It’s about women. It’s about beauty. It’s about time.
When one black woman followed this advice to the letter, it helped fade dark spots from her face and transformed her from a struggling entrepreneur into a confident court reporter
50-year-old KiKi from Baltimore, Maryland had struggled with skin issues since being a teenager.
With time the pimples healed but left a mark—dark spots of hyper-pigmentation whenever she went out in the sun.
A few years later brought more hormonal swings as Kiki was pregnant with her son. Like many women of color she suffered from Melasma, also known as ‘the pregnancy mask’.
The delight of being a new mother made her forget about the unevenness of her skin for a few months. Soon Kiki needed to work again but wanted to work from home and spend time looking after her 1-year- old son.
Kiki decided to start her own court reporting business and quit working for the DC courthouse. She had to sell her skills and do a lot of zoom conferences. The self-conscious feelings about her skin of her teenage years came back. To compound it, the stress of being a first-time entrepreneur made her skin dry and dull. “
At first I didn’t really think that it was affecting me. But I was in denial. I knew something was wrong when I started wearing my hair down over one side of my face to hide the dark spots. Then I started wearing hats and a thick scarf even though it wasn’t that cold outside. I was just trying to cover up subconsciously, I guess.”
It started to manifest in small ways like spending more time getting ready every day. Or not being able to walk past a reflective surface without stopping to analyze her skin.
Like many people who are self-conscious about their skin tone, Kiki felt it most when talking with other people: “
I thought everybody was looking at the dark spots so I wasn’t present in the conversations. I think that stopped me from connecting on a deeper level with people with friends and business contacts.”
Kiki did search the cosmetic market but couldn’t find many products suitable for black women: “
Most of the skin-care products are for white women who have a different set of problems. They’re more concerned with wrinkles and fine lines. But we are usually trying to get an even skin tone.
” Kiki began applying more and more make up but didnt realize she was only papering over the cracks in her self confidence: “
I didn’t think it looked professional for a businesswoman to cake on all that foundation and concealer, I began to look like a clown.”
But even caking herself in foundation proved to be cheaper than her next solution: “I bought some antioxidant serum and it worked a bit. I wanted to carry on using it but at $125 a bottle it was getting expensive. At the time I was trying to put all my extra money into getting my business off the ground so I needed something cheaper.”
Kiki heard good things about Tretinoin cream but could only get it through a prescription: “
I didn’t want to deal with health insurance and premiums and all that. I just wanted a simple, affordable solution that I could easily buy.”
The final option for Kiki was the most extreme — IPL (Intense Pulse Light Therapy): “I looked into it but I got scared. I didn’t want a laser near my eyes and didn’t like the idea of sitting in a chair smelling my own flesh burning.”
Then one day Kiki was in her kitchen lamenting all this to her twin sister Rocky, when she stumbled on the cure to all of her skin-care problems.
And it all came because of her boyfriend’s messy kitchen habits: “
I had bought one of those fancy coffee makers for my boyfriend. I’m not a big coffee drinker but he loves it. But he never cleans out the filter. He had left the filter out on the counter again and I was sweeping the grounds into my hand ready to throw them in the trash when my sister said:
‘Why don’t you try exfoliating with those things?’ She said Vicki Irvin was recommending it."
I followed Vicki online. She was the person who inspired me to leave my job at the DC courthouse job and start my own court reporting business. I knew Vicki protected her brand and only stood behind things she truly believes in, so I went online to take a look.”
Kiki found CoCo Coffee Scrub. She read about how it works by clearing away dead skin cells and rejuvenating the skin underneath. The website said that CoCo Coffee Scrub increases circulation by opening up the blood vessels. And also how the antioxidants in caffeine reduce redness and blemishes. “
I read one review by a woman who had seen a big improvement to her hyperpigmentation. Black Woman Lifestyle was offering a 12-month guarantee, so I thought ‘What have I got to lose?’”.
Two days later, and for less than half less the price of antioxidant serum, Kiki had her bottle of CoCo Coffee Scrub.
“As soon as UPS delivered it I ran straight to the bathroom. I followed the directions and I massaged it onto a dry face, using slow circular motions with wet hands. Then I washed it off. My skin felt tighter right away. For the rest of the day I was rubbing my forehead because it felt so good. So smooth and supple but not oily at all. By the end of the second week using the Coco Scrub my dark spots were lighter. They were still there but it gave me hope that I was making progress.”
“When I first started I used the CoCo Coffee Scrub three times a week. Now I exfoliate with it every morning. It sets me up for the day. The scrub smells great and it makes me feel better and ready to face the world now. Trying to make a new business work and having a toddler at home always brings problems but my skin is one less thing I have to worry about.”
“The uneven pigmentation is about 85% clear now. And it’s getting better every month. I’m in this for the long haul anyway. I wasted so much time and money looking for a quick fix.”
“I have my own fitness business on the side where I help women lose weight and stay in shape and I recommend CoCo Coffee Scrub to all the black women in my classes.”