The Birth of Mr Macha

Not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed

One might think that a gift which makes you spend more money to enjoy it, is not much of a gift. As someone who loves to spend money, I disagree vehemently. A gift like that provides a productive outlet, allowing one to channel spending to a place which will give greater utility than the money itself - and definitely greater utility than the effort that went into earning that money in the first place. 

I was given such a gift once, and it is a gift I have passed on to others in my own time. An insider’s tool to high quality skin care at a fraction of the price. Beautiful, minimalistic, ingredient focussed skin care for the advanced aficionado to try out during a time where they had not much else to do - lockdown. I studied and learnt the ingredients, understood my skin type and sensitivities, building myself a solid routine over months. Feeling a deep sense of satisfaction as I started seeing results (though in hindsight I think they were actually due to my hormonal medication), I began to wonder how I was running through the products so quickly. I was barely using a pea-sized blob every day, and yet my trusty non-comedogenic moisturiser was running out like toilet paper. 

I tapered down my usage a bit more, going from pea-sized to something like a bean sprout. Yet the bottle only seemed to get sporadically lighter. That was when I began to suspect malfeasance. 

One evening as I got ready for bed, I quietly prepared a thin strand of my hair in a makeshift circle, placing the moisturiser squarely in the middle. I put the rest of my hair (the bit still attached to my head) into a silk bonnet and tucked myself in with a good book (The Fifth Season) until I heard the Mr, pottering around in the ensuite. Too curious to wait and see the result of my spycraft, I quietly disentangled myself from the covers and tiptoed to the loo to confirm my suspicions. And sure enough, I see him squeezing out at least a grape sized chunk of moisturiser only to rub it violently over his face and beard. 

The next morning we were discussing business ideas for men’s skincare, and that children, is how Mr Macha was born.