Well, enough about the Coup. We’re closing in on picking an interim PM, so I’m not worried any more. We’re back on the usual recovery path. And I’m moving on.

Besides, I’m losing readership over here talking politics–foreign politics for most of you–all the time. The OakMonster’s Den is not supposed to be serious, is the main complaint.

So, here. Have a completely irrelevant post. 😉

I bought a jar of Nivea Creme yesterday. This blue jar has been a Phromyothi’s household item ever since I remembered. My mom used the creme to treat her dry palms and soles, a genetic trait that recently surfaced for me.

Buying a jar of Nivea also got me looking at a bottle of 4711 Eau de Cologne I bought from home a few years ago as well. That is another household item from the time of Princess Grandmother. It’s her scent, other than the rose soap she used. She used the Cologne to freshen up. The scent is so mild and refreshing. My mom would splash it in a sink of water to wipe us down when we had a fever. It’s fresh scent makes you feel better than just getting wiped down with plain water. In certain 5-star restaurants, they’d dabble a bit of that into the cold or hot towels they bring to you before your meal. 4711 citrusy fresh scent has become a comfort scent. So has the smell of Nivea creme.

With those 2 items together in my current life, I feel the presense of Princess Grandmother and my mom. I suddenly realize their influences in my life with all these little things.

Another inspiration was also from when I was buying the jar of Nivea. I saw this lady who looked probably my age. She is pretty, but then she has these lines on her throat, I call it throat wrinkles. The ugly lines just took away the glorious pretty face. That reminded me of another beauty tips from my mom.

Hence, this blog entry.

I’m sure you have looked back in your life and found that certain things your parents made you do or drilled into your head as a kid actually works out in the long run. I rolled my eyes at my mom for all the beauty regimen and tips and tricks she would tell me. I didn’t care. I ain’t pretty so beauty is not going to work for me. Now I’m actually reaping the benefits of all I was taught.

Put it this way, I still get carded when I order drinks or buy booze at grocery store. Last year, I asked for a Lotto ticket at a 7-11 and the lady asked if I was 18.

So, what is this family secrets of extending the youthful look? Here are a few tricks that work for my mom AND my princess grandmother.

1. No uncessary make up.

From K-12, Thai schools don’t allow you to put on any make up. So, I guess us Thai girls should count ourselves lucky for not starting in on putting harsh chemicals on our faces in early age like Americans and othe western countries.

Princess Grandmother said young skin should be left alone because it’s the best skin you’ll ever have. If you take care of it well now, you won’t need to struggle with it when you’re older.

That is also why she doesn’t believe in foundation. She said she didn’t use foundation until well into her 40s when she actually had lines to hide. All her life, she used only loose powder, Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder to be exact.

Your face is delicate and you don’t really want to do anything to it if it is not necessary. Only use make up when needed, she said. Coming over to visit grandmother definitely doesn’t require make up, I remembered she smiled at me when I showed up at her door one evening after I played with the old lipsticks, shadows, and blush my mom gave me..

I follow that to the tee. I never like make up to begin with, a habit from not wearing any during my school years and a hatred developed from having worn so much stage make up in my life time. I went through American high school and college with no make up. Hell, I still don’t wear any to work nowadays. My only addition as of late is the Neutrogena mineral powder. It just smooths things out.

2. Moisturize.

Princess Grandmother’s fountain of youth was composed off a bar of Johnson & Johnson’s baby bar soap, Oil of Olay, and Pond’s Cold Cream. She washed with baby soap and moisturized with Oil of Olay. Cold cream was used to remove make up and as her night cream.

When I started to have a “beauty regimen” around 13 or so, I followed grandmother. But as I grew, my skin began to change, and the soap became too drying and the Oil of Olay became too oily. It seems every few years I have to change products all over again. But I will not skip moisterizing if I could help it.

3. Don’t neglect your throat.

This one is from my mom. She watched me moisturizing my face one time and she pointed out that I didn’t put any face cream on my throat. My throat? Why?

Mom started pointing out young celebrities on TV. They were young, I mean, early 30s maximum. “Look at her throat,” she said. “See the lines on her throat?” Indeed I did. These beautiful ladies had these ugly lines on their throats. Throat wrinkles. Who would’ve thought!

“Most people didn’t think about that either, even me” mom said. “So now that you know about it, you can prevent it.” And here I am, making sure I use facial scrub on my throat and moisturize it along with my face.

4. Sunscreen.

I don’t go out wihtout sunscreen. Period. My daily body lotion has SPF 15 and for my face I use Clinique City Block SPF 25.

This one I can thank my mom who is ultra sensitive to the sun. Mom has the Chinese fair skin and sensitive as hell. She’s allergic to chlorine, as in the amount you have in a swimming pool would turn her red. She’s highly sensitive to the sun so she either burns or gets discoloration and freckles.

When we were kids, all 3 of us were essentially “black”, having spent half the day on the tennis courts and the other half either in the pool or on the soccer field. Once I quit the sports and my “darkness” begins to fade, mom started in on getting me a vial of high quality facial sun treatment.

Sure, partly it was a plan to get my skin to be fairer. The fairer the better back home. But there’s a benefit there too. “You know how those farangs look so wrinkly?” she asked one day. “Because they like to be in the sun a lot. You don’t want to sun to speed up your face, do you?”

Point taken once again, mommy. I still would bask in the sun which drives mom crazy when we were out and about together. “Get in the shade!”, she’d call out. I’m not THAT strict about being in the sun as long as I have my SPF. 🙂

5. Think young

This one is purly from Princess Grandmother. You’re as young as you think. Never ever let go of the inner child. As long as you can think and act as if you’re 7 year old, you will always look younger than you are.

Grandmother may not have acted like she was 7, but she wasn’t going to let her age stop her. She was still as active as her body would allowed. That youthful thoughts radiate through your skin, she said. Other people sense your youthfulness and that takes years off of you.

Princess Grandmother would be so proud of me in that category. I don’t have an inner child, but an inner adult that comes out to take responsibilities as needed.

Most of the time I am this [holds up 7 fingers] many!