beauty - back to basics

I remember with much regret the acne that marred my face in college, and I remember the feelings of insecurity, frustration, and anxiety it caused.  And I remember one girl in my dorm who had picture-perfect skin - skin that today we recognize in magazines as airbrushed to perfection.  This girl, however, had the real deal.  I saw her washing her face in the women's shower room one day, and I instantly turned into Nancy Drew, trying to investigate the face wash I was sure was the miracle ingredient for her perfect skin I so admired.  After craning my neck around the corner - Cetaphil.  Good old available-at-WalMart Cetaphil.  I was half thrilled and half disappointed.  I was on prescription face wash, lotion, and acne medicine at the time, and it blew my mind that Cetaphil could work so well for someone when I was spending all my money at the dermatologist.  

Older now and slightly less acned, I know that the college girl was most likely 95% blessed with amazing skin, and her face would have been unblemished with or without Cetaphil.  But in the 12 years  since college, I've tried a lot of cleansers, only to come back to Cetaphil recently.  I was looking thru popular YouTube videos, and saw Miss Maven's video on her new, simplified skincare routine.  I've been looking for less expensive products recently, as I'm drawing near the end of my Jan Marini Bioglycolic Face Cleanser, and I'm not up to spending the money to repurchase.  I figured I might as well give the 'ol Cetaphil standby a try, as it most likely wouldn't do any harm to my skin or my pocketbook.  

It's been a bit over a week since I made the Cetaphil switch, and I have no complaints.  Of course any product trial takes time, but I'm excited so far to have a budget-friendly alternative to the expensive washes I've been using over the years.  I smile at the sweet irony that after going around and around, I'm back to where it all began.

Out With the Old; In With the...Old(er)