There are countless things I love about working in the beauty industry—always having the inside track on the hottest new products, the life-long friendships I’ve cultivated, an endless supply of lipsticks—and I wouldn’t trade my job for anything in the world. But when I signed up for this, no one told me that I’d also be putting my own looks under a microscope, day after day, just as a natural side-effect of the job.

While it may seem kind of vain, I’ve become downright obsessive—and more than a little critical—of my skin. That’s hard to admit, especially since the beauty industry is about helping people look and feel their best. And yet it’s hard not to be your own worst critic. Some of the people I work with day to day have literally flawless skin, and it’s difficult not to compare yourself to perfection. As I sit through endless conferences on new dermatological breakthroughs, the…