Just finished a crazy tasting of top Canadian microbrews. Top ones, http://t.co/WNT2JZjO, http://t.co/mgSu7ADf, http://t.co/yiK7BC2H
| 27 October 2010
| Article Index |
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| Great Canadian Riesling |
| Bottled Youth |
| Evening Escape |
| All Pages |
Page 1 of 3
So, does this happen to some of you? Every time you go for a facial, the aesthetician tries to sell you hundreds of dollars worth of skin care products? Guys may not understand, but it happens to me without fail. There I lay, damp cotton circles on my eyes, soft music playing, face steamer puffing away, alone with the aesthetician, and the pitch begins:
“What do you use on your skin?”I could say $5,000 per ounce cherub spit and it wouldn’t matter. The next line is always the same.
“Hmmm.” Audible frown. “You need to try what I’m using on you today. Just the basics: a cleanser, toner, day cream, night cream and eye cream. And, of course, an anti-aging serum, exfoliant and two masks — one for your eye area, the other for the rest of your face, neck and décolletage.”
But there’s nothing wrong with my skin. “You need upkeep. Prevention.”
So, why is your stuff better than what I’m using at home?
“It’s from Europe. Paris, actually.”
Mmhmm. So?
“It’s made from the best ingredients.”
Mmhmm. And?
“The whole range is fortified with rare sea minerals that help the skin rejuvenate …” and off she rattles. “And this mask is just what you need. It re-shapes the skin by forming an extensive 3D network on the surface with an incredible lifting and tightening effect.”
Mmmhmm. Will I see a difference in my skin?
“Yes. Over time. If you use it regularly.”
How much time?
“It all depends.”
And it costs how much?
“Well, the whole range is quite reasonable, for what it is. And for you, I would recommend the cleanser, which is $78; the toner, which is $47; the day cream, $143; the night cream, $173; the eye cream, $62.50; the anti-aging serum, $164; and the exfoliant, $76. Oh, and the face mask is $92, and the eye mask is $42.”
The bottles are tiny.
“But you only need very little.”
So, I could buy several small bottles of goo to clean my face for about the price of feeding a family of four for a month knowing full well any change in my complexion — which may or may not occur over time — could not be remotely attributable to any one product if I’m plastering nine on my face, as well as a handful of cosmetics. Yet aestheticians seem to believe the marketing bull they’ve been taught in face-cleaning and toenail-painting school.
I always leave the salon thinking, give me a glass of wine!