Why Vitiligo Vanquish Is My Go-To Camouflage for Covering Vitiligo

This content is brought to you in partnership with Vitiligo Vanquish. We strive to work with brands that fit the collective lifestyle of those with vitiligo, and only work with brands we love.

I got my first vitiligo spot 15 years ago. I started covering my vitiligo just one year later.

Before that first spot appeared, I was very carefree. Spring and summer were two of my favorite seasons. I loved going to the beach and pool and wearing dresses. More importantly, I loved my body and had a lot of confidence. That all changed after I got vitiligo.

Over the past decade and more, I’ve struggled significantly with confidence and self-acceptance. After seeing several dermatologists and trying multiple treatments with little success, I started to change my lifestyle. I began avoiding the beach and pool and stopped wearing clothes that showed my skin. If it was hot outside, I just stayed home. I felt hopeless and often, depressed.

As a teacher and mom, I was still showing up for my kids, but I wasn’t being fully myself. I would use my vitiligo as a tool to talk about celebrating differences – but the reality is that on the inside, I knew I couldn’t celebrate my own skin.

It was at my third dermatology appointment that my doctor shared camouflage options with me. I started researching the product she recommended and watched videos on how to apply it. I spent a lot of money on different shades and brushes – and I was overwhelming disappointed. The product took forever to apply. The color didn’t match – and neither did the two shades I purchased after that. It felt uncomfortable and sticky on my skin. And worst of all, I became paranoid about checking the product to see if it was still there or was looking out of place. I had set out to feel more confident and instead I ended up feeling more insecure than before.

I went on to research and try other brands – none of which gave me the results I wanted or at a price I could afford over time. Then I found Vitiligo Vanquish.

When I first heard about Vitiligo Vanquish, the part that stuck out to me was how the product comes in one color that is customizable to your skin. I remember thinking, “Yes! Someone who finally understands what it’s like to live with this condition and how to cover it.” Little did I know how much this product was going to do for me.

Why Vitiligo Vanquish works for me

After years of searching for a camouflage that covers my vitiligo, fits my lifestyle and boosts my confidence, I finally found it – in Vitiligo Vanquish. I’ve been using Vitiligo Vanquish for a year now and won’t be stopping anytime soon.

Here’s why “VV” is my new go-to camouflage for covering vitiligo:

You can customize the color. The number one thing that attracted me to Vitiligo Vanquish was the fact that the color is 100% customizable. In my years of searching for a way to cover my vitiligo, the hardest challenge was finding the perfect color to match my natural olive-toned skin. Not only that, but my skin color changes so much over the course of a year – tanning in the summer and fading again in the winter. It was difficult enough to find a color that matched my skin. Every time the season changed – and my skin color with it – I felt like I had to start all over again.

Vitiligo Vanquish’s liquid camouflage comes in one color with two dye drops – blue and black – so you can customize the color to your skin. The kit comes with a color key – but you can also get a personalized recommendation for your unique skin color. You add the drops, shake the bottle and start applying. Not only that, but you can control the amount of pigment applied to your skin based on how much water you apply to the brush during application.

You don’t feel like you’re wearing makeup. I just want to feel like me again – and part of that means not feeling like I’m wearing layers of makeup on my skin and worrying about rubbing it off. Vitiligo Vanquish isn’t a makeup – it’s a camouflage. While makeup is a product applied on top of the skin, camouflage is applied to the skin and semi-permanently darkens the top layer. This means that your skin still feels like your skin – it just has a different color.

I love leaving the house feeling like I’m wearing just my skin – even when I’m wearing Vitiligo Vanquish. It makes it easy to go about by day without thinking about the product. And even better? It’s transfer-resistant, which means I don’t have to worry about it staining things like my clothes, sheets or towels.

You won’t break the bank. Raise your hand if you’re tired of throwing money away on products that don’t actually camouflage your spots. (I’m imagining most hands raised right now.) I certainly am – and know how frustrating it can be to not only spend hundreds of dollars on camouflage but also to spend that money and still not be satisfied with the result.

Vitiligo Vanquish is just $39 a kit, which includes a 6-ounce camouflage liquid, large and small application brushes, a glass dipping and storage jar, washable blotting cloth and optional color-customizing drops. And depending how much I use the product, it can last three to six months before I have to re-order the kit.

You get a product created uniquely for and by someone with vitiligo. Vitiligo Vanquish was founded and created by a woman named Jackie McDonald who has lived with vitiligo for more than 25 years. Jackie spent twenty of those years trying every product she could find for covering and camouflaging vitiligo before creating her own product by altering Fake Bake’s tanning product in her kitchen.

Most products on the market today aren’t created specifically for vitiligo – and if you’re looking for a vitiligo camouflage you’ve likely found this to be true yourself. I love getting to use a product that was designed just for someone like me, and by someone who truly understands what it’s like to live with vitiligo.

You get five-star customer service. When I first purchased Vitiligo Vanquish, I had a few questions. I contacted the email provided – and have been connected with Jackie ever since. Jackie helped me find my custom color and has been giving me application tips ever since. I’ve even sent her pictures after applying so she can see how the process is going. As the founder, Jackie not only knows the product, but she makes herself personally available to support you throughout the process. (Now that’s customer service!)

How I use Vitiligo Vanquish

Today, vitiligo covers about 20 percent of my body. I have spots all over, but they are most prevalent on my legs. During the spring and summer seasons, when I’m more likely to wear clothes that show my skin, I apply Vitiligo Vanquish three to four times a week.

I usually start the process in the evening before I go to bed. I shower, shave with mild soap and water and then exfoliate using Fake Bake Coconut Exfoliating wipes. When applying Vitiligo Vanquish, my custom formula is 24 blue drops per the 6-ounce bottle. After adding the camouflage liquid to the dipping jar, I use the large applicator brush to apply the camouflage to my spots. If the color seems too dark, I dip the brush in water and remove excess water by scraping the brush against the side of the dipping jar.

The entire process can take a few minutes or up to half an hour depending on how many spots I’m covering. If I just want to cover my ankles or elbows, I can be done in just 5-10 minutes. Larger areas, like covering the vitiligo on my legs, can take 20-30 minutes. Vitiligo Vanquish is dry to the touch and transfer-resistant in just a few minutes, so I can go to bed without worrying about staining my sheets.

How Vitiligo Vanquish helps me live my life

Becoming a mom and realizing that my kids love me just the way I am gave me a lot of confidence to live with vitiligo – but I still love to cover my spots. And I’m so thankful to have Vitiligo Vanquish as an option to camouflage my skin on the days that I want to. Wearing Vitiligo Vanquish gives me the confidence I need to let go of worrying about my skin – and just be me.

The bottom line? I want people to know that Vitiligo Vanquish is a great product because it’s affordable and customizable. Learning how to apply any camouflage will take practice and patience – but with Vitiligo Vanquish, the results are worth it.

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