That was until Chris traveled 1400 miles to our summer family reunion and I came face to face with just how different our appearance had become. We were no longer “identical.” I remember it clear as day. I said to her, ‘Come on, let’s look ourselves in the mirror.’ I was shocked at what I saw. Her face was smooth and mine was wrinkled. Her skin seemed tight and mine sagged. I felt like she’s the beauty queen and I’m the crone.
Trying to help me, she shared what she knew about the benefits of teeth whitening, Retinol and glycolic acid. I have to admit, the shock of how old I looked and how young she looked spurred me to want to learn more. I began researching skin care and scrutinizing treatments, quantifying what works and what doesn’t with the proof of clinical studies. I pored over medical journals and scoured the internet, Hoovering up whatever information I could about the simplest, least invasive, and most effective products and treatments that could improve my appearance. It became a very time-consuming hobby for the better part of three years.
During that time I learned a great deal about anti-oxidents, glycolic acid and vitamin C. I did cost comparisons on products that had effective ingredients. Sometimes I bought inexpensive drugstore lotions that were far more effective than upscale and costly department store brands, but more and more frequently, I began to experiment with homemade recipes for masks, scrubs, moisturizers and toners that I could make for pennies using simple ingredients I had in my kitchen cupboards. I had always enjoyed cooking, but developing these kinds of anti-aging skincare recipes was satisfying in a whole new way. Ultimately, I realized that I had spent a lot of time gathering information that other women like me might benefit from and be interested in. So I compiled my findings, constructed a website www.skincareresourcenter.com and wrote and published a book Naturally Skinsational: Rejuvenating Skincare Recipes, which I learned was the only anti-aging skincare recipe book of its kind. (You can find the recipe for making your own Honey Almond Scrub here.)
