<p>Other than washing my face and putting on a little moisturizer (with sunscreen in it), I’ve never really had any sort of skin regiment–no facials, no fancy creams. Luckily, I seem to have inherited my grandmother’s skin–nice olive complexion and almost wrinkle free :).</p>
<p>For Christmas this year, I asked for some Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Hydrating Night Cream and some Burt’s Bees Naturally Ageless Line Diminishing Day Lotion. I thought it might be fun to try something new. Well, I’ve been using the stuff for a few days and it’s FABULOUS! My skin feels so soft. The cream doesn’t have an overwhelming scent which is great for me because I usually end up having an allergic reaction to things like perfumes and scented moisturizers. After using the products for just a few days, my one true wrinkle has noticeably diminished in visibility. I’m a happy camper! </p>
<p>My reason for starting this thread is so CC members can share their positive and negative views on various products. Hopefully, this will save other CC members a little time and money when we’re in the market for something new.</p>
<p>I’m not concerned about wrinkles, as I have oily skin and good genes - my parents looked much younger than their ages until the last few years of their lives. But I swear by Olay Regenerist. I used to have red, scaly patches of skin on my face (seborrheic dermatitis) and tried all sorts of things, including prescription cortisone cream. None worked very well, or for long, not to mention that prolonged used of steroid creams is never a good idea. Then I started using Olay Regenerist lotion (with sunscreen), and within a month my skin was clear and has been for 10+ years. </p>
<p>I also use the night cream, which has a lovely texture and smell. No, I am not a paid spokesperson for the company, but I do love the stuff!</p>
<p>I wash with Dial honey/vanilla body wash (most moisturizing- those fancy body washes typically are much more drying, fortunately I didn’t get any this year) and use one of the Vaseline Intensive Care hand lotions (least greasy of those I’ve tried) winters. Otherwise nothing else needed. Of course I no longer do much makeup either- retired. Amazing how we went all out in our youth. So glad the oily skin days are over. I figure most men don’t do cosmetics and most women shouldn’t bother with most.</p>
<p>I’ve been moisturizing with Lubriderm for about 35 years and it’s great. When I asked the dermatologist I was seeing at the time for the cheapest moisturizer, she immediately said, “Crisco.” I then said, “What if I want to spend a little more money?” and she came up with Lubriderm.</p>
<p>VH - don’t think I would advise Crisco for anyones face, but my father-in-law had MS and among the many side effects was cracked skin on his feet. One of his aides told my MIL about putting crisco on his feet at night and then putting on light cotton socks. It was amazing how soft it made his feet. I have used the remedy occasionally, but the whole sock thing at night interferes with using it consistently. </p>
<p>I like Burt’s Bees mint lotion for my feet. When I remember to use it before running, it keeps my heels much softer.</p>
<p>Every once in a while I get on a kick and start experimenting with different wrinkles creams and moisturizers (both expensive and inexpensive). What I have found for me is less is probably more. My skin seems to do the best with Cetaphil skin cleaner (I put it on and towel it off, no water) and then using Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer. I also use a separate sunscreen on my face daily. I also like Skinceuticals Vitamin C E ferulic serum (it’s pricey but I buy the little sample size bottles off Amazon and store them in the fridge). When I start loading up on lotions with retinoids, AHAs etc. my skin seems to rebel with dryness, redness and wrinkles. </p>
<p>I do think genes play a large part in the aging of skin. My mom is 68 and has always looked ten years younger. She never used anything but Clinique’s dramatically different moisturizer on her face. I don’t have many wrinkles at all - my issue is sagging in the lower face and bags under my eyes (I think that may be allergy related).</p>
<p>^^^ I am a Cetaphil user as well- dry, fair skin here so it works well. I would also like to hear comments regarding the Clarasonic as I’ve thought about buying one, have read online reviews but the only people I know that own them are high school/college age.</p>
