Which Skincare?

[Silver Fox]

Would welcome any comments re all these skincare brands on offer! I use Elemis at the moment which is really nice but am not sure all these claims are justified and the expense is worth it.I have always used premium brand skincare and for my age ( 60's) so my skin is pampered & I think as good as it can be short of surgery! Have been looking at the A'kin range which quite a few people like? I tend to use products for a dryer skin, not too many wrinkles, loss of firmness, (yes, but don't think any wonder serum/cream is going to help this).Am not sensitive ( skin wise!) Oh & by the way--- any comments on these facial exercise gadgets?

many thanks SFX

 

[angel_uk]

I am a fully converted Gatineau girl!

 

[Loveinamist]

Would welcome any comments re all these skincare brands on offer! I use Elemis at the moment which is really nice but am not sure all these claims are justified and the expense is worth it.

Have you tried Elem PCMC. I have very sensitive skin and in your shoes I wouldn't risk changing your routine in case of undoing all your hard work in the past. I like PCMC and at 52 have seen results around the actual eye area, although I don't take it up to the lashes. I too have pampered my skin but also think fewer products are the way to go. I couldn't do what Keeley and AY advises with layer this, layer that, after cleansing use quartz this and that, I would be red raw, literally. I know cavegirl will give you lots of valuable info on the Akin range, she loves it, so we can both look forward to her post. :happy:

 

[Silver Fox]

Thanks Loveinamist, I do use PCMC & the Oxy. Night Cream.I think you are right find a few products that work for you. I think I am in danger of being caught up in all these serums & special treatments!
& Angel UK have used Gatineau in the past which I do like.

 

[donna255]

I use Elemis because I like it, not all the products agree with me so I avoid those.

Gatineau I always found highly perfumed and I just wasn't impressed.
That is me.

Alpha H I never fancied and after a member here had to get her daughter to see a dermalogist after using it. I wouldn't try it.

Honest answer.

Nothing which comes out of a pot and sold over a counter or online will stop you getting wrinkles or get rid of ones had have developed.
You use what you like as just think how bad you would look if you didn't even bother. Even seen those little old Indian ladies who look 300 and are actually only in their 40s!!!!! Sun and not using anything.

If you want to get rid of wrinkles and sagging then its a face lift or botox.

 

[MsTrouble]

Would welcome any comments re all these skincare brands on offer! I use Elemis at the moment which is really nice but am not sure all these claims are justified and the expense is worth it.I have always used premium brand skincare and for my age ( 60's) so my skin is pampered & I think as good as it can be short of surgery! Have been looking at the A'kin range which quite a few people like? I tend to use products for a dryer skin, not too many wrinkles, loss of firmness, (yes, but don't think any wonder serum/cream is going to help this).Am not sensitive ( skin wise!) Oh & by the way--- any comments on these facial exercise gadgets?

many thanks SFX

If you are happy with the way your skincare performs currently then I wouldn't change it.

You are right about serums/creams not helping with slackness/firmness as they can only provide a temporary solution for maybe a couple of hours, you may feel the skin tighten etc but that is just the product having a temporary cosmetic effect.

The cause of skin slackness and wrinkles are a deterioration in collagen and elastin.
Collagen is the fibrous protein that gives the skin strength and support/firmness while elastin is a highly elastic protein giving skin its smoothness, strength and resilience.
These two proteins provide the skin's scaffolding. Many factors can cause this to break down such as smoking, alcohol, pollution, sun damage and health problems.
Loss of fat in the skin which is a part of ageing will also cause sagging.

Useful things to know:
Lack of Vitamin C causes collagen to break down and is essential in it's production.
UVA rays cause damage to collagen and elastin fibres
Lack of the mineral Zinc causes sagging and wrinkling to happen more easily.
Alcohol robs the body of Vitamin C.
Smoking destroys Vitamin C.

Applying serum/cream topically will have no effect on what is going on underneath the skin and cannot add collagen and elastin. You can stimulate your skin to produce collagen and elastin by using AHA's, BHA's, Vitamin A and by diet and sunscreen.
Good serums to go for are one's with antioxidants to prevent damage.

Microcurrent treatments also stimulate collagen and elastin production alongside glycolic products. Microcurrent was originally founded to treat Bell's Palsy.

Products like Tua Trend are based on microcurrent and would recommend them.

A'Kin products are great especially the Rosehip Oil and Cellular Radiance Serum which provide excellent antioxidants which protect the skin from UVA rays.

Hope this is useful. :happy:

PS I don't work for any brand or beauty company.

 

[BusyMum]

I'm 60s and not bad skin - good genes to an extent I suppose - but in the past I've been sucked in by all the claims of the expensive ranges that QVC flog, but I've found that most things now will do the same job, barring Avon's age range and the much-vaunted Aldi miracle cream, both of which brought me out in spots, but at the mo I'm using something I got in Boyes for £3.99 a tub, day & night, and the eye cream was £1.99 - my skin is no better, no worse, than it always is, so I'd say try whatever takes your fancy...you might be pleasantly surprised...as well as saving some dosh!

