Tuesday 3 May 2011

am I a fool or just gullible free?

The other day I was popping over to a girlfriend's place and used the loo in between the few glasses of wine we shared, and noticed her cleansing and toning products on the sink's edge. It seemed liked she had an 17-step routine for her face involving: facial foaming cleanser, exfoliating cream, instant facial mask, alcohol-free tone corrector, eye make-up remover, eye cream, face cream, skin hydrator, anti-ageing antioxidant moisturiser and not forgetting spot-cream for blemishes. Wow.

My modest skin care routine exists of water, a Dermalogica cleanser, a rough exfoliation a couple of times a week, finished off with a moisturiser for dry, sensitive skin.

So it got me thinking, shit, am I not doing enough for my skin? Am I going to age more quickly than her? Are my products inferior to hers and could these be doing worse for my skin, rather than improving it? I started adding up what it could potentially cost for me to just ensure my face was fold-free in the coming years if I believed all the sales people, marketing campaigns, my fellow friends and models on glossy magazine covers... $375. Three times a year. You kidding?

Hold on.... let's look at why our skin ages. According to the The Skin Care Physicians it's: smoking, sun exposure, alcohol, gravity, what you put in your mouth, lack of exercise, exposure to cold weather, stress, lack of sleep and repetitive facial expressions. NONE of these factors screams for a Light-Reflecting Youth Surge Decelerating Moisturiser.

Moisturiser and exfoliation is great for keeping the skin hydrated and unclogged, but why the need for all the other crap? They could only help in minute amounts over many years but have you thought about the (essentially counteractive) chemicals in them as well?

So perhaps I'm not a 'lesser' woman for not taking the extra steps, but rather someone who hasn't fallen victim to the billion dollar marketing ploys. Some of the above extrinsic factors for ageing you cannot avoid, but the others you should.

Brains equals anti-ageing. Put that in a bottle.

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