Yogurt on My Back, Yogurt in My Tummy, Yogurt on My Face!

Whenever we got sunburnt under the Aegean sun, my grandmother would run to the fridge and bring out the yogurt- she'd smear the white goodness all over the burnt spots, which was usually cheeks, shoulders and back in my case. I'd feel like a goddess under the cool touch of the yogurt, and often pretend, I was a character from Dallas and Lucy was my best friend, summering with me...

My grandmother made the yogurt herself- from the fresh milk delivered to us by a short, stocky woman in flowery shalwars and brown slippers. She'd first boil the milk- her way of pasteurizing it- and then separate the creamy goodness (mixed in with honey and pecans/walnuts/almonds, the buttermilk would taste divine!), and then put aside some to be converted into her thick, creamy yogurts. Her yogurt was always the center of our meals- complementing the fried eggplant, or as a sauce on our manti, or in form of refreshing cacik or cold ayran, or mixed in with homemade sour cherry jam as breakfast or dessert...

Today, I am delighted to be able to find yogurt of similar consistency at my local A&P. My favorites are the thick and gooey Fage Total 0% or the Oikos brand's creamy version. Whenever I end up at Trader Joe's (and I seem to do so often!), I reach out for their own brand- it is equally de-lish. For a quick pick-me-up, I drizzle a little honey and sprinkle toasted pecan maple syrup granola, also from Trader Joe's. It's an all-time fave.

I have been reading a lot about yogurt and its earthly goodness, so I decided to mimic what my grandmother used to do- put it on my face! About a couple of months ago, I did some research on available products out in the market, and decided to try out the Korres brand. For my combination sensitive skin (oily t-zone, dry cheeks, hormonally-imbalanced chin), I had picked up their yoghurt velvety moisturising cream and yoghurt mask- both for normal and combination skin. The moment I spread the luscious goodness on my face, it took me back to our summer house with our olive tree whooshing against the salty breeze, the almost fluorescent pink and purple bougainvilleas draped against its white walls and my grandmother humming to a fasil on the AM radio...

The whole product line at Korres reminds me of the homemade remedies that I saw my grandparents use- my grandfather used to boil a similar concoction to Korres's cough syrup made with honey, fennel, aniseed and thyme. I am also enamoured with their White Tea fluid gel- a light cleanser that does not leave the face dry or with film. Usually very finicky, my skin is loving all of these products. Recently, I tried to switch to my previous face regimen- just because-, my skin cried out in red blotches and asked for the yogurt back!

Oh, I noticed that they have a yoghurt cooling gel for sun ailments- I think I might pick it up for this summer...