Face Creams...which ones really work?

[Jane110]

Thanks Jane that was good information. I was wondering about the RetinA product, is that by prescription or is there an actual brand of products. I am looking at the Roc as it is easily available in Canada.

 

What Glycolic peel product do you use?

 

What reasonably priced SPF product do you recommend?

 

Have you heard of Lumedia, it is supposed to be a skin brightening product?

 

I am currently using Clinque's Turnaround cream which I am trying to use up, I notice a slight difference with it but not much.

 

When I was in Nordstrom recently they tried to sell me La Mer products but the prices are outrageous and the review online are not great.

 

Anyway just trying to establish a routine as I have been lucky to not have to worry about wrinkles and such but lately I have noticed a couple of lines and thought I better start, I definitely think sun exposure and genetics have a lot to do with it.

 

Thanks so much!

 

Hi Funsunner,

 

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. Since my last post to you, we've moved, I herniated a disk in my back, we had no computer for weeks...yada yadda yadda. <sigh>

 

Anyway....

to answer your questions.....

 

Yes, sun exposure and genetics have a lot to do with it, and of course, the latter we can't control. It's very important to protect our skin (face, neck, chest and hands) from sun damage. Use an spf daily. To me, spf of only 15 is okay for dark skinned people or people that barely go out. I use spf 30 all year long, and even higher in the summer when I'll be out for longer periods of tiem. Rather than recommend one specific brand, I recommend a specific ingredient, and that is Mexoryl. Look at the ingredients list.

Any doctor will tell you it's the key ingredient. After that, you need to look for the formula that works best for you. Some people like cream, some like lotion, some like a product that has a little color in to (so they skip foundation, but don't look "naked") etc. Truth is, if you don't like the look or feel of the sunscreen, you won't use it.

Just don't forget hands, neck, chest.

One of the best brands is La Roche -Posay which can be bought online if you can't find it in a local store.

 

For Glycolic products I like

Therapy Systems, http://www.therapysystems.com/product.php?productid=16&cat=314&page=1

AB Skin - by Dr. Craig Austin

MD Skin care by Dr Dennis Gross

Dr. Denese - sold on QVC

 

For lightening, I agree with you that Clinique's products are not "enough", but realize that they're target audience is younger, so these products are enough for them. There are many great skin lightening products on the market, and a new crop of them has recently come on the market.

I like SK11, but it's pricey.

 

Re: Lumedia

What are you looking for, an over all face brightener, or a dark spot lightener? Lumedia has products for both without containing hydroquinone.

Hydroquinone is a bit controversial as "some" say it can cause cancer used in large doses. I'm not a scientist and won't venture a scientific opinion, but my personal opiniion is that if you have some dark spots to lighten, I'd use a product with hydroquinone. It's a teeny tiny dose used for a short period of time and it's been used for years by many without side effects. If it's an overall face brightener you want, use one without it, since you'll use it long term. And using spf, will help prevent skin darkening in the first place.

 

La Mer - I like their original cream in the very cold weather. My dry skin gets awful when the temperature is below freezing and La Mer is one of the few creams that keeps my skin soft, moist and prevents it from chapping. The Armani Creme Nera is also as good, but it's as pricey as La Mer.

For a less expensive alternative, try Embrolisse Vitamin Cream, or Gabriel Couzian (both easily found on net). I esp like Embroylisse for face products and Couzian for body.

[Bowie MeMe]

I have good skin even at 62. So plump wrinkles not a problem:o. I use the old fashioned Oil of Olay morning and evening. I have weird allergies and SPF anything especially in the eye area makes them burn and tear.

 

I have had a form of dry eye for 15 years so have to use Muro 128 eye oinment in both eyes at night. I literally do not have a single wrinkle and I think this might be why. Would not recommend it unless Dr. insists. I am allergic to mascara and can only use cream eye shadows because of the dry eye. I use Jergens with aloe for body lotion.This product has skin brightners because occasionally will see some of the "glitter" on pants or shirt.

 

Allergic people find one thing that works and cling to it for life. Good thing is both products are cheap.

