Skin

Simple skin care

/ edebock / 2 Comments

What’s the one thing that every human being wears every single day? Their skin, of course! Unlike our clothing, we can’t buy a new skin when the old one starts to show signs of wear and tear. An effective skin care routine is the only way to protect this most important “garment” and keep it looking and feeling its best.

There are a myriad of products available, but skin care doesn’t have to be complicated. The important thing is to choose the right products for your skin type… oily, dry, or combination… and then use them consistently.

My daily routine involves just three products; a cleanser, a day lotion, and a night cream. Morning skin care should focus on prevention and protection, so I simply wash my face, neck, and decolletage with warm water and apply a moisturizing day lotion with SPF. Nighttime is about cleansing and repair, so that’s when I wash with the cleanser before applying my night cream. When I was younger my face was oilier and I also used a toner, but as skin tends to get drier with age, I eventually found that I didn’t need it anymore.

I’ve been using Olay products for years and have always been happy with them, but unfortunately they’re made in the United States. In light of the current president’s reprehensible behaviour toward my country, I felt the need to find an affordable made in Canada alternative. Yesterday I spent over an hour in a very informative free online consultation with a Beauty Advisor from Marcelle, a company that has been caring for Canadian skin for 150 years. While the products are available in most London Drugs and Shoppers Drug Marts as well as Walmart, I plan on placing an online order to take advantage of the International Women’s Day sale that’s on until March 16. Once I’ve used the products for awhile, I’ll let you know what I think.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention sunscreen. As much as I love sunshine, it isn’t friendly to our skin. In fact, in spite of the fact that I’ve always been diligent about using sunscreen when I spend time outdoors, I’m presently healing from a treatment of liquid nitrogen to a spot under my right eye where the rays of the sun, intensified by the lens of my glasses, did some damage. Unfortunately, I’m also going to have to search for a replacement for my favourite sunscreen as it, like so many other things, is produced in the States. I’d better do that soon before the last of the snow disappears from the golf course and the hiking trails!

An “aha” moment

/ edebock / 11 Comments

LogoThis week I had an epiphany, a true “aha” moment.

Every time I’ve looked at my face in the mirror lately, especially without makeup, I’ve been unhappy with what I saw. My skin looks like parchment, the colour is uneven, and then there are those wrinkles, especially around my mouth! Thankfully, my glasses make the worry lines at the inner ends of my eyebrows less noticeable!

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I’ve never been one to worry about trying to look younger than I am and I’m not about to go the way of Dolly Parton who’s had so much plastic surgery that even she admits to looking artificial, but I really didn’t like what I was seeing.

Then I read Alyson Walsh’s blog post about 1980s model, Jeny Howorth, modelling again at age 56, and I looked at these photos of her.

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Photo: Liberty

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Photo: Sunday Times Style magazine

I looked more closely at her face and that’s when I had my “aha” moment!

There were the same wrinkles that I see on my own face, but when I looked at her I saw beauty and character!

Why are we women so hard on ourselves? Why do we dislike in ourselves what we barely notice in other women? Why do we fail to see in ourselves things that we appreciate in others?

I do take care of my skin. I use a cleanser at bedtime every evening and I moisturize both morning and night. I’m 68 years old and I’ve earned every scar and every wrinkle! From now on, when I look in the mirror I’m going to stop looking at flaws and remind myself that mine is simply a face with life written on it. I also need to remember that a smile goes a long way toward lighting up a face and minimizing lines around the mouth!

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DIY winter moisturizing masks

/ edebock / 2 Comments

LogoCold, dry winters here on the Canadian prairie are terribly harsh on skin. Awhile ago, my face was beginning to look and feel like parchment! My regular skin care routine simply wasn’t cutting it. I needed more moisture than my daytime lotion and night creme were providing. Being a frugal fashionista (and living where there isn’t a wide array of products to choose from) I looked no further than my kitchen for help!

That’s right! All you need for a do-it-yourself winter moisturizing mask is probably right there in your pantry.

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Unpasteurized honey has been used as a beauty treatment since ancient times, but what makes it such a great skincare ingredient? First of all, honey is a humectant, which means that it attracts and retains moisture. It also contains a number of vitamins and minerals, it’s a potent source of antioxidants, and it’s anti-bacterial.

Mediterranean women have also used olive oil as a moisturizer for centuries. Like honey, it’s loaded with nutrients, is a natural humectant, and is rich in antioxidants.

Cleopatra was renowned throughout history for her radiant skin and stunning beauty. Early records show that she added honey to her milk baths to keep her skin smooth and firm. Olive oil and honey facials were also part of her beauty regime. If these things were good enough for Cleopatra, I thought they must be worth a try!

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While either unpasteurized honey or extra virgin olive oil can be used alone, why not try one of these simple recipes for smoother, softer, well hydrated skin?

Exfoliating Mask

When I used this one, my face looked like a glazed doughnut, but it felt wonderful!

  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • a few drops of olive oil

Mix ingredients together and apply to clean, wet skin in a circular motion. Avoid eye area. Leave on for about 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and follow up with your favourite moisturizer.

Salt has been used as a healing agent for centuries. It tightens, preserves, and acts as an exfoliant, removing stubborn dead skin cells and allowing new and healthy skin to emerge, but be very gentle with this mask as it is quite abrasive.

Gentle Exfoliating Mask

  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • a few drops of olive oil

Mix and use as above.

Moisturizing Mask

This one is my favourite! It’s so simple and soothing.

  • 1 to 1.5 teaspoons honey
  • 1 to 1.5 teaspoons olive oil

Mix ingredients. Apply to clean, damp skin. Leave on for 15 to 20 minutes then rinse thoroughly.

There are many more DIY recipes online that include other ingredients from your kitchen such as oatmeal, egg yolk, yogurt, and cinnamon but all you really need for an effective and inexpensive beauty treatment is olive oil and honey. You can use any of these masks weekly as needed. I used the Exfoliating Mask first and followed it with the Moisturizing Mask a week later. That was a couple of weeks ago and my skin is still thanking me!