Skincare - what to try next?

[kitten_with_claws]

Any suggestions ladies?
Skin good for my age (dark side of 45!), with good natural elasticity & have never really had breakouts, spots etc.! Got really sensitive eye area & medium sensitive skin elsewhere!
No real wrinkle problems (yet! lol), a few lines & dull, tired complexion due to ravages of stress & smoking I think & really horrible, hereditary bags under eyes (puffiness, deep lines, correctable only by surgery I think!)!
Currently trying Estro-Lift range, some improvement in complexion but could do better I think & if I only found something to improve look of/cleverly hide eyes I'd be happy!
(Not sure I can afford SC due to 3 teenagers merrily working their way through gallons of Liz Earle & Boots Protect & Perfect etc. stuff every month! Am also lazy & couldn't be bothered with 10 different Gatineau products on a daily basis, which is what has put me off that range so far!)

 

[loveheart]

I'm like you kitten, I have gone through almost the entire range at QVC, and at the moment I am about to start on the Judith Williams try me. I am currrently using Elemis pro marine collagen cream which is really good for dry mature skin. I do use Gatineau but I also find that I don't really know what pot to use as there are sooo many different ones. I like Philosophy Hope in a jar in the summer as it is quite light. The list is endless I really should should find one that I really like and stick with it. Good luck finding the right brand for yourself.

 

[queenie]

hi Kitten
sounds like you have similar skin to me
I am 40,fair skinned but tan well
I prefer the lighter textured sorts of cream like hope in a jar and Clinique dramatically different moisturising gel.
I use Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream for dry patches but hate the smell of it,it has this weird medicinal smell,hard to describe it but if you've ever smelt it you know what I mean!
I went away with a gang of women recently and one woman in our group had gorgeous skin,she used nivea,she used to work for one of the big beauty houses,cant remember which one,anyway she reckoned all these lotions were tosh,the only thing she swore by was the eight hour cream and a big tub of nivea,her skin was tip top,amazing actually and she was 53(no way would I have said that either)
sorry this hasn't helped you but thought it was interesting !

 

[kitten_with_claws]

I do use Gatineau but I also find that I don't really know what pot to use as there are sooo many different ones.

Phew, not just me then! I can never decide if it's because I'm lazy or just plain dumb but I do know that when faced with a regime of 8-10 pots a day, I just lose heart after a while & give up!

I like the sound of the Judith Williams stuff & not too scarily expensive either! Definitely worth a go at the Discovery kit price! I see it's on waitlist at the mo but will keep an eye out!

I'm going to keep on going with the Estro-Lift until it's all used up (or very near!) as I always feel horribly guilty if I have unused stuff lying about, so I normally plough on until the bitter end & the last drop in the jar!

 

[Bluebell]

I dont think you need to use ten different gatineau products to see the benefits

 

[kitten_with_claws]

#2 Thanks Queenie!
Hhmm, second lady to mention Hope in a Jar! (Wonder if I could combine that with Cleanse & Polish? I always seem to reach instinctively for that, the girls' cleanser, if I'm feeling poorly or a bit miserable, the smell seems to make me feel better somehow! Not keen on the Light moisturiser though, don't like the smell of that at all!)

Actually, I thought Nivea lady's story was quite interesting! I am quite tempted to give the Boots Protect & Perfect range a go too! I know people sneer at high street brands but their Moisturising Body Serum is gorgeous, leaves your skin like silk & smelling heavenly! (Definitely a 'keeper' product!)

 

[Bluebell]

If you dont like the smell of the skin repair why dont you try the new superskin moisturiser from LE it doesnt have a smell

I cant stand the smell of Hope in a Jar

 

[kitten_with_claws]

I dont think you need to use ten different gatineau products to see the benefits

Just the thought of choosing even a few between the seemingly dozens on offer makes me nervous Bluebell! I know that sounds pathetic but.......! :6:
(I'm not very confident when it comes to skincare ranges I have to say & usually just plump for the 'safe' popular sounding products that consist of as few items in the range as possible! lol)

 

[Bluebell]

Depends what you use already, I am sure if it is just a moisturiser you are wanting then you could benefit from a Gatineau Moisturiser or try the new LE one.
LE daily eye repair is good at hiding dark circles and a tip is you could try LE eyebright or floracil for the dark puffy eyes but only when you want to it doesnt have to be every day

 

[kitten_with_claws]

#7 Thanks Bluebell! I'll put the Superskin on my shortlist too then! That gives me about a summer's worth of products to experiment with then!
You lot all seem so confident with trying & mixing this, that & the other! I just always feel paranoid that unless I find the perfect product straight off, my skin will never 'catch up' or something.....as I say, pathetic I know!

 

[queenie]

#2 Thanks Queenie!
Hhmm, second lady to mention Hope in a Jar! (Wonder if I could combine that with Cleanse & Polish? I always seem to reach instinctively for that, the girls' cleanser, if I'm feeling poorly or a bit miserable, the smell seems to make me feel better somehow! Not keen on the Light moisturiser though, don't like the smell of that at all!)