[Kellie Poodle]

For those thinking about Olay products, Walgreens is having a sale of buy one get the other one 50% off. I asked them about their return pokicy and they said you can bring anything back within 30 days if you keep the receipt.

 

Now would be a good time to try some of their products. I love the Regenerist line. I find it very gentle to my sensitive skin.

[funsunner]

Hi Funsunner,

 

Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. Since my last post to you, we've moved, I herniated a disk in my back, we had no computer for weeks...yada yadda yadda. <sigh>

 

Anyway....

to answer your questions.....

 

Yes, sun exposure and genetics have a lot to do with it, and of course, the latter we can't control. It's very important to protect our skin (face, neck, chest and hands) from sun damage. Use an spf daily. To me, spf of only 15 is okay for dark skinned people or people that barely go out. I use spf 30 all year long, and even higher in the summer when I'll be out for longer periods of tiem. Rather than recommend one specific brand, I recommend a specific ingredient, and that is Mexoryl. Look at the ingredients list.

Any doctor will tell you it's the key ingredient. After that, you need to look for the formula that works best for you. Some people like cream, some like lotion, some like a product that has a little color in to (so they skip foundation, but don't look "naked") etc. Truth is, if you don't like the look or feel of the sunscreen, you won't use it.

Just don't forget hands, neck, chest.

One of the best brands is La Roche -Posay which can be bought online if you can't find it in a local store.

 

For Glycolic products I like

Therapy Systems, http://www.therapysystems.com/product.php?productid=16&cat=314&page=1

AB Skin - by Dr. Craig Austin

MD Skin care by Dr Dennis Gross

Dr. Denese - sold on QVC

 

For lightening, I agree with you that Clinique's products are not "enough", but realize that they're target audience is younger, so these products are enough for them. There are many great skin lightening products on the market, and a new crop of them has recently come on the market.

I like SK11, but it's pricey.

 

Re: Lumedia

What are you looking for, an over all face brightener, or a dark spot lightener? Lumedia has products for both without containing hydroquinone.

Hydroquinone is a bit controversial as "some" say it can cause cancer used in large doses. I'm not a scientist and won't venture a scientific opinion, but my personal opiniion is that if you have some dark spots to lighten, I'd use a product with hydroquinone. It's a teeny tiny dose used for a short period of time and it's been used for years by many without side effects. If it's an overall face brightener you want, use one without it, since you'll use it long term. And using spf, will help prevent skin darkening in the first place.

 

La Mer - I like their original cream in the very cold weather. My dry skin gets awful when the temperature is below freezing and La Mer is one of the few creams that keeps my skin soft, moist and prevents it from chapping. The Armani Creme Nera is also as good, but it's as pricey as La Mer.

For a less expensive alternative, try Embrolisse Vitamin Cream, or Gabriel Couzian (both easily found on net). I esp like Embroylisse for face products and Couzian for body.

 

Thanks Jane, I guess it's time to change the Clinque to something stronger. I'm going to try and Roc and see if it is something that works for me.

 

Have you ever heard that Nivea is supposed to be equivalent or the same as La Mer, apparently I heard somewhere the ingredients are exactly the same!

 

Thanks again.

 

Sue

[Linderella]

I watched Dr. Oz many years ago when he first appeared on Oprah. He said the only cream that would help reduce wrinkles had to contain AHA (alpha hydroxy acid). I went looking for such a cream and settled on Neutragena with AHA. I have used it faithfully since then. I can honestly say my skin looks better now at 54 than it did when I was in my 30's. And it is only $13 Canadian and lasts along time. When someone asks my age they find it hard to believe I am 54.

[cruisegrl79]

Alpha Hydrox 10% AHA Lotion

Renova (can get without prescription from medsmex.com under generic name Retacnyl)

[Nasmas]

I am not impressed with Strivetin. It is way overpriced and doesn't do a thing for dark circles as it claims. I wouldn't waste my money. I still say the only way is prevention.

[family cruisers]

Having worked for Estee Lauder for 15 years (don't anymore) I can say my honest opinion is : ..... You do get what you pay for.

