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My 27 Days
  • Bloggin’ About
    • Sing, Sing, Sing
    • Meatless and Meditating
    • Cosmetic Withdrawal
  • Snapshots
  • About
  • DIY
    • Homemade Cosmetics Recipes
      • Scrubs and Masks
      • Cleansers and Toners
      • Creams and Oils
      • Shampoos and Rinses
      • Homemade Toothpaste
  • Contact
Cosmetic Withdrawal

Houston, We Have a Problem

posted by Nancy Davis
Jan 26, 2016 1477 1 8
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Day #20

I am three weeks into my 27-day challenge of Cosmetic Withdrawal.

My mom thinks I broke my face.

“I’m worried about your skin,” she declares over speakerphone. I’m in the van, having just dropped off the kids at school.

“Ma, it’s okay.” I glance in the rearview mirror. Well, maybe not totally spot on.

Bad skin. Never. Before.
Bad skin. Never. Before.

“You’re not twenty anymore….”

Really? Did the muffin top and gray hairs give it away?

“…and you’ve always had that beautiful skin.”

She has a point. It was kind of a selling feature. I say was because it’s definitely more of a bargain-basement trait at present.

“Now you’re putting all that stuff on it,” she continues.

By “stuff” my mom means food and homemade cosmetics. Yep, anything from the kitchen is ripe for the smearing (banana, avocado, cucumber, rice milk, yogurt, eggs, coconut, edible oils, ground oats). Anything I concoct from raw ingredients (beeswax, essential oils, clay, shea or cocoa butter etc.)  is also good to go.

“It’s only another week, then I’ll get a facial,” I assure her. “It’ll be fine.”

She sighs: “Are you sure?”

It’s not really a question. And, frankly, it’s not fine.

courtesy of totally-relatable.tumbler.com
Courtesy of totally-relatable.tumbler.com

Problem is, since my teens I have practiced a skin care routine. As a little girl I watched my mom (who is still gorgeous, btw) cleanse, tone and moisturize every morning and evening. She has good habits, which she passed on to me. I can count the number of times I partied and passed out with my makeup on while in university. Ever seen a drunk girl remove waterproof mascara in a co-ed bathroom? It’s like watching an astronaut tie shoelaces in zero gravity, while all the other astronauts try to keep her from floating away. Just call me Ellen Ripley.

Ellen Ripley, Alien
Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, Alien

My mom also knows ingredients and even sold cosmetics for a few years. It was all litmus papers and PH-balanced around our house. She’s a teacher by education (and a kick-ass businesswoman.) Need I say more?

Why it this an issue now? Because 1) I am replacing ingrained discipline with crappy crap and likely overdoing it. 2) My skin is used to being cared for like a newborn babe. It’s rebelling. How do you go from cashmere to homespun without getting the heebie jeebies?

By the end of week one I know I can’t just rub plain old oil on my face as a moisturizer. It’s helpful at dissolving makeup, and I’ll probably continue to use it as a pre-cleanser. As for actual face cleanser, “soapy” is not in my arsenal, but a Light Cleansing Oil and Lavender Sugar Scrub are. See the problem here? Oil followed by oil followed by sugar followed by more oil (?). I am a walking Chicken Waffle on a Stick (that’s real, follow the link).

moldycream
Gross.

I need cream. Light, non-comedogenic cream (not pore-clogging for all you beauty-product novices). So I make two, which immediately become foot balms due to consistency issues. I recently discover one of them has turned into a Petri dish. Mold happens.

So I turn to serums and make Night Oil and Sensitive Skin Anti Aging Serum. The second smells like Thai food. I even make a Basic Chamomile Toner for sensitive skin. Tea that heals stomach ailments and smells like a meadow can’t be bad–other than an efficacy rate of zero in terms of toning. For my eyes I use Rosemary Coconut Oil Eye Cream. Even as it smothers that thin eye-skin, I persevere in the name of….Well, I don’t really know.

Still, all of week two my skin vascillates between desiccated and viscous goo. Maybe because I use all these products? All the time? Routine.

Egg White Firming Mask
Egg White Firming Mask

Time to pull out the big guns. Over the weekend and early into week three, I go mask-crazy in a desperate attempt to feed my skin: Egg White Firming Mask, Banana Yogurt Honey Mask, Avocado Face Mask. They all feel fine while I’m wearing them but may signal an allergy to topically-applied foods. Is that a thing?

avocadomask4

Nonetheless, my daughter thinks I’m off my rocker, and my son has a horror movie cameo when I ask him to take a photo while I try out the avocado mask. (See video).

 

http://my27days.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Clip55.m4v

 

 

When I send my family a pic of my guacamole face, they text back:

text

By Wednesday of week three, while serving lunch at school, a friend remarks that I have seen better days. No argument there. My cheeks look like the surface of the moon.

I think I may have to abort this skin-care mission.

panda

Tune in next time for operation rescue.

 

 

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Nancy Davis

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Comments

8 Comments
  1. posted by
    Mom
    Jan 26, 2016 Reply

    I cannot tell if the side view pimply face is yours or not. Can you believe it has gotten to the point where I don’t recognize my beautiful daughter if it is? People always say to me; “She is as beautiful inside as she is outside.” I know that, but at the moment, because of your trials and errors, I’m beginning to think that the inside is definitely winning and the balance is off. Sorry Nance, I still love you, but have to be an honest mom! (and thanks for all of the wonderful accolades in this post xoxo) Cannot wait till this 27 day experiment is over, but I’m a little afraid to see what is next.

    • posted by
      Nancy Davis
      Jan 26, 2016 Reply

      Thanks Mom! Yes, that’s my face! It’s better the last few days though. You’ll have to read tomorrow to find out what I did to fix it….mwah!

  2. posted by
    A.T
    Jan 26, 2016 Reply

    What happened to my girl with the Snow White skin?

  3. posted by
    Mom
    Jan 27, 2016 Reply

    Hope the fix worked. Poor skin! Don’t blame Mason for being scared when you went into his room, especially after we watched The Visit together.

  4. posted by
    Sheila Engel Cohen
    Jan 27, 2016 Reply

    Nancy, Nancy,Nancy. The expression that comes to mind is if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Doesn’t matter. Your beauty comes through the goop.

    • posted by
      Nancy Davis
      Jan 27, 2016 Reply

      Thanks Sheila! You’re a sweetie!

  5. posted by
    Malka Rotenberg
    Jan 28, 2016 Reply

    I have never met you Nancy but I know your lovely mother. She has beautiful skin. I agree with Sheila and would suggest you get a facial immediately. Good Luck.

  6. posted by
    Daddy
    Jan 29, 2016 Reply

    Poor Kevin…but I still love you.

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