Younger eyes

I’m not trying to kid anyone, including myself. I look in the mirror and realize I’ve aged. Hey, I’m a grandmother – twice! However, it’s nice to have people act truly surprised to learn my age. I’ve even been asked what I do to look younger than my age, and that’s perhaps the best compliment.

I have used several different products over the years beginning in my mid-twenties. I once heard you should always choose products that are available in your grocery store, and have followed that advice for the most part. Occasionally I’d try specialty “serums”, but although they felt really good going on, I didn’t notice that they did a better job than my regular Oil of Olay moisturizer.

eyes

Image courtesy of Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I remember when I first began to notice pesky little lines around my eyes. I was in my early thirties and thought that was a little crazy. After all, I’d just gotten used to not fighting pimples. Shouldn’t there be a good decade between pimples and wrinkles? Apparently not.

I began to use more moisturizer around my eyes. At one point I ran out of moisturizer and panicked! The only moisturizer in the house was my Jergen’s hand lotion. I didn’t want to use that all over my face, but I did dab it around my eyes. I found it worked better than my regular face moisturizer, so I continued to use it around my eyes. I also learned that applying the moisturizer with my ring finger was best as it has the lightest touch. Who knew?

petrojellyI was quite happy with my routine until my cosmetologist friend mentioned petroleum jelly as a moisturizer. I did some online research and found some great information at JudyForeman.com.  Foreman, a nationally syndicated fitness, health, and medicine columnist interviewed several dermatologist regarding moisturizers. According to the article, no moisturizer penetrates the skin, but some do a better job of retaining moisture. “Substances like petroleum jelly and oils are quite effective. They are heavy, greasy and work precisely because they sit on top of the skin and preclude evaporation of water.”

I decided to give it a try around my eyes. To make it easier to work with, I spritzed some water on my eyes and then applied a thin layer. I like the results, but because it is heavy and greasy, I only use it at night and only around my eyes. It works AND it’s very inexpensive! Now, that’s fighting wrinkles with *finesse!

 

My wrinkle fighting *finesse level:  Novice     Advanced beginner     Competent        Proficient        Expert

What’s your wrinkle fighting finesse level?

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)

Put your best face forward

For the past two weeks I’ve been interviewing some of my fascinating friends regarding their professions for my Friday posts. This week I chose to interview Leslie Daoust, owner and operator of Cosmetic Laser Advantage.

I’m honestly not that unhappy with my appearance. Most people act truly surprised to learn I’m in my fifties. I do have smile wrinkles, but hey, they were caused by laughter, and I’m not interested in erasing “joy” from my face. However, I have had more people ask me if I’m upset or mad in the last few years. My skin is slightly sagging around my mouth giving the appearance of a frown. I wouldn’t mind “fixing” that so that my outside reflects what I’m feeling inside.

I met with Leslie, and as I started talking with her, I knew this was something I would like to have done, but was sure the price would be a deal breaker. When I found out that the price was similar to a facial at a high-end salon, the meeting changed from an interview to a treatment session!

Next week I will go into detail about what I had done during those two hours, but today I just want to say how pleased I am with the results. The droopy skin around my mouth is lifted, and my skin feels fantastic – I kept touching it all evening! 

Leslie also provided some information on very low-cost treatments I could do at home involving baking soda and aspirin, which I will share next week.

Living with *finesse is not about looking younger, but looking and feeling healthy. Thanks, Leslie, for helping me make that happen!

My skin care finesse level: 
Novice     Advanced beginner     Competent        Proficient        Expert

What’s your skin care finesse level?

*finesse (skill, flair, grace elegance, poise, assurance)