More On Skin

The Baptized Pagan wrote the following which was so terrific I didn't want it to get buried in old comments:

"Just back from the AAR, where Peacebang's recommendation of the Origins No Puffery mask saved me a couple of times after nights that continued a little too long...One other product for men with acne that has been a godsend, in addition to washing, toning, and moisturizing, has been applying a moisturizer with salicylic acid right in it. I use Kiehl's blue herbal moisturizer...expensive, but I haven't been able to find anything else. For those of you with dry or normal skin, it might be a little too much, but if you've been fighting off acne since the first days of puberty, it's a great product for daily use."

Thanks for letting us know, BP! I couldn't agree more on Kiehl's products, and your tip about moisturizing with salicylic acid is a good one (although the very thought of putting ACID on one's face always scares me; couldn't they have called it something cuter?). Sometimes boys and girls with oily skins and acne avoid moisturizing because they think it will make them more oily, but that's just not true. I swear it on a stack of Bibles.

Speaking of what's just not true, don't you love it when you browse in a skin care-oriented store or cosmetics counter and the gal or guy shilling the stuff says, "That's the one I use" about whatever product you're holding? It's practically a MIRACLE how often this has happened to me! Why, if I was a less trusting person, I might begin to think that perhaps that salesperson is just outright lying their head off in order to persuade me to buy that product! The thing is, what makes them think that just because they use it, I'm a-gonna buy it? Do we have the SAME FACE or something?

Yesterday I was replenishing my skin care products at Origins and as per usual, squinting at the tiny print on every product in the store looking for ideas for my cher readers. A little girl, couldn't have been more than 22, zoomed over to extol the virtues of the new Youthtopia moisturizer that she uses herself, made with Siberian fir trees called Rhodiola or something (I'm not making this up, you have to read about it here because it's hilarious: http://tinyurl.com/wgtwr).

I couldn't help it; I started cracking up. She was jabbering on and on so I put my hand on her arm. I said, "Sweetie, you're half my age. You can't possibly be using this old lady cream."

Without missing a beat, she said, "But I do! I use it for here," and with that, she touched herself under her youthfully firm chin as if to indicate some kind of sagging problem.

I said, "Well you know what. I'm just depressed now. You just totally depressed me. I have three chins and I wouldn't buy this stuff. Please just tell me you're being a really good salesgirl and that you don't actually believe you need an anti-aging regimen at your age."

Ever the pro, she said, "It's all about being pro-active!"

Bless her little young heart. I bought my two things, stocked up on thousands of samples, and went to drown my sorrows by walking slowly through the Body Shop inhaling deeply of profoundly over-scented products.