I like product.
When you look at the photo above (where I organized things into “face” and “not face”), you might think I REALLY like product.
Which means this likely isn’t the time to tell you that I’ve already “thinned the herd” somewhat.
(Or that I know people who have WAY MORE! WAY MORE! TONS MORE! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!)
Ahem.
I’ve been an avid consumer of lotions, potions, unguents, ointments, sprays, toners, serums, butters and gels for years now. Sometimes I’ve lusted after pricey items with ingredients that end in “ol” or “oxy” or “um”, sometimes I’ve longed for things with cult followings (except for Creme de la Mer, because something in me just. can’t. do. it), and sometimes I’ve just craved the toothpasty magic of a giant vat of Queen Helene’s Mint Julep Mask ($4).
But there’s always been something, from the first moment I dabbed on my Grandma White’s Rose Milk lotion, or my Nonna’s Violet Water.
I learned early on that ladies could put stuff on that made them smell like flowers or fruit or cookies, and I would be damned if I was going to go around smelling no more interesting than a bar of Ivory soap (the cleanser of choice in our home.)
My mother — who looks a good 10, 15 years younger than anyone else her age, including any botoxed Hollywoodites you can show me — has rarely strayed from her soap, water, fierce-exfoliation-with-a-facecloth and aloe gel-as-moisturizer routine for her face, save for the occasional foray into the equally no-frills Clinique 3-Step System.
Her body gets a similar treatment, though she has a grand total of three lotions she sometimes applies in lieu of perfume (“Vanilla Bean Noel”, “Brown Sugar SomethingOrOtherIDon’tRecall” or “Peach”.)
Because she’s allergic to perfume, you see.
Of course she is.
She doesn’t crave product at all. She doesn’t use it. She doesn’t really see a need for it. If you give it to her, she will thank you… and forget she owns it. You could say — and likely will say — “Let this be a lesson to you! Your mom is a NATURAL BEAUTY! She doesn’t use all that junk, and neither should you.”
And if you do, I will squirt astringent in your eyes until you cry.
Ahem.
My dad is a bit more of a product person, but he doesn’t really stray from his classic picks: the Clinique M system, and a big bar of Pre de Provence Verbena or Olive Oil soap. He — a longtime Brooks Brothers and Ralph Lauren devotee — tends towards fierce loyalty in all things, including who he marries, and what he uses on his face.
He is NOT allergic to perfumes, however, so you can find vials of his favorite Ralph Lauren and Armani scents on his dresser-top. He wears them sparingly, in deference to my mother.
I don’t think my brother uses anything unless his wife leaves it in the shower. End of story.
So there’s really no explanation for how I ended up like this.
I could make the excuse that I had terrible skin growing up, but I didn’t. Not at all, really. You could count the blemishes I got before I was 18 on two hands (though I was a devoted user of fierce, angry toners to remove blemishes from the age of 11. If 10-0-6 was an area code, I could TOTALLY represent.)
No, I didn’t have bad skin until my immune system went bonkers in my late teens and early 20′s, and even then? Not so bad.
Now things are a little more crazy in the light of stress/weird health/life in general, but even now? I think I notice what’s wrong with my face long before anyone else does, if they ever manage to see it before I dab something magical on any problem areas, and put on extra mascara so you LOOK INTO MY EYES.
LOOK NOWHERE ELSE. INTO MY EYES.
Still, I can’t stop loving the product.
It’s not that I’m naive about what product can do, either. I don’t believe something is going to “clear up all signs of aging in JUST FOUR WEEKS” or that my skin will behave better “practically overnight!”. I know you can over-moisturize and overtax your skin by putting too many things on it, and so I don’t.
I just like a selection, so I can respond to whatever situation arises. Like the Girl Scout of Skin Care!
Insert happy face here.
This illustrious history of usage is the exact reason I decided to start a beauty blog last year. I even bought the domain… err, Gradon did.
We set it up, kind of, with help from Matt.
I won’t tell you where it is, because IT WENT NOWHERE.
Why?
Well, three things:
1. There are a LOT of beauty blogs. Everyone seems to think this is the key to a) making good Google AdSense money; b) getting copious amounts of free product; or c) getting a job writing at a much larger beauty blog. I didn’t want any of the three, though I was happy to receive GORGEOUS creams from Glissandra (which I passed on to Catherine, who LOVED THEM AND COULDN’T GET ENOUGH) and a great blow dryer and straightening iron from Folica (thanks, Kieran!) when I was setting up.
Until I wasn’t setting up anymore.