When I left I tried some drug store and supermarket products and honestly I broke down and actually went back and bought my EL products. To me there is no comparison . I love how my skin looks and feels. My skin looks healthier and stays looking good.

I find any dept. store (quality) product is worth the investment and trust me... I have my times when I can't afford it but I somehow cut something else out.

Hope this is of help to you.

[Jane110]

Thanks Jane, I guess it's time to change the Clinque to something stronger. I'm going to try and Roc and see if it is something that works for me.

 

Have you ever heard that Nivea is supposed to be equivalent or the same as La Mer, apparently I heard somewhere the ingredients are exactly the same!

 

Thanks again.

 

Sue

 

Yes, see if Roc works for you. You definitely need to step it up from Clinique.

 

I've read on blog posts, etc that Nivea and La Mer ingredients are the same. I'm not a scientist, and I've never asked one. Have you looked at the ingredients lists on both of products? I don't have a jar of Nivea handy, and I thew away the packaging from my La Mer.

What I do know is that Nivea irritates my eyes if I get some product in them, and La Mer doesn't bother them at all. So there's gotta be something that's different.

 

Also, there's a question of what does "same ingredients" mean? In order for something to have an "apples to apples" comparison, the AMOUNT needs to be the same and cosmetic ingredients don't list amounts used. For example, you could go to a restaurant and order a chicken curry and love it because it has nice big chunks of white meat chicken cooked tender, and a smooth mild curry flavor. You go back the next week and order the same thing and are brought a dish which is skimpy on the chicken but it doesn't matter because it's overcooked and tastes like pieces of wood, and the curry seasoning is so hot your mouth is on fire. Then you complain to the manager and he tells you it's not possible because it's the exact same ingredients used last week when you loved it. Guess what? He's right! :)

 

Back to skin care...Peptides are very, very expensive ingredients. You can buy a jar of cream with 20% peptides for $120, and then a $20. jar of cream which has .5% peptides. They'll tell you that the ingredients are exactly the same...and they are. But the percentage of active ingredients isn't.

 

I've got nothing against Nivea, I think it's a good makeup remover but don't like it as a moisturizer. If others like it as a moisturizer, so be it. We all like and dislike different things. :)

[Cruise Junky]

Have you ever heard that Nivea is supposed to be equivalent or the same as La Mer, apparently I heard somewhere the ingredients are exactly the same!

 

Thanks again.

 

Sue

 

Also keep in mind there's different formulas of Nivea. The German one that isn't sold in North America (unless you find it in a specialty store) is supposed to be the best.

[docBarb]

Hi Everyone,

My two cents: I agree with Janet. I love the Olay Regenerist line. They have recently come out with a morning cream with SPF 50. I absolutely love this product. I find that nothing less than SPF 45 will prevent the patchy brown pigmentation that many of us suffer. The night products I prefer include their eye lifting serum and their deep hydration cream. I think these products are the best bang for the buck and do the most without the risk of irritation.

I do not work for Olay. I do have exposure to many different products because most companies provide samples to me (including Retin A).

Barbara

[hairpin]

I don't subscribe to using expensive creams, because I've not gotten great results with them. My skin overall does well with general moisturizing, exercise, and clean eating. I recommend drinking lots of mineral water, sweating a little bit every day, and using SPF moisturizer during the day and grapeseed oil at night. Grapeseed oil works wonderfully as a makeup remover as well.

 

I like:

Beauty without Cruelty, Daily Facial Moisurizer

Aura Cacia, Natural Skin Care Oil - Grapeseed

[Soxfan05]

Has anyone tried the Repechage line? I had a facial yesterday and have been using MD Formulations for about 4 years. I am still using the cleanser but have switched to the Repechage anti aging line with a firming cream and serum for day use. I like the way my skin feels- not greasy, smooth but also not like I have a "mask" on.

 

I tried the Regenerist line when I ran out of my previous moisturizer and felt like the product left a film on my face.

[JennyMominRI]

Bumping an old thread.

