Jeanne Faulkner is a freelance writer and registered nurse in Portland, Ore. Her work appears regularly in Pregnancy and Fit Pregnancy, and she has contributed articles to the Oregonian, Better Homes & Gardens, Shape and other magazines.
There are a few minor differences between Jennifer Anniston and me. Our careers, ages and the whole paparazzi thing are the obvious ones. There's another difference, though, that may not be so immediately apparent. She can use Kiehl's skin cleanser and have flawless skin and I can't. She can also walk out of her house looking naturally radiant without a stitch of makeup; I need a little time in the bathroom and half a dozen cosmetics to achieve similar results. And by similar, I am by no means implying that I look anything like her. I mean that after 20 minutes with my makeup, I look like I have not a stitch on.
I've been blessed with perpetually youthful skin. Not the dewy freshness of a toddler or the luminously smooth complexion of a 20-year-old. No, my skin is more akin to a stressed-out teenager's. Which would be fine if I were a teenager, but I'm in my 40s and I have acne. My baseline complexion sports at least one zit at any given time, but if you add any amount of stress to my life the zits try to take over. The silver lining is that unlike many of my middle-aged compadres, I don't have to worry about crazy-dry skin wrinkling like a raisin. Oh, I have wrinkles too. I grew up in sunny California, pre-SPF. It's just that I don't have crazy-dry skin along with them.
I'm under no illusions that my skin will someday be as clear as Jennifer's. My mother died with a zit on her nose--no doubt caused by a bit of stress. I have, however, learned how to keep the acne beast at bay. Somewhat. You know the usual advice--eat right, exercise, drink water, blah, blah, blah. Damn if it doesn't work for virtually everything. It keeps the stress down, the engine running well, and, no big surprise, keeps my skin clearer.
I've also discovered the value of good skin-care products. I started out following dermatology advice by washing with Cetaphil antibacterial bar soap. For some reason, the bar works better than the liquid cleanser. I've used Clearasil-like products and Retin-A with some success. They dried me out, though, and then I had acne, wrinkles, and flaky skin. I know this stuff works for a lot of people. It just didn't work for me.
An aesthetician recommended an all-natural, organic, locally made product called Von Natur. Their specially formulated line of products called Chaotic was designed for women like me. I was skeptical that anything you rubbed on your skin would really make much difference, and I'm not one to spend big money on high-end products, but she gave me a sample and I fell in love. I bought the cleanser, toner and moisturizer but turned down the exfoliant (that's what a washcloth's for). The cleanser is an oddly attractive creamy grey color. It contains charcoal, which is supposed to absorb impurities. My aesthetician told me it would take several weeks of regular use before I'd notice any difference but promised, PROMISED I'd see results--fewer breakouts, smoother texture, more even skin color, firmer tone, the cure for cancer and riches beyond my wildest dreams. OK, I'm making some of that up.
Sure enough, it worked like a dream. My baseline complexion changed to mostly clear with the occasional stress zit. The toner, which comes in convenient, pre-saturated little pads, smells like grapefruit and leaves my skin feeling refreshed. The moisturizer is light yet emollient--just perfect. I love this line of products, and though it's way more expensive than a bar of Cetaphil, it has paid for itself by virtually eliminating my acne. Plus, I'm saving a bunch on concealer.
One day, when I was running out of Von Natur, I found myself at Nordstrom's and there was the Kiehl's counter. I'm a sucker for new beauty products, and remembered reading that Kiehl's was the soap of choice for Jennifer Anniston back when she was still with Brad and, of course, she's gorgeous, so ... you see where I'm going with this. I asked the guy behind the counter if there was a Kiehls for women of a certain age with acne and he said, "No. You'd find the acne-formula too drying" (translation: you're too old for this stuff). So I bought a cleanser with yerba matte in it that he said would work. It was about the same price as the Von Natur and I had high hopes. I mean, look at Jennifer for Gawd's sake.
The results were less than marvelous. Instead of keeping my skin clear, it erupted like Vesuvius with the kind of acne usually reserved for prom night. The zits were aiming for world domination. There wasn't enough concealer, foundation or powder in America to cover it. I needed spackle and a shovel. I took the stuff back and returned to my aesthetician for a new supply of Von Natur. Sure enough, within a week, my skin was clear again. Almost as clear as Jennifer's. It just goes to show you, no two women are alike. Almost all women like clear skin and fancy beauty products, though.
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