Ma'am and Madam

My friend P was distraught. She just had to share this in our private FB group:

Hi mothers, just wanted to share. 

At the garden center, I was talking to this guy I judged to be about the same age as me. But throughout our conversation, he kept saying 'po' and 'opo' which made me realize he probably thinks of me as SIGNIFICANTLY OLDER! 

Redeeming moment at the supermarket today, when a man who looked to be in his late 40s called me 'Hija.' 

Who here has been thinking a lot about aging lately? Because I have! Anybody know how to stop the clock?! 

"Maybe he is just being polite?" some of us surmised.

"You can go to a college campus and still fit in.", K chimed in.

"The first time I met my brother-in-law's ex-GF, she said "po" and I was so pissed! And ending was, she turned out to be older than me!", shared J, with obvious hugot.

"I get surprised when somebody calls me 'Madam'!", P added as an afterthought.

"Come to think of it, I get called Madam a lot! Nakakainis Ang Madam! Parang matrona!", I vented out

"Feeling ko inaasar ako pag Madam, hahaha", K said. 

"I get called Madam a lot too, naiinis lang kayo because a true donya would be offended!", jabbed P, who must have recalled this from Tita K's insightful Facebook status post on true donyahood.

"When I think Madam I think big helmet hair na alajada!", I explained. Visions of Imelda Marcos and her Blue Ladies, plus Meldy Cojuangco and her Forbes Park amigas come to mind.

But nobody followed my train of thought, and the topic shifted to gardening and the possible death of plants.

Which left me still pondering on P's anecdote and my personal experiences as of late. 

When I look in the mirror, I see that no amount of Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Eye Serum will take care of the wrinkles that appear when I smile or squint my eyes, the way that Botox can. And I refuse to do Botox. (Kids, don't make it a habit to rub your eyes, it loosens the skin around your eyes, and unfortunately for me, I cannot turn back time)

I have toyed with the idea of having my lids done though, because my eyelids droop in a way that resembles a hoodie. 

When I look at the skin on my tummy that has been stretched thrice, thanks to my three beautiful children, I remember the times when it was taut and trim, and woe is me that I never even bothered to have photos taken to prove it.

Worse, I go to a photo shoot and the models call me Tita. Tita!

In a year and a half, I will be 40 years old. I remember when my Mom and her friends were 40. They seemed so old. And a lot more mature than I am now. But this observation deserves a post of its own.

I remember her friends who would say how offended they were when they were called, "Tita" and I would think to myself then, "Well, you are a Tita! What else would you be called?". But because I was taught to keep my opinions to myself, I would just smile politely, out of respect for my elders.

Uhm, I guess that's me and my friends now. The sort of folks who would get curious stares from the kids hanging out in the cool clubs, should we even dare go to Palace Pool Club or wherever it is millennials go to now. And that the pretty girls of our time now look like the moms that they are, and the sleazy guys of our generation are now the official Dirty Old Men. Hahaha.

I guess we will just have to accept aging gracefully, lest we be the ones who live out our glory days way past our prime.

In fact, there's this old couple I often see at church who look like they are dressed for a Grease themed party. Lola with teased curly hair, tight jeans and heeled slides, and Lolo with greasy pomaded hair and his short sleeved shirt folded just like John Travolta's.

They actually look cute and can get away with it, and I often think of how they must have had a great time in the 70s and 80s that they identify with the look of the era close to 40 years later.

Ahhh there goes 40 again. That said, I will hold my bottles and jars of SK-II close to my chest, and keep Coco Chanel's words, in my heart.

  

Then again, Coco Chanel calls her perfume Mademoiselle instead of Madame.

So f*ck it. While I think I am doing a decent job with my anti-aging routines, I may need more intervention down the road.

Because here's one scary fact: In a study of 100 Japanese women aged between 22 and 55, scientists from beauty brand SK-II discovered that while 'skin power' - the ability to protect itself from UV exposure and pollution, and to renew and regenerate itself - steadily declined, it went into free fall at 35.

Support group na ito! Fellow Ma'ams and Madams, tips please?

