Cheap skincare - is it worth it?

[jceeyore]

Hi,

I have been a lurker on here for a year or more now but today is the day I have plucked up the courage to post.

I have always had very sensitive skin and had to be careful what I use on my face. I cleanse/tone/moisturise. For a while I used Boots #7 and then my Mum started buying Dermalogica for me. When all my supplies ran out (I can't afford to spend heaps on beauty products) I started using the Simple range.

Mum is an avid QVC viewer as am I, but Mum swears by Alpha-h. I saw Mum a few weeks ago (having been using the Simple products) for a few months and according to her my skin looked bad. (I thought it was ok ....)

Anyway, my point being - do you really have to spend heaps and heaps on skin care to get results. I am a busy Mum and I don't have the disposable income to be spending £25+ on a moisturiser yet apparently the Simple products according to Mum do not "feed my skin" and I should be using something else.

....... the only QVC beauty range I am tempted to try is Philosophy but that is only because I love their shower gels. I have tried Liz Earle before and my skin hated it and I have been using a bottle of Mum's Alpha-H Factor 50 Moisturiser and notice no difference.

Thanks in advance
JC

 

[nicnac]

I have used expensive potions and lotions from QVC and elsewhere and i have used cheaper ranges aswell. There have been good and bad results with both versions. Right now my products are from Aldi - serum, and day and night creams and my cleanser from Lush. At the moment these are working for me. I personally don't think the price matters, if your finances can stretch to it, so long as the product works for you.
I am cheap and cheerful, :sun: and OH says he can't see a difference to my skin now, compared to when i was using expensive creams. Apart from our much healthier finances - no difference! :blush:

 

[Snarly]

Is it worth it? I dunno. I was more than happy with my Weleda natural skincare but kinda felt left out of all the hype, so am trying Alpha/EHarvie. Keeping in mind the 30dmbg though. Been less than a week, too soon to tell. Big W-E-L-C-O-M-E to you! You must be an expert lurker by now. Enjoy your time with us, from da Snarly

 

[donna255]

In the good old days I used all sorts mix and match. Now because I have mild roseaca, so many brands either make my redness worse or I get the lovely little spots. So for me not worth spending on products just to find they don't agree with me. Even if they are classed as cheap. I like Elemis because it works for me. But not everything from the brand. The eye mask makes my eyes red and sore looking, wouldn't touch the Tri Enz range as the Papaya made me itch.

If you have a nose on ebay you can get some great deals, but always read feedback etc.

 

[Bauble]

Hello jceeyore, its an interesting question. Im 49 and started cleansing toning and moisturising every day when I was 15. I started off with Boots cucumber range as it was so cheap and over the years have used Nivea, Olay, Astral etc,that sort of price range but never anything "hardcore specific antiaging". I know my skin looks great for my age and I have only a few fine crows feet. I use a gentle(currently a superdrug one) exfoliator once a week and the one product I swear by is Avons anew eye cream/gel combo. I believe the one real reason my skin tone ,texture and condition is good is that I have ALWAYS looked after my skin since my midteens. I know women my age who neglected their skin until becoming more educated recently and are now spending a fortune on skincare but not seeing any real benefit apart from an improvement in clarity due to proper cleansing. Dont know what results I would ever have had with expensive skincare but I have been using mostly Simple cleanser and moisturiser for about 6 months and very happy with it. Actually I lie, I tried Liz Earle for a while and loved the scents and it suited my skin but results no better than the dreaded cheap brands!

 

[Tinkerbelle]

I subscribe to the theory that using summat is better than nowt and I am very much against the hype of QVC pushing people to try a certain lotion or potion "which you wouldn't normally be able to afford". If you can't afford it then you can't. End of.

I'm a knocking on the door of 50 and I've been using PCMC pretty much exclusively since about age 46. Although I say so myself I have good skin with few lines but for most of my life I used Oil of Olay ... the basic pink day cream not the lotion. And my skin was good before PCMC so I'd say it's Oil of Olay that got me to my mid 40s looking OK.

I've just told a client I will be 50 next month and she was genuinely shocked. And I'm a very happy bunny with that.

Buy what you like and can afford but use it twice a day every day and you won't go far wrong. Hopefully by the time you get to my age you'll be able to choose to use something aimed at anti-ageing. Who knows!

