It is hard to believe now, but around about a decade and a half ago, I decided to venture into the making of cosmetics. After the world was taken over in the 1980s by nasty, big corporations there was a sudden rush back to nature in the 1990s. City workers sold their Barbican pads and suburban semis, and moved into the countryside to run ‘organic’ farms – was there ever any other kind? Entire tranches of a pampered, industrialized population turned their attention to personal counselling, reiki healing, jam making, jumper knitting, and more crafts than a coven of witches. Of course, I had to be in on the game. Farming was beyond me – never could stand the smell of manure – so I went in the opposite direction, scent-wise. Aromatherapy was the new cool, and making scents made perfect sense to me. Two (good) books on the subject and a set of oils later, my fingers were twitching to make facial concoctions, body lotions and rejuvenating potions.
No more of my hard-won cash disappearing into the coffers of Boots and Superdrug, I muttered, as I stirred a mixture of Brewer’s Yeast powder, almond oil and other forgotten ingredients, on my kitchen counter. So, why haven’t I knocked Jo Malone off the shelves? For starters, I didn’t understand the importance of preservatives in patent cosmetics and toiletries. Without them, you only have a limited time to use the homemade stuff. Then, it has to be stored in a refrigerator. Since I only own one ‘coolbox’, this meant tolerating food with a definite floral tang – and the sight of your homemade glop amid the comestibles. I’ll never forget the horror on a friend’s face when I inadvertently opened the fridge door and revealed the scatological loveliness of my face pack mixture in a clear, glass bowl. It was no small matter convincing her my place was perfectly hygienic. But most of all, I couldn’t bear the thought of never shopping again.
I just love buying cosmetics. I just love the glamour of it all, the whole experience; going into a well-ordered chemist store or cosmetic department and taking my pick of the elegant, sheeny bottles and jars on offer, going home and pouring over the glossy packaging of a product that promises perfect skin…aaah! At the end of the day, I can look up and say its because I was worth it…
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