Face

Jasmine Simone here! Flashback to this past Saturday. I’m standing in front of the full length mirror putting the finishing touches on my party outfit.

JS: “Man!” (examining my new ensemble) “I look good!”

(Enter boyfriend, Eric.)

EA: “Hey baby, nice top.”

JS: “Thanks! I’m excited to bust it out. I just got it.” (JS places dutiful kiss on cheek.)

EA: “Whoa, what’s that? Is that dirt?”

JS: “What? No! I just took a shower for goodness sake.”

EA: “Well there’s something on your chest. Oooo-ooohhhh - duh! Those must be scars from the bug bites you got in Belize.”

JS: “Wait...what?” (JS takes a closer look at her chest.) “No....this can’t be...” (Examines her arms and back now...) “NOOO!!! They’re everywhere!”

EA: “I told you not to scratch so much. You know you scar from every little thing.” (Cue smug smile.)

JS: “Shut up, Poohead!” (Cue withering yet guilty look...in my head I’m thinking “Phew! At least they are flat...almost like discolored freckles really...comfort in the small things. Boo!)

Needless to say, I was an-noyed. Now I love my skin, but every little skin abrasion does show up and it is usually here to stay. I have what they call “keloid-prone skin” (the raised discolored skin tissue.) I have tried many things over the years for scars. Some things have worked better than others but I haven’t found the Holy Grail. And yet some of the worst scars I have had in my life - major burn abrasions on my face from a car accident - have virtually disappeared. This has led me to believe in... miracles really... or a at least some chance for me to be fully scar free one day. Undoubtedly, the best course is to start a regimen when you first get the scar as the fresh tissue is at it’s most pliable and scar hasn’t started to form eyes. Though I do hope to find something that works at any stage on both major keloids or minor discolorations. Below is a list of things I have tried or hope to in the near future.

Stylemama here! I bet you ladies would be surprised at how often I think about you. You are a unique, intelligent, hilarious group of women. Words are powerful and yours really make their mark. In a nutshell, I'm grateful to Meg, the writers, and every single Meghead out there that brings truth and insight to Megsmakeup.com. I didn't want one more day to pass in 2010 without putting that out there.

On to the goods...

Sometimes the best things in life come in pairs or in this case come from LUSH. I'm excited to share two of my all time favorite, skin-loving, yummy-smelling bath products.

The first layer of YUM is a delightful massage bar aptly named Strawberry Feels Forever. Call me crazy, but I use it as a daily moisturizer. And, since I am a repeat title-holder for, Driest Skin On The Planet Lady, I can say with total confidence that this is the best defense, dare I say, cure for dry skin out there. Plus, it's all natural and filled to the brim with all the greatest ingredients. I'm talking about Shea and Cocoa Butters, Coconut and Bergamot Oils and of course fresh strawberries, just to name a few! According to LUSH, using this "Is like rolling in a field of strawberries without the sticky mess..." Yeah, that about covers it.

Meg  here, my hysterical friend Kate has started a blog on her mommy musings called LoveandKnuckles.

If you're a mother you should definitely check it out! If you're not a mother but still feel the need to have witty insights on everything from Pop Culture to Politics then you'll love it there too.

Kate has been having some issues with her skin post baby and she wanted to pen an open letter to any of you mothers reading. What are your thoughts?

Dearest Makeup Friends,           

Kate Casey here! Remember when you had your baby and you felt like a Mack Truck hit you? Remember all the times you balked when someone told you that when you have a girl she takes away your beauty? How many times have you stared at yourself in the mirror and wondered who the haggard old lady is looking back at you? I have, my friends, joined the sisterhood.

My sister has two kids and said the first thing I need to do was get a facial. She explained that you need to maintain your skin the same way you would do for your car (wait, I have neglected that too). I went to a local spa, got a great facial, and was able to buy some great products. I wanted to share, because I know how much it helps to get advice from other mothers about good products. The last thing you want to do is waste your money on beauty products you will use once and throw away. Wouldn't you rather spend that money on a few cocktails with friends?