You should buy things from those companies, because they were trying hard to engage with social folks, and what they had to offer ROCKED (Catherine still sings the praises of Glissandra.) It’s not their fault I forgot to put the lotion on the blog.
I deserve the hose again.
2. The whole “freebie and review!” culture tends towards the icky. If I’m going to recommend something, it won’t be to get something for free. In fact, everything I reviewed on the blog (while it lasted, which wasn’t long) was something I’d bought myself.
If I had received something for free (see above) I would want you to know I’d received it for free, and that I wasn’t going to offer anything but an honest review of the product (which many bloggers don’t, because they don’t want the supply to dry up. You can tell when someone is giving you an honest review, and those bloggers are the awesome. You should read them. Right now. Instead of this. No, seriously. I’ll wait here.)
3. This has been one hell of a crazy year. I didn’t have many words or much time left after writing for clients — and if I did, I owed them both to Gradon (see above!) That’s the thing about a long distance relationship: you’d think it would leave room for more hobbies… when, in fact, it becomes your primary hobby.
So.
I love skin care products, and have failed as a beauty blogger.
Where does this leave us?
Well, I’m going to keep on loving product, and write about it occasionally here… at this blog. This one that I already have.
(And also ignore frequently.)
For three reasons:
1. It’s fun to try things that smell and feel wonderful, and de-stress by losing myself in all that smelly wonderfulness. I want to share that experience with you, if you are so inclined.
2. I like helping people find stuff that works to make their skin glowy, their hair shiny, and their limbs smoothy (smoothie?) I’m pretty confident that, if there’s something wrong with your face (other than looking grouchy all the time, or a tattoo of a cobra about to strike that you got in prison) I can help you fix it up.
3. I can now try things out on an extra, product-loving human: Gradon! Who now smells like (according to his son) “a cookie”, because he uses the Alba Cocoa Butter lotion and Dr. Bronner’s Almond castile soap I recommended for his parched skin.
I just think he smells… delicious.
SO:
What have you been using lately that you love?
What are your staples?
Got any problems for me to solve?
Want me to face the hose?
All comments welcome!
GO!
I just tried this and love it, my hair hates any form of humidity. Frizz city! This tames it.
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P231302&categoryId=C20510
You just inspired me – I need to get my husband using Dr. Bronner’s. Mmmmm!
I am a smell ho – I love yummy-smelling stuff (and I have waaaay too much of it stuffed under the bathroom sink). Lately, the Warm Milk & Honey aromatherapy products from B&BW have been helping me get to sleep at night–something I’d been struggling with. Truly scrumptious in a relaxing way!
Love your writing – thanks for giving me smiles tonight!
…and you spoilt it all by referring to the line used by that creature in ‘The Silence of the Lqmbs’! MEG!!!
What my wife leaves in the shower… *snort*… I gots my own side of the bathroom medicine cabinet, plus a basket on a shelf over the toilet. But It turns out I’m closer to Dad’s style. The same few things only – Balea Goat’s Milk soap (unscented) and Life brand scrub and soothing gel. And a few colognes (Polo Black, Calvin Klein Crave, Nautica Competition, and something by Swiss Army) that I can only use when going out on weekends, etc., ’cause I work in what’s supposed to be a scent free workplace.
I love when you write here (although I’d love it more if you were right here. Get it?)
You already named my staples. :)
I SWEAR by ‘Nivea soft’. I must talk of it more than I realise as I was given 9 tubs of it for Christmas – for which I did the ‘jumpy claps’.
I used to be a high may poroduct loving girl but then I moved to a job that starts @ 6:30 am….. when you have to get up @ 4:45am suddenly every extra minute of sleep counts…. I now have the perfect quick little routine and my skin is pretty damn great – proof being I was so late the other day I threw my make up in my purse to do @ work. I got to work though and got buzy so I totally forgot to put ANY on… 3 people commented on my skin asking if I had changed my make-up cause my skin looked so good:)
I love product, too. I’ll wander into CVS for no good reason and spend an hour just looking at everything. I am very loyal to a product until a prettier one comes along. That said my current obsession is Olay Quench lotion – it smells lovely and works really well. And it’s got little bits of glitter in it. Who doesn’t love daily glitter?
I’m afraid I’m a non-product person, much to the chagrin of one of my makeup and product obsessed friends. :) I always WANT to be a product person, but will randomly buy things and then never use them.
My beauty routine goes like this: I use Vaseline intensive moisterizing lotion when I get out of the shower. Ta-da! It does the job, and doesn’t leave me with that filmy feeling. I HATE feeling like I have goop all over me.
