Cold Cream

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So my friend and co-worker Annette and I were sitting around a few weeks ago bemoaning the many, many grooming indignities of modern womanhood: The facial (not to mention other) hair maintenance, the never-ending skin hydration, the constant nail upkeep, etc to infinity. Then we were wondering if maybe it was easier in generations past, when there were not only fewer areas to groom, but fewer magic products and potions to own.
Case in point: Remember cold cream?
Do you know how much this stuff does? OK. Let me fill you in. There are women of our mothers' and grandmothers' generations who seriously used nothing else on their skin. It was just cold cream to take off the makeup, cold cream to moisturize, cold cream to wear overnight with curlers and be a 50's housewife cliché. You know what else? Lots of these women continue into their 70s to have truly amazing skin, soft, supple, not-completely-wizened-like-a-prune-that's been-left-on-the-counter skin.
So what's in cold cream? It's a blend of both water and certain fats, often oils, and it usually includes beeswax. All of these are great for soothing dry skin and also taking off your makeup in a way that is not harsh. Additionally, it leaves your skin feeling cool (hence the "cold" in the name).
And, on top of that, when I asked my favorite dermatologist Leslie Baumann, M.D. what she thought about this odd, old-timey substance, she replied: "I LOVE cold cream. It is perfect for dry skin types and Ponds is one of my favorites." Dr. Baumann went on to explain that she doesn't necessarily recommend cold cream for people with oily skin, but that it's a Godsend for those who live in dry climates.