I did something today that I haven’t done in forever…an at-home facial! My skin has been showing the wear of a stress packed work month, as well as some effects of the typical San Francisco summer – some drying from the sun, but mostly drying from the wind that whips down the hilltops at icy temperatures in the middle of July. An oily t-zone combined with flaky dry patches (and the aforementioned stress) has resulted in a crappy, dull, spotty complexion.
I realized I needed a mask, and also that I didn’t have any at my house. I stopped by my local “chemists” – that’s what they call a drugstore in England, but it actually is what this place is called: Omni Chemists on Union Street. I picked up a couple of products that looked good. First I got a tube of Earth Science Papaya Glycolic Peel (fancy!), then I got a bottle of witch hazel, which is a non-drying, alcohol free toner, and then I grabbed a pot of Palmer’s Fade Cream to even out my skin after all this sun. wind and acne had made it a mess.
In a perfect world I would have steamed my face first, but instead I washed it with warm water and applied the mask. Even though it says papaya on the label, it’s actually more of an herbal thing…it didn’t smell like fruit at all, and there were even big green leaves in it! I found the scent reminiscent of something…it started as very aromatherapeutic and then I started identifying the components: sage, thyme…and then it struck me, I smelled like stuffing. I tried to ignore my Thanksgiving flashback and relaxed until the mask hardened.
Then I rinsed it off, used the witch hazel which was nice and refreshing with no sting or redness, and applied the fade cream. I have to say, I noticed results almost immediately. My skin was nice and smooth from the mask, and the fade cream reduced the redness of my breakouts significantly.
I was so thrilled with my recessionista pampering routine that I googled at-home beauty therapies and came across an aspirin mask recipe that I can’t wait to try: dissolve 3-4 aspiring in a tsp of water (or redness reducing eye drops), add a little honey and leave it on for 15-20 minutes. Apparently aspirin has a similar ingredient to salicylic acid and is great for preventing acne! Who knew?
These days especially it’s a great feeling when you can pamper yourself without shelling out a lot of money; I’m going to make it a much more regular habit to schedule spa time at home!
