Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Preening and Prancing

Remember back in the summer when my face was falling off? Well I'm happy to report, at the risk of bad-eyeing myself, that my skin is now nearly back to its peaceful, almost spot-free self.



So what was the secret after months and months of creams, lotions, potions and facial torture? One fine morning as I was about to apply my usual round of creams, I stopped. I put them back. And since that day, I have gone back to doing what I was doing all my life without any problems, which is absolutely nothing. I wake up, I wash my face with water and that's all I do. No cleanser, no toner, no cream.



My creamy quest has its origins in yet another female friend who practically fainted in horror when I said I have no skin care routine, just water and sun cream in the summer. "You'll regret that when you're 30!" she exclaimed.



Oh heck! Could she be right? What if I should really be joining them in stripping off my oils and then applying artificial ones? What if I wake up tomorrow looking like a prune? It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. You go to bed on the eve of you're 30th birthday, a fresh-faced 29 year old and wake up a hag!



I don't know. I have a sneaky suspicion we're being lied to. It's like when you stop using lip balm. The first week your lips rebel like crazy and then they say "Whatever" and get on with their naturally kissable lives.



I think my skin is doing the same thing. Sure, now and then when it's particularly dry or cold, a little sweep of almond or olive oil won't do any harm. But I'm so glad to be getting my old skin back I'm not messing with it again.



***


In other news, thoughts of tango are completely taking over my life. It's turning into yet another infectious disease along with everything else I'm riddled with. A few days before my dance disaster on Saturday at my tango lesson I had probably one of my best dances ever. Not from style or technique but it was the first time when I switched my brain off and enjoyed the dancing. It was light, lovely, and sweet, the dance equivalent of chocolate mousse (at least in my not-so-expert-one-month-of-tango opinion).


When I came back home, I told Mr Zeus how I had felt a sensation right in my gut while I was dancing, like being in another world and speaking in a totally new language (now I know that was probably my lungs preparing to spend the next few days chucking themselves in every direction).



But still! I wake up and start playing tango videos on youtube. I polish the wooden floor by walking backwards across it. I gorge myself on tango related information online until I feel disgusted and say "Enough!" then the next day I do it all over again.



And I look at tango shoes, especially Comme il Faut, which are like lingerie for the feet and atomic bombs for the wallet. I might just have to start a separate tango blog at the risk of boring you all to death.

2 comments:

Saigon & Baygon Inc. said...

I've been reading your blog for ages (in fact, when I first found out about you I read a whole bunch of your older posts, digging deep inside the archive) but I never had the nerve to leave a comment.
I absolutely *adore* the way you write, I've gawked at belly-dancing costumes thanks to your link, I've laughed hard over projects-made-with-olives, I've bought some Sunday Ελευθεροτυπία editions just to share your excitement about Bollywood movies!
I might be Greek, but your blog makes me understand my country a little bit better, every time you write.
Keep up the good work! :-)

'Saigon'

Sesi said...

Er...I wash my face with soap (facial soap though) and only put face cream on once per day, without anything else, and that's only cause with the years my face skin gets drier and dryer (cant decide which spelling is right so I used both hehe), and I need the cream now. I still don't use tonic lotions and peelings and what not, neither do I wear make up (just a little blush and eyeshadow, and colorless mascara- every so often), and I am happy to announce that my skin is perfectly fine.
Every so often my bff makes me use a face mask or something, and then I sit there with the mask for ten minutes, and when I take it off, I feel and see my skin to have absolutely no difference. So, why bother?