10th entry - Looking and Being Beautiful (Part 2)
And then all this media exposure about how we owe it to ourselves to look beautiful ("Because you are worth it") and how we can do achieve this by spending our hard-earned money on beauty products, actually got me guilty and concerned about how little attention I was paying to my appearance. Suddenly I began to notice the blackheads, blemishes and other skin problems - not only on myself but on others as well.
When I stepped into the cosmetics section of a department store one fateful evening in the middle of Year 2001, I never anticipated that my venture would have had such a lasting impact on my perspective towards beauty. My first investment on skincare products cost me nearly $100 in a single purchase (I still remember the brand - Biotherm
), when the most I would normally spend on an off-the-shelf facial cleanser in the past was between $2.20 to $2.60 (depending on where I bought it and whether a sale was on). I was convinced then that I was spending good money on quality products that were better for my skin.
Well, I still didnt know whether what I bought improved my complexion as promised, because I was ruining whatever positive effects I received from the product by my exposure to the sun and chlorine whenever I went swimming. Over the years, the only clearly visible trend has not been improvement in my skin condition; instead, it has been an ever increasing expenditure on skincare. From Israeli brands like Ahava to European brands like Nivea and
L'Occitane en Provence, and Body Shop, as well as an upcoming Singapore brand O2 Skin. Buying the more expensive products made me "feel" good using them because I think that I am pampering myself with good quality products. But is it always true that the more expensive brands or products are necessarily better than cheaper ones?
It really depends. For instance, one of my favourite brands is Aloe 80 Organics, which does not contain artificial coloring, preservatives and fragrances. Most of its products are made of organic Aloe Vera, a miracle plant with 18 amino acids, plus Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, and E. Aloe also contains minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and chloride, traces of magnesium and zinc as well as many naturally-occurring vitamins. More importantly Aloe is filled with Aloe Polysaccharides which are the naturally occurring active components that promote absorption, digestive health, immune qualities, anti-inflammatory and overall health benefits. More information can be found in articles like The Healing Power of Aloe. I am a firm believer of the benefits of Aloe (both for beauty and general health) because a friend's dad diagnosed with colorectal cancer was healed after consuming Aloe gel. Aloe 80 Organics and Lily of the Dessert products do not come cheap, but the proven benefits of the products convinced me that they are worth every penny I spend on them.
On the other hand, sometimes cheap stuff can be really good as well. Take the ordinary Tomato.
It contains lycopene and carotenoids
, which eliminate the harmful effects of free radicals that cause oxidation of cells/DNA, thereby reducing the risk of cancer and aging. I watched a korean documentary on TV featuring the health benefits of tomato, and was amazed by how wonderful a cheap, commonly found fruit (or vegetable) can be. The Centenarians in Southern Italty attribute their longevity to consumption of large amounts of ripe tomato with olive oil in their daily diet. Tomato and olive oil are apparently complimentary - nutritionists claim that cooked ripe tomatoes in olive oil give four times the health benefits than uncooked ripe tomatoes alone, because olive oil (which has health benefits on its own) helps our bodies to absorb better. A meal of tomato cooked in olive oil and pasta costs only at most SGD3.00 if you buy all the ingredients, make it yourself and eat it at home, and not more than SGD20.00 if a chef prepares it for you in a restaurant with a nice ambience where you can dine in luxury.
My point is, looking good and being beautiful does not always come with a price tag. Besides, only a small fraction of the price we pay for expensive cosmetics and beauty products actually go into the product itself. What we are actually paying for are the stuff we cannot use but deceive us into "feeling" good about buying the products - the Packaging. An article from The Independent implied that beauty products sell because of the large investment by manufacturers and marketing distributors on advertising and packaging:
The cosmetics packaging industry was worth £6.7bn to manufacturers worldwide in 2005 and is tipped to grow by more than 10 per cent to £7.5bn by 2009. Nearly two-thirds of all cosmetics packaging is made from plastic, with around one-fifth made from paper. Figures from Lush, a soap maker and cosmetics company that shuns packaging, show that packaging often makes up more than 80 per cent of a product's total weight. Mark Constantine, Lush's founder, said: "Packaging is unnecessary, bad for the environment and uneconomic. If you get rid of it, then manufacturers will have more money to spend on the content and you get more product."
- The Independent, 13 April 2008.
Doesnt it seem illogical to be spending so much money to make ourselves "feel" good? If we spend a few minutes each day to tell ourselves in front of the mirror that "I AM BEAUTIFUL!", our self esteem will receive a big boost and we will be confident and ready to take on the challenges of the world. And its absolutely free!