I''m very lucky and have pretty good skin. I have never had any problems with it. I've never used any creams of any sort. I'm going to be 40 next spring and I figure it is time I start paying attention to my skin. The only difference I have noticed is that it seems to get a little dryer in the winter than it used too and is a little less firm. Any advice for a beginner?

[Dawn24]

Bumping an old thread.

I''m very lucky and have pretty good skin. I have never had any problems with it. I've never used any creams of any sort. I'm going to be 40 next spring and I figure it is time I start paying attention to my skin. The only difference I have noticed is that it seems to get a little dryer in the winter than it used too and is a little less firm. Any advice for a beginner?

 

there is a ton of great advice over in the makeupalley forums :)

 

I am about your age and here is what I do:

 

AM:

Burt's Bees Royal Jelly cleanser (alpha hydroxy cleanser)

organic toner

Avalon Organics vitamin C serum

L'oreal vitamin E lotion with spf (for dryness)

Lancome eye cream

 

PM:

Royal Jelly Cleanser again

2x week, exfoliate

organic toner

ROC retinol (tube)

I wait 10 - 15 minutes (to give the retinol time to absorb) then add the Lancome eyecream, avoid diluting the retinol with cream anywhere else

[Gathina]

I found this cheap $4.99 cream with vitamin c.."dermarx"..at TJ maxx nonetheless...that was the best thing I ever bought..even better than the $299.00 Obagi line I swear by!

[MaiTaiMary]

Can somebody tell me more about "Roc"?

 

Is it a daily moisturizer or wrinkle cream you put on under moisturizer?

 

Or if there are multiple products, which one(s) do you recommend? :)

[MaiTaiMary]

Oh, the Olay Regenerist line, too. :)

 

Which products are you guys recommending in this line?

 

Does anybody know which cream in this line is supposed to be so much better than "the expensive stuff"? I think they did a study and something in the Regenerist line beat out a bunch of more expensive products, but I can't remember which product they tested.

 

I'm overwhelmed! ack!

http://www.olay.com/boutique/regenerist/products.jsp

I don't know where to start.

I need a moisturizer for the morning (w/ SPF!!)

an eye cream

and a heavier cream for night time (I have very dry skin)

 

Help!

 

 

I'm headin' out today to either get "Roc" products or "Olay Regenerist". I really need to take better care of my skin. :o

[mehitabel]

I think keeping it simple (unless you have specific skin problems that are being seen to/prescribed for by a dermatologist) is the way to go. I use the same exfoliant in the shower that my sisters and I used in high school--the St. Ives Peach Scrub. It works beautifully. If I'm traveling, I skip that and just use a washcloth to gently scrub my face.

 

Once I'm out, I don't dry my face off at all, but apply this vitamin E cream. It blends with the residual water on my face and absorbs immediately. My skin has never looked or felt better. I was using straight vitamin E oil mixed with witch hazel and that worked well too, but the cream is more convenient. And this brand makes wonderful natural products!

 

Now, if I could only figure out why I still get the occasional pimple at 35 years old...

[Milaandra]

About two years ago I bought the book "Don't go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me". There's also a website by the same author, beautypedia.com. Do some reading and find out what is really in those products that cost $20, $30 or more. This book has saved me a lot of money, because now I'm not tempted by buy products that may or may not work as advertised. The cost of the book ($20), or a subscription to the website ($25/year) is very low compared to what you can spend on face creams and other cosmetics. The book makes recommendations across all brands and price ranges, so you can pick and choose among the best products for you.

 

I second this! It's a wonderful resource.

 

I don't belong to the website. Has she started evaluating more of the mineral make-up lines?

 

In the book edition I have, she didn't think much of them because of the colour choices and overuse of mica, but minerals have come a long way since then.

[leagle]

I am glad Mehitable mentioned exfoliating.

IMO, that is as important as the cream you use.

I use Clean and Clear in the shower every day, but for a real pick me up for my skin, I love Lush's mint face mask. It is green and a bit messy, (you put it on and let it dry for a bit) but using it once or twice a week makes my skin glow and feel very soft.