 

[snailsontour]

What a mine field skin care is. We all have our favourite brands, and to recommend one is so difficult as all our skins are different. I don't think there are any miracle creams out there, although there are some quite potent ones only available on prescription.

I'm 53, and have pretty good skin, it behaves itself, and I would describe it as normal. Yes I have the usual wrinkles for my age and not too much sagging anywhere. My biggest concern is sun damage, and I do have a couple of hyper pigmentation patches.

That said, I do love Elemis, Decleor, and A*kin. At the mo I am using Decleor Hydra Floral and am loving it all over again. Prior to that I was using A*kin, and whilst I love it in the summer, it is a lighter cream and my skin is a little dryer right now due to the central heating. I wasn't too keen on Gatinau as it inflamed my skin - this is the only skincare brand ever to do that. I always use a serum - currently I have A*kin on the go.

What has made the biggest difference to my skin is using the Tresonic and now the Clarisonic facial brush; I really think starting with a clean canvas lets your skincare in to do its work. And to keep sagging at bay I use the Tua Trend and rate it very highly.

 

[barbedwire]

MsTrouble, again - thank you for such a brilliant post. Love reading your advice.

I can't really offer much other than to fly the flag for A'kin some more. I've tried Decleor, the odd bit from Elemis and Gatineau, but was a devotee of Liz Earle until about two, maybe three years ago.

A'kin really seems to suit my skin - the moisturisers are a slightly strange texture, quite unlike anything I've used before - but they sink in well and leave my face very hydrated and looking 'glowing'. I can also vouch highly for the Rosehip Oil and the Cellular Radiance serum, which really really work to soften - on their own or underneath the moisturisers themselves. I recently switched my face cream to a cheaper one from Lush - and while I've no real complaints about its moisturisation properties it did start to give me a little breakout on my chin after a few weeks. I've gone back to A'kin this week and noticed a literal actual result straight away :wink: .

 

[Silver Fox]

many thanks all for sharing your experiences and giving valuable information!

S FX

 

[rosey]

Personally I love Gatineau - I have tried the others on qvc but they did nothing for my skin but it is a personal thing. Thats the good thing about tsv's and the 30 day mbg, you can try several products for just the postage costs.

I find that things I have bought over the counter have not worked for me and I have wasted money and whilst one pot might be more expensive, as a tsv it usually works out cheaper and not an expensive waste. The No 7 repair and protect serum they raved about brought me out in spots which was £18 down the drain!

I do only use the boots no 7 cleanser now instead of the LE cleanse and polish - it is much better and really cheap if you use the £5 vouchers that they always give in boots.

I also find that if I have some Gatineau serum to put under my moisturizer (if I had some in a tsv) then my skin is MUCH better. But cannot justify spending £50 on it normally, even though the results do show for themselves.

 

[fredab]

I like to mix and match. I love decleor iris oil for the day under an estee lauder SPF moisturiser. At night I love Gatineau melo cream. I use PCMC occasionally. At night the Gatineau force collagene literal actual serum is very good. Exfoliation is the key though as AY etc all bang on about , if you have dead skin cells nothing is going to work very well.

 

[Frazzled]

:wave: I don't watch the beauty shows - any recommendations for exfoliation products would be very welcome?

 

[MsTrouble]

The type of exfoliant to go for depends on your skin type and personal preferance.

Types of exfoliant:
Scrubs, peels (glycolic, papaya etc), masks, cloths, gadgets like Clarisonic, facial brushes, mitts, a slightly abrasive sponge (like Clientele), microdermabrasion.

Avoid really harsh scratchy exfoliants as they can damage the skin's surface and can be very irritating for sensitive skins. There are some good ones with spherical beads which are much gentler.

A more gentle exfoliant is a non abrasive one such as enzyme peels/glycolics as you lightly massage these on/wipe on, leave a while (varies depending on brand) and rinse off, these have no gritty particles. But even these can irritate some skins.

Also exfoliating can be over done if not careful, for example, using mechanical scrubs whilst using AHA/Retinol creams etc

There so many products in this category and so quite difficult to be specific and recommend.

:flower:

 

[angel_uk]

:wave: I don't watch the beauty shows - any recommendations for exfoliation products would be very welcome?

Radiance Gommage by Gatineau. It is like magic! It smells like oranges (in a nice way!) and starts off as a jelly which turns to a liquid when you rub it in.

The melatogenine cleanser plus the Clarisonic is my every day cleansing though.

 

[Frazzled]

Thanks ladies, much appreciated.

I can only use mineral make-up so the peel/jelly type sounds like the way to go, will give it a try

:mysmilie_504: