JENOVIA'S WEB

JENOVIA'S WEB

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JENOVIA'S WEB
JENOVIA'S WEB
I Blame It On My Elegance

I Blame It On My Elegance

Some memoir and skincare

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Jenovia 🕸️
Jul 05, 2025
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JENOVIA'S WEB
JENOVIA'S WEB
I Blame It On My Elegance
25
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Call me Fluffy McFluffington today because I’m going in on every skincare product I use.

Between the Florida death camps that were raised within mere days and the BBB (Bitch-ass Bum Bill) passing, I’m going FULL FLUFF to give you (and myself) a respite from the current events.

The ritual of taking care of my skin has been my constant companion since I was 13 years old, and whilst you might bristle at that fact and think me vain ( I am vain—we all are in our own way— but there are reasonable limits to my vanity, and boredom eventually sets in before it goes too far), there is a deeper root anchoring my devotion.

It was the one act of self-care that didn’t completely shatter my heart after my parents died.

My mother passed before she was able to teach me many things, and it was with one simple sentence that I first felt the enormity of her absence in my life.

One early morning, before school, not long after their death, I was hurriedly chasing my 16-year-old sister around the house like a fuzzy duckling as she rushed to get ready, asking her if she could put my waist-length hair in a ponytail. This was usually my mother's and my ritual before school. She would sit me in front of the mirror and ask me how I wanted to style my hair for the day. As the mother of six children, one-on-one time with her was rare, and that was our special time. It was by far my favorite part of the day. Doing our hair together as mother and child is an essential aspect of Native and Mexican culture, and it was rituals such as these that deepened our bond to one another. 

My sister had been taking on the role of my hairdresser for weeks, and I could tell the extra responsibility was weighing on her, but ya girl needed her hair done. Exasperated, she finally acquiesced to stepping into enormous shoes yet again, but this time she said something that would both shatter and devastate, yet also empower and propel me out into the vast unknown of life as an orphan.

“I can’t keep doing this for you, Jenovia. Mom isn’t here anymore and you’re going to have to learn how to do this on your own.”

DAGGAR IN MY HEART.

Actual photo of my insides the minute she dropped that bomb of truth on 10-year-old me. Thugs cry, too.

I could feel my little body deflate, and my gaze lowered to the ground. My sister was right. Mom was gone, and I would have to learn how to do my hair and many other things on my own, and my God, the pain! THE PAAAIN! The TERROR! The agony of that stunning realization landing so brutally hard against my little girl's heart. The cold, hard truth socked me so violently in my 10-year-old stomach that it would take decades for me to catch my breath again.

In that one moment, it all became so direly clear and the last of the standing rubble of what used to be my life tumbled down before me.

I was never the same.

(I have so much empathy for my sister. I know she didn’t mean it maliciously, she had just lost her parents as well.)

So, I learned how to do my hair, and I hated it. I quickly learned I needed to memorize my Social Security number, and I hated that, too. I hated having to pay my own bills in high school, negotiating the price of my first car, and other countless tasks as a parentless child. It wasn't the act of doing those things, it was why and how young I had to do them. My parents were dead. This was my life now, and each act was a stark reminder of my suck-ass life circumstances.

Caring for my skin was the one act of self-care that wasn't an excruciatingly painful reminder of my disastrous reality. Through this ritual, taking care of oneself could actually feel enjoyable, and that responsibility and commitment didn't have to feel like punishment.

Stay with me, this is not a tragedy. 

It’s a love story with a happy ending. 

My love for skincare isn’t about anti-aging or wanting to look younger. I don’t long for the days of my youth—there is no amount you could pay me to go back to my 20s or early 30s. As someone who has had a baby face for most of her life, it feels gratifying to finally look like an adult. I have fantasized about days like this!

As the years passed and my responsibilities grew, along with the self-imposed pressure and deep desire to move far beyond the projected statistics of my familial circumstances, I found skincare to be a sort of dinghy carrying me out and back to shore with the beginning and end of each day. If I could no longer share a daily ritual with my mother, then I would share a daily ritual with myself in her honor. 

As silly as it sounds, back then, skincare helped me get out of bed.

It still does on the extra hard days.

*

Whenever I meet someone new, they either comment on my skin and/or immediately ask what products I use. 

I never downplay when someone pays me a compliment on the quality of my skin. Additionally, it would be silly because I have working eyes.
Women have a tendency to brush off compliments. Let’s stop doing that. When it comes to my skin, I always respond with a very gracious thank you. 

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked to write down my entire skincare routine, I would be rich, honey! If I weren’t such an introvert/find it so painfully boring being on camera now ( I used to do print work and film commercials in my 20s), I’d make so much money as a skin/make-up influencer. 😮‍💨😩 I have immense respect for the people who do it because it takes a tremendous amount of time, hard work, and so much energy. 

I usually decline listing the products because it’s extensive and requires explanation.

Until now.

I’m dropping the mother lode on you.


Here are all the products and at-home devices I currently use:

Cleansers

  • Biologique Recherche VIP O2 cleansing milk: A gentle cleanser I like to use especially because I live in NYC. Oxygenating and purifying, it leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped. I use this mainly in the morning.

  • Natura Bisse Stabilizing Cleansing Mask: I use this both as a facial cleanser and mask on days when I want extra brightness. My skin looks so clear and bright every time I use it.

  • Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel: Not into the anti-aging in the name but this powerhouse cleanser brightens and exfoliates. I use this on days when I wear make-up. Double cleansing is key!

  • DHC Deep Cleansing Oil: This removes my sunscreen and make-up in a flash. Dieux has a new cleansing oil that I want to try after I’m done with this current bottle.

Please note that I do not use these four cleansers every single day. I implement the appropriate cleanser based on what my skin requires.

Essence/Skin Milk

  • Valmont Primary Veil: This is a holy grail product for me and one of three products I feel are essential especially if you use any type of retinoid and/or have a problem with redness. (I have a prescription for Tretinoin and have used it since 29-30 years old. I don’t have experience with acne, I use it for cell turnover.) It instantly reduces inflammation, eradicates redness, and plumps your skin, leaving it in pristine condition. I cannot sing its praises enough!!! I know it’s on the expensive side but using it twice a day everyday will last you 9-12 months. Great investment IMO.

  • haruharu wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence: The GLOW!!!! The GLOW my skin has after using this. Jaw-dropping. It’s like walking around with your own personal spotlight. Your skin just catches the light in a way that you stop dead in your tracks when you pass a mirror. Wait, that’s me and not an angel that’s fallen from skin heaven? Yes, yes it is. Pores? I don’t know her. My skin has never been smoother or more glowy since I started using this and it looks sensational under make-up. The second essential product I use.

    I like using the primary veil first then following with the barrier essence right after for an extra glowy day,

Serums/Actives

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