Abi Cleeve

[ERICS MUM]

She's demonstrating her skin care range on the morning repeat show and I'm surprised at the brown spots and freckles on the backs of her hands. I'm 62 and Abi can only be in her 40's but my hands are in better condition (I like to think !). Not a very good advert for Ultrasun.

 

[shopperholic]

Yes I've got to agree, for all the Ultrasun skincare Abi is supposed to use, now this nonsense, sorry Skinsense, like Jill Franks who uses all and sundry, I think their skin is in no better condition than someone who uses just a cheapy moisturiser, and yes my hands and face are in great condition (if I say so myself) at 52 years young without the humongous QVC price tag. :mysmilie_14:

 

[boffy]

genetics you can't get away with genetics

 

[loveheart]

I'm surprised she has brown spots on the back of her hands considering the amount of Ultrasun she is constantly rubbing on the back of them when she is lecturing the masses on how to apply it.

 

[Lemonpop]

genetics you can't get away with genetics

True, I have bony hands and feet plus brown spots on my hands, courtesy of dads genes. Dad had brown spots on his hands and he never went abroad or sunbathed.I also have prominent veins, which I have also had all my life. On the plus side at 69 I have only a few wrinkles round my eyes and I still get spots.

 

[maymorganlondon]

It's hard to judge whether someone would still have the discolouration/freckles if they had been using SPF at high enough levels all through their lives. I would imagine that Abi's natural skin colouring puts her in the bracket of those whose skin ages more significantly.

My skin looks fairly good for my age, but I'm sure that the good skincare regime I employ is only part of the story.... and if I made different diet and lifestyle choices my skin might look a lot worse, or perhaps a lot better than it does today. That's probably true for most of us.

It does, however, seem a bit of "don't do as I do, do as I say".

 

[Marina]

Ah, but there's Ultrasun Anti-Pigmentation that Abi uses, isn't there?

http://www.qvcuk.com/Ultrasun-Sun-P...Face-SPF50+-100ml.product.229562.html?sc=SRCH

 

[yorkrose26]

I use a basic handwash and my hands are reasonable for my age. It always confuses me as to the vast amounts of beauty brands and 'gunk' (technical term you understand), that is in the pots, bottles, jars etc and that they are do different jobs. I am aware that there are scientists/botanists etc, who work tirelessly to formulate the 'gunk', but it always puzzles me as to how the body knows what to do with the creams and potions that is being absorbed and to then change the body to reflect the 'supposed' changes of the 'gunk' that their human (the bodies) has put on their body. Is it a case of well I have spent the money so it is going to work (whether it actually does or not), or does some of these 'potions and lotions' actually work! I am aware that there is a lot of people going to be annoyed with me for this posting, but as someone who does not buy into a beauty regime of any kind (very very basic) and my skin is pretty good for my age, then it makes me wonder as it if is 'all in the mind'!

 

[user 17461]

The whole beauty thing makes me laugh: if all these pricey beauty ranges QVC stocks worked, WHY would you need to plaster your face in the make-up QVC shills?

And why would guests. models and presenters be botoxed up to the eyeballs, or have had more invasive surgical procedures?

Is all just snake oil to make women feel insecure about their looks and buy loads of gunk. The last thing Elemis, Decleor etc want is an actual end to aging, because then they'd be out of jobs.

 

[Petespants]

My mum has lovely skin at 79 (with a few wrinkles of course) and only ever uses basic moisturising creams.My dad had a great skin.Neither has/ had brown spots .Maybe there is a genetic disposition for these which is triggered more with exposure of unprotected skin to the sun.The hands especially are left uncovered so are more prone to them.My skin is quite good and I use only Nivea soft and sun protection when needed.
I do think some manufacturers use the insecurities of people to overinflate the effectiveness of their products.If they(products) were able to go deep into damaged skin and 'repair' so effectively,then why aren't burns victims and others with disfiguring skin conditions such as acne scarring also able to benefit from these creams .I'd love to see a demo' with a person with a real skin issue and not just someone who has already had plastic surgery .

 

[shopperholic]

The only thing I use now, is the Elizabeth Grant Active 35 face cream, it's gorgeous and the smell is so comforting. I'm glad Elizabeth Grant in the UK stays loyal to Ideal World because it's sold on QVC France. I only buy this cream when it's on offer though and make sure I stock up when it is. Aldi face creams are if equal quality too.

 

[loveallthingsitalian]

Having ultra sensitive skin I've never been able to experiment with "gunk" (technical term) sticking like glue to whatever keeps my skin calm and it's pretty good for my age so proof that it's all snake oil. Basically whatever makes your skin feel moisturised in today's environment will be sufficient as none of them makes wrinkles disappear just stops your skin from feeling like a drum.

I must admit I'm not diligent about my hands which could be a lot better but find that when I do make an effort they look much better. I do have brown spots (I try to think of them as big freckles) even though I avoid the sun, but with our wet weather perhaps they are rust spots?

 

[boffy]

a lot of skincare is quite toxic where cosmetic companies brag about ingredients that do far more harm than good. i just want basic stuff that does not dry my skin or give me spots. smooth spot free well conditioned looking skin is imo the best skin

 

[Lemonpop]

Having ultra sensitive skin I've never been able to experiment with "gunk" (technical term) sticking like glue to whatever keeps my skin calm and it's pretty good for my age so proof that it's all snake oil. Basically whatever makes your skin feel moisturised in today's environment will be sufficient as none of them makes wrinkles disappear just stops your skin from feeling like a drum.

