Glamour Magic: Natural Skin Care
This is a departure from my usual tarot and spellwork blog posts, but I wanted to share a natural beauty products experiment I tried last winter (when our skin tends to look the worst, especially for those of us over 40).
And, I thought, why not turn it into glamour magic and share with everyone. Everything you do, from washing your face to putting on your makeup is a great opportunity to multiply the effects by enchanting it and making it a beauty spell.
I originally did a 21-day experiment to see whether natural skin care featuring coconut oil, shea butter, essential oils, and a Derma Roller would really make any difference in the look of my dry, winter face.
I’m posting this on December 4, so if you start this now, you’re likely to be amazed at the results, just in time for holiday events.
First, the simple glamour magic to use anytime you touch your face:
If you notice things you don’t like when you look into a mirror, maybe it’s time to change that.
Think of an incantation/affirmation of how you want to feel instead.
I like to use something really simple, like “You’re just glowing today,” or “You’re so cute,” or “I feel happier and happier to be me.”
And you just say that, to yourself or aloud, every time you wash your face, every time you use a beauty product, every time to put on your makeup.
When you do this, something inside you might rebel and say, “Nuh-uh! Didn’t you notice _______________, and ______________, and _______________?” And you respond to yourself, “So what? That makes me even more unique!” or “That’s what this magic is doing: Making me even more beautiful/magnetic/(or fill in whatever you’d like to be) or, “Yes, I’ve been neglecting myself, but I’m giving myself lots of love now.”
The combination of saying these things to yourself at the same time that you’re doing a beauty routine is what makes the magic.
Why you might want to try this winter skincare routine:
All the ingredients feel so good, and once you purchase them, they’ll last you for years.
You'll be looking much better by Day 2 -- and when you see your true self in the mirror, rather than someone who looks much older than you feel, it's a big, emotional lift.
You'll start getting compliments -- and who doesn't feel better when people ask you what you've been doing because you look well-rested, chill, and, well, like your old self . . . only better.
You'll feel an uplift in your mood that spills over into improving all other parts of your life.
The products I used and why:
Derma Roller knockoff (I paid $14 for this little gadget on Amazon). Mine is the "starter" version with needles of just .25mm. A little table with information on needle lengths and their uses is here. With this one, I'm not suggesting that you try it if it seems a little extreme to you. I’m just documenting what I did myself.
Coconut oil (on its own, or with baking soda) as an oil-cleanser (and exfoliator, if you add baking soda). Most of the women who suggested this to me said that they didn't have problems with clogged pores while using coconut oil, and many use coconut oil not only as a oil-cleanser, but as a moisturizer.
Shea butter. Last year, one of my friends gave me a homemade Christmas gift of coconut oil mixed with shea butter as a moisturizer. Although I started this experiment using only coconut oil with baking soda, pretty soon, I switched to using my friend’s homemade moisturizer, combined with baking soda, as my go-to winter cleanser.
Frankincense. I have been using frankincense essential oil for years, so I was happy to see that many beauty experts recommended it for use in their moisturizers and serums.
ROC retinol day (with SPF30) and night -- containing a combination of vitamin C, glycolic acid, and retinol. I have used this for years so continued to use it during my 21-day experiment. It's #10 in this round-up of best retinol creams for 2022, but as these raters say, "you really can't find one as good as this for the price."
There’s also Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum -- a combination of retinol and hyaluronic acid -- with a great reviews and a higher percentage of retinol at a similar price.
Honey. It miraculously seems to draw out all sorts of impurities and leaves my skin looking radiant (and I've never even sprung for organic honey). Here are some of the many amazing beautifying uses for honey.
(I also kept regularly using a device I have used for years: this neckline slimmer gadget is the best thing for $10 that I’ve ever used. If you’re over 40 and don’t like the look of your neck, check it out.)
The three recipes I made:
For the essential oil serum: A few drops each of frankincense, lavender, and lemon essential oils in a small bottle (combined with a carrier oil, if your skin is sensitive).
Some people use this as a spot treatment just on facial wrinkles, but I patted it all over my face morning and night. Please do a patch test first to be sure that you don't have a reaction. If your skin reacts to citrus oils in sunlight, you may want to save this for night application only.
For the cleanser: 1:1 parts coconut oil and shea butter, and for a 2-ounce jar, I added 1 tsp of baking soda as an exfoliant.
For the moisturizer: I made a second jar of 1:1 coconut oil and shea butter without the baking soda.
My disclaimers:
Try any of these ideas at your own risk. If there's one thing we all know from reading beauty blogs and online product reviews, skincare is a very individual matter -- one product does not work for everyone (or even for most).
I didn’t make any life changes during my 21-day experiment except for the skincare below. (That is, I didn’t drink more water, do additional exercise or yoga, or make any dietary changes.)
The simple skincare routine I used:
Morning:
Washed my face with the homemade cleanser. Rinse with a nubby washcloth.
Moisturized with my ROC product if going outside that day.
If not, patted on my essential oil serum and topped with the homemade moisturizer.
