Personal Statement

Personal Statement

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Culturally Mormon(ish): Achieving the Mormon Glow

Mormon(ish) Project #1: 

Skin.  Glorious skin.  Well, the promise of glorious skin.

Bye, bye, caffeinated and carbonated beverages.  Hello, water.  I had to add a couple of drops of Mio to the first glass, as a chemical additive step-down.  Thereafter:  pure water, with the occasional addition of cucumber, lime or mint.  One "cheat," several days in, but not an absolutely horrid one (a Route 44 diet green tea with mango and mint, so a little caffeine, and a little Splenda, but I justified the splurge on the basis that (a) Big Kid and I had just finished VBS decoration load-in/installation, (b) it was Sonic half-price happy hour and (c) requesting a free glass of water during half-price happy hour would defeat the purpose.

I kid you not:  48 hours later, not only had my skin started to take on a healthy glow, but my face had taken on different proportions.  Apparently, what I had mistaken for "fat face" was WATER WEIGHT.

Ick.  But, also, yay.

The night before VBS load-in, I decided to treat myself to the spa session mentioned in a previous post - as a back-pat for finishing all of my projects by a decent hour, and to see if I couldn't take my skin rebound to the next level.  In keeping with my newly Mormon-ish ways, I resolved to use only products that I already had at home and/or DIY stuff.

My regimen:  makeup removal; deep cleansing with exfoliation; mask application; pore-steaming (the old-fashioned way, with a really hot wash cloth); and moisturizing.  For the mask, I decided to follow a suggestion that I saw on Lauren Conrad's blog and add the contents of a probiotic capsule to Greek yogurt.  Reason:  I have been advised that I am a "yeast carrier" (ick, again) by:  my general practitioner; my mother (a day late and a dollar short - she has a tendency to forget to relate relevant childhood medical information until AFTER I learn about a condition on my own); and my aesthetician, who insists that the occasional bump on my chin is yeast lurking under the skin, not oil.  So, if there's yeast on or in my skin, why not apply the cure topically?

The result:  well, to be honest, a little redness and puffiness, but I don't think that this had so much to do with my mask choice as with the fact that, after steps one and two, I engaged Spouse in a conversation about Big Kid that morphed into me being a big, blubbery mess over what a sweet and thoughtful young man he has become, how alarming it is to think that he will be leaving us in four years, etc.  Today's tip:  don't sob and then put YOGURT (with or without added probiotic) on your irritated, tear-soaked face.  Your skin won't like it very much.

Thinking that I'll try it again when I'm feeling less emotional - or maybe limit application to Mount Yeast Ball when it makes yet another fabulous appearance on the right side of my chin?

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