And yes, one of the great trials of life is that it is possible to have lines and zits at the same time, although if you experiment with different creams, you may be able to reduce, if not eliminate, the chance of spots.

I keep trying to find a cream that is cheaper than Clarins eclat du jour, but haven't found one yet that works as well for me.

It is also true that as you need so little each time, that it may come out cheaper in the end than less expensive products.:o

I like Benefit for eye creams, but everyone's skin is different.

Re Botox: As it is not reversible and can migrate to an unintended part of the face (eg. eyelids) you could find yourself looking very odd for the months it would take to wear off. I can see that a very light dose for frown lines could be useful, but when I consider the risk, I would proceed very cautiously.

[poppan]

I'm so glad this came up. I've been wondering the same thing the last few months. I had been using products that my facial lady had recommended to me years ago. They were pricey but worked well. However, in the last year or two my skin went from super oily (I would get bad bad acne) to well, really kind of dry. So I really needed to change products.

 

I've tried some of the stuff mentioned here. I first tried the Olay Regenerist in the red jar because my mom said it was good. I didn't like it. I don't know if it would have worked, I didn't use it long enough. I couldn't get over how it felt on my skin -- I don't know, it just felt funky to me, like a film or something. It felt weird on my fingers too, I always had to wash my hands afterwards.

 

Next I tried the Aveeno "mushroom complex" or whatever it is. I started using the night cream and the exfoliating face wash at the same time. I've been using this a few months now and I really see a difference. As a PP mentioned, the exfoliation seems to be important. I think that took the old layers of skin off (that sounds so harsh!) and "revealed" the younger looking skin beneath. Not sure how much the cream is contributing, but at least it doesn't feel funky like the Olay one did to me. My skin looks much better moisturized (and therefore younger/tighter) to me.

 

I think I might give ROC a try next. It was always too heavy for me in the past, but my skin has changed so much, maybe it will work well for me now. My holy grail is to find the right cleanser so I won't have to use much moisturizer. I heard that if you correctly "balance" your skin, and don't strip it too much when you clean it, it will supply the needed moisture itself? What do you all think of that theory? I know I could try one of the very gentle cleansers like Cetaphil but I have had such poor results with that in the past, it makes me very hesitant. Even though I don't have the same cystic acne problems as I used to, I do still have smaller break outs... hence my hesitance. It takes so long to recover from a bad break out -- the scars fade so slowly. Anyone else have this troublesome combo of dry skin and adult acne? What do you use?

[Bowie MeMe]

I use plain old original Oil of Olay (about $6.00 a jar) and wash my face 2 times a day with facial soap followed by the Olay. My Dr. would hardly believe this simple routine. Being plumb smooths out the wrinkles too -- one of the reasons I always seem to give when I fall off the diet:o

[mehitabel]

BowieMeMe, I used "plain" Oil of Olay for the longest time, with regular face soap and a washcloth, for years. Until we moved to West Texas, actually, which is so, so dry that the Olay just couldn't keep up! That's when I switched to the vitamin E-based products. But until then, the good old pink bottle did a beautiful job.

[poppan]

I think keeping it simple (unless you have specific skin problems that are being seen to/prescribed for by a dermatologist) is the way to go. I use the same exfoliant in the shower that my sisters and I used in high school--the St. Ives Peach Scrub. It works beautifully. If I'm traveling, I skip that and just use a washcloth to gently scrub my face.

 

Once I'm out, I don't dry my face off at all, but apply this vitamin E cream. It blends with the residual water on my face and absorbs immediately. My skin has never looked or felt better. I was using straight vitamin E oil mixed with witch hazel and that worked well too, but the cream is more convenient. And this brand makes wonderful natural products!

 

Now, if I could only figure out why I still get the occasional pimple at 35 years old...

 

Hi Mehitabel I just re-read your post more carefully. I have seen the JASON products at the grocery store, I think I will try the Vit E cream you linked to. I'm intrigued by your endorsement of once you moved to Texas and it got so dry your old product couldn't keep up.

 

May I ask if you use a cleanser at all or is the scrub your cleanser? BTW we are the exact same age :)