Hi! I’m Anne-Marie…
There’s a lot about me here:
Why did I start Not Born With It?
I want to build a community space that supports an open discussion about how we feel about the way we look. That can involve having had cosmetic work, be considering having cosmetic work or having no interest in cosmetic work at all.
Cosmetic work
My most recent surgical procedure was an eyelid lift in 2021.
That’s when I realised that the resources that I’d used 10+ years ago have either disappeared or are languishing on the 29th page of a Google Search result, unable to compete with marketing campaigns and ad spends from clinics and surgery providers.
There just isn’t enough transparent, neutral information circulating to create an informed community for women who want to understand what their skincare and cosmetic work options are.
Not Born With It’s 6 Rules Of Cosmetic Work
I’m neither pro nor anti cosmetic work, but I believe proper consideration, research and probably some soul-searching are crucial to obtaining a successful outcome.
I can help with that!
The 6 Rules of cosmetic work were painstakingly defined using my 15+ years’ experience of cosmetic work - both surgical and non-surgical. Details over here.
There are deep-dives into each Rule, but if you want to print out and laminate something, this would be that thing.
Skincare
I didn’t expect to write about skincare as much as I’ve ended up doing. But, as a beauty junkie in recovery1, I am very keen that others learn from my former mistakes and don’t waste their money, hopes or dreams on stuff that’s been sold to them by a marketing department.
Also, times are changing. The most effective/transformational skincare now typically comes from cosmetic treatments, not from traditional skincare.
I’d like to help get you comfortable with that, if the outcomes that you want are more achievable via a needle or a laser, rather than from a jar.
Podcast
The Not Born With It podcast is coming later this year. Please email me by pressing the button below if you’d like to talk to me about how you feel about the way you look.
You absolutely do not have to have had cosmetic work to be a guest - all I ask is that you have a face2.
Join the Not Born With It community!
I want this to be a space in which we can talk about what we’ve had done, what we might want to have done, to learn from one another, remind one another that we’re already fabulous and acknowledge that, whilst effective cosmetic work can heal a lot of old wounds, it can’t replace the deep inner work required to actually feel great when we look in the mirror.
Many women are on a lifelong, sometimes volatile, journey to accept - and hopefully love - the way that they look. I’d like Not Born With It to help along the way.
What this isn’t
An advice clinic about what work I think you should have done/by whom
I genuinely won’t have an opinion on this. I will, however, have very strong opinions about anything that is in contravention of The Rules.
A place to speculate about what work other people have had done
It drives me as mad as the next person when a celeb has visibly and indisputably altered their face, but says “No, I’ve not had any work done, I just get 8 hours of sleep a night and eat a lot of quinoa”
I get mad cubed if that person also models for skincare or lifestyle products, their perfectly smooth face beaming out at me beatifically as they sip on a charcoal-activated matcha.
HOWEVER, there are already hundreds of sites that attempt to hold celebrities to account for this. My aim here is to create a safe space for people to feel that they can talk openly about cosmetic work, without getting torn apart in the court of public opinion, rather than ‘outing’ someone for their suspected facelift.
A community that you have to have had, or even be interested in having, cosmetic work done, to be a part of.
If you have a face and an opinon about it, you’re welcome here.
But if you do join in, please be honest about any work you have had done.
An invitation for you to give me your unsolicited opinion about my face or body.
I’m good, I hope you are too.
What exactly does a subscription mean?
Free subscribers get:
A weekly newsletter directly into your inbox where I’ll be sharing about the good, the bad and sometimes - quite literally - the ugly of cosmetic work.
Access to all public posts via the site
Access to comments and chats until further notice.
The Rules and the Rules breakdown posts will always be free to all.
Paid subscribers (£6/$8 a month or £60/$80 a year) get:
All the above - with additional access to start Chat threads
An additional weekly post about my personal experiences of cosmetic work
Access to The Work That I’ve Had Done and The Pain Scale pages
Answers to the many FAQs that I get from friends and family and random people on trains of exactly what I’m putting in my face and body - these are the products, practices and stuff that work for me or that I’m aware have worked for others
A monthly AMA (that’s Ask Me Anything, if you’re new to all this) in the Substack Chat, for paid-subscribers only
Founder members (£500 a year) get:
All the above
Two x 1:1 Ask Me Anything video calls with me per year. 30 minutes each, so an hour a year to plunder my brain for whatever you like!
Whatever you choose, I’m really glad you’re here x
Anyone who sees my bathroom shelves might disagree, but I promise things are WAY leaner around here than they used to be.
I don’t actually intend to discriminate against the faceless. If you don’t have a face and you want to talk to me about that, I’d be delighted to chat.
