A beauty salon is an establishment providing services related to beauty.
Anyone who has spent a meaningful amount of time with me knows that I have a fascination with personal care products: its usage, the packaging, and the industry. Who else's childhood hobby was collecting product brochures from the Estee Lauder Company's line of brands? Some people are members of EMACS usenets, I look forward to receiving Heather Kleinman's Cosmetic Connection newsletter in my inbox each week.
This idiosyncrasy drew me to Vicky, a great friend and essential fashion reference. Jen and I, beyond serious discussions of Taiwanese politics, also share a yen for beauty care. I used to think every guy knew how to apply a mask till my freshman year in college, when Kuo goggled at me as I walked around the entry with a mask. I then realized that Galen, my younger brother, is wise in the ways of skin care because of my influence.
I remember cornering him when he was four, educating him about the importance of lip balm and trying to apply it to his lips.
My skin tends to be oily. Thankfully, I no longer have to deal with acne as often as I did during adolescence. Five years of living in Boston also contributed to my first experience of dry (!) skin. My skin has been on a roller coaster of behavior since I moved to Taiwan last September-but change is good because it challenges by forcing one to pay attention.
I don't skimp on facial skin care. That said, I don't believe in using expensive cleansers. The product is usually on your face for less than a minute-will that ten times more expensive per ounce product really make that much of a difference? I don't think so.
Somehow, I've never really spent that much time or money on the rest of me. I rarely comb my hair and I never blow dry. My fine hair has withstood nearly nine years of competitive swimming and done just as well or better with inexpensive drugstore brands than specialty brands. I remember to moisturize my body when my skin itches from dryness.
More (as in harder scrubbing, layers of products) is not better. Simple and gentle is best.
beauty salon
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Well, here's another attempt to revive this blog. I also haven't posted because my routine has really settled and simplified. With Taiwan's hot and humid summer weather, plus the joys of leaving adolescence, I can get away with twice daily cleansing and no moisturizer. I can even get away with a stronger cleanser than I can in the winter, so being the miser I am, I've decided to finish up my supply of St. Ives Peach Foaming Cleanser. I alternate this with my old standby, Shiseido's Pureness Deep Cleansing Foam.
Of course I always put on SPF in the morning, so I use either Paula's Choice Essential Non-Greasy Sunscreen SPF 15 or Shiseido's The Skincare Day Essential Moisturizer Light (SPF 10). Tea tree oil or Paula's Choice Blemish Fighting Solution as needed, remembering to occasionally scrub my nose with either a facial brush, my Aveda face chamois, or Peter Thomas Roth's Botanical Buffing Beads (for the blackheads), and I'm all set.
The best skincare plan always involves getting enough sleep, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and staying hydrated...with sleep being the #1 beauty potion!
2:17 AM |
