I'm ashamed to admit...

I am 32 years old and have never ever had a so called "routine" for my skin. I absolutely neglect my skin in every aspect.

NO moisturizers
NO masks
NO scrubs
NO facials

I don't even want to go on, it makes me depressed. Well, the reason for my *crying* is because yesterday being at the MAC counter trying to buy a powder I was told that the skin around my eyes was so completely DRY! YIKES! He showed me all my little wrinkles on the mirror (not a lot) but plenty for me to panic! Then on my way home I started noticing also my hands looked "thirsty", so so dried. And my feet, and legs and shoulders...everywhere all over completely DRY. How did I let this happen?

I had the unfortunate luck of having a mother who knew or knows for that matter nothing about self preserve. I was never passed on any beauty advice or even taught how to wear makeup.

PLEASE Help me! I'd like to establish a routine for my face as well as body, but most concern about my face right now. I don't even know where to begin. I'll say what I currently use.
I wash my face with Dove Soap(as well as my body) and then I put on powder(ended up buying Origins powder instead of MAC) and then I just apply my makeup. YES... that's it! My face tends to be more on the dry side, really not oily at all.
Any suggestions? I've been reading about skin moisturizers for both face and body but I am so confused now...everything claims to be great! Do they all really work??? Ok...I'll stop now (talking too much as usual)
Thanks to all you lovely souls outthere.

Hey! I feel for you. I have no skin care routine either. Sometimes I'll find a product I like, and I'll use it for a couple of weeks... but then I'll get lazy and forget about it.

Vitamins really help! I started taking them 2 weeks ago because I wanted healthier hair and faster hair growth. As a side effect, I have great skin, too! I think it's the vitamin E gelcaps that help skin most of all, because I recently added them to my list of daily supplements, and after a week or so, noticed the skin improvement.

Look for the vitamin E gelcaps, because they have liquid in them. I think that's better for absorbtion than the white powdery tablets.
But you would have to take them once a day... can't forget or get lazy! :) Results take a week or 2 or 3.

They're cheap! GNC sells them for like $1.99 for a month's supply.

No Petrolatum, Mineral Oils or direct alcohals. Go with botanically based products. Cheers.

Mmmmmm....Me Too, Julie. What a treat, and I LOVE products that have essential oils insted of synthetic fragrance.Oh Yeah! BIG Difference and most enjoyable

Can I get those products at drugstores or target/walmart or are they more expensive ones you buy on line?

I am guessing I will have to read a lot of labels before I find them...

Anywhere you buy skin care you have to read labels.....from the exclusive cosmetic counter to the drugstore. I use my own private lable skin care so I don't know enough about drug store brands, to give a reccomendation.....

Maybe Lyris or Karen, Uzma, Elissa...Lili???? May have a good reccomendation????

Grahm Webb has a really nice Skin line....I think it's called "Bilbo", available at Salons...

I am fortunate in that my skin is pretty maintenance-free (wrinkles are not yet a problem for me.) Therefore I only use two products: a facial moisturizer and cleanser since I wear makeup. The moisturizer is St. Ives Oil-Free Moisturizer and is about $3, if you can believe it. It is wonderful and most importantly, non-irritating. No fragrance, which is extraordinarily hard to find nowadays. It does the trick and costs next to nothing. There are probably some great options at the department store as well but I use what works for me and it happens to be dirt cheap! I write beauty reviews for epinions.com and mine for this product is here, if you're interested: http://www.epinions.com/content_67327659652

The cleanser I use is Purpose for sensitive skin. Again, it is fragrance-free and omits the harsher surfactants such as SLS and TEA/ammonium lauryl sulfate so common in commercial washes. Again, this one is cheap (under $5) yet works just fine for me. Good luck--I hope the comments/suggestions everyone offers helps you in your quest for better skin!

Hi

I make my own skincare products using oils and butters so can't really advise you an a commercial range.

Sorry.

Uzma

Hi Lyris,

Thanks for the great recommendations. I actually had in my hand today the St. Ives Apricot Scrub but I didn't look at the rest of their products as my lunch hour was running short.

Curious about the cleanser, is PURPOSE the brand name?

BTW...thanks to everyone for all your suggestions. I have been reading up all weekend on this wonderful site and saw some great homemade masks and sort. I am considering giving one of them a try. I've also learned a lot about Essential Oils. This is a wonderful site and is the wonderful people like all of the ones that have replied to my question that make it such an amazing place.



Ok..done blabbing away! Have a great day!

Hi you guy's. Imso, I know the St. Ives Apricot scrub would be too abraisive for me, (make sure there are no ground apricot pits, or any ground pits for that matter) and Lyris's routine wouldn't be enough moisture...for me...but it may be great for you....everyone is different and you may have to try a few things before you find the perfect products.

keep reading and let us know how your doing. And your right this is a great site with great people....Welcome

Hi Sophie,

I was thinking the same thing and once I saw Lyris Picture..LOL! Now, I don't have a whole bunch of wrinkles, just a few little ones around my eyes. But I can see my skin is very dried all over. Weird that I never paid attention to it.

I'm thinking I need "at least" the following:

-cleanser
-moisturizer
-something for the wrinkles, especially around the eyes ( I am not sure if I'd be able to find a moisturizer that would serve that purpose also)
-Scrub/facial I can do weekly

Sounds about right, doesn't it?

