Pale beauty
(Top row L-R: the dried cloth as it is bought, once in contact with water. Bottom row L-R: peeling the wet cloth apart, how to apply to the face.)
Ying is making the last preparations for his impending charity trip to Africa later this week. Take a look at http://mad.st/africa/. I have been heavily involved in some of these preparations in that we have raided pharmacies together, searching for the exact items he needs; small bottles, wet wipes, sanitiser, plasters, blister creams, various medications in case of various bites, bugs, etc. I find pharmacies in China absolutely fascinating. There are so many items readily available here that I’ve never even conceived, let alone bought. One product falling into the bizarre category is the sets of small adhesive strips for eyelids; they give a crease to the eyelid that many Chinese women do not have, it is a predominantly western characteristic and is therefore perceived as fashionable.
I do wonder how I would relate to these products had I been born as an ethnic Chinese in China. I have a detached attitude to many western beauty products, as to me they seem expensively superfluous and generally don’t instill in me either the inclination to use them, nor the promise that they will make me look or feel any better if I did. A good example here would be tanning products; I have never used them and don’t intend to; the media would have me believe there is an inherent wrong in being one pale colour all over, and yet here, it is sought after. Perhaps being born in a different place, into a different culture would alter my attitude to beauty. This is turning into an essay; now back to the picture.
What you see in the image is one of my favourite finds; each of the discs was individually blister packed like a strepsil lozenge, but we found it in the face care section. There didn’t appear to be an explanation offered on the package, so we decided to discover these mystery delights ourselves. Ying and I assembled in the bathroom with a camera (not a routine activity) and watched it unravel. The fact that it turned into a facecloth was no great surprise, but the mask element was completely unexpected. I modeled it as best I could, but as with most preparatory beauty products, it’s just frightening. I have no clue what one would use it for – any ideas?
Haha, I think it’s supposed to keep your dry skin moist if you’re diligent enough to do it everyday before going to bed. Did it at least smell good?
That’s the thing, it didn’t even smell good! They were weird… but at least I know what it’s for now!