I think I have about three body scents to choose from, but always tend to go towards body mists rather than perfumes. One is from Victoria’s Secret and is sweet, forget the name. The other is Bath and Body Works Cranberry body mist, which I LOVE, but they seem to have discontinued the past two years. And Bronze Goddess by Estée Lauder, which is the first perfume I’ve liked the smell of on me, well, EVER.
Two things I live by: Burt’s Bees lip balm and cuticle cream, before I go to bed, every night.
I dabbled in Noxzema as a teenager, as well all do, but have always been fortunate to have great skin. I have to thank my mother, who, despite growing up in the 50′s and 60′s when you slathered yourself with Baby Oil to tan, still has wonderful skin. As I get older though I keep on feeling like I should really invest in face creams more.
First of all, Gradon’s comment just made me weep with its sweetness, and second, my scents are not vial!
You would find me product boring. I’m more like your Mom. I’m lucky if I can muster a Clinique 3-step product regimen and sunscreen. I have sensitive skin so don’t stray far from that. Plus I’m cheap I mean frugal. I’m sure you smell much better than I smell!
So here’s a little known fact: I was a perfumer’s apprentice while I was in college, and so can *make* perfume from essential oils. I can’t stand most commercially available perfumes, as most turn sickly sweet on my skin, but completely loved all the ones I made for myself…all of which, almost without fail, had “burnt wood” as the basic undertone. But I don’t wear anything anymore.
I’ve been a long-time devotee of Dr. Hauschka skincare. It’s also screamingly simple, but smells delicious (particularly the Quince face cream). I have to ration the products I use, though, because it’s also breathtakingly expensive.
My most favorite new body produce in years has been Eucerin’s calming body wash–it’s basically a oil that lathers up, and is blissfully calming to my dry and increasingly sensitive skin.
I swear by Lubriderm’s shea and cocoa butter body lotion. It’s gotten me through two pregnancies (okay, 1 and 8/9ths) with nary a stretch mark.
And now I want to go find all the old perfumes I made….
you know, I think that you succeeded as a beauty blogger.
you didn’t fail.
You tried it, and you had some very specific reasons for evaluating why it didn’t work. Sometimes, “do nothing” or “stop” IS the successful outcome. I think most people forget that when evaluating a new venture.
*putting my silly soapbox away*
Long-time reader, first-time commenter. And I have a question that it seems like, after reading this post, you might be able to help me out with.
I’m venturing into the world of perfume, mainly because it makes me feel good. And grown-up. And like a lady. Anyway, I bought my first scent a few weeks ago…something my sister-in-law had let me borrow once. I loved it and was very excited about my purchase. (Except holy cow! Perfume is expensive!)
Then, my husband smelled it. His reaction? “You smell like an old lady.” Not exactly what I was hoping for. So now, my question…can you recommend something that smells clean and not too overly-floral? That doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?
Help me, Meg. You’re my only hope.
Here’s a beauty challenge for you….perpetually dry lips…no matter how much chapstick, vaseline, kisses from my husband, etc. Any suggestions?
I could use your beauty blog. Can’t handle anything with fragrance in it anymore (I miss the lightly scented days), have chemical sensitivities up the wazoo, am allergic to chamomile (in every natural product out there), my face breaks out when I put stuff on it, am completely intimidated by the mountain of products and don’t know what to do to protect the skin on my face AND! any product that contains something with the word “acid” gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Did I just overshare? Suggestions??
Whoa, ladies — my last couple comments were caught up in my comment filter for no good reason at all, soooo…
Tara: Have you checked out combining natural perfume oils? There are a ton with really fresh, clean scents that might just do the trick for you and for your husband. Grapefruit, lemon, lime, vanilla, jasmine, almond, apricot… combine one warm with one citrusy, and you’ve got something that makes you smell good enough to eat. I also LOVE Fresh’s line of scents — all of them are totally fantastic. Also give Tokyo Milk’s line of solid perfumes a go.
Jennifer: I am a huge fan of Carmex, Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1, Aquaphor ointment and Weleda Everon balm for keeping my pucker unpuckered. :) All of them stay on for hours, and heal your lips, as well as moisturizing them.
Lene: Eeek. That is a rough state to be in. Have you tried Aveeno’s sensitive line? Almost everyone I know who reacts to everything has found that it doesn’t cause flare ups or redness at all — and I think it uses feverfew, not chamomile. I also love Dr. Hauschka stuff for keeping skin calm — see Tamsen’s recommendation up there. Will think more on that one.