In Which I Make An Amazing Discovery

And not just amazing, but a discovery about myself!

A couple of nights ago, I went into the bathroom to wash my face before putting on my pajamas.  I looked in the mirror, and realized that I do look different.  In that, I look older.  This is because - well, I am older!  But though I look in the mirror a bazillion times in any given week, this was the first time in a long time I really thought about what I saw or whose face it was.  I won't lie, I was a little surprised.

I still have rosacea.  It's under control pretty well, thanks to my amazing dermatologist and effort on my part.

I still have freckles, though they are not as noticeable as they used to be.

I have creases on my forehead, and between my eyes at the top of my nose.  Partly I'm sure due to aging, but also because I do have a tendency to frown or furrow my brow when I'm thinking hard or trying to figure something out.  Or when I'm annoyed (read: frequently!).

My skin is in really good shape.  This was not always the case.  Between the rosacea, sunburns as a child, and teenage acne, my skin used to be in pretty sad shape.  But now, it's actually healthy-looking, if not perfect.  I'll take it.

My eyebrows are thinning.  They were never that full or dark, anyway.

I have some crows' feet, and some undereye bags, and some plain old wrinkles.  Not terrible, but there nonetheless.

But you know what the most amazing discovery was?  I realized that it was all OK with me.  I think because my skin is in better shape now than it ever was, any flaws or signs that I am no longer a kid are just not a big deal.  Yes, I use face and eye products that I feel give me the best result for what I am paying, but except for sunscreen, I could give them up if I had to.  And I wear makeup, both because I think it's fun and because it evens out my skin tone, but I don't wear a lot of makeup - and there are days when, if I'm just hanging out at home, or not really going anywhere, I don't bother with makeup at all.

I'm OK with my face, and with the signs of age that you can see on it.  I think I look good, and not haggard and worn (though some days I feel that way).  I cannot imagine a scenario where I would get something like Botox, or get any kind of surgery.  Mostly because I am not that worried about it, and prefer not to have someone putting needles or anything that cuts in, on, or near my face.

I'm getting older.  I look like I'm getting older.  It really truly is OK with me, because I still look like myself to me.  This was an unexpected and comforting discovery.  But definitely a good one.

Face Time

It's gotten to the time of year where everyone thinks of spring cleaning, and lightening up their wardrobes and makeup routines.  Since that is all a form of organizing your life, I'm completely for these activities, as being organized - or at least attempting to be - is one of my favorite things to do/be.

One of the things I have wanted to do is find a new foundation.  I have ones that I know I like, but I also like trying new ones (new to me, not new to existence).  When the weather gets warmer, I am even pickier, since I sweat (not perspire, not glow - SWEAT) big-time, and it frustrates me to put on a foundation that almost immediately melts off.  I've had some luck finding ones that stay on, but am always looking for the best one.  As with everything, I want it to do what I want, the way I want it.  Completely reasonable, right?

So yesterday, I walked over to Sephora, because it was a nice day, and they have so many choices.  This was largely because so far, I've had no luck with the foundations I've tried from the drugstore, so I figured I'd see what the possibilities are for a little bit more money.  Since I had some of my extra money from Rosie's, I was willing to splurge a little bit.  Sephora has this thing where they take photos of three different places on your face, and the computer spits out recommendations.

The person helping me asked a lot of questions about my routine, what kind of coverage I wanted, etc. and then led me to this one:

According to the Sephora person, and the description of this product, it is water-based, and stays on longer even if you sweat.  Since Sephora has an excellent returns policy, I figured it's worth a try.  This will be the first time I've tried anything from Make Up For Ever, but I know that for a lot of people, this brand is the best.  This particular product has excellent reviews for my age group on Makeup Alley, so I figure it might be worthwhile to use it more than just one or two times before deciding what I think.  It sounds as if it has a slightly different consistency, which takes some practice to get what you want for your own look.

I have promised myself to try it for at least an entire week before deciding what I think - particularly since it has such favorable reviews.  (A lot of times after once or twice, if something isn't PERFECT, I give up and return it, or just stop using it.  Not reasonable, but I'm gonna try to change that, starting with this one.)

The other nice thing is that, even if I don't like this and decide to return it, I have the results of the scan with the other suggestions of things to try.  That in and of itself might be worth having.

I'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, if you have suggestions - as long as they are not overly expensive - let me know.  I've had many favorites over the years, both inexpensive and somewhat pricier, and inevitably once I find something I really like, they change the formula or discontinue the product.

We'll see.  ;-)