Chemicals hurt....for real!

I recently started modeling.  I know, it’s laughable at my age, especially when I look around at the 20 year olds and realize I could be their mother.  But we’ll save that discussion for another time.

Normally I do my own make-up for a shoot.  But for some reason, I decided to let a make-up artist have her way with me at a shoot I did in Philly this past Sunday.  My mistake.  Don’t get me wrong, the girl was lovely, and certainly did her best given the limitations of the palette she had to work with.  But WOW, my skin was not ready for the onslaught of chemicals which had been bestowed upon it. 

“You have beautiful skin,” she started out saying. “ You must get spa facials pretty often.”

“Um, actually, no….I don’t even remember the last time I had a facial,” I replied, thinking about how sensitive my skin is, and being terrified about how my skin would react to the products they use at most salons. 

“Oh, so what system do you use on your skin?”  System?  Does my skin require a ‘system’?  Geez that sounds like an awful lot of work and expense.  “Uh, no…” I go on to explain.  “I wash my face with a natural bar soap and water once a day.”

With a stunned and skeptical expression on her face, she says, “that’s IT?!”

“Yep,” I replied.  “Well, plus I exercise, eat organic foods, try to keep anything processed out of my body..” thinking to myself, and if I actually got enough sleep and found a way to stop stressing about every little thing in my life I would probably look five years younger. 

Throughout our friendly little conversation, I started to notice my skin feeling smothered.  Now she wasn’t heavy or cake-y with her make-up application, but I could actually feel my pores being blocked and irritated.  She was using regular department store brands: Chanel, MAC, NARS, etc.  Products people probably use every day.  When she was done, I looked in the mirror smiling but thinking to myself ‘OMG I look like Alice Cooper’.  I snuck off to the bathroom to tone down the look and noticed my left eye was watering.  I continued my shoot for the next hour and during that time I could actually feel my skin reacting to the foreign chemicals.  It itched.  It burned.  It actually hurt.  Not just the foundation powder, but even the eye shadow and areas where she put blush felt irritated.  My left eye continued to water non-stop. 

Finally the shoot was over, and I could not WAIT to get home and get this junk off my face.  I’m still amazed at how quickly and harshly my body reacted to non-natural cosmetics.  I likened it to my recent fast food experience.  I don’t eat fast food.  Period.  No McDonalds, no Burger King.  I just don’t.  Well, it seems that after a long time of NOT having food like that, when you finally DO have food like that…let’s just say it’s not pretty.  I ate a burger recently from one of the burger chains and became violently ill for the rest of the afternoon.  When you cleanse your body and rid it of chemicals, toxins and stuff that isn’t good for it, it gets used to running clean.  Kind of like a car.  You constantly give it the high grade of gasoline, then one day fill you tank with the low grade, and then listen to your car ping and sputter.  Same hold true with make-up, apparently.  Your skin gets used to thriving without being bombarded by chemicals, fillers and harsh preservatives.  It’s now 24 hours later, my skin has been thoroughly cleansed using my favorite natural bar soap, and I still look blotchy and feel irritated.  NOT fun.  I wonder how long it will take for my skin to detox?

As for me, if I use a make- up artist again, I will be providing the make up!