The Gatineau 'Trap'

[sweetpea]

As some of you may already know,I had a life changing diagnosis earlier this year,and whilst I have got through the subsequent op and treatment,my mortality has been slapped rudely in front of my face at the grand old age of 44!!!

Whilst the above has bugga all to do with skincare,well it did in a way with surgical menopause and chemo lol,it did make me think on what is truly important in life.There is a part of me that hopes to be a wrinkled old prune:blush:....not before my time of course,well not too much lol,but the odd line here and there(more than the odd one in a well lit room ) doesn't seem so bad in the grand scheme of things.

That is not to say that I am going to let myself go,but I haven't bought any gatineau tsv or product this year at all when I normally would have done.I did buy the elemis one just gone but I like the bath stuff and the pcmc is nice but not a necessity.I have actually been using the Aldi lacura range,the multi intensive serum as fab at £3.99 and the pink lidded night cream at £1.99 is another one I like.You see you can try all the different ones they do without guilt if they don't suit and it still costs less than a sample size of the presteeeeeeejuz stuff!:grin:

If I am honest as well I have done all the things that would make Alison Young shudder...........I have smoked(don't now) I go in the sun,I don't use enough spf,I have gone to bed in my make up,used soap and water etc etc but even if I hadn't done any of that I still wouldn't have the skin I had in my teens or 20's with or without the use of uber posh cream!

Whether you look your age is not just down to skin and wrinkles,it's also down to the clothes you wear,your hairstyle and most importantly your attitude.It's a fine balancing act for us as we meet middle age,our head still thinks we are 20 but the mirror tells us different:doh:
Dress too young and we look mutton,too old and we are judged to have 'given in' and of course the worst judge of all is our fellow women folk!

I think the lovliest thing I heard once was on some random tv show years ago........it showed an Italian family sitting down to a meal,a large extended family,and there was a young Italian man who went up to his grandma and gave her the biggest hug and kiss and told the camera that he thought she was the most beautiful of all the women sat at the table and that the lines on her face made her so because they she was full of wisdom (WTTE)

What a ramble......sorry folks lol

 

[donna255]

My aunt used Camay and we thought she was so posh. Hey we used Lifebouy and not the fancy one either. Mid teens I moved on to Anne French and Bonne Belle both could strip paint from walls. LOL

I remember in the mid 70s as a teen going on holiday to Canada, they called Ulay Olay as did the US. I used a Ponds cream not Cold as a moisturer then the Body Shop opened.

 

[rosey]

Although I agree that it is an expensive trap - have you actually tried to go into Boots and buy a bottle of serum, day cream, night cream and a mask? Even if you bought the medium priced products (Olay, ROC etc) you would have little change out of £50. Most products are towards £20 per item.

So I do not think that the tsv's are expensive and also it gives you a chance to try products with the 30 day mbg. I never buy products at full price on qvc.

 

[janie]

sweetpea

i didn't know. best wishes for continued good health. and i agree, nothing like a major crisis to make you realise what's important and what's not.

here, have a (((((hug))))):hi:

 

[minim]

I was a bit like Harry Enfield’s Kevin the teenager. It seemed I woke up one morning and BAM! my sebaceous glands had gone into overdrive. I remember my mother saying,"You'll be glad when you're older!"
GLAD ‽
I thought she was mad.
To make matters worse, my best friend had the skin of a peach.

Over the years I've used quite a few products. The ones that I remember with some affection disappeared - 'Dorothy Gray Cleansing grains', 'Happy Face' face wash. Oil of Ulay/ Olay & Anne French are still around.
Well, mother's are always right. 40+ years on and my skin is good darn it, my neck is brilliant and best friend looks old and rails against her gene pool. At the end of the day, I think that's what it comes down to - genes because it certainly is not down to one or two products that I've used faithfully over the years. I think it would be fair to say I've been quite promiscuous with my skincare, never particularly loyal to a brand or skincare line.