<p>As I’ve said in similar threads, if there were really a magic bullet we’d all know about it. I do try to stick to objective information (not advertising). The most recent article I read in Consumers Reports on anti-wrinkle creams gave their highest ratings to a bunch of stuff you can only buy in France + Oil of Olay (not sure which one exactly, but it might have been Regenerist).</p>
<p>I have used Cetaphil for. . . 10-15 years? I do remember reading an article by a dermatologist several years ago that said any woman only needs three products for her face–Cetaphil, La Mer (which I find too heavy) (oh yeah–and way out of my price range), and sunblock.</p>
<p>And to expand a bit, no need to ever ever ever buy any hand cream other than the Neutrogena stuff in a tube. Nothing else comes close.</p>
<p>I asked my dermatologist about Claisonic brushes. Her opinion: do not waste your money on this gimmick. Face wash, cold water and moisturizer work much better than the abrasive brush. Despite that, my curiousity made me buy one at Costco. After a few uses, back to Costco it went. It felt like sandpaper on the face. :)</p>
<p>I was in the market for a new blender, but didn’t care which brand. My old one was at least 20 years old. I knew I didn’t want to pay more than $100 for it…someone on cc did the research and suggested Ninja brand to me. I bought the blender for only $60, with all my Kohl’s coupons and it’s great! Other than the Ninja name,( it reminds me of the Teenage mutant ninja turtles)…the blender works just fine!</p>
<p>I started this thread with a Skin Care review, but we can extend it to any product: kitchen gadgets, new food product, etc. I had so much fun reading and participating in the Best Buy of the Day thread that I thought this might be a fun thread to add to CC.</p>
<p>Re: frozen food cheat :)</p>
<p>The holidays tend to get very stressful around here. This year, for Thanksgiving, my job was to contribute the mashed potatoes, a cheese platter, and a shrimp platter to the dinner while the person hosting the gathering cooked the turkey, stuffing, and vegetables. Anyway, I cheated. I bought a few bags of Oreida (?spelling) frozen russet potatoes, popped them into the microwave, added butter and milk, salt and pepper, and mashed them up. No one knew the difference. It saved me the time of washing, peeling, and boiling the potatoes.</p>
<p>I’ve had a Clarisonic for about 3 years and love it. I have the Mia from Sephora which is the least expensive model and I use the brush for sensitive skin. It only needs to be charged about once/month so I keep it in the shower and use it every day with a little Cetaphil cleanser. It isn’t abrasive in the least but does a great job of exfoliation. I can really tell by how quickly my skin absorbs the moisturizer.</p>
<p>I have very dry skin so I used Crisco as a nighttime cleanser several years back. It melted the makeup right off and then I’d wipe away with a kleenex. Effective but kind of messy. I like the Cetaphil/Clarisonic routine much better.</p>
<p>I tried using the Olay lines for several years, but they didn’t do the trick for me. One of them–I think it was Regenerist–made my face red all the time. The others didn’t prevent flaking dry skin in the winter. I’ve been using Patricia Wexler stuff from Bath & Body Works for about two years. It really agrees with my skin, and my complexion looks and feels great, I think. It is not cheap, but also not the most expensive stuff out there.</p>
<p>The Crisco trick belongs on the frugal thread! I’m an Olay person however I’d take a gamble on Crisco for my feet which get very dry in the winter. Btw, the P&G website has many discounts/coupons on Olay products including a $10 rebate on Regenerist moisturizers.</p>
<p>I have really dry skin and have for years used baby oil gel immediately after showering/bathing (before toweling off) all over as a moisturizer. The gel keeps the oil from reaching the shower floor and making it slippery, and my skin does not get itchy and flaky. </p>
<p>I LOVE Gold Bond Ultimate hand sanitizer: it actually moisturizes while “sanitizing” your hands.</p>
<p>If you are too grossed out by the crisco trick you can do the same thing with vaseline. I have very dry, cracked skin on my feet and I rub them with vaseline, put on white cotton socks and I am good to go. I can even do this during the day if I am wearing sneakers. And the vaseline is great for my hands as well, just the amount left on my fingers after rubbing the stuff on my feet is perfect for my hands.</p>