I almost fainted when I looked in the mirror.

I just looked in the mirror and burst out laughing. I was putting on some serious makeup for a blind date, and I thought I saw some black powder on the bridge of my nose, so I scratched it with my fingernail. It wasn't powder, it was a perfectly etched freckle. I couldn't believe it, so I turned on the lights and looked closely. I saw the blotchy patches all the way to my cheekbones, and my mind went blank. I was reminded of my past, when I'd casually applied sunscreen, confidently claiming I had clear skin, and wandered around in the blazing summer sun without a parasol. Honestly, these blemishes don't appear overnight. They're just a result of my bad habits: exposing my face to the blue light from my smartphone until dawn and drinking coffee instead of water. It just piled up and blemished on such an important day. I know full well that applying a single freckle-control product right before a blind date isn't going to make a dramatic difference. Cosmetics aren't medicine. But now, feeling the embarrassment so keenly, I've resolved to pack sunscreen as an essential item for every outing and to diligently apply a whitening line from the very beginning. Don't be like me, looking in the mirror and being shocked. Instead, establish these habits in advance.