I've used some Q promoted products - Elemis Sensitive Face Wash, Philosophy Purity & Hope In A Jar, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish, Elizabeth Williams Luxury Diamond Cleansing Mousse and others- but quite honestly, none were Eureka! products for me and some were downright disastrous.
The only products I'm fairly loyal to are Clinique's Comforting face-wash & Aldi's Lacura Multi-Intensive Serum.
I'm not suggesting these have given me good skin, but they have made my skin feel comfortable and that's all I expect them to do.

 

[JR's Ego]

Gran used Camay soap, then glycerine & rosewater, then Oil of Ulay (when it was the true ULAY- pink gloop, black cap) and looked absolutely stunning, skin, 'soft focus' in person until her passing at aged 90. I admit the rollers and hair net with mini pink bows at night looked an absolute fright, however...

Not a serum, toner, Gommage, whip, pre-moisturiser, pre-cleaner, post-moisturiser, post-toner in sight!

 

[JR's Ego]

sweetpea

i didn't know. best wishes for continued good health. and i agree, nothing like a major crisis to make you realise what's important and what's not.

here, have a (((((hug))))):hi:

Hear hear!!!! :clapping:

 

[backstreetgirl]

Can I echo the sentiments of others on here sweetpea and wish you continued good health for the future. {{{{{hug}}}}}

 

[Lemonsqueezy]

I am almost 53 and I find it hard to say whether my skin is good or not and if it's ok for my years.I just think I look old!!
I only started to take very good care of my skin in my 30's,but have never used expensive skin care and swap brands all the time based on what's on offer!
I have used gatineau etc but they don't do a better job than any other, and I can't afford to repeat purchase...though if the creams did all Andrew claims I would find the dosh!!!!

I am currently using Korner day and night creams from TKMAXX but next month it may well be something else!!

 

[Mam]

Every good wish for a long and healthy future from me too sweetpea.

love Ann
xxxxxx

 

[123purplerabbit]

Gran used Camay soap, then glycerine & rosewater, then Oil of Ulay (when it was the true ULAY- pink gloop, black cap) and looked absolutely stunning, skin, 'soft focus' in person until her passing at aged 90. I admit the rollers and hair net with mini pink bows at night looked an absolute fright, however...

Not a serum, toner, Gommage, whip, pre-moisturiser, pre-cleaner, post-moisturiser, post-toner in sight!

Yup - my gran, mum & her 3 sisters are/were all like that with fantastic clear skin after being brought up on the banks of Lough Neagh. I remember my Mum using Lux soap on all our faces until I rebelled as it made my skin smart like crazy. I persuaded her to buy body shop soap when I was in my teens - she was scandalised at the price until she saw how long it lasted, and the only 'moisturiser' I ever remember her putting on her face was Lacto Calamine (why, I've no idea) or the occasional slap of suncream (trotted out from the back of the cupboard for years on end).

 

[georges mum]

I used to layer Decleor onto my skin every day and wondered why i was breaking out in spots. I was talking to a girl at work once and was moaning about it and she asked what i put on my face, she couldn't believe the list of 'stuff' i put on every morning and then again in the evening before bed.

She suggested that i cut all the stuff out and just wash and cleanse my face twice aday which was really sensible, i did this and my skin cleared up.

I now use the Organic range from Lloyds the Chemist which is really good on the pocket and the face.

 

[janie]

a few people have mentioned aldi. i remember some survey a few years ago where aldi's anti-wrinkle cream came out top, way ahead of all the expensive creams. i think it was about £1.99 and sold out overnight

 

[amn]

Another vote here for aldi, and indeed lidl, whose £1.99 moisturiser I'm quite a fan of. I often wonder if they put the same stuff in a pot with some fancy pants brand name on it and sold it on qvc as the stuff you just have to have for £40 a go whether people would rave about how fantastic it was and buy it in their droves.

