Trying the Strangest Marilyn Monroe Beauty Tip

You never know. That hitchhiker beckoning to you from the side of the road might just be a famous celebrity.

I just finished reading Goddess by Anthony Summers. In it, he relates a story of Marilyn waiting by the side of a road, trying to hitch a ride from an unsuspecting passerby (there had been a mishap with her scheduling that day). But car after car drove by, not realizing they were passing up the opportunity to meet the immortal Marilyn Monroe. 

Part of the problem might have been the fact that her face was slathered in petroleum jelly. Yup, you guessed it. Vaseline was Marilyn Monroe's go-to for staying young. She slathered the stuff on her face at every opportunity. Kinda makes you wonder, what would Marilyn Monroe look like now?

In any case, I tried it out. Here’s what happened.

The SEcret to Marilyn Monroe’s Skincare Routine

Turns out many women have heard of this beauty tip, usually from their grandmothers. I think I remember my mother saying she put it on her upper lip. Anyway, the idea is that you only use Vaseline. The other brands are apparently dicey in terms of purity/quality, and since we are talking about slathering your skin with petrochemicals it might be a good idea to stick with the good stuff. 

Anyway, I decided to try it for a week. I washed my face. I placed a moisturizer on it. I then slathered my face in Vaseline and headed to bed, much to the horror of my husband who refused to kiss me goodnight. 

The next morning, my skin felt baby smooth. I have never felt smoother skin in my life. So I decided to continue with the experiment. 

But by Day 3 things were starting to go a bit awry. Sure enough, my skin was smooth, but I was breaking out. This is something that never happens to me. And as that situation got worse, I called off the experiment. Clearly something about my skin wasn't the same as Marilyn's. 

That said, many women still swear by it. Who am I to go against the teeming masses of ancient wisdom? I suggest you try it.  You never know, it might make you look a bit more like Marilyn. And really, that can't be a bad thing. 

love marilyn monroe? me too!