My Quest for the Holy Grail of Beauty Products

I am thirty-two years old, and sometimes, I still get zits.  For example: today.  As I write this, I have a lovely zit right on the tip of my nose.  I look like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Fortunately, this does not happen often.  But when I do get a zit, I want to pound my fists against the mirror and shout at my pores, Why?  Why? What do you need - a facial?  More moisturizer?  Less moisturizer?  Talk to me!  Just tell me what you want!!!

At my age, shouldn’t I be the master of my skincare routine?  Shouldn’t I have figured out the rituals that will guarantee a flawless complexion?  But when I look at my face in the mirror, I have no idea what to do.  Despite all my years of reading magazine articles, visiting my dermatologist, and trying new products, when it comes to my beauty routine, I might as well be consulting a Magic 8 Ball.  (Should I exfoliate tonight?  Outlook not clear.)    

When shopping for beauty products, I have two main strategies: (1) read the labels and pick the product that is best designed for my beauty needs; or (2) buy the product that comes in the prettiest box.

I know I am supposed to actually read the packaging in order to identify the product best suited for my skin type but I don’t know what my skin type is.  Is my skin oily?  Dry? Acne prone?  Sensitive?  I DON’T KNOW.  Can’t someone just teach me a magic spell to make my zits go away?  And another magic spell to fight wrinkles?  Why isn’t Hogwarts real???

For now, my quest for the perfect beauty routine continues.  I am like Galahad searching for the Holy Grail, except, spoiler alert, I am never going to find my grail.