In two days my teenage son and daughter finish school for the year (next year they’ll be in Year 11 and 12 … yikes … how did I get here?).
In my immediate future, well, at least the ensuing eight weeks until they return to school, I will morph into a taxi driver, food provider and general fun facilitator. In return for such selfless kindness, they will keep me *company* as I continue to work away in our shared lounge room, willing myself not to reminisce about when I was at school and had zero appreciation of ultra-long holidays.
I have attempted in the past to enlist my children’s help with my blogging. So far it’s only been Mr 6 who’s applied any enthusiasm to the more mundane side of things … he’s currently doing a traineeship in parcel opening and sitting on a B+. My daughter happily lapped up a facial and massage opportunity earlier this year but my teenage son has stayed strangely immune from this world.
Until now.
See, thanks to the advice from the beauty therapist my daughter had at that spa visit, we changed tack with her skincare routine, playing to her sensitive skin side and not trying to attack the zits. It’s worked. Her skin has calmed down and she only gets the odd breakout.
My eldest son has mild acne. We’ve been to the doctors about it but opted not to get all druggy with it unless it got worse. Instead we went with some targetted skincare that erred on the more cosmeceutical side. That ran out recently, coincidentally when these two products landed on my desk.
1. Neutrogena Deep Clean Long-Last Shine Control Daily Scrub $7.49 | 2. Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Gel Wash $13.99
He actually reached unprompted for the Neutrogena scrub which I left on the bathroom shelf. This amazed me on many levels because teenage boys, no matter how smart at school, do not seem to excel in the common sense – or beauty – department. Not wanting to sidetrack him too much and curb this new-found enthusiasm, I suggested that he alternate his daily routine and use the Clearasil Gel Wash at night and the scrub each morning. Genius.
Now, the bottle for Clearasil says 12 hours and – bang – you’ll have clearer skin. I can’t say I saw this but I did notice a difference over the period of about a week. And it’s been ongoing. That’s a big budget tick from me.
The girlie stuff
Not to be outdone by her brother (this could actually be my daughter’s mission statement. One she’s upheld from birth), here’s what my daughter’s been testing for me:
1. Pantene Pro-V Aqua Light shampoo $7.99 | 2. Hello Kitty Kawai Kiss lip balm $9.95 | 3. Taylor Swift Wonderstruck from $49 (available exclusively at Myer)
She may have squealed: “Pantene” when Mr 6 opened that parcel. She loves the stuff. This is the latest offering and perfect for holidays when she’ll be washing her hair most days after a surf at the beach. It’s a new zero-residue shampoo and conditioner that delivers hydration quickly and is rinsed in seconds for a weightless feel. I’m hoping this translates to shorter than 20-minute showers.
She’s also mad keen on lip balms (don’t know where she gets that from), add in the cuteness factor from Hello Kitty and I was working my way up to an actual MOTY Award. Which, I may have figuratively received when the oh-so-adorable bottle of Taylor Swift’s first fragrance, Wonderstruck, arrived. Such a cute fragrance too – all sparky and feminine to start, then settles to a gorgeous vanilla, golden amber and sandalwood.
Anyways, wish me luck over the next two months. I see a lot of wine in my future.
Oh, and PS. these products aren’t exclusive to teens … I won’t tell a soul.
Do you have a teenager in your home? Do they have any pressing skincare, beauty or hair issues?
Products featured here were sent to me for editorial consideration. Check out my disclosure policy here.