What's New from Celeteque Brightening

Eye to eye with aging: La Roche-Posay Anti-Wrinke cream & Celeteque Eye Tuck plus Dark Circles Lightener

Yes, it cannot be denied. Age ain't nothing but a number, until your wrinkles tell you otherwise. It doesn't even whisper at the hint of it. It just stares you right in the face.

So yes, that is why I am all about creams, moisturizers and serums now. When you are in your late 30s, you just got to grab aging by the horns and deal with it.

Homegrown brand Celeteque (yes! Celeteque, while sounding French, is actually owned by Unilab) has new products that promise to keep the signs of aging at bay. To start with, there's Eye Tuck plus Dark Circles Lightener which is clinically proven to reduce puffiness around the eye area and to significantly lighten the skin around the eyes in just 4 weeks. Did I just say lighten dark eye circles? Well, hello! Nice to meet you!

I am writing this post at 1 am, and boy am I glad to know this: Many believe that lack of sleep is the main cause of dark circles and puffiness that form around the eye area, but the real culprit is accumulation of water and fat. Fat deposits under the eye create the puffiness, not only fatigue and lack of sleep. And because the skin under our eye area is thinner and does not have oil glands, the skin gets looser and fine lines and wrinkles develop faster. 

Céleteque Eye Tuck plus Dark Circles Lightener contains EyeserylTetrapeptide Complex, which counter the formation of loose skin surrounding the eye area and fight water accumulation. It promises to do the trick in 7 days or less by improving skin elasticity in the eye area, and lightening the skin around it in only 3 weeks. 

Aside from the Brightening Eye Tuck plus Dark Circles Lightener, other products in the Céleteque DermoScience Brightening line include the Brightening Facial Wash, Brightening Tri-benefit Power Cream, Brightening Dark Spot Corrector and the Brightening Multi-benefit BB Cream. 

While I'm onto the CC cream these days, I cannot wait to try Celeteque's BB Cream!

Anything that would make my skin look flawless, I like!

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize!

From time to time they also requested Copenhagen snuff, Havana cigars and jars of petroleum jelly, which Ida massaged onto her face for several hours each day. She was five feet tall and 70 pounds, nearly deaf and stooped like a question mark, but her face still bore clear evidence of its former beauty. “You could see what an extraordinarily pretty woman she once was,” O’Brien noted. “Her complexion, in spite of her age, was as creamy and pink and unwrinkled as any I have ever seen. It was like tinted ivory. Her profile was like a lovely cameo.” She hadn’t had a bath in years. - From blogs.smithsonianmag.com

A couple of weeks back, I read this story about a rich recluse who lived at the Herald Square Hotel in Manhattan from 1907 to 1932. She had the most amazing skin. Well ok, the story was really about how she lied about her past, and how she managed to snag this rich guy, and how she ended up with so much money but lived a life shut out from the rest of the world.

But the part of the story that stuck with me was her skin care routine! Because hello, this old lady, Ida Wood didn't take a bath for years and yet her skin "was creamy, pink and unwrinkled...like tinted ivory". You know why? Because she massaged petroleum jelly on her face for several hours each day. Now, here's proof that the "No Water Skin Routine" really works.

Inspired by Ida, I now religiously use all my serums and creams. I've made it my mission and vision to really moisturize day and night. One time, I used Dr. Perricone's Cold Plasma and when Dada kissed me good night, he retched and said I smelled like fish. Whoops! Wahaha.

Making a conscious effort to moisturize really has made an impact on my skin. Not only does it feel softer, I can actually go out and not wear makeup, not even face powder. But the goal is to have unwrinkled skin well into my old age. So honeys, even with the summer heat, try and look for a non-greasy moisturizer for your face, let's keep the wrinkles at bay!

PS - I believe in you Ida, even if your life was a lie.

PPS - Here's one more proof that French women believe that tap water is the enemy. The Frisky's "The French Woman's Secret to Beautiful Skin".

PPS - Apparently, 33% of French girls between the ages of 15-19 start using anti-wrinkle creams via They Frisky's "How French Women Stay Hot When They're Old".