)

 

[iloveshopping]

The one most important factor for skin care is minimize exposure to the sun. The further north your ancestors orginated the less exposure you need. Smoking and drinking heavily will also age your skin. Also your genes play a significant part in how you age so if you take after a family member who looks young for their age you will probably follow suit and look younger than you are.
In my opinion, nowadays there is not a significant difference between expensive skincare products and the supermarket own brand ones because the supermarket brands just lag slightly behind the market leaders. Expensive ingredients can always be substituted, no company has yet discovered the wonder products - though in my case I had pretty bad acne until my late thirties and the local hospital prescribed me Roaccutane and I was over the moon with the results.
As you have a young family and money does not grow on trees, do your research on this website and treat yourself once in a while to one of the supermarket products that you fancy. Perhaps your mother can treat you to some of the more expensive branded products that she uses for your birthday or christmas.

 

[Silver Fox]

I agree with iloveshopping re the factors which affect your skin.I have cleansed since my teens ( 50 years ago!) when I used to massage Camay soap into my face.Over the years I have used most of the major brands with full range from cleansers to serums/day & night creams.I have now gone back to Liz Earle as I like the C&P & IBST.It is straight forward & you don't need zillions of products.Use what you can easily afford if something well priced works for you then that's a bonus!The reason I moved from the likes of Gatineau & Elemis was not 'cos I didn't like them but I kept having to replace items costing £80/£90 time.
&&&& a big welcome to the forum!!!!

 

[rainbowdottie]

I think you have to find what works for your skin.

I too have always looked after my skin....again starting with the boots cucumber range (do they still do that??)

But I believe what will work for you,won't for others...and you have to take into account your lifestyle,your age,your genetics and TBH your budget.

I've used probably every high street brand going (honestly) and some I'd never buy again,some were OK and some I'd buy again.I haven't got into Decleor or Elemis as I know I can't afford to upkeep it.I tried a gatineau cleanser and toner and my skin hated it,so I've never bothered with the range since or will again.

IMO in everything I've tried Liz Earle is the best.Like you,I couldn't get on with it to begin with....but my colleagues were using it and raving about it...and I was determined to persevere.Glad I did and I now can use some of her products,and out of all the cleansers I've tried C&P is still the best IMO.I can't afford to buy it everytime I run out....but I do miss it,when I do run out.

TBH,other than that I'm very negative about skincare.After being referred to dermatology at my local hospital for my Roscea condition - and finding out that the best thing you can do for your face including anti ageing..is suncream.The improvement in my skin in the last 2 years since being told this,is unbelievable.

So in a nutshell I'm happy with my C&P and then ultrasun.

 

[BusyMum]

welcome to the forum!

I must be around the same age as Silver Fox, I'm a soap'n'water gal in the morning (or, actually ABC skinwash - I used Dove soap the other day and it left my skin feeling tight!). It was cold cream or soap'n'water again to remove any make-up, I never really "looked after" my skin until I got into watching QVC then was horrified at how neglectful I'd been! OK I didn't wear make-up every day until I got to about 40 and decided I needed it so perhaps that's helped - also not a sun-worshipper, plus good genes as my Mum always looked younger than her age. However I did smoke (40+ a day) for about 25 years, and I do like my evening spritzer tho am trying to stick to just having alcohol at the weekends. So, basically, we are all different and what works for one won't work for all - at the mo I am using Asda's nspa range and loving it..bought the whole set for around £35-£40ish - hot cloth cleanser, spray toner, melting gel wash, facial wash, facial oil, serum, day & night creams, eye & lip cream. This is about the first time I ever remember repeat purchasing a product before I'd even got to the end of the first one - normally I'd try something different. So, in my inexpert opinion, and something I've long said, you don't have to spend big bucks to get decent products - sample a few things and decide what you like and what seems to work for you.

 

[NIKKID]

I agree with a lot of what everyone else has already said

something is better than nothing
genes play a role
lay off the sun, smoking, drinking etc
not everything in a range suits everyone and sometimes the range doesnt agree with your particular skin

I think a lot of the expensive skin care is nothing more than successful marketing! Find something you enjoy in your price range that works for you and you have found the holy grail of skin care!

 

[Weathergirl]

I agree with NIKKID, save as to add that some more expensive brands contain quite pricey ingredients and the higher it is up the list then the more of it there is in relation to other stuff lower down the list. Not every brand that is pricey is necessarily worth it, however. I am yet to find a " high tech" brand that is not simply a cocktail of nasties in posh packaging. I love the Emma Hardie skincare for the ingredients, but I would like it even better if she lost the wasteful packaging and charged less!

