The Imperfect Parent - Articles || Mother Magnetism

PUBLISHED March, 2007
URL:
HOME: imperfectparent.com

Mother Magnetism

This week: dealing with stingy cosmetic samples, celebrity fragrances, Brazilian waxing and puffy eyes.

by Kelly Reising

Why are saleswomen in the cosmetics aisle of department stores so stingy with samples? I just want to sample a moisturizer and they act as if I am asking for their first born child! How do I let them know I am sincerely interested in trying a product before I buy?

Well, here is the deal. There are a lot of cheap people in the world. Saleswomen at the cosmetics counters encounter them everyday. They will spend an hour doing someone’s makeup to perfection only to have that person walk away without even buying so much as a lipstick. That’s an hour of wasted time. The Beauty Advisors, a.k.a. salespeople at cosmetics counters have very strict sales numbers to make. Their bosses are constantly on them, breathing down their pretty little necks to increase their numbers. So it’s no wonder that they are not just there just to give out free stuff. Plus, cosmetics companies aren’t that great at sending samples directly to their counters, other then Clarins – they make a ton of adorable mini samples. Try to grab one if you can! And you certainly don’t want them to make you a sample out of a tester jar of moisturizer. Can you say “millions of germs” in French? I can’t, but I bet it would sound prettier in that language. Germs are rampant in testers at cosmetics counters because people will come up and stick their dirty fingers in anything open. The people who come looking for free stuff without wanting to buy anything are plenty. In order to let a salesperson know that you are really interested in trying something before you buy, you need to become a regular customer. Ask them politely to put you in their card file. A good beauty advisor will offer to keep track of your skincare routine and the makeup you purchase. If you like the line and buy things on a consistent basis, then your salesperson will shower you with samples. You will be their favorite customer because you are helping them make their numbers, thus they won’t get fired. See? It’s a win-win for everyone.

I know celebrity fragrances are popular right now, I even had to buy Hilary Duff’s fragrance for my tween for her birthday, so how much are these celebrities really involved in the creation of their scents? Can I tell my daughter that Ms. Duff was back in some lab mixing up her own potions?

Most celebrities like to think that they have a big say in the creation of their fragrances, but really it’s in the hands (or rather noses) of professional perfumers. These “noses,” as they are called in the industry, do the majority of the work. That said, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker closely monitored the development of her fragrance, Lovely, but it is safe to assume that sports personalities, for example, have less of a say. I think they are probably consulted throughout the process, but considering that celebrity perfumes are the fastest growing share in the fragrance industry, no company is going to leave a fragrance entirely in the hands of say, Paris Hilton’s sniffing whims. Remember who started the celebrity fragrance trend? None other than Liz Taylor way back in 1987, and her White Diamonds fragrance has been a classic bestseller for 15 years. It’s part of the Elizabeth Arden brand now which also makes current celeb scents such as Danielle Steel’s (eau de bestselling author, anyone?), Britney Spears’ and Hilary Duff’s. So tell your daughter that while her new Hilary Duff fragrance might have top notes of mangosteen, whatever the heck that is, and is described as an “effervescent oriental fragrance,” Hilary probably didn’t have much to do with its creation. But on second thought, I wouldn’t burst her bubble; you can just let her think that she mixed it up in her own fragrance lab.

I want to surprise my husband for our anniversary with a Brazilian wax at his urging. The kids are going to their Grandparents for the weekend, hooray! Obviously, I have been through childbirth, but how painful is this procedure on my privates really going to be?

I have a pretty high threshold for pain, and even I grimaced a little when I got my first Brazilian. I would recommend you take a couple of ibuprofen before you go. That will help with the pain slightly. Or maybe it’s just completely psychological and doesn’t do a darn thing, because it does hurt. Granted, I didn’t scream in pain like Steve Carell in The 40-year-old Virgin. Wuss. Well, I did in my head a little. What I would really like to say is DON’T DO IT! I would like to be all feminist and say that it’s not worth all the pain just to turn your husband on, but that said, it does feel really smooth and crazy sexy. And how oftten as a mother and wife do you get to feel like a porn star? Without having to wear some clear platform heels? So the results were worth it. Just grin and bare it!

How do I get rid of bags under my eyes?

You can always try to place cool cucumbers under your eyes for ten minutes every morning. But in reality, who the heck has time for that? You need something quick! Those bags that you refer to under your eyes are known as "puffiness." To send them packing what you need to do is invest in a cooling eye cream. When you wake up in the morning, pat just a dab around the eye area or ocular bone. You want to apply your eye cream before your moisturizer. Keep tapping it in with the pad of your ring finger, which is the gentlest way to apply. This motion with your finger helps to diffuse puffiness as well. My favorite eye cream at the moment is Prescriptives Intensive Rebuilding Eye Cream ($65). Yep, it’s kind of expensive but a whole jar of the stuff will last you a year at least. A little goes a long way. It has the most soothing, buttery texture and actually feels cool on delicate eye skin. For a more budget loving choice, you can try Aveeno Active Naturals Positively Radiant Eye Cream ($13) at Target or many drugstores. Both of these choices will diffuse and de-puff those bags in no time!