Japanese skin care products coming ashore

According to an article in today's WSJ, Japanese women value their skin much more than we do. "Japanese women have long prized ageless, porcelain-white skin . . . [they] are the most sophisticated consumer in the world." It's called bihaku--"beautiful white." I didn't know that Japan's Shiseido Co. had purchased Bare Escentuals for $1.7 billion earlier this year. Japanese women spend 60% of their cosmetic budget on skin care--American women only 30%.
Japanese Makeup Companies Have Trouble Cracking the U.S. Market - WSJ.com
Hmmm. Like those annual soft drink consumption figures in the gallons, someone is obviously buying my share. I wash my face with soap and water once a day; moisturize; apply a small amount of Merle Norman foundation and a brush of coral tone blush. Whatever's still there at 9 p.m., goes to bed with me. My theory is that the less scrubbing, tugging and pulling on delicate facial muscles, the better. But even if my bathroom counter and shelves aren't loaded with expensive products, I do have my favorites--some cheap, some moderate. But ladies, nothing hides the wrinkles like a layer of fat.

The absolutely best thing for your skin is not creams, but avoidance--the sun (or tanning booths) and cigarettes. That way you'll pretty much avoid wrinkles, age spots and skin cancer until old age takes over. If you are 21, you think you'll enjoy that tight, perky look forever, but the next time you look you'll be 41, and then 61. That's when the "shoulda coulda woulda" complaints will be pretty empty. An ounce of prevention is worth a gallon of face cream. And regrets.

Thursday Thirteen--13 reminders

In the previous entry I reported on supplements C & E not helping much. What to do? Here's my thirteen reminders on healthy living--from years of observation, and several previous blogs.

1. Choose your parents and ancestors wisely.
   
2. Eat all the colors, the darker the better.
   
3. Learn to prepare your own food--it's cheaper and healthier than eating out frequently or buying processed. Lots of wonderful root crops; and frozen will be better than that stuff that sits in the back of the frig for 2 weeks, which may have been old when you bought it. Don't bother with those search and destroy missions; the human race got this far without infomercials and expensive eating programs.
   
4. Avoid high calorie, sugary or salty snacks and desserts. They just make you more hungry; but also, don't deprive yourself completely or you'll binge. Chocolate in moderation is good for you. I hope they don't reverse that research.
   
5. Don't smoke at all; not for any reason, no, no, no, not any weed. Nicotine is never good for you, gives you wrinkles, yellow teeth, bad breath, puts you at risk for all sorts of diseases, and you smell bad. Plus it costs hundreds a year. That third hand smoke danger stuff is an urban legend, however. Based on nothing but personal opinion survey. No studies--zip, nada, zilch. If you get too hyper, you'll just give yourself an ulcer.
   
6. Don't have more than a few alcoholic drinks a week; red wine may even be good for you--even more so with a little chocolate. But grape juice is good, too. I cooked up a bunch of grapes getting a little old along with some fresh pineapple starting to turn and a tired apple. Ran it all through the blender, and my! that was tasty.
   
7. Get regular exercise. I know, I know. I hate it too. But it's good for you. Especially the bones. It will also help your balance. Falls are dangerous. You don't want to go to the hospital or nursing home for any reason--bad germs there. Plus it sets you up for pneumonia.
   
8. Wash your hands often. Keep a little bottle of the alcohol rub around for emergencies.
   
9. Brush your teeth.
   
10. Floss. Protect your gums. You can really get bad stuff from decay around your gums. I hate to floss. And I had gingivitis in my 30s, so I should know better. But I do have all my teeth--even my wisdom teeth. That helps me write 11 blogs.
    
11. Protect your ears. Oh, I hate to see these kids blasting away their hearing hour by hour with ear buds and i-pods. Hearing is so precious. My grandmother was blind, and you know what she said? Hearing loss is worse than sight loss because it interferes with communication. I can't stand it when I see parents taking their helpless infants and toddlers into the loud, clangy bangy church service (called x-alt at our church) with the drums and rock music. It's child abuse in my opinion. If my ears are too tender for that CCM noise, think what theirs must be!
    
12. Choose solid, stable, supportive shoes. Oh you foolish girls, trying to look like you have 5 more inches of leg by wearing stiletto, expensive pumps with pointy toes. I like a little stacked heel just because it's comfortable, but you're asking for sprained ankles and strained backs. You'll have corns, bunions and arch cramps for sure.
    
13. Forgive. Don't carry around grudges. How long ago did she say that nasty thing? 20 years? Bad thoughts pull down your face and cause you to get less sleep, which give you bags under your eyes.

The Old Thursday Thirteen is gone; here's the new site. http://thursday-13.com/

Pig collagen and Truth in Aging

Jumping from an article about safety data and various cosmetic products and procedures at JunkFood Science, I was looking for "pig collagen" which is used for a wrinkle filler and I wondered if it was OK for Jews and Muslims, and that took me to Truth in Aging, which I've only just skimmed, but I do agree with this.

. . .you practically need a degree in chemistry to decipher the label on a bottle of drug store moisturizer these days. Truth In Aging attempts to siphon out what really works and why, and deliver that honest truth to the consumer. I am dedicated to honest, unbiased reporting amidst claims that are often misleading and confusing. And, in all the noise, there are actually some good things out there that get missed because we are bewildered, jaded and/or cynical.

My "beauty regimen" extends to a shower, moisturizer, Merle Norman powder base foundation whisked across my face, a touch of rouge, and hair color about every 7 weeks. I use fat to fill out my wrinkles, and I do not look like I have implanted soccer balls inside my sweater. And clothes, of course, I wear. Even buy something new once in awhile. However, the products I've seen on this site will probably only be good for a laugh--like $130. My newest find was Jergen's with Shea Butter--love the smell--and it was probably about $5.

I see a lot of women my age with too much make-up--collects in the wrinkles and eyebrows--and the wrong color. We are no longer the fresh faced teens we were when we selected that rose or orange tone. Time for a reality check.