I started wearing makeup when I was sixteen. When I was fourteen, my mother told me that if I started a routine in which I washed my face every night, then when I was sixteen I could start wearing makeup. But, if I was not responsible enough to learn a skin care routine, then I could not wear it.
So religiously from the time I was fourteen years old, I have washed my face every night with Noxzema followed by St. Ives Apricot Scrub and then finished up with Noxzema Astringent, either the liquid on a cotton ball or the face pads. I have had this routine for twenty-five years. Never strayed, never changed (well once, but that turned out so bad there shouldn’t even be a reason for me to be lamenting this).
You have to understand I have a great complexion. It is even, no blemishes, and the lines or wrinkles I have are on my forehead. I don’t have smile lines. I don’t have crows feet. But, I am getting older, so I have been looking into something that might be a little more appropriate for “aging” skin. I started in the beauty magazines. $35, $65, $100-plus for face washes?! Wow, who knew? I continued to research. I came across these most flattering reviews of two cleansers.
Contestant #1: I was captivated by this cleanser that “clears away surface toxins” and is “infused with natural ingredients to condition skin.” This one was dozy. I now have small blemishes on my forehead and my cheek. Not only that, it actually caused these bumps on the end of my nose that felt like I had grains of sand stuck in my pores. I accidentally scraped them away one night as I was exfoliating and now there are two huge holes, yes holes, on the tip of my nose that bleed every time I was my face!
Not to fear ... I had found another player in this game.
Contestant #2: This one proclaims “layer by layer creates skin that looks younger, tighter, and brighter.” It looked tighter alright. That’s what happens when you skin is dry as a desert. I was washing my face with this winner and as I ran my fingers under my eyes I felt these weird ridges. I had no idea what it was. I looked closer in the mirror and, oh yeah, the corners between my eyes and my nose where all dried up. It looks like somebody let the air out of my face.