When I stepped into the cosmetics section of a department store one fateful evening in the middle of Year 2001, I never anticipated that my venture would have had such a lasting impact on my perspective towards beauty. My first investment on skincare products cost me nearly $100 in a single purchase (I still remember the brand - Biotherm
), when the most I would normally spend on an off-the-shelf facial cleanser in the past was between $2.20 to $2.60 (depending on where I bought it and whether a sale was on). I was convinced then that I was spending good money on quality products that were better for my skin.
Well, I still didnt know whether what I bought improved my complexion as promised, because I was ruining whatever positive effects I received from the product by my exposure to the sun and chlorine whenever I went swimming. Over the years, the only clearly visible trend has not been improvement in my skin condition; instead, it has been an ever increasing expenditure on skincare. From Israeli brands like Ahava to European brands like Nivea and
L'Occitane en Provence, and Body Shop, as well as an upcoming Singapore brand O2 Skin. Buying the more expensive products made me "feel" good using them because I think that I am pampering myself with good quality products. But is it always true that the more expensive brands or products are necessarily better than cheaper ones?
It really depends. For instance, one of my favourite brands is Aloe 80 Organics, which does not contain artificial coloring, preservatives and fragrances. Most of its products are made of organic Aloe Vera, a miracle plant with 18 amino acids, plus Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C, and E. Aloe also contains minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and chloride, traces of magnesium and zinc as well as many naturally-occurring vitamins. More importantly Aloe is filled with Aloe Polysaccharides which are the naturally occurring active components that promote absorption, digestive health, immune qualities, anti-inflammatory and overall health benefits. More information can be found in articles like The Healing Power of Aloe. I am a firm believer of the benefits of Aloe (both for beauty and general health) because a friend's dad diagnosed with colorectal cancer was healed after consuming Aloe gel. Aloe 80 Organics and Lily of the Dessert products do not come cheap, but the proven benefits of the products convinced me that they are worth every penny I spend on them.
On the other hand, sometimes cheap stuff can be really good as well. Take the ordinary Tomato.
It contains lycopene and carotenoids
, which eliminate the harmful effects of free radicals that cause oxidation of cells/DNA, thereby reducing the risk of cancer and aging. I watched a korean documentary on TV featuring the health benefits of tomato, and was amazed by how wonderful a cheap, commonly found fruit (or vegetable) can be. The Centenarians in Southern Italty attribute their longevity to consumption of large amounts of ripe tomato with olive oil in their daily diet. Tomato and olive oil are apparently complimentary - nutritionists claim that cooked ripe tomatoes in olive oil give four times the health benefits than uncooked ripe tomatoes alone, because olive oil (which has health benefits on its own) helps our bodies to absorb better. A meal of tomato cooked in olive oil and pasta costs only at most SGD3.00 if you buy all the ingredients, make it yourself and eat it at home, and not more than SGD20.00 if a chef prepares it for you in a restaurant with a nice ambience where you can dine in luxury.
My point is, looking good and being beautiful does not always come with a price tag. Besides, only a small fraction of the price we pay for expensive cosmetics and beauty products actually go into the product itself. What we are actually paying for are the stuff we cannot use but deceive us into "feeling" good about buying the products - the Packaging. An article from The Independent implied that beauty products sell because of the large investment by manufacturers and marketing distributors on advertising and packaging:
The cosmetics packaging industry was worth £6.7bn to manufacturers worldwide in 2005 and is tipped to grow by more than 10 per cent to £7.5bn by 2009. Nearly two-thirds of all cosmetics packaging is made from plastic, with around one-fifth made from paper. Figures from Lush, a soap maker and cosmetics company that shuns packaging, show that packaging often makes up more than 80 per cent of a product's total weight. Mark Constantine, Lush's founder, said: "Packaging is unnecessary, bad for the environment and uneconomic. If you get rid of it, then manufacturers will have more money to spend on the content and you get more product."
- The Independent, 13 April 2008.
Doesnt it seem illogical to be spending so much money to make ourselves "feel" good? If we spend a few minutes each day to tell ourselves in front of the mirror that "I AM BEAUTIFUL!", our self esteem will receive a big boost and we will be confident and ready to take on the challenges of the world. And its absolutely free!
posted by sunshine wallflower at 9:45 AM
1 Comments:
Great article. It isn't necessary to buy expensive skin care products. Organic and natural skin care works best in my opinion, and i enjoy making my own products as well as eating a healthy diet. The Italians and Europeans eat so much better than Americans do, thats probably why they have better skin and are thinner!!!
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