Home Grown: Beauty Secrets

February 23, 2007

Beauty Secrets

I took the advice Badger was giving out about skin care for us 40 and over hip, happy and needing a little something women populating the earth more and more each day.

I headed over and bought a list of things from drugstore.com because the items I was willing to buy were on sale for better prices than I could find near me, plus the shipping was free and they owed me some discount bucks.

Besides when I see a tiny jar of face cream that costs as much as it does to fill my Excursion with a full tank of gas the veins in my temples pop out and begin to throb. There are some things I am so cheap about it is almost ridiculous. Surely I don't need to put a months worth of grocery money on my face to have descent looking skin?

Right?

Right!

I purchased a Buf Puf for my face and one for my body. Exfoliate exfoilate exfoilate seems to be a montra we should be chanting for the rest of our lives. I have used a buf puf off and on for so many years I can't count how many. I know I used them in my preteen years. Here I am 40 and still using them. (Note: Those things can rub you raw if you put much elbow grease behind them. Be careful. Just a warning.)(Second Note: They were the 80's version of do it yourself at home dermabrasion. Go ahead and put some elbow grease behind it and see if I am right or not.) (Third Note: I am right.)

When I shower I use Liquid Neutrogena Facial Cleansing Formula, Fragrance Free. I first was introduced to this product when I came up to Virginia the first time I visted Steve long before we got married. He had a brand new bottle in his shower yet had never used it. It was just there. I used it. When I came back I used it. By the time I had moved to Virginia we were into a 2nd bottle.

This product really makes my skin feel clean. My face is partially oily especially in the afternoons. Some mornings it is like an oil spill from the Exxon Valdez. The Neutrogena has helped control this.

When I got pregnant with Steven washing my face with it made my skin feel tight but it also sort of made my skin sting. I stopped buying it. To tell you the truth I had forgotten about it until Badger made mention of it in her post on skin care concerns. I am glad I found it again. I like this product. I like it in the glycern bar form as well. I prefer the pump liquid. Every time I shower I wash my face with this product.

When I get up in the mornings I have begun a new ritual. After brushing my teeth I no longer stumble to the coffee pot. When I get up I stumble to turn on the coffee pot then to the bathroom where first I brush my teeth. Then I wash my face with Olay Foaming Face Wash, Sensitive Skin. (I use the Buf Puf once a week.) After washing I use Olay Complete All Day UV Defense Moisture Lotion, Sensitive Skin. The non-oily, non-greasy formula of Olay sooths and feeds my skin. After using the Buf Puf and then moisturizing with this product it feels to me almost like giving my skin a cool drink of clean clear water. It is a delicious feeling.

Every night before bed I have developed another ritual. Instead of brushing my teeth and brushing out my hair now I brush my teeth and then I wash my face with Olay Age Defying Daily Renewal Cleanser, Beta Hydroxy Complex with Gentle Microbeads. It is not the same as using the Buf Puf. It gently scrapes away the muck from the day. Then I moisturize with Olay Night of Olay Firming Cream. This is a little thicker than the daytime mosturizer but you can really feel your skin drinking in the moisture and sighing as its thrist is quench. O'kay not really but it feels good. Then I brush out my hair.

(Hair note here: My hair comes out by the hand full. I am in no way going bald. I have massive amounts of hair on my head. I have very long burnette hair. It is a wonder I am not bald with the amount of hair I brush out daily. Are you ever suprised by the amount of hair you lose every day?)

After the past 3 days of following the added morning and night rituals of face cleansing beyond the normal face cleansing I did with Dove beauty bar and regular Oil of Olay I can really see a big difference in my skin. Colby even asked what I was doing to make my skin so very soft.

I figure since I am learning new eating habits I really should develop other habits to take more and better care of my skin.

Living out here in the rural acres of Virginia I have no need 6 out of 7 days a week to put on makeup, (ha! I don't have to change out of my pj's if I don't want to) but when I finish losing this weight I know I am going to want to show it off and who wants to show off a new body with old, flakey, oily, looks more than 40 years old skin?

