Maybe it’s the recent solar eclipse (according to Astrology Zone, I was meant to see “the big message” on Friday…), or maybe it’s just that tax season is finally over, but I’ve been working on getting a little more zen lately. And, sure, it’s nice to sit back and accept “the things I cannot change” but that’s easier said than done when your skin has been vacillating from dry to oily and back again since the autumnal equinox (for this, I can thank the radiator in my “quaint” pre-war apartment that JUST WON’T QUIT. Landlords of New York, do you hear me?)
Over the past few months, I’ve amassed quite a collection of washes, lotions, and serums in hopes of taking back the reins on my epidermis. So when I came across a perfectly pink little tub of Aurelia’s Miracle Cleanser, I thought, you know what? Prove it. Go ahead: make my day.
The über-creamy concoction’s aromatic mix of chamomile, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils wafted northward—nasal-ward?—upon unscrewing the lid, and I felt my breathing sloowwww down. There’s something very Vicks-VapoRub-via-an-organic-farm-in-Nice about the smell that’s soothing in that ‘holistic’ way. (Upon closer inspection of the label, Aurelia is, in fact, a “bio-organic” line.) I gently rubbed the cream right on to my dry skin, on top of make up and all, with upward, circular motions. It already felt incredible— so gentle and not at all greasy (my skin is very reactive to oil). Then came the best part: the antibacterial muslin cloth. It’s really no wonder they wrap babies in muslin because this finely-woven swatch of organic bamboo felt like it was knit from the hairs of cherubs. I pressed the hot and damp cloth over my face for a mini steam before removing the cleanser. That wonder washcloth wiped away a day’s worth of buildup—makeup, grime, and dead skin cells—while apparently “stimulating circulation.” I felt smooth, hydrated, balanced, and overall unwound: a rebirth, if you will. “Eclipse season' promises its fair share of seismic shifts, and I'm still waiting on that big message, but at least Aurelia and I have got the cleansing thing under control.
—Mackenzie Wagoner
Photos by Elizabeth Brockway.
