The day my Nonna’s collection of beauty secrets came into my possession was a reality check day for my look. I was in the middle of a busy schedule at work and I remember how badly I wanted to get rid of all the noise and piles of papers and people coming in with endless questions. I just wanted to hold up the priceless little handwritten gift and sneak away from my vigilante boss.
As I drove home, sitting in a taxi half distracted, memories like the waves of the ocean began to roll in my head. I remembered a beautiful afternoon in the backyard of our country house in Italy. A girl, I swayed in the air, and all my senses were filled with the sweet intoxicating fragrance of roses, sage, calendula, and lavender. The sun, rapidly moving away from the horizon, cast a soft glow behind the olive trees, like a Renaissance painter who had found the perfect color combination to express the magic of light. In the midst of my floating between the ethereal world of imagination and the abundance of nature, I saw my nonna, sitting like a giant bunny in the garden, cutting leaves and herbs for the “beauty potions” that she made and sold cheaply. price to the women of our town. She had a balm for every beauty whim and she wished a woman would come to her mind, and she was an expert, because there was always a visitor in the house.
The taxi driver announced that we had arrived and, suddenly, I felt a pressure rise in my heart. Truth be told, I was dreading the moment to re-evaluate my appearance, and that moment was there, like a brick wall, and there was no place in the whole world to hide, and nothing to do but deal with reality. Now!
With a deep sigh, I reached for the magnifying mirror. Now, from my friends Anna and Lizetta with whom I have espresso once a week, I know that the magnifying mirror is a woman’s worst nightmare. I held up the mirror and said, “Mirror Mirror in my hand, show me how much I need to spend. Because in the end it all comes to that.” I looked at myself in the mirror and, Mamma mia, a giant and bulging creature, although strangely familiar, looked at me with the look of a judge who was about to say: “In the charge of not looking your best, your reflection is guilty. with a capital G! “
Yes, it was time to act. “I’ll open the book I thought of, and whatever recipe I see first will be the correct one for now.”
“Wait, girl, wait, I heard Nonna’s voice in my heart. First you need to relax. How about some soft music and a fragrant candle? And open the window. Then get a blanket.”
Done! I was ready. I held the book close to my heart and closed my eyes. I immediately became the earth and the sky and all the flowers and herbs and all the golden sunsets. Oh, and my Nonna’s smile.
I am sharing with you the mask that I found when I opened your book.
Rejuvenating mask
Ingredients:
1 egg yolk (ha ha ha) but it’s true!
¼ teaspoon organic olive oil
¼ teaspoon lemon juice or any other fruit will do
Wash your face but do not dry it off. Apply the mask liberally, moving away from the eyes and upper lip. Relax on the sofa and listen to soft music. Don’t talk on the phone and don’t watch a comedy on TV with this mask on. Keep for 20 min. then wash your face with cold water. Use a soft, damp cloth to remove the mask completely.
Then look at yourself in the mirror!