this actually slims the jawline because TMJ causes inflammation in your jaw which makes the jawline appear wider. Relaxing that joint with botox reduces inflammation and softens jawline for a more youthful appearance. 

• Optimal maintenance regimen: every 3-4 months to prevent wrinkles and to achieve smooth, youthful appearance.

Skin Treatments -

• BBL Laser - corrective phototherapy skin treatment that uses Broadband Light to target signs of aging, sun damage, and other skin conditions. This process restored my skin to its natural beauty, making it clearer, smoother, and more vibrant. Nicki is my go-to gal in Dr. Levy’s office. If Dr. Levy’s my new beauty boyfriend, Nicki is my new BFF!

• 3-4 consecutive treatments once a month for the biggest beauty boost, followed by 1-2 per year for maintenance.

Filler -

• Juvederm Ultra in Lips. The goal: to make lips appear more hydrated, with a natural fullness.

• Juvederm Voluma - midface to replace minimal volume loss and boost natural collagen; and into temples to prevent "peanut" shape facial aging.

• Juvederm Volbella- under eye brightening.

• For me, these treatments should last at least a year.

Skincare - 

In addition to all of the above, Dr. Levy explained to me how an optical skincare routine should be broken down into these 4 simple, consecutive steps:

1. Cleanse: SkinMedica AHA/BHA Exfoliating cleanser - I use daily as the first step in my skincare routine, both morning and night. 

1. Hydrate: SkinMedica HA⁵® Rejuvenating Hydrator -Apply twice daily in the morning and at night after cleansing, toning, and treating my skin.

1. Protect: Elta sunscreen - a clean simple sunscreen that I truly love. Not too thick with the perfect tint. Doesn’t clog pores and offers protection all day long!

1. Repair: I use Dr. Levy’s own creations by Levy Aesthetics - called Glow & Heal.  

GLOW - I use 2-3 nights a week. 

This is Dr. Levy’s “desert island” beauty product. Whether you have melasma, a stubborn type of hyperpigmentation triggered by pregnancy and some oral contraceptives, new sun spots on your face and hands after summer, or blemishes left over from an injury or breakout, this multi-tasking night cream reduces the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmented patches while dramatically smoothing and resurfacing skin’s texture. Three weekly applications of this product yields noticeable results within 2 weeks.

HEAL - I use nightly on vacation or as needed.

This is the  best remedy for post sunbathing. It’s so soothing on your skin and it stimulates your own skin natural wound healing process. It also reduces redness, kills bacteria, and expedites healthier healing of skin! 

There you have it, Babes! While I wish I could say #iwokeuplikethis…  it’s kinda more like… #alotgoesintothis (but don’t tell my husband)!! This new beauty regimen has been amazing for me and I hope it’s provided some new tips and tricks for your beauty routine as well.

When I launched The Model Mama almost 3 years ago, I vowed to honestly share all my secrets in hopes it would allow other Modern Mamas to make informed decisions about how to feel like the absolute best version of themself. I FIRMLY believe that Beauty IS NOT about what’s on the surface, it’s about how you feel on the inside. This means something different to everyone. If having less or no wrinkles makes you feel amazing, then more power to ya girlfriend! If Botox isn’t your thing, that’s amazing too… you’re on another level! I’m a true believer that all women should do whatever makes them feel the best. For me, staying on top of my anti-aging game makes me feel empowered and ready to take on the world.

If you love this sort of thing, stay tuned because Dr. Levy and I are doing a LIVE IGTV later this month where we’ll be diving into all of the above and MORE. Follow along on my instagram for details – a lot more where this came from!