Hello ladies, Eleni here!
I'm lucky enough to have tried hundreds of beauty product brands. When I was a teenager I saved all my money and spent it on Chanel, Guerlain and Givenchy. Some months that my savings weren't that great, I still spent everything I had on Clinique, the Body Shop and L'Oreal. My bathroom has always looked like a shrine to beauty products (and also a shrine to being broke). I did not care about how much money I had to spend in order to become the proud owner of my precious new obsessions. To this day, I'm still proud to have been the only girl in my high school that was using Givenchy eye shadow.
But the Gods have shown mercy to me and when I was 23, Cosmopolitan magazine hired me. Boxes of cosmetics going around under my nose and I could pick whatever I wanted! What would a normal girl do? Stop buying cosmetics you'd assume. But no, not me. What happened was that I just became pickier! I could try whatever I wanted, but all I wanted was that limited edition Clarins shampoo that coincidentally was sold out. Now that I'm older I've stopped being such a brat. I will try everything that I am given and be absolutely objective about it without whining that it's not the brand or the product I was dreaming to get. But that doesn't mean I have put my product obsessions aside - and these obsessions have not been created by advertising or vanity, they have been created solely by the way my first encounter with a product felt.
I will never forget what YSL mascara smells like, how E. Coudray body cream feels and how Shu Uemura liquid eyeliner applies on your eyes. And I'll go crazy if they ever discontinue the Clarins gentle care roll-on deodorant, the Molton Brown Mer-rouge hair hydramask or the L'Occitane almond firming cream.
So there, I have listed my obsessions, there are a few more, but not many - and as years go by it becomes harder for me to add new things to the list.

Sweetassgal here remembering something a girl NEVER forgets... her first movie with a nude scene! Don't worry... it was NOTHING compared to today's standards but in the summer of 1981 when my family went to see a good ole' David versus Goliath flick otherwise known as "Clash of the Titans"... my closest boy cousin and I were exposed to the sight of a naked Andromeda's backside as she exited her bath surrounded by her handmaidens and draped in very sheer Grecian gauze. Completely SHOCKED I announced to my mother (who quickly covered my eyes and my Aunt covered my cousins') and to the ENTIRE audience of the Broadway Twin Theater that "MOMMIE I can see her BUTT!" Needless to say we didn't show our faces in that movie house for quite some time after that. In fact, I'm pretty sure my mom didn't brave the cinema with me for some time unless the flick was preceded by... "Walt Disney Presents". Hence my lifelong obsession with big ears. But that's a subject for another day.
 
So where am I going with this for Green Chi Tuesdays you may ask?  Well, the lovely Andromeda's bare bum aside, I've ALWAYS been fascinated by anything exotic and foreign. Greek tragedy and drama aside (and WHO doesn't LOVE anything romantic and tragic!) I can never resist a treasure from a foreign land. I have high standards when it comes to the things I take into my heart and therefore I can only give away so much for fear that the Krakon will demand the sacrifice of my earthly body to appease his hunger lest my homeland be ravaged by his unearthly thirst for destruction. Just kidding... nothing that exciting ever happens in my home town... but Clash of the Titans WAS held over three whole weeks and until E.T. came the following summer I had nothing else to play with my cousins and honestly I was getting pretty sick of wearing my brown cinnamon roll inspired wig and exclaiming the words "Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope!"
 
So what foreign treasure has captured my heart along with my love of early 80's pop culture science fiction which I have so obviously forced the readers of Megsmakeup to relive? It's Zakia's Morocco 100% Pure Argan Oil. Even Aphrodite the Greek Goddess of beauty herself would covet this deliciously gorgeous oil from her mysterious geographic neighbor to the south. Argan Oil, a precious commodity made from the fruit of the Argan tree, is known the world over for it's restorative and moisturizing properties for both skin and hair. 

"At Zakia's Morocco, we use only the very finest ingredients.  All of our oils are 100% pure and organic.  We never doctor nor cut our oils with any inferior base oils. We work closely with our suppliers who work directly with the women's cooperatives in the Agadir region."