Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Does Your Face Hurt? 'Cause It's Killing Me.

No one has ever accused me of having flawless skin.
My relationship with pimples started in the fourth grade when my Mom tried to thwart the eruptions on my forehead by pinning my hair up tight with a barrette..... thereby showcasing all my pimples.

I remember so many battles waged against those wretched pustules. Over the counter stuff, prescription stuff, homemade stuff. Recommendations to put my own pee on my face. Picking, popping, and then panicking: Why the hell did I just butcher myself like that?!

It was either my 6th or 7th grade school picture and I was already having a bad hair day.( Ya, who wasn't having a bad hair day during the big AquaNet boom.) Add to that the dime-sized crater on my chin that refused to heal before picture day and you have a quintessential puberty moment. And captured on film with a baby blue and paint-splattered background! Not even my popped up collar could distract you from all that ugly goin' on. Thanks hormones!

So I eventually upgraded from the Noxzema's and the OxyClean's or whatever it is you can buy in the drugstores to lovely salon skin care products. I even managed to get a few facials like a real girl! Very nice. Who doesn't enjoy a well done facial?
I got all kinds of education on what not to do, what was causing the problems (maybe,) and so on.
But there was no big Before and After like you see on the infomercials. Just the skin in between the acne was in better condition.

And I'm not going to tell you that I ever found the answer. I found the products that I love to use. Found the routine that seems to cause the least troubles. And I just keep telling myself that this oily skin that's causing me zits now will keep me from getting wrinkles as quickly later.

But what I wanted to tell you about was my discovery of foundation primer! By Jove, it actually does something!

When I wash my face it has always shined like a new penny. Not in a youthful, dewy kind of way, but in a plastic-y, not so attractive way. Plus there's the uneven skin tones and that big hairy wart on the side of my nose. Kidding! But the primer really helps with that shininess and the unevenness.

Also, I don't like much makeup. I'm not skilled at it, have some vague goal in my head of the natural French standard of beauty (which I may have created in my own imagination,) plus I can't even get away with a little loose powder without Mark asking me why I have on so much makeup. He doesn't like it either. He insists on telling me I'm beautiful when I'm at my most undone. Darn that man!

But when I decided to give the primer a try I was super stoked to find that it really minimizes the shine without looking too matte. Plus my skin, which is very stuck up about moisturizers--it will only let me get away with a super light, spray on toner-type moisturizer--seems to enjoy it, too. It stays less shiny but more moist and fluffy without feeling congested.

And that's what I'm all about: not pissing off my face.

Oh, and it was not an expensive primer either. Bought it at Target, the brand that Kate Moss receives gobs of money to endorse. I was a little freaked out by its orangey color, but it goes on invisible.

So there you have it, Peeps. Beauty advise from the Pig Whispering Rat Smasher.
You're welcome!

7 comments:

Michele R said...

Can you believe......first I have the same Daisy Fuentes pants as you and now this. Yep, tried it about a year ago -- great reminder though because I haven't been using it lately.
And you could have written about 10,000 more words but you had me at: "He insists on telling me I'm beautiful when I'm at my most undone."
He's a keeper!

Annette said...

Mark does have his moments, doesn't he?

I've discovered some wonderful skin products within the last month, too. Except mine aren't cheap by any means and are prescribed to me by my dermatologist to keep skin cancer at bay. But the side effect is that it really does lessen wrinkles. That's the kind of side effect I can handle.

Osage Bluff Quilter said...

Target here I come. I too like very little makeup. It sounds like soemthing I should try. Now to find the Sunday ad to see if it's on sale. I'm always out for a bargain!
Thanks for the tip, sorry you don't get paid for the endorsement.

Becky said...

Whoa, coming from you, I take this tip very seriously, Rat Slayer! I haven't gotten much into the world of primers, but maybe I should. I don't like to where a full-on foundation, but my pores could use a little help, ya know?

honeypiehorse said...

You'll be laughing when you're 40 and don't have any wrinkles, unlike us dry-skinned girls.

Sara said...

I'm still battling acne into my 30's. I think the primer sounds like a great idea and I'm going to give it a shot. I found St. Ives Apricot Scrub has done wonders to my skin. Like you, I'm shiny, my skin hates most moisturizers and the acne and wrinkles...ugh!

Allina said...

If your hubby wishes to spend quality time with you in a hot and happening pub on the very occasion of Valentine’s Day, then would you feel yourself comfortable for the occasion if there are wrinkles spread all over your face? Wrinkles in the face make you unattractive to a significant extent and thus it becomes very essential for you to obtain adequate relief from facial wrinkles. Getting rid of wrinkles is definitely possible if you buy revitol cream and apply it appropriately on your skin.