A beauty salon is an establishment providing services related to beauty.
Anyone who has spent a meaningful amount of time with me knows that I have a fascination with personal care products: its usage, the packaging, and the industry. Who else's childhood hobby was collecting product brochures from the Estee Lauder Company's line of brands? Some people are members of EMACS usenets, I look forward to receiving Heather Kleinman's Cosmetic Connection newsletter in my inbox each week.
This idiosyncrasy drew me to Vicky, a great friend and essential fashion reference. Jen and I, beyond serious discussions of Taiwanese politics, also share a yen for beauty care. I used to think every guy knew how to apply a mask till my freshman year in college, when Kuo goggled at me as I walked around the entry with a mask. I then realized that Galen, my younger brother, is wise in the ways of skin care because of my influence.
I remember cornering him when he was four, educating him about the importance of lip balm and trying to apply it to his lips.
My skin tends to be oily. Thankfully, I no longer have to deal with acne as often as I did during adolescence. Five years of living in Boston also contributed to my first experience of dry (!) skin. My skin has been on a roller coaster of behavior since I moved to Taiwan last September-but change is good because it challenges by forcing one to pay attention.
I don't skimp on facial skin care. That said, I don't believe in using expensive cleansers. The product is usually on your face for less than a minute-will that ten times more expensive per ounce product really make that much of a difference? I don't think so.
Somehow, I've never really spent that much time or money on the rest of me. I rarely comb my hair and I never blow dry. My fine hair has withstood nearly nine years of competitive swimming and done just as well or better with inexpensive drugstore brands than specialty brands. I remember to moisturize my body when my skin itches from dryness.
More (as in harder scrubbing, layers of products) is not better. Simple and gentle is best.
beauty salon
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Amazingly enough, I didn't pick up anything on this trip to the States at Sephora. Perhaps because I did pick up a package from Paula's Choice (product review to come in the next entry). While at Nordstrom's to pick up a Prescriptives foundation brush for my colleague Winnie and a Trish McEvoy #12 lip pencil for Jen, a salesperson came over to admire my Shu Uemura Lip Shimmer lip gloss, which is unavailable in the U.S. It's only distributed in Asia (including Australia), although the U.S. apparently does have a similar product, but in a different packaging. The color I have is Strawberry Compote, which is a very wearable pinkish-brown rose. I've noticed that it's essential that my lips be moisturized before putting on the lip gloss, because otherwise it looses the now-trendy shiny effect. I bought the lip shimmer on a whim when I was visiting Felicia in Kaohsiung.
8:13 PM |