 

[barbedwire]

I was another one intially sucked into the skincare trap (not Gatineau though), tried Decleor, the odd bit of Elemis (did like Decleor but simply can't afford even at QVC prices). None of it made any real difference to my skin, so eventually pared my routine right down to washing face with either Dove soap or L'Occitane soap (if I can afford it), then tone and moisturise. I'm using up a stash of A'kin and Liz Earle moisurisation wise. After that I'll buy whatever's cheapest that appeals to me most. End of. I can't be layering up and spending a fortune on this/that/the other anymore!!

 

[minim]

I keep it simple now too barbedwire after having an allergic reaction - wash, tone, moisturise.
I'm also influenced by looking at the sheer number of ingredients. The more there are in my case, the more there is for me to react to.
For example Decleor Excellence De L'Age Sublime Cream
Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Methylsilanol Hydroxyproline Aspartate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Prunus Domestica Fruit Extract, Beheneth-25, Squalane, Cetyl Alcohol, Sorbitol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Stearyl Heptanoate, Stearyl Caprylate, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Bisabolol, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil, Boswellia Carterii Oil, Iris Florentina Root Extract, Helichrysum Italicum Extract, Ruscus Aceleatus Root Extract, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Salix Alba (Willow) Leaf Extract, Atemisia Abrotanum Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Fruit Extract, Saxifraga Sarmentosa Extract, Bellis Perennis (Daisy) Flower Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Kernel Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Morus Bombycis Root Extract, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Bupleurum Falcatum Root Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Corylus Avellana (Hazel) Seed Oil, Silica, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Xanthan Gum, Triethanolamine, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Panthenol, Biosaccharide Gum-4, Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Algin, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Tetrasodium Edta, Bht, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Ceramide 3, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate, Acacia Senegal Gum, Serine, Phytosphingosine, Ceramide 6-Ii, Cholesterol, Carbomer, Lecithin, Disodium Edta, Ceramide 1, Fragrance, Linalool, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Limonene, Benzyl Salicylate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Citronellol, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben

£92.52 for you.

 

[Kat73]

I've made quite a few expensive mistakes over the years, I react to complicated lotions and potions that's supposed to be anti ageing, even the body shop and decleor has caused irritation, and I avoid some of the supermarket and high street brands like the plague. I go for middle of the road cost wise, and have learned that it is important to cleanse properly then you should be able to use any moisturiser that suits you. Toning is a complete waste of time and money unless it's liz earle's instant boost tonic, that is just gorgeous and gentle to use. I always come back to cleanse and polish, not always from qvc, and the elemis pro radiance cleanser is a similar concept a thick cream removed with a hot cloth- I have had that in a couple of TSV's but would not pay full price for it. I follow with my tsv PCMC again I would not pay full price for, or any liz Earle moisturiser which I would. Bobbi brown vitamin enriched face base is very good multi tasked too, and it lasts forever. I bought mine at John Lewis, same with my liz Earle as though the qvc kits are great I don't want all that other stuff in them in the liz Earle TSV's, although I do with L'occitaine or elemis if it's bath stuff. I jest get what I always use with liz Earle these days, but have been using her cleanser for about 10 years. Apart from the floracil, I don't like Gatineau and think its over priced, doesn't meet it's claims and no way all that layering of products is necessary. Don't buy decleor or any of the other facial skincare on qvc. But L'occitaine for the bathroom is gorgeous, and I like the occasional elemis product.

 

[boffy]

just because its natural/has essential oils in it et all does not mean you wont react. in all probability you will. dermatologists and plastic surgeons use cheap protroleum based produts that most skins will tolerate not stuff loaded with nice smelling oils. nice to use if you have skin that can tolerate it disaster if you dont....imo!

 

[donna255]

I know I cannot use rose oil products, my roseaca hates natural rose oil.

I remember the days when I could use everything without a thought, now I usually end up with acne spots.

 

[boffy]

same here donna dont get me wrong i like all the smells they just dony like me lol!