I must admit I'm not diligent about my hands which could be a lot better but find that when I do make an effort they look much better. I do have brown spots (I try to think of them as big freckles) even though I avoid the sun, but with our wet weather perhaps they are rust spots?

I have brown spots on the scarring left over from acne which I suffered from well into my 30s. Am using Superdrug glycolic
overnight peel, recommended by someone on this forum and they are starting to fade.

 

[user 17461]

Having ultra sensitive skin I've never been able to experiment with "gunk" (technical term)

Is it? It's a term I chose to use which you appear not to like. Well, you can't please everyone all of the time... But there's a very good reason why I call it "gunk", and that is despite these companies' decisions to give their lotions, potions and serums fancy and/or pseudoscientific names it doesn't cover up the fact that they don't seem to do the things we've been promised they will, besides smell nice and aid relaxation when massaged in to the body etc.

If these potions worked, there wouldn't be different ranges targeting different age groups. Women wouldn't feel pressured to do something about the "awful" signs of aging, from covering up with make-up and buying expensive beauty regimes up to invasive surgical intervention to try and look younger. And if these potions did as promised, they wouldn't need to be reformulated every few years.

And if these lotions and serums worked, they would go through more rigorous scientific tests than a small group of women trying them out for a month or so and feeding back their "perceived" results; not what can actually be found by a qualified third party, but what the tiny group of women themselves think has happened.

Ali Young and the guests from Elemis, Devleor, Gatineau etc would be mortified if anyone actually called them out on any of this, because as I said in an earlier post they don't WANT their ranges to work; if it did and we all had perfect, unlined and unblemished skin, we wouldn't need to keep buying their expensive products. And if they did all work, why are these guests (and the resident beauty expert and presenters) showing signs of aging despite having their pick of all these miraculous companies?

So yes, I called it all gunk, because to me that's all it is.

 

[Sussex Shopper]

It's so tempting to believe or want to believe in all the mystique and claims though. I've just bought a new routine - boots botanical cleansing milk bought for a pound in clearance, superdrug mature skin night cream and Aldi day cream. My face hasn't dropped off and I look just like I did using expensive ranges. I just have to keep reminding myself not to get suckered in by the Snake Oil salespeople.

 

[shopperholic]

It's so tempting to believe or want to believe in all the mystique and claims though. I've just bought a new routine - boots botanical cleansing milk bought for a pound in clearance, superdrug mature skin night cream and Aldi day cream. My face hasn't dropped off and I look just like I did using expensive ranges. I just have to keep reminding myself not to get suckered in by the Snake Oil salespeople.

That's true, we all like to think of looking after ourselves and you don't have to spend hundreds of QVC pounds to do it either. I do like Aldi products.

 

[Glittergirl]

There is nothing on the market that can produce these miracle skin care products, maybe some help a bit with some skin conditions!

High percentage is Genetics and your lifestyle! Although I have been a huge Sun Worshipper and my skin is very good for my age, so people tell me! Must be all in the Genes then, do the experts really know!!!??? :mysmilie_7:

 

[boffy]

There is nothing on the market that can produce these miracle skin care products, maybe some help a bit with some skin conditions!

High percentage is Genetics and your lifestyle! Although I have been a huge Sun Worshipper and my skin is very good for my age, so people tell me! Must be all in the Genes then, do the experts really know!!!??? :mysmilie_7:

experts just want your cash. qvc bring out a new range by the hour. and there will be people buying every single range as its available. you can imagine how many hundreds of pounds that is each year. my skin has just started to need an extra layer of a fine oil. tried a few loved the l'occitane one but its the best part of £100. for 30ml. boots do botanics smoothing facial oil for a couple of pounds its superb

 

[maymorganlondon]

I wonder if Abi was more of a sunworshipper, and less evangelical about her skin when she was young. Once she has realised the damage, and the risk to her own children, she may have become more aware... then realised the business opportunity to boot.

On the one hand, you could say it would be better to have someone with no sun damage to promote both ranges; on the other hand, you could say that if she actually made more of her own sun damage as a cautionary tale it would be quite impactful.

She's not the only one who you may wonder if they are the wisest choice as a skincare ambassador. I often think that Karra who does the Perricone range might not be ideal. At least, in her favour, she does mention her California sun-worshipper ways. Maybe Abi could take a leaf out of Karra's book and at least open up about her less than perfect past choices. But being lectured by someone who shows signs of sun damage (whether aided by unlucky genetics or not) does smack of "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".

In terms of who does have good skin as a skincare professional, thinking across the whole lot of ranges offered at QVC, none of them are perfect, and it's not really reasonable to expect they will be. If they love the sun, it shows. If they have young children (and therefore are often sleep deprived), it shows. If they are older than when the first appeared on QVC, it shows. If they've lost weight/put on weight, it shows. If they have benefitted from aid which does not come out of a pot but from a syringe or a scalpel, it shows. Just don't insult us by pretending that you never "broke the rules" you are lecturing us about.