BACK TO BASICS: MOISTURISE YOUR FACE NOW!

Of course, I know.”

Sounds familiar? This is the standard response of many, including myself when someone tries to share a piece of wisdom for free. It could be anything. The benefits of waking up at dawn, how to parallel park, and best ways to keep away from sugar…. you get the picture.

 

Naturally, when my friend tried telling me the beauty care tips she learnt this time (of course, from a WhatsApp video) I could not keep repeating this. Of course, I know! Did she think that I don’t know how to moisturise my face?

 

Ha, really, who doesn’t?

 

It is one of the basic rules of beauty care, I tell her. And, I have been doing it since those days I started reading magazines dedicated to women. They had experts doling out advice and actors and models sharing their beauty secrets too casually – “I just moisturise my face regularly; nothing else.”

 

So, a moisturiser has been an inevitable part of my bag ever since; moisturising is a never-to-be-missed everyday ritual.

 

But my friend here clearly was not interested in my beauty care history. She kept that narrative going on, quoting so-and-so, and sprinkling expert tips with warnings, suggestions and some influencing too.

 

It went on like this:

“You need to clean your face first. Better, exfoliate it with a cotton pad or soft towel. So, all dead cells are off your face. Apply the moisturiser when the face is still damp. This way, the moisture is sealed in well.”

 

You mean, water will be locked inside my skin? What if it leaks?

She gives me a warning look, and I decide to rein in my comic act.

 

“Do you have any idea how much of the moisturiser is needed for one-time use?”

 

I open my mouth to reply, and then realise she is not expecting an answer.

 

“Only a pea-size. Don’t lather your face like you are using soap or body wash. Just use your fingertips, and rub it in gently. Move your fingers in a circular motion. Keep doing it till the moisturiser is fully absorbed.”

 

That is exactly what I do every day! But she doesn’t notice that I am speaking and throws the next piece of beauty and wisdom at me. Do I know the purpose of moisturising? Err, more or less…

 

“When the skin is not hydrated enough, it becomes dry. Environment and medical conditions can cause this, so can frequent baths, cleansing methods and chemically-rich beauty products. When the face is adequately moisturised, there is a barrier between the skin and the external conditions, so it does not dry out fast.”

So, any valuable piece of advice about the moisturiser I should use? She looks at me thoughtfully for a few seconds, totally enjoying her new role, it seems.

 

“Always pick a moisturiser that contains skin-friendly natural ingredients. Like this one from Soilscents. 

 

“You know, it contains Argan oil, Jasmine Essential oil and Rose Geranium Essential oil? This moisturiser just blends into your skin and makes it soft, refreshed and beautiful. Soilscents sources all its ingredients from organic wellsprings across the globe so that all their products are. No artificial colours or preservatives. It is like you get all the goodness of nature in a bottle. Do you know?”

 

This time I mean it when I say this: “Of course, I know.”