I’ve been using the word “low maintenance” incorrectly all along.

I am not low maintenance.  I am lazy.  There is a difference.  Low maintenance girls still spend some time on general maintenance, they just choose not to spend 30 minutes applying their makeup, or 45 minutes styling their hair.  Lazy girls spend as little time on their toilette as possible because the thought of holding a blowdrier to their hair in the morning is just too much work.  They also wake up late because they are too lazy to get out of bed at a decent time.  As a result they run out of the house with hair that looks like they stuck their wet finger in an electric outlet.  Low maintenance people manage to make sure that their hair gets blow dried [or air dried] before they leave the house, and their hair is always neatly “done”, be it in a ponytail, bun, or down, and brushing is a given too.  Most wear at least one makeup item besides lipbalm.  Most mornings I shower and slip a hat [by which I mean a winter hat and not a beret or other stylish chapeau] on over my tousled bedhead or freshly washed and uncombed hair, and go.  And when I get into the bright lights of the office, I cringe.

I am simply too lazy and usually running too late in the mornings to put some effort into my appearance.  But you can tell that I want to:  I have more makeup than the average high maintenance person, and I can’t seem to stop buying more products and hair accessories.  Despite this, I wear makeup an average of 3 times a month, and the most makeup that I wear at any time is mascara, eye shadow and lipgloss. 

When it comes to cleaning and moisturizing, I don’t scrimp.  I will never sacrifice moisturizing my face or body in order to catch the bus…it’s just not worth it.  If I’m ever in a situation where I am required to make a last request, however, it will be for face moisturizer over body lotion, and that is because of Ottawa’s winters.  Going outside in the morning after a fresh snowfall and being hit in the face by a spindrift would make anyone think twice about engaging in any sort of outdoor activity without protection–facial protection in the form of moisturizer.

I love face washes that have some granular things in them for exfoliating purposes.  This allows me to skip using a face mask in addition to a cleanser.  My favourite cleansers are Yves Rocher’s Bio Specific Pore Regulation Purifying Cleanser, which has the most microscopic granules and is very gentle.  My best friend bought me Dove’s Essential Nutrients Daily Exfoliating Cleanser as part of a Christmas gift a couple of years ago and I’ve loved it ever since.  I find it a bit too creamy due to my oily skin but it’s great in the winter.  I like the purple hue of Olay’s Clarity Scrub.  Its exfoliating granules are probably the largest of the three and you definitely feel them, so it feels especially refreshing after going to the gym–it’s a bit too harsh on the skin for me first thing in the morning.

I am on a neverending search for a moisturizer that leaves my face feeling hydrated without being oily.  And if I can find something that doesn’t ever make my nose appear shiny, I might marry it.  In the meantime I’ll settle for something that moisturizes my driest spots [cheeks, around my eyes] while ensuring that my forehead and nose aren’t too slick.  Loreal’s Hydrafresh Gel-Creme Mineral Charged Moisturizer has been my main squeeze for a few years now, but I recently bought their Happyderm Skin Exhilarating Moisturizer for normal to oily skin because who doesn’t want a happy facial dermis?  The thought of having skin that is exhilarated was quite frankly irresistible. 

The next step in low maintenance face care is graduating age-specific products that target things like crow’s feet, neck skin. laugh lines and forehead lines.  I’ve been dragging my feet because the sheer number of involved products will automatically move me into the high maintenance category.

What facial products do you swear by?  Are  you loyal to one brand for both washing and moisturizing or do you mix it up like me?

Filed under: Beauty, WurdyGurdy by jummy