Powder Puff

Has cleansing and powdering my face every morning made any improvements in my appearance? It's hard to tell. What I can tell you is that I'm getting to know my face in a whole new way. I had no idea that I had so many blemishes! My nose and the center of my forehead have large pores and there's a furrow starting between my brows. Yikes! When did that appear? So this is what comes of spending all this time looking at myself in the mirror!!! Well, I guess I would have discovered these blemishes sooner or later. Better to find them now and get cracking on repairs. :)

I started my new mission yesterday morning with a container of Maybelline New York Shine Free Loose Powder. (Maybelline was around in the '40s, but only as a brand of eye cosmetics. They didn't expand to the face until the '70s.) I don't think I've ever purchased loose powder. I usually have a compact of pressed powder on hand, but am continually frustrated when the powder starts to harden and I can't get any more on the puff. When I was growing up, my older sister - whom I idolized - had a little vanity in her bedroom. She was still too young for most cosmetics, but she did have a container of loose powder and I can remember sitting at her vanity when she wasn't home and dusting myself with that wonderful, fluffy powder puff. Loose powder still holds the same fascination for me. It seems so luxurious. Just like a great makeup brush.

My new powder is in a shade called "light" and I immediately noticed that it was a little too light for my southwestern complexion. I've always been very fair - not ivory - but fair. I've spent so much time lately walking outdoors, though, that I've got quite a bit of color. I'm hoping the color will fade as I become more careful with a hat and sunblock, but for now the face powder is just a smidge lighter than my skin tone. 1940s beauty experts cautioned against buying face powder in too late a shade. Women were advised to change their face powder with the seasons. A summer tan called for a darker tint of powder than did a pale winter complexion.

Remember, powder shades lighter than the skin tones will be very unbecoming to you. The lighter the shade of powder the more it highlights the lines and wrinkles. Always choose face powder that is one shade deeper than your own skin tone. ("Plan for Your Beauty," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 18, 1940)

Apparently, there's also a technique for using face powder. Max Factor, Jr. outlined the process in his syndicated newspaper column, "Hollywood Beauty Parade," during the summer of 1947.

The powdering should be started at the lower part of the cheeks. From there it should be gently patted toward the center of the face. The nose should be powdered last of all. Then with the powder puff the powder should be pressed lightly into all the little lines which almost invariably exist around the eyes, nose, mouth, and chin… Finally, all surplus powder should be brushed away with a powder brush. Face powder is the only one of all the make-up materials which must and should be applied with a non-sparing hand… Never use a soiled puff. And never scrub your powder on. Always pat it on. (St. Petersburg Times, August 3, 1947)

Who knew? I'm glad I have some tips to help me face down my blemishes in the mirror tomorrow morning.

My dear readers convinced me two days ago to listen to my stinging skin and substitute some cleansing cream for the soap, so I picked up some Pond's Cold Cream at the drugstore and tried it out this morning. The sting is gone --- and I was very happy with the list of ingredients on the container. But I was dismayed to read online that Pond's is made by a company that still tests its products on animals. Not cool at all. Especially when cosmetics company after cosmetics company has proven that this is unnecessary. Well, I've already purchased this container, so I'll use it up - but I'm also going to use this time to find some alternative cleansing creams. Any product suggestions?

Come to think of it, I think the mystery to all these ingredients in cosmetics and cleansers is part of the reason I stopped spending time in the mirror. Learning how to figure out which of the ingredients with umpteen syllables is an animal by-product and which is not was really tough. When you're a vegetarian, you spend a lot of time reading labels and extending that to your cosmetics is a pain. So I gave up - and for years used very few beauty products. Well, it's still a pain, but there are lots of resources online now to help you understand what's what on a label. And once I pinpoint some good products, it won't be so hard. I'll just have to be extra vigilant for awhile.

I spent so much time (for me!) shopping for cosmetics this week, and one of the things that struck me is how smooth the plastics are that are being used for containers for these products. It's like night and day compared to the plastics in which household cleansers or food are packaged. Face creams and ointments in particular are packaged in these incredibly silky smooth plastic containers. I guess that's part of the marketing. "Pick me up and I'll make your skin just as smooth as my packaging!"

One of the nicest surprises this week was at the breakfast table on Tuesday morning. Rice Krispies! I'd forgotten just how fun they sound - like a party in your bowl! - and how good they taste. One of the things I've loved about The Experiment is getting reacquainted with some of these cereals I loved as a child. Modern cereals are so --- complicated. There's a little bit of everything in cereal these days. I even saw some cereal the other day with crunchy clusters flavored with pomegranate and dark chocolate. Oy. Who needs dessert at the breakfast table?