Aug 24, 2007

BAM!

I'll admit it. I'm highly suggestible and overly influenced by advertising. Last summer when we were staying in New York City, I saw a commercial for "Easy-Off BAM!".
Ya know the one where they dip a nasty old penny in the cleaner and it comes out sparkling and beautiful? I started having fantasies about buying a swimming pool full of the stuff and dipping the Statue of Liberty in it. Oh, to have that messy green lady all clean, coppery and shining! It would be an obsessive-compulsives dream come true! (Me being the obsessive compulsive.)In the suggestible department, I'm pretty much prone to believe anything anyone tells me. Especially if they're in a position of authority. Whenever we go out to eat, I narrow down my choices to two or three, then ask the waitress what she likes and pick that. No matter that "she" is really a "he" in drag and we probably don't have a lot in common. (Alright, so I've never actually been waited on by a tranny, but I'm trying to illustrate a point.)
So anyway, lately I've been thinking a lot about my skin, and I'll admit, it's mostly because of the barrage of skin care product advertisements out there and the fact that I found a white eyelash a few months ago. (The day before my 29th birthday, to be exact.) All of these signs lead me to believe that any minute, if I don't act fast, my face will resemble a California Raisin with the same texture as the bottom of my feet. (Before my once-every-five-years pedicure.)

Which is why last night I was SO excited. I've been very impressed lately with the Olay commercials. I mean really! Get surgically enhanced looking skin without surgery in just 8-58 weeks?!? Sign me up!!! (BTW, when did it stop being Oil of Olay? Who doesn't like the idea of slathering Oil on their face?)

So when we made the hour long trek to Costco last night, I knew just what to sneak into the cart: Any Olay brand skin care miracle.
When we got there Doug said, since we had a refund check to spend, we could both get one fun thing for ourselves, and then a few other necessities, being careful not to go over the $170 refund amount. PERFECT! I made a b-line straight for the drug store stuff.
And then I let out an audible gasp. $40 for a teeny tiny bottle of $*#& lotion? $8 an OUNCE? WHAT THE HECK!?!?! Here I'm used to spending $3 on Clean and Clear lotion for a bottle that lasts a few months, and I'm supposed to make the leap to $40??? When h-e-double-hockey-sticks freezes!

It was at this point Doug found me making retching noises and holding my stomach. "I c-c-c-can't do it! I can't spend that much on my face!"

Eventually, after contemplating a future full of leather face, I grabbed a two-pack of cheap stuff and threw it in the cart. No miracle creams for me. No amount of advertising can get me to forsake my deeply ingrained tight-wad tendencies.

My selfless sacrifice was hard, but I think it'll be worth the savings in the long run. I'm just going to have to stop watching commercials.
P.S. Want to know how we did staying in our spending limit? We spent just over $700 dollars and bought a new bathroom vanity for the upstairs bathroom. (We're doing a little remodelling before we sell our house next year.) Good thing I didn't get that lotion!

7 comments:

Linz said...

HaHAHA!! you know, I think we might be soul sisters!! I have had that exact experience and it had the same conclusion! Who would pay for that???

Anonymous said...

hahahahahahaha. you crack me up.

Anonymous said...

you are sooo funny!! I love your blog.

Naomi said...

You should check out the price of eye serum some day. The prices for the "good" stuff are incredible!

A couple of years ago I became obsessed with trying to avoid the somewhat inevitable "crow's feet" since I thought I saw a line. I bawked at the $100+ eye serum and bought the cheap stuff, which is a good thing since I used the stuff religiously for about a month and then gave up altogether. Not only is the stuff pricey, but they fail to mention the time commitment involved with such a beauty regimen!

Shelly said...

You should use Aveeno. It's all natural. I experiment with skin products kind of a lot and nothing has ever been better for my skin. Remember those pads that I forgot in your bathroom? You should use those and the lotion from that line: Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer)

They work really well and they are pricey but not outrageous and they definitely work!

acte gratuit said...

Shel-Bell,
When you mention "pads that you left in my bathroom", you should probably differentiate with "Facial Cleansing" Pads. (So as not to disgust the masses.) And I already have used them...THANKS! I'll try your other recommendation when I use up the two bottles of cheap stuff.
:)

Lanes said...

I was totally thinking the same thing about the "pads", so funny. I had the Olay stuff in my cart only this week but replaced it with a bag of dried mangos and some swiffer refills. Turns out I am way more concerned with eating food and then getting it off my floor than what my face looks like.