Not I.

So, take note.

If you are not already embroiled in a regimine of facial care get busy right now and start loving your skin. The changes in just a few days will amaze you.

Oh, and drink your water every day. It makes your skin happy, too.

And call your mother. She loves you, too.

Posted by Angie at February 23, 2007 12:08 PM

Comments

Good advice! I use Neutrogena liquid to wash my face also; I was introduced to it in the late 70's by a friend. It leaves my face clean, but not tight. My skin is on the dry side, except for around my nose. I have rosacea, so I have to be careful what I put on my face. I cannot use anything with beta hydroxy or other strong ingredients. I know that I don't moisturize enough, but the most important thing for women to do is drink water, and copious amounts of it. If we don't moisturize that way, no amount of face creams will help. All they do is trap in the moisture already in your skin, and it gets there by hydrating!!

A dermatologist once told me that Curel lotion is one of the best moisturizers on the market - for the face and the body. Another dermatologist told my father-in-law to use Curel on his legs for dry skin. It is inexpensive; it smells nice, and it is just about the only thing that ever gets put on my face.

Posted by: kenju at February 23, 2007 08:15 AM

Sorry, Angie, delete one of them.

Posted by: kenju at February 23, 2007 08:16 AM

Angie, I am so glad that everything is working for you! There is absolutely no need to spend a ton of money on skincare. The drugstore products have come a long way since we were teenagers!

Now when you are ready for some makeup advice, you know who to call. ;)

Posted by: Badger at February 23, 2007 09:10 AM

Thanks for the PSAs on the products.

I'm like you in that I can't drop $100 on one item at the "makeup" counters of some high end department stores or even some lovely line of "pink" cosmetics...I just can't.

But trying other things in the "reasonable" price range is good.

I have been neglecting my skin for a while..maybe that should have been one of my 2007 goals.

Now I'm going to attempt to get on it again.

So thanks...

Posted by: Brown Eyed Girl at February 23, 2007 03:50 PM

Thanks for the PSAs on the products.

I'm like you in that I can't drop $100 on one item at the "makeup" counters of some high end department stores or even some lovely line of "pink" cosmetics...I just can't.

But trying other things in the "reasonable" price range is good.

I have been neglecting my skin for a while..maybe that should have been one of my 2007 goals.

Now I'm going to attempt to get on it again.

So thanks...

Posted by: Brown Eyed Girl at February 23, 2007 03:52 PM

I, too, use Oil of Olay Face Wash/sensitive AND Oil of Olay lotion/sensitive skin (they also have it with SPF 15). However, if you want to save more money (and live near Walmart), go for the "Equate" version. Even less expensive, and appears to work the same.

I wear no make up. My skin doesn't like it - and neither does my husband.

My hair falls out by the multi-handful (I have psoriasis - and occasional bald spots). When I expressed concern to my dermatologist, he told me not to worry. Apparently, it is normal to lose an AVERAGE of 100 hairs per day.

Posted by: renn at February 23, 2007 06:41 PM

The bee hopes you are now feeling much better.
My skin is so bad I doubt anything will help.
Does Badger have a suggestion for psoriatic skin?
It is extremely dry and I use everything on it.
The weather is killer for me .
I also wanted to tell you that I upped the thread counts on the sheets and I have gotten nothing but happy remarks. What great advice !!! Who knew?

Posted by: the bee at February 24, 2007 01:44 AM

This is for the Bee:

As one who also suffers from severe psoriasis, I have found relief from MG217 lotion. If you Google them, I'm sure you can find a place to buy it near you.

Posted by: renn at February 24, 2007 12:08 PM

The only expensive product I use on my face or body is Hope in a Jar by Philosophy (also purchased on drugstore.com). I think it was $25. It makes my face look amazing! I wash my face with generic Oil of Olay cleansing. My skin is too sensitive to exfoliate. Thanks for the other tips!

Posted by: CPA Mom at February 26, 2007 09:04 PM