1. Skincare first. I tend to view it more as an internal thing, likely because of my acne. Nothing topical ever worked, but changing my diet, birth control pill, vitamins...these cleared my skin.
   
   The one conventional skincare product I advocate is the Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Cream. The stuff is killer, from its finely smashed whole almonds, to its gently oily film (keeps skin from producing too much oil), to its touch of alcohol, to whatever herbs it's got going on there. I am very skeptical about skincare claims (again, acne sufferer...have heard tons of promises of miracles), but this delivers as an exfoliant and overall skin refiner.


2. Hair. Finding the right hair style and color is key. Why do you think nuns cover their hair? Hair is attractive, sexy; it's your "crowning glory." The color has to be right; the style has to fit. Not that you have to go to a salon (I don't); go if you want. Finding your hair groove is slightly more important imo than building a wardrobe...not that you shouldn't build your wardrobe...but the best clothes in the world, paired with a lousy hairdo...I'd rather see great hair and lousy clothes.


3. Perfume. I wrestled with this for more than a year before buying a full bottle of anything, and finally decided on Montale as my house. How you smell is as important as how you look. I've never been a great collector of scents...even now, when there are so many to choose from, I'd rather own two or three bottles at a time and work through them.


4. Lipstick. People look at your lips. A pretty color lifts your mood, brightens your face, makes the world go round... I don't collect these either, I had too many of them go bad in my experimental days. It takes half an hour to buy a lipstick and a year to use one up...so I prefer something like two or three lipsticks at a time.


5. Overall health. I don't diet or exercise much either, but I have found it easier to stay relatively slim, than to find clothes that look good on you if you don't. I'm very sincere in this; to me there is a strong economical factor. If you put on weight, you can't wear regular clothes, you are constantly shopping for clothes that don't make you look fat. And there's a tendency to put on even more weight, meaning you have to buy even more clothes because your old ones don't fit. I've been through all that. It's expensive and annoying.
   
   As far as the unrealistic anorexic body image, I rejected that too, actually for much of the same reasons...it's high maintenance and unhealthy.

Labels: beauty notes, fashion notes