Actually, I thought Nivea lady's story was quite interesting! I am quite tempted to give the Boots Protect & Perfect range a go too! I know people sneer at high street brands but their Moisturising Body Serum is gorgeous, leaves your skin like silk & smelling heavenly! (Definitely a 'keeper' product!)

I dont like the smell of a lot of the Liz Earle stuff either but I love c&p
I like protect and perfect too,infact I tend to suit the lighter types of cream to be honest,gave away some elemis pro marine cream the other day,found it a bit heavy if you know what I mean

 

[queenie]

hope in a jar is like a whipped mousse texture
got mine from ebay,a tad cheaper than QVC

 

[Bluebell]

#7 Thanks Bluebell! I'll put the Superskin on my shortlist too then! That gives me about a summer's worth of products to experiment with then!
You lot all seem so confident with trying & mixing this, that & the other! I just always feel paranoid that unless I find the perfect product straight off, my skin will never 'catch up' or something.....as I say, pathetic I know!

Your welcome, if you are trying a new range you should give it about 4 weeks to see if it is working for you unless you have a bad reaction straight away.

You definately are not pathetic, try drinking more water that is one really good thing that we can all do for our skin.

 

[kitten_with_claws]

#11 Yes, definitely sounds like we have similar skin Queenie.......& a similar sense of smell too!
My heart says I would love to use the C&P with perhaps a different moisturiser, I am just always worried about mixing ranges in case the ingredients 'clash' or something! (I always end up buying an entire range of something & not touching anything else until I've used it all!)
I really must try & be a bit braver & a lot less feeble! (I'm not like that in other walks of life, so can't understand it really!)

 

[qvcAddict]

I dont think you need to use ten different gatineau products to see the benefits

I thought that too - you don't have to buy into the whole eye, serum and neck thing!

Problem is this thread will probably blind you with more choice and we all like different things so hope you find something to suit.

I have used the Judith Williams and it was okay but didn't wow me. Hope in a Jar just isn't moisturing at all for me. Decleor hydrafloral is really nice and comforting. You may like to try an oil too if you have never tried.

As it's your eyes that bother you most you may like to find something you love for this. My personal favourites are Philosophy Hope in a Tube and also Smashbox Photo Op but then others will disagree so best wishes x

Actually have you tried Gale Hayman eyelift - I haven't (as I want moisturisation and light deflecting) but it is a light gel product that others seem to swear by?

ps I hate the smell of the 8 hour thing too!

ps again! If skin dull exfoliating is good

 

[Toadette]

Im a Liz Earle gal, but i much prefer L'occitane immortelle precious cream to the LE superskin, its about £5 dearer for 50ml but smells delicous. Im also a lover of Philosophy 'the great mystery' one minute facial. x

 

[kitten_with_claws]

#15 I'll have a look at the GH Eyelift qvcAddict, reviews look good at least!
(I'm quite fearful of my eyes as they are very sensitive, puffing up & turning red like a traffic light at he slightest provocation, which is a nuisance as they are my biggest 'problem area' as it were!)

I'm grateful for all your suggestions (yes Bluebell, less tea, more water I promise! lol) & feel a bit more daring about 'mixing & matching' now at least so thank you for all your ideas! :7:

 

[La_Princess]

hi kitten, ur eyes sound the same as me, puffy sensitive and easily irritated. i get bad dark circles n am only 23 use benefits ooh la lift and concealor for circles and SBC's cucumber gel for puffiness..really cooling n quite reasonable compared to other brands. Also if my eyes do get extra sore and red i find warm teabags placed on them 4 5mins helps. sounds a bit messy n yucky but it does help and any excuse for a cup of tea is good

 

[rosey]

I love the Liz Earle C&P, wouldn't use anything else now. Also love my gatineau creams. I think you can just use whichever product you like - a simple moisturizer and eye cream will do not necessarily 10!! I always think you need to use a separate one for the eye area.

Do not like Elemis Pro Collegene it is way too gloopy and doesnt sink in enough for day time. But have used it for a night cream when I bought it once.

Boots repair and protect cream brought me out in terrible spots - probably the worst I had ever had so don't rate this at all.

Don't like the smell of Liz Earle and Hope in a Jar was nothing special either. IMHO.

 

[kitten_with_claws]

#18 Dark circles, baggy eyes etc. are so unfair, I bet yours are hereditary too! (All my mother's side of family have them!) Can't afford surgery at the mo (to remove fat underneath & excess skin on top) but would love to lose them permanently, they've made me feel very self-conscious & miserable about my face since I was a teenager!
Will try the products you suggested, even a slight improvement would be something! lol
(Actually, the above makes me sound like a circus freak or somethng - OK, eyes aren't quite that bad but still ugly as far as I'm concerned & they make me look & feel so much older!