What’s the total?!

A few months ago, a very good friend of mine mentioned that I don’t do many lady things, and that I should start. I think the wording was more “woman things”; lady fits my blog name better so there. Well, I was shocked, stunned, stupefied. What was the meaning of this? What did it all mean? Naturally, one’s immediate response (well, I’m going to admit I’ve got a pessimist streak) is to think, “Oh lord, I’m shriveling up. I’m a dried up shell of my former self. All of those sun-filled days have caught up to me and my time is up!” I was quickly sinking to The Fun Is Over level. This friend is trying kindly to tell me that my face and body are going to the dogs… Thankfully this friend was having a face-to-face with me and could smack me back to Just Breathe level. I guess I should provide a little back story…

I am one of the genetically fortunate. I have always looked much younger than my actual age. Now, in my early 30s, I can throw on jeans, sneakers, and of course, a ponytail and walk about a middle-school campus and blend right in. I can pass for my children’s older sister. Yes, ladies and sirs, it is as nice as it sounds. I haven’t always appreciated my youthful appearance. In my youth I wanted to look womanly and well… womanly. I later realized that that’s what makeup and my body are for. Who wants to look older than necessary? So anyway,  I’d spent most of my adult life riding this free youth-wave. In magazines, I’d read about the ages that women should start using certain products and I’d think, “I’m 30s but my face is 20s, so it’s not my time yet.”

So when my friend mentioned that every other woman does at least twice what I’m doing to care for/nurture/love themselves, I was stumped. What could these women possibly be doing? I wash and exfoliate and moisturize. Turns out they were doing a lot, and I was not going to be dried up and dull when I could be dewy. So I made a trip to my neighborhood Walgreens to see what they had to offer.

It was an aisle I had walked through many times to get moisturizer and makeup remover. I’d also glanced at the skincare products a time or two but figured I didn’t need those things yet, so why spend the money? Well, what seemed like two hours later, I walked out to my car having spent what seemed like my entire week’s pay on everything my desperate skin could possibly need. A sampling?

*Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting serum        *Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Exlixir

*Regenerist lotion with SPF15                           *that electric spinning face brush thingy

And and assortment of masks and such.

The verdict? I started noticing the texture of my skin improve very quickly. I am honestly not being paid to say this by anyone. I can’t say that they are better than any other brand. It’s the brand I grabbed because I’ve used them for other things and I’m a loyalist. My face wash line is Neutragena. I couldn’t believe that my skin was looking so much better– smoother, more dewy. I was almost ashamed of myself for being a woman and not doing more to preserve what I have. No, I was ashamed and grateful.

There have been times when I’ve gone to bed without having done my nightly routine; conversely, I’ve had to allot more time in the morning to getting ready for work. Not fun. I’ve frequently wondered where the time went. It went to taking care of my face. And I’m okay with that.