Yes, the brand is Purpose (it's a Johnson & Johnson product) and I found the full name: Purpose
Moisturizing Foaming Cleanser. It's online at drugstore.com if you want to see it (and the ingredients): http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=73295&catid=21228&trx=PLST-0-SRCH&trxp1=21228&trxp2=73295&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx=BUY-PLST-0-SRCH

Also, if you are new to skin care and feeling completely lost, a good tome is Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me by Paula Begoun. It's a big chunk of a book with reviews on thousands of makeup/beauty products, but most importantly, there's a ton of info on skin care in general--what you can and cannot expect products to do. It's a pretty good read. :-)

Oh great! Thanks so much. Was it that obvious that I am "lost" over here. I am searching for the book right now. I read some of your reviews at EPINIONS...Wow! You know your stuff!

Also, in addition to any products you decide to use for your dry skin you should start taking a multivitamin (if you already don't) and drinking 8-9 glasses of water daily.

A note on vitamin E supps. Have been taking them for years...but check the labels. You'll want Natural E, not synthetic. On the label for natural it'll say ingredients: d alpha synthetic version is: dl alpha

I take 2 400ius daily (the gels) The natural costs a little bit more, but is better for you. Check your ius too, don't want more than 400 ius per gel, can make your blood too thin, etc. Might want to do some research as to what best suits you.

Good luck...gotta get back to work now.

I've always used Noxema skin cream to wash my face, followed by a light moisturizer that contains sunscreen. These days I'm using Loreal Plentitude w/spf 15. It's very inexpensive (about $7-$9 in drug stores). I also like Clinique's moisturizer (the yellow one) but honestly I haven't found a difference between the two.

My exfoliating secret is a clean, wet washcloth. I generously apply the Noxema, wet a washcloth with hot water, squeezing out the excess, and gently but firmly wipe the Noxema off with the washcloth. The washcloth is just abrasive enough to exfoliate, but I don't rub so hard that it'd be irritating. Then I rinse with cool water, pat dry, and apply the moisturizer.

If I have a zit or two, I avoid moisturizing that particular spot, and use a dab of Neutrogena Clean and Clear tinted zit cream on the blemish(es). If you catch them early enough, you may be able to minimize their life.

I have tried the Apricot facial scrub and found it to be nice, but I like the Noxema better. I've kept this same routine since I was 11 and it's always worked for me.

Imsolost, please let us know what skin routine you adopt and how it goes. Good luck.

Elissa

[QUOTE=Mylissa] A note on vitamin E supps. Have been taking them for years...but check the labels. You'll want Natural E, not synthetic. On the label for natural it'll say ingredients: d alpha synthetic version is: dl alpha

I take 2 400ius daily (the gels) The natural costs a little bit more, but is better for you. Check your ius too, don't want more than 400 ius per gel, can make your blood too thin, etc. Might want to do some research as to what best suits you.

Good luck...gotta get back to work now.
[/QUOTE]

Hmm. I didn't know Vitamin E would make your blood thinner. Maybe that's why I'm a better blood donor now. (See this thread: http://talk.hairboutique.com/forum/viewthread.asp?forum=AMB_AP393429385&id=1919)
My blood had always been super-quick to clot and had stopped running. I guess it clotted up the needle when it was supposed to be still running out. Anyway, I think that's a good thing.

Incidentally, I take synthetic. Although E is also in Ultra Nourishair and it's natural in there.
GNC is advertising this new thing called Isomer E, which they call "full spectrum vitamin E". I'm not sure what their source is for te supplement. They compare it to Synthetic and Natural... Isomer E is supposed to be twice the antioxidant capacity as natural, which I think is to say that it's easiest to absorb???
They site a major university as doing the research, but don't name the university.
I wonder how much it is. GNC Gold Card discount days ended yesterday. :p
I have like 4 months supply of the synthetic... but it only cost me $2.

Try a fish oil supplement- It will moisturise from the inside and out

I agree with the supplements suggestions. Just wanted to add that I started trying out a LOT of different skincare regimens when I turned 30 (7 years ago) because I noticed wrinkling and loss of firmness, and have seen major improvements since implementing the following:

Cellex-C High Potency Solution
Hydra 5B Gel
Alpha Hydrox Cream (buy at drugstore)
Retinol formulation (a tube costs about $9 at Avon and lasts a LONG time)
Skin firmer like Lancome's Renergie Countour Lift

My favorite cleansers: Burt's Bees Orange Cleanser, Mario Badescu's Orange Cleanser (hmm, something about orange, perhaps the natural alpha hydroxy's?) and Victoria Principal's Advanced Skincare Cream

Moisturizers: Victoria Principal's Advanced Moisturizer, Burt's Bees Marshmallow Creme and Avon's Retroactive Age Reversal Cream

Toners: Mario Badescu's Aloe or Cucumber Lotion, Burt's Bees Wild Lettuce or Tomato Toner.

Masques: Mario Badescu's Orange Tonic Masque, Victoria Principal's Gentle Enzyme Treatment.

I've tried more than a few, and these tend to be my favorites. I have a tendency to always lift my eyebrows, causing lines, but when I don't do that, I have very minimal lines on my face at all, and I think it's because of the Retinol, Alpha/Beta hydroxy solutions and the Cellex-C Formulations.

Kris