October 6, 2007

Look better longer

Have you ever gone into a department store lines or drug store and looked at all the skin care products that are available on the shelves? I swear there were hundreds of products available, all claiming to work miracles with your skin. No matter how old you are or what your skin type is, consumers search for that miracle that can do everything from eliminate acne, reduce visible pores, radiant complexion, to diminish fine lines. Today, more people see the importance of appearance in interpersonal contacts, and they are turning to cosmetics and beauty treatment to improve their looks. To mention a few here are some lines from the ads in the women magazine :

"Line prevention at its best. Preserve your radiance and delay the appearance of first lines"...Clarins

"Shiseido pureness, give your skin power over shine, blemishes and dryness"...Shiseido.

"No-Age Lotion, the No-Age anti ageing breakthrough, it smoothes instantly the skin, gives it an incredible brightness and preserves its youth capital"...Christian Dior.

The objects of desire -cosmetics, skin care products- are now placed invitingly on open shelves, it will take the utmost restraint not to touch them. Women spend so much money on them, even women who have naturally beautiful, flawless skin they go to great lengths to maintain it. As readers / television viewers we are being punished for believing those ads but have you ever taken a close look at the ingredient listing on the label of your skin care products or cosmetics? Do you know what those substances are? You may think that it doesn't matter what's in your skin care products because after all you don't eat them. However, the article in Daily Telegraph caught my attention. It highlights that everything, from soaps, shampoos,deodorants to baby lotions, could actually be pushing us further away from beauty closer to cancer.

I began to see the sheer ugliness behind beauty. Ever since I had endometriosis surgery and still have them until now (endo recurrence), I'm not on a skin care routine like I used to. I only wear Burt's Bees marshmallow cream, Marcks loose powder which is very cheap but has been in the market for over 20 years (they are originally called family medicated powder) and Burt's Bees Baby Lotion. I'm working my way to minimize the use of skin care products to as little as possible. After all life is not about your surface beauty anyway. What about you?

*top image courtesy of art.com

6 comments:

Anna Rochanti Madden said...

bedak marcks, dulu aku pake itu juga. wuih ngeri ya efek samping dari kosmetik. wah mulai sekarang mesti hati2 euy!

Elyani said...

Anna : sejak aku kena endo, aku jadi lebih hati2 pakai produk perawatan kulit. Banyak yg harus dihindari, salah satunya adalah yang mengandung paraben yg berfungsi sebagai pengawet.

Anonymous said...

I don't use a lot of skin products either. Esp make up. I just buy them for friends.

I'm extra careful what I use. These products are not cheap. So far Clinique soap does wonders to my very sensitive face. I'm just a soap and water kinda of woman hehehe.

Anonymous said...

ahhh, my face and skin are so beat up from too much sun exposure. lately, i have been using a aloe vera oil from an herb store as opposed to sun block lotion. i don't know which is better but i noticed that when i used the sun block lotion, my skin broke out.

my daughter was into virgin coconut oil lately which she used to moisturize her face and hair.

Elyani said...

Fe : you're regimen is simple but not cheap...hehehe

Belle : Virgin Coconut Oil is widely available here and they are not expensive. Before I used Burt's Bees which is highly recommended for endo sufferer, I also use VCO but they are too oily although they give me perfect tan :)

NursyE said...

Well, you beautiful ladies don't need anything to cover up the beauty. I, too have to be extra careful of what I use. I do have extra sensitive skin. I have low tolerance on Aloe Vera. My massage lady knows that sensitivity. One time I had a massage and she used a natural oil. I went home with a progressive swelling, hives and problems with breathing (all signs of serious allergic reaction. She looked at the very fine prints on the back and saw that aloe in it.

I do use this multipurpose powder on my face to control my oily skin and cover up the flaws... (tons of them... hehehe).