Put Away the Magnifying Mirror

What did I just do? What many of you do much too often. I spent some time with my good ole 7X. Looking at things that no one, not even me, sees unless they come at me in the bright sun with a magnifying glass of their own. Looking at things that make me dissatisfied with my skin, skin that has not looked this good in 20 years. I don't know if I have the glow, but I know that my skin is clear and in good health other than being a bit dry. I use all of my Image products daily, without fail. Yet, when I get out that little magnifying mirror, I suddenly become more unhappy and critical toward my skin than I should be.


I know this is a pitfall that many women face. For one reason or another, usually failing eyesight, we take out that little vision aid and get to work. The problem is that we almost always dwell on "flaws" that we find while looking at ourselves this way. Flaws that no one can see. Flaws that even your esthetician does not see until she gets out the mag lamp. Flaws that she usually ignores to some degree, because she sees them on everyone and knows that they are not flaws that should be worried about. Instead, she uses the mag lamp to see a short, yet bristly hair that she needs to grab a hold of with the tweezers. Or to make sure that she has the right position on a clogged pore before extracting it.

I have seen so many women decide that their whole face is too hairy, their normal sized pores are too big and their skin is just plain awful- all because they believe what the 7X or 10X tells them. How would we all feel if we could take a look at our skin under a microscope? I hope not exponentially worse!

So, today, after a couple of minutes of picking my face and concerning myself with tiny imperfections, I flipped the mirror around to the standard side, realized I was only creating a bigger problem in the form of welts and red spots and put away the magnifying mirror. I suggest you do the same.

(Of course, there is a necessity for the magnification in some circumstances. If you need help seeing hair to tweeze or to put your eye makeup on, by all means, use it. all you may need is a good waxing now and then to keep hair growth under control. Just remember not to dwell on the less important tiny blemishes that you see or to spend more time than it takes to get those pesky stray hairs. You'll do yourself a favor and feel better about yourself for it. If you feel you do have a "flaw" that needs fixing, ask you esthetician what she thinks. She is trained and ready to offer advice to help you deal with whatever skin problems you may have found in that mirror. )