Kiehl’s Called Me Old
On the heels of having a migraine for two straight days, I open the mail box to find a little present from Kiehl’s, makers of the face and eye cream I use every day. Even though my grandmother used original Oil of Olay for forty years and my Mom uses baby oil on her face, I am determined to blow hundreds of dollars a year on specialty creams and salves to stave off the effects of age.
And, this is how they treat me? Here, sucker. Use this packet of old lady cream for a more youthful, wrinkle-free appearance. Because, you know, you need to look younger and less riddled with lines and indentions.
Sigh.
Sigh. Again.
Here’s a marketing idea for some savvy products company. Send me a packet of a potion called “You Look Like a Teenager.” Or, what about one called “Hotness Enhancing Serum for An Already Hot You.”
Somewhere in the fine print, it’s fine to rub it in that I need some extra help. I’m not going to bother with those details, anyway. But, I guaran-dang-tee you I will buy a big old vat of something that tells me I’m hot instead of old.
Too Much is Just Enough: Buttering Me Up
Butter! Great idea.
I’ll never forget that Seinfeld episode.
Ya gotta do what ya gotta do, and it’s not all about staving off the effects of aging. Using some sort of cream and good and strong spf protection is an absolute necessity in the South.
I never used a thing on my face until we moved to California in 1992 and found that the dryness there, we lived 30 miles east of San Fran, would positively turn your face into an old wrinkled and cracked prune if you did not put something on it.
I only learned this after being there a couple of weeks and going to the gym each morning and having dry cracks breaking out on my face. One morning, one of my buddies at the gym and I were shaving and when I finished and started to go to my locker, he asked why I wasn’t putting any cream on my face. He then explained the whole dryness thingy and that’s when I started using Vaseline lotion, what a lifesaver. I still use it every day and if I forget one morning, my face feels like sandpaper.
Sooooo, Miss Andra, use all the goo you need….because it’s good for you and you might even find one that says “HOTTIE” on it. Of course, it’s likely to be tobasco sauce.
I guess that is why my hands keep cracking and bleeding. It must be because of how dry it is here. Then again, during the summer months, it is not that dry because of all the humidity. Now that I think of it, it is only during the winter months that my skin gets dry and cracks open. I need to be better about putting lotion on my hands, so that this happens less frequently. I dont think I have ever heard any guys in the locker room at Planet Fitness talking about skin care though. LOL… It is just not the manly thing to talk about.
Yep, it took me by surprise as well, but sure glad he told me.
How old were you then, Lou?
Just get some of Lou’s recommended Vaseline lotion, and you’ll be fine. (Though my fave hand cream is L’Occitaine.)
I do use SPF every single day on whatever is exposed to the sun. And I still have to use teenage acne medicine because my face is so oily. So I really can’t use the old lady creams. They’re too heavy.
I never thought about that part of Ca being that dry, but I guess it is. You were in Pleasanton, weren’t you?
Let me think, I was about 44 yrs old then.
Ok. And it was Pleasanton, right?
I hate the Facebook ads that tell me I’m middle aged and overweight.
You got that right, Vera!
It’s how specific they are that’s so off putting. I got one that said “47 and Overweight?” I sent a complaint, and didn’t see that one anymore.
I’m not seeing the specific ones as much as I used to, either. Maybe complaining about them is the way to go.
I do, too. I asked them if there was an opt out……….. No response.
I turn the big 50 this year. (cough)… In some ways I am not happy about that. Then again, it is good to be alive, and making it from one year to the next. It may be a small accomplishment, but since I like living, it is an important milestone. There is something nice about waking up each morning and breathing.
My teenagers remind Katy and I of how old we are. To them, if you are in your 30′s you are old.
No matter what Hollywood or the advertisers say, there is no escaping the aging process. All we can hope for, is to age gracefully, and hope for good health along the way. In the last two years I have gotten very serious about my physical fitness, and have worked hard to shed unwanted pounds. The process is slow and painful at times but it has been rewarding in so many ways.
Yep, getting old sometimes sucks, but, staying healthy makes it soooo much better. Keep up the workouts, they will definitely be worth it!
It is so funny that MTM recommended that I put something extra into this post for the men………………………I didn’t do it, and you fellows are having a field day anyway.
You are doing a good job with that, James. You are very dedicated.
Living is a gift, even when I’m a wrinkled old prune.
I’ll be 49 this year, and as long as my health is good, I’m okay.
Thinking that I may do something about the little stray grays around the temple…
I colored mine red, but I have more than a few stray greys.
You do not look 48, Vera.
I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up! Not going to mature either. So there. Just remember, a little devilry will keep you young.
Devilry has become one of my standby’s for staying young.
At least you don’t use Preparation H on your face. My mother and some of her friends did that back in the 1970s/80s. Like you, my skin is still too oily for too much.
Mama always made me wear a hat on the beach, even when were were bronzing our teenage bodies. So, that and oily skin prevent wrinkles. And I’ve earned all of mine! I love being in my mid-50s–way more comfortable with this age than mid 30s.
I thought that was still something they used on the runways to deal with puffy eyes on models. I’ve never, ever put hiney cream on my face. Yuck.
I’ve always worn sunscreen, so hopefully, that will help me as I age. Your skin is lovely, Cheryl.
Thanks for the kind words.
I love Aveno Ultra Calming Cleanser because it helps keep my redness tendencies down. http://www.aveeno.com/facialcare/ultra-calming-foaming-cleanser. My friend and aesthetician says that I have sensitive / oily skin.
My mother’s dermatologist recommended Cetaphil to her years ago and she still uses it. I’ve told Bill he needs to use that on his face. http://www.cetaphil.com/
Cetaphil is a good, non-fragrant lotion option for you guys, too. I use it because it doesn’t smell and assault people with perfume before I can even say hello.
I have processed through so much absurdly expensive face cream, I am embarrassed. My favorite texture is Creme de la Mer Eye Cream ($135.00 for 1 oz.). After realizing I could continue to pay these prices or, say, pay my electric bill, I went looking for cheaper alternatives.
My favorite eye cream is from Mary Kay (which I love b/c most of their products have no scent). My favorite face moisturizer is Aveeno or Cetaphil. Bonus – they always mention sensitive skin concerns, not aging. They’re used by teenagers!
I still wash my face with Cetaphil. I love that stuff.
I love the Kiehl’s Abyssine Cream and Eye Cream. It is affordable, goes a long way, doesn’t smell, and isn’t greasy and heavy. Why they want to tee off a happy customer by telling her she’s old is beyond me.
As long as you’re not getting Depends samples, you’re alright:)
Well, I guess that depends on……
Hahahahaha.
And I might need Depends samples…….
Well at least you don’t bring it on yourself like I do. I mean I really shouldn’t blame the children for the comments they make and if I am honest it really is my fault for being so lazy ….I should have learned my lesson by now…..Every year I get the same question and every year I tell myself that I just have to update the photo’s on my desk. See I have this picture of my husband from when we first met sitting on my desk and each year my students are inclined to ask…..is that your son???? How’s that for a kicker….
Sharon, this is the perfect opportunity to teach. They should not blurt out whatever flits through their minds without a filter. You should come up with a very clever reply, followed by a poker face, and enjoy watching them squirm. This should be a perk if being a teacher.