 

[Silver Fox]

welcome to the forum!

I must be around the same age as Silver Fox, I'm a soap'n'water gal in the morning (or, actually ABC skinwash - I used Dove soap the other day and it left my skin feeling tight!). It was cold cream or soap'n'water again to remove any make-up, I never really "looked after" my skin until I got into watching QVC then was horrified at how neglectful I'd been! OK I didn't wear make-up every day until I got to about 40 and decided I needed it so perhaps that's helped - also not a sun-worshipper, plus good genes as my Mum always looked younger than her age. However I did smoke (40+ a day) for about 25 years, and I do like my evening spritzer tho am trying to stick to just having alcohol at the weekends. So, basically, we are all different and what works for one won't work for all - at the mo I am using Asda's nspa range and loving it..bought the whole set for around £35-£40ish - hot cloth cleanser, spray toner, melting gel wash, facial wash, facial oil, serum, day & night creams, eye & lip cream. This is about the first time I ever remember repeat purchasing a product before I'd even got to the end of the first one - normally I'd try something different. So, in my inexpert opinion, and something I've long said, you don't have to spend big bucks to get decent products - sample a few things and decide what you like and what seems to work for you.

BusyMum--- nearly 65!!! going on 40!!

SFX

 

[RedRose]

I think there are some products that do make a difference to the look of your skin on the surface. For me, pre-rosacea, these were Decleor's Phytopeel and Hydrotenseur (eye serum). But I don't think anything is going to turn back the clock or prevent natural skin sagging or wrinkles.

Sunscreen and drinking water, keeping your skin feeling supple and moisturised are the biggies. I don't think that you need a highly expensive moisturiser to do that, lots of high street brands will do the job if they suit your skin.

I think obsessing over my skin's ageing process is a bit indulgent, really, when there are people out there who have serious skin issues, scarring, birthmarks and allergies.

Don't feel guilty about not spending £s on your skin, that's what all the advertisers/QVC salespeople are employed for - resist! All this 7 signs of ageing stuff and making women feel ashamed for looking their age, it's nonsense. Feel healthy, find a nice cleanser and moisturiser and enjoy your children. x

 

[Bensmum]

Welcome jceeyore. I'm mid 50s with very sensitive skin and have spent a fortune on skincare over the years, being brainwashed by Alison Y and Co. I've come to learn that it's all about keeping your skin hydrated and being committed to it and you really can do that without spending a lot of money at all.

 

[BusyMum]

BusyMum--- nearly 65!!! going on 40!!

SFX

same here - what month are you? (if you don't mind me asking! I'm August).

 

[netscat]

Hi, I think any skin care is fine if it suits your skin and low cost won't affect you getting good skin. It's a shame your confidence was knocked if you thought you looked OK!

I used mainly No7 and Simple (Although No7 is getting really expensive now!!) from my late 20's til I was about 45 and had great skin. I can't actually remember what I did before that, but I do have a hazy memory of 'orange blossom' cleanser and moisturiser from Boots in my teens in the 70's, I didn't get on with the cucumber stuff.

Genes, health, diet and lifestyle are so important and so is sun protection, which again was non-existent really in my youth! Cleansing is vital and it is this that I prefer to spend money on, cheaper cleansers don't work well with MY skin but obviously they do for others.

I only really started using higher end products a couple of years ago when my skin got problems- middle age breakouts, larger pores and dullness, but you really don't need to! I do because I enjoy messing about with lotions and potions but I know it's not necessary.

 

[Loveinamist]

Welcome to the forum. The important thing I think is to not overload the skin. AY would have you looking like a vat of fat with layer over layer of serums and potions. Over fiddling can irritate the skin. I use Garnier cleanser and toner £5 for both and PCMC at night. I have to keep things simple due to very sensitive skin. If you have non-reactive skin you are lucky, and too much exfoliating can increase oil production. The key, as said above, is commitment, no matter how tired! Best wishes.

 

[Silver Fox]

same here - what month are you? (if you don't mind me asking! I'm August).

June--- & all these celebrations are not for the Queen, they're for MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

 

[alter ego]

You'll find lots of good info on the Paula's Choice website www.cosmeticscop.com. I don't agree with all her opinions, but I've picked up a lot of interesting things reading her site. Her ingredients directory is pretty comprehensive and I quite enjoy reading her reviews on Beautypedia.com (though tend to go more to Makeupalley for user reviews). I've bought a few of her skincare products and so far been quite impressed.