my skin

this is just to catch you up
i don't really expect you to find it enthralling
but
this is what i'm distracting myself with, lately

the korean skin care didn't really work out as planned

maybe
because missha is not a good enough brand
or maybe just because they use a lot of fragrance

fragrance bad m'kay

but
i was getting negative reactions
and
it was like my skin was saying:
ackkk   too may chemicals

so i started cutting back products
but then
i was at the whole foods
and there
calling out to me from the shelf
unrefined, handcrafted, raw shea butter
fair traded to boot, for $8.95
so i got, as well, a small bottle of tamanu oil

i've been hand blending those together
and slathering it on my face

i was a little afraid

shea is protective and moisturizing
tamanu can be drying because it is healing--
anti-acne, anti-bacterial, anti-viral
pro-regenerating new skin

shea sinks right in and dissapears
tamanu is thick and kinda gloopy, and green

and i've been putting bb cream over that
both so i look a little more normal
and
from an inspiration
i saw [when i was looking up makeup tutorials]
a documentary clip about how marilyn monroe transformed herself
with the help of a makeup artist
to go from pretty girl to icon

and
one of the things they did
was slather a thick coat of vasoline on her skin before makeup
which kind of glowed through
making her luminous

i was afraid that i might break out in horrible acne
but
i think my skin is getting better and better

i just worry that i'm not doing anything firming
because, i'm not worried about the wrinkles
i've not got more wrinkles than most of the women i know
who are in their early thirties

and
it's not like it's all slack either
but
it isn't tight and full like it should be

so today i am giving myself facial
i made an hibiscus steam
and then a hibiscus, honey and camu camu mask
[the idea behind this is vitamin c
which boosts collagen production]

i did the first mask with just those ingredients
and i mixed the left over with a clay mask i had
and i'm doing that now

fun fun fun

well
not really
but it's more like research