It's the summer hols which means one thing - non stop comings and goings of my teenage children - and this week it's Holly's turn to stay. Holly is 14 going on 21... she is my little mini me, whereever we go people comment on how similar we look (although I am the older saggier one in the duo!)
When she arrived at the weekend lugging her enormous suitcase behind her I was slightly baffled at what she was bringing but last night I was enlightened - beauty products !
I was half asleep when I crawled up to bed last night but I was soon wide-eyed when I spotted Holly's beauty 'stash' gracing the bathroom shelf ! And I quote "I need them all muuuum, every night." (This does explain why she spends 1 hour in the bathroom every morning and again in the evening.) 13 different bottles and tubs of lotions and potions from cleansers and spot clearing tonics to regenerating night cream!
Now back in 'the day' a teenager's beauty regime consisted of a thrown together bag of cheap make-up and a can of Impulse deodorant and if you were a boy then a bottle of Clearasil and a can of Lynx Java (or Brut Aquatonic if your nan gave you a gift set at Crimbo). Since when did 14 year-olds start using Regenerating Night Cream?!
I vividly remember my nan (Nanny P) telling me as a young girl that she'd only ever used soap and water on her face and to be fair her skin was fantastic. Not once in my teenage or adult years have I used cleanser, toner and moisturiser and have always stuck to Nanny P's advice of just soap and water. Although I did once have some sort of fancy facial at a Health Spa on a romantic weekend break organised by Papasaurus whilst still heavily pregnant with Bean - the beautician was mortified that I don't use any 'products' - she then proceeded to smear all kinds of stinky gunk on my face and I spent the next days with massive blackheads breaking through! So not a great experience if I'm honest!
Am I being too old fashioned here? Is this the norm for teenage girls these days?! And if so when the Dickens did it begin?!