Night:
Washed my face with the homemade cleanser. Rinse with a nubby washcloth.
Tapped on the essential oil serum and topped with my homemade moisturizer.
Every two days:
Used the neck slimmer device as directed in its instructions.
Once a week:
Used my Derma Roller per instructions in the article I’ve linked to above. Followed with my night-time routine.
On a different day of the week, applied a thin layer of honey to my face and left it on for 30 minutes, rinsing it off with my nubby washcloth, and followed with the night-time routine.
Here’s a link to everything I used (click the image below):
Don't need the blow-by-blow? Just scroll down to Winter Glamour Magic Results.
The day-by-day:
Day 2: Alligator skin looking more moisturized. A small difference, but it's there. The big revelation was how much smoother my skin looked with makeup -- concealer wasn't settling into wrinkles, BB cream absorbed into my skin quickly without sitting on top of my skin in a greasy, slippery mess. Vertical lines on upper lip are MUCH less visible.
Day 4: Bright sunlight today as well, so I'm still getting merciless views of my skin in my 10x magnification mirror. Skin looking plumper overall, and, starting yesterday, I'm rubbing a little extra essential oil cocktail on my 11 lines between the eyebrows. I'm definitely happy that I no longer look scary to myself, and it's only the morning of Day 4!
Day 5: Bright sunlight persists, so I'm still getting non-flattering views of my face in the magnifying mirror. Today: The biggest news is that my crepey neck is much smoother. Also, I have a persistent wrinkle along the side of my left cheek, and it's starting to diminish. Eleven lines between my eyebrows are slightly better. Who expected results like this in only a few days? Overall, skin feels and appears thicker and much more hydrated. Pores are smaller and clearer. If these were the results after the full 21 days, I'd be pleased, but I'm not even through the first 7 days.
Day 7: Wow, it's been a full week of bright winter sunlight -- 65 degrees today -- so I'm still getting scary views of my face. Today: Smaller and cleaner pores -- this keeps improving -- and plumper skin (it bounces back when I press my cheeks, instead of leaving finger indents where I pressed). And, my hands and nails -- unexpected big change. No wrinkles, and shiny, healthier-looking nails with no ridges. When I wash my face with the coconut oil/shea butter/baking soda concoction, I also rub some on my hands before removing with the wet washcloth. Didn't expect to see a dramatic change in my hands, but, there it is.
Day 9: I'm taking a look at my skin in the magnifying mirror only every couple of days from here on out, and seeing a little bit more improvement every time I look. The skin is just appearing younger and healthier. I'm now seeing a slight lightening of sunspots -- very slight, but it's there -- perhaps due to the daily exfoliation from the baking soda?
Honey mask: I was advised to purchase organic, filtered honey. Have you shopped for honey lately? Even non chi-chi grocery brand honey is expensive. I am not someone who prioritizes organic groceries, and I'm not on a mission to spend as much as I possibly can, so I just used a jar of Goya honey that I already had in my pantry.
I left it on for 30 minutes, and rinsed it off in the shower. Results: Even cleaner, smaller pores. That's about it, but I'll take it : ) .
Days 8 through 16: I stopped scrutinizing my face . . . and fell down on the job a little bit (a lot). I didn't use any products not on the menu, but I stopped bothering about using the products in the morning, and only did the regime at night.
So, Day 17: My message is: Don't love the results so much that figure you can slack off now. The results are dramatic only if you keep at it, day and night. My face went almost all the way back to square one.
Day 18: Back on track, with coconut oil and all of the other ingredients twice a day -- morning and night. The twice-a-day regime is essential to keep getting the results that I was getting early on in the first ten days, so do stay with it. Otherwise, your skin will go back to Day 1.
Day 21: Keep reading for final results!
The winter glamour magic results:
Plumper, more hydrated skin. Less-prominent 11 lines, upper lip lines, and nose-to-mouth lines. Much much much smaller and cleaner pores. Smoother-looking neck. Even less-crepey eyelids. Lightening of sun spots.
Even though I wasn’t using any soap-based products, my skin looked much cleaner than before.
Makeup went on smoother -- so the results looked even more incredible with makeup. If you've given up on wearing matte lipstick because it makes your lips look dry and lined, try again. If you're like me, it will glide right on, and no feathering.
Plus, it's cheap! A box of baking soda; tub of coconut oil; a tub of shea butter; and 1 oz. sizes of frankincense, lavender, and lemon oils (combine a little of all three in a small bottle for easy application) will last you forever.
And, if you are accompanying your skin care with incantations, you’ll feel the regard you have for yourself increasing throughout the 21 days. It’s a powerful synergy that you can keep working — even when it’s not winter.
This is not a miracle, but it's pretty darn incredible, considering that no expensive products were used.
The only actual "products" were my usual Roc retinol day and night. I stopped using Strivectin during this 21-day test, and I can't say that I noticed any difference.
If you try my 21-day skincare experiment, will you comment below with your results? I really think you’ll like it — and don’t forget the glamour magic incantations!
