I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. A part of me gets all giddy at the thought of busting out all my newly-purchased fall clothes that I've been itching to wear . . . but the other part of me is just ITCHY. You see, I live in a New York apartment building. They are reknowned the world over for their lilliputian dimensions, and in addition, their SWELTERING, MOISTURE-SUCKING HEAT during the cooler months. Almost overnight, as the telltale clank of the Lincoln Administration-era radiator system kicks in, my skin becomes papery, dry, and flaky. Awesome.

In terms of my body, I've attempted to fight back by applying a heavy cream after I'm done showering but before I've actually exited the shower, and it seems to be making a tremendous difference. But what about my poor face? I felt strongly that I was not going to apply (read: WASTE) pricey face cream after I shower (which is at night, for I am lazy), only to reapply it again in the morning. And since I haven't yet discovered a night cream that doesn't make me feel like I've slathered myself in paste (although I'm open to suggestions!), that option was out, too. As you can imagine, my face has consequently been a bit dull and flaky of late. 

I decided it was time for a face mask, something that would moisturize the hell out of my moisture-deprived skin. I've written before about face masks, and even road-tested a DIY face mask composed of aspirin, honey and water here before, but I've never actually whipped up any of those awesome-looking ones you read about in magazines. I mean, for one thing, they inevitably involve avocados. I've always felt that sacrificing an avocado should mean that I get to eat it, and I wept a little inside at the thought of just...smooshing it on my cheeks. As luck would have it, a few weeks ago, I was looking something up on ehow, and stumbled across a moisturizing face mask recipe there that involved bananas as the main ingredient. Perfect! I hate bananas! And yet--since my husband and kids adore them--there are always plenty lying around.

The "recipe" was incredibly easy, and contained only a few ingredients, all of which are staples in most homes (1 banana, 1 tsp. honey, 4 Tbsp. dry oats). Per the instructions, I mashed them all up, and added a bit of water to make a "creamy consistency," and slathered it on my poor, dry face. I left it on for about 15 minutes, rinsed it off, and wouldn't you know it, bananas are good for something, because my face looked--and felt--infinitely better. I looked glowy and moisturized, and decidely less icky. The true test came in the morning--after a night in our sauna of a bedroom--when I saw that my skin--while still in need of its daily dose of moisturizer--didn't have that freaky, dessicated Cocoon alien look it had taken on of late.

I'm all about simple beauty treatments, and the efficacy and price of this one cannot be beat. (And if it rids my kitchen of bananas, more's the better!)

Metalia also blogs here.