Avon folding

I admit, the title of this post is deliberately misleading. I did not fold a model named Avon nor the post is about advertising Avon with origami. I remember a post from the o-list titled: poor man's folding. Now, THAT is a title, but I didn't want to steal it...

Anyway, people I know that want to start doing origami often ask what type of paper to use. The answer is simple, but not if you live in my country where origami paper is everything BUT the real origami paper. I've seen many types of paper cut in roughly square shape passed off as origami paper in stationery stores. Paper for origami - perhaps. Origami paper - no way.
For me this is disappointing, but more disappointing would be if anyone would give up origami for the lack of one and only true paper. That would be their loss (and a huge one if you ask me).
So what can we do, what can we use?
My advice is: use your brain and your imagination, use what is at your hand and make the best of it. Paper cut from Avon's catalogues is no worse than any other. It's colorful and glossy, flexible, it can be cut in a fairly big square and holds a shape pretty good. If you don't have anything better, this is quite satisfactory. To exchange vanity for aesthetics, in my opinion, is not a bad trade at all.
Judge for yourselves.

(models in this photo: Tulip and leaf - Thai traditional model, Conally Vase - by Tom Conally)