I have bad skin. I had acne in my fragile teen years, and now I have big pores and an oily t-zone. At 33, I’m still prone to big, nasty under-the-skin pimples and uneven skin tone.

I’ve tried it all: from drugstore miracle creams to expensive organic skin care lines and nothing really helped any of my problems. So when my Mom bought me a bunch of Stella McCartney’s new skincare for my birthday, I wasn’t overly hopeful. I’d try it, I thought — I liked the green, eco-friendly principles behind the line,but I wasn’t expecting any miracles.

A week after I started using the cleansing milk and radiance + youth elexir, my friend told me how great my skin looked. And two days later I was mistaken for a 28-year-old. I looked in the mirror and it seemed true: my skin kind of glowed — looked much healthier than usual. My dietary habits haven’t changed, so I have to credit Stella.

The line is not cheap but it smells and feels great and it’s the first skincare line I’ve ever tried that I think makes a visible improvement to my face. That’s worth 65 bucks to me.