The only cosmetic products I pamper myself with include shaving foams, soaps, shampoos, face-washes, and moisturisers. Perfumes and deodorants are also things I have bought for myself but not often. Do I experiment with the brands in these categories? Yes, I do. So when met this beauty blogger, I asked, ‘You review all these wonderful products all the time. Do you actually use all of them?’
She looked at me a bit hurt and answered, ‘If I ask you the same question about your book reviews, what will your answer be?’
I also used to take care of myself by maintaining my beautiful nails, so I enrolled in a nail tech course online.
‘I read a book and then review.’
Now this answered my question of course, but my next question foxed her. I asked, ‘How about less known brands from less known companies? Will you risk using them and ending up with an angry skin?’
‘I’d be careful of course. But as you will open even a book by a first-time author and risk getting bored and restless, I too will read all the information on the packaging and use my judgement, experience and intuition to first use it sparingly. It is almost like a doctor testing a penicillin sample shot before injecting the preferred dose.’
‘Hmmm… which makes you an empirical user.’
‘I believe I am more like a cross between a research scholar and a selectively permeable layer in my body,’ said the beauty blogger, ‘I do my research well and I let only those products through that pass my initial scrutiny.’
‘Great,’ I said, ‘and I see you’re using this intensive moisturising cream called SilkPlus from Nimson…’
‘Yes, this one is for dry, chapped skin and this one creates an effective seal that traps all the moisture. The Almond and Jojoba oil helps get rid of the dryness, the Allantion helps mend chapped skin, and Glycerine adds to the moisturising action,’ she said with finality in her voice.
Before I could say anything else, she showed me another seemingly new entry called Jojoba moisturiser from Aryanveda herbals. She was rather upbeat about it because of its natural ingredients. ‘Jojoba and olive oil in combination with oat kernel oil and wheat germ oil is what makes this one a great natural sunscreen!’ she said with excitement.
‘Well,’ I said, ‘these names are unfamiliar but the deo that you’re holding in your hands is a brand that I have seen popping up on the television screen in ads.’
‘Aha! This one is for men,’ she said, ‘take it as a gift from me. Denver isn’t an unknown brand and the fragrance of this body spray is long-lasting.’
Well, so now I have this ozone-friendly with no CFCs container of body spray waiting for me to be less hesitant in using cosmetics. Frankly, I’d still prefer a couple of sprays from my Bleu de Chanel or that very extrovert looking bottle of Hugo Boss perfume that I bought a month back.
Arvind Passey
30 January 2014
Published in ‘The Education Post’ dated 27 January 2014
2014_01_27_The Education Post_review_conversation with a beauty blogger
