They may have found the Gnostic Gospels in Nag Hammadi but...

Story time: In my other life, when I was a Beauty Business Manager for a beauty department, there was this lovely Hispanic woman that worked for me as a Sisley Skin Specialist. (For GG Fans, she looked and acted like Ms. Patty.) She was always trying to get me to into her Sisley chair so she could do her thing because according to her (and every other Product Specialist on my floor), I needed help. "Honey! Sweetheart! Give me 5 minutes. 5 MINUTES! I can help you!" And it's not that I didn't agree with her, but there's just something unnerving about someone pointing out flaws you already know exist. "Yes, I know I have oily skin. Yup and I'm aware of the uneven skin tone. Wait. What? I'm prone to break outs? Shut! Up! No way!".

In any case, she finally gave up trying to get me into her chair and tried other tactics. Whenever she would catch me walking by her counter, she would run up and press sample packettes into my hand "Try it. It will work! You NEED it." And when that didn't work, she would resort to Danny Ocean-like slickness and slip packettes into the pockets of my suit jacket and I can't even tell you how many times I would get home and find samples in my handbag.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I came across this tester that, I swear, I have no recollection of receiving. Have no idea when or how it ending up in my closet. But I took it as a sign and thought "oh what the heck. I'll try it".

Ladies and gents. I think I may have found my Holy Grail moisturizer. This stuff is simply WOW. It's oil-free with a gel-texture and an okay fragrance but it's so refreshing to find a product that does what it says it will. I've been using it as my daytime moisturizer for two weeks and don't have to blot away the remnants of the Exxon-Valdez anymore. Some days, I don't even have to re-powder. Seriously. Can't remember the last time I reached for my blotting papers. Oh I just hoped I haven't jinxed it.

Just so you know...

I just bought my third stick of this.

Just so you know. It's that good.

It doesn't have that seductive smell of leather but...

You're looking at my YSL Muse handbag.

Not literally. But the dosh I would have put towards the bag (the bag I have been mad crushing over for over a year) is now going towards these pills. Pills that promise to rid my visage of those nefarious and often painful cystic bumps, but pills that also cost $250. That's right. Two-hundred and fifty dollars for the first month and $150 for each month after. And that my friend is WITH insurance AND a coupon.

I feel a little guilty, foolish even, for considering a handbag the opportunity cost of the meds, but I can't help feeling that way. It would be one thing if the derm had said "Take this twice a day for 4 months and you'll be as clear as the sky on a summer morning." Instead I got an "Hhhmmm. You've tried X and Y. Let's give Doryx a shot. There's no way to tell how long you will need to be on it, but we'll assess every 4-6 weeks." (By the way, I love my derm - she's talks to me with her eyes closed.) But seriously!? I wouldn't even mind the unknown factor of it all if the pills didn't have horrible side-effects. Thirty-minutes after taking a dose, my eyes get all glassy and I feel so nauseous I can't move without feeling like I had spent the previous night with a bottle of Patron on an empty stomach. All this and you can't tell me when it will work; IF it will work, and it's going to cost me HOW MUCH!?

But I'm hopeful. Being an inveterate optimist, I am looking at the glass half-full with full faith that the Doryx will work.

I want it to work. I NEED it to work.

Oh, but it would be so much more bearable with a Muse to hold on to.

;-)

Critical Mass

12.

The number of eye creams in my bathroom drawer; the number of eye creams it has taken me to stop, think, and assess that maybe, just maybe, I do have a problem.

I realized the other night that I don't use just one eye cream consistently. Some nights I feel like a little Lauder, other times I feel like a bit of Kiehls, and other nights I'm begging the Lobster to let me try some eye cream on him. I can't remember the last time I was committed to just one eye cream. And I think I've mentioned this before, but I think from all other skin care products out there, eye cream is the easiest product for me to experiment with. I don't have to worry about clogged pores, or breakouts, or oilyness and I still get the satisfaction of playing with fun little jars and bottles.

So here it goes. I am going to use just one eye cream for the next month. And this month, it's going to be N.V.Perricone M.D. Advanced Eye Care Therapy.

I received it as gratis a few weeks ago but only just broke the plastic seal on it. I think I'm already smitten. When I use it at night, I can actually tell a difference in the morning. Less puffiness, diminished dark circles. My only complaint at the moment is that it doesn't have a pretty scent. Perricone is adamant about not using fragrance in his products, but would it really make a difference in the efficacy of the product?