Women’s magazines and the cosmetics industry are always coming up with new and creative ways to separate us from our hard-earned toonies and loonies. Now that BB creams and CC creams have become old and boring (or reached critical mass as they say in the biz) they’ve unleashed new bait to lure us in—it’s oil—and true to character I’m right at the front of the line. Just last night I ripped a page out of a magazine promoting “Our 1st luxurious oil-infused lotion, Garnier Body Oil Beauty, Oil-infused Lotion for dry skin. Argan, macadamia, almond, rose, non-greasy, non-sticky. In our study, 80% agreed their skin has never looked so beautiful.” That does it—gotta get me some immediately!

This morning as I was applying Moroccan Argan Oil to the tips of my parched, high-lighted hair, I cast a glance around my medicine cabinet and started tallying up all the oils required to get me through the day.

1. Neutrogena Body Oil so my skin remains attached to my dermis and doesn’t flake off.

2. Above-mentioned Moroccan argan oil for split ends.

3. Tea-tree oil for my eye-lashes (I’ll explain later).

4. Cuticle oil for – well, you know.

5. Eardrop oil for when maintenance falls behind.

6. Bath oil

So far I’ve managed to stay clear of the new facial cleansing oils, oil-enriched shampoos, oil hair conditioners, primer oils and oil body washes. Then there are the dozens of other oils essential to daily living—fish oil capsules, olive, canola, grapeseed, sesame, coconut and sunflower oil for meal preparation. Not to mention diffusing oils to make my home smell like a spring meadow and special oils for my Lampe Bergere for the times I want to substitute one unpleasant smell for another.

Earlier this week I mentioned to my eye doctor that I was having a problem with dry, itchy eyes and he informed I could have invisible mites in my eyelashes that are causing the problem. The solution? Tree tree oil of course. I purchased a packet of tee tree oil-based wipes to use on my closed eyelids twice a day for a month in hopes of returning my eyeballs from red to white.

I’ve already been using Oil of Olay serum for years and because I don’t really look like a 90-year-old I guess it must be working. An Oil of Olay tank truck pulls up to my front door once a month. And we’re not even taking into account all the oils that make my husband’s world go ’round like WD40, 10W30 and various other mysterious oils lining the shelves of his workshop. I could go on but I think you get the picture.

Now that I’ve brought your attention to the industry’s nasty strategy, perhaps we can resist the urge to go out and buy the latest and greatest. This is made easier by the fact the new Garnier Body Oil I covet doesn’t seem to be available in Canada or U.S. yet. I saw the ad in RED, a British magazine. Or maybe I could try going on-line and having it sent . . .