The Female Thread-Men are welcome but enter at your own risk

[Lynne]

OK...Moisturizer Rant!

So, it took me 85% of my life to find skin care products that work for me.  I have always had acne, blemishes, combination skin and have tried everything from the harsh Noxema, to Proactiv, to high end products like Clinique and Estee Lauder - no luck...just echos of a dermatologist when I was 13 telling me how 'lucky' I was that I was getting this over with early.



Fast forward to 36 or so...I randomly hit on Aveeno Positively Radiant cleanser and moisturizer (with total soy complex, whatever that means) and Voila!  Decent skin for the first time ever!

So, last week I buy more moisturizer and by this week, I'm using 3 squirts instead of 1; my skin is getting dry and flaky and I'm breaking out.  Aaargh!

FINALLY I notice that I don't have Positively Radiant; rather I have Clear Complexion, which contains salicylic acid!  The packaging is virtually identical.

So..$15 dollars later, I've got my stuff again, but I'm plenty annoyed. 

And yes, I realize how petty a problem this is in the grand scheme of things, but it's one that is fix-able!

/rant

I return you to the discussion of fantasy material for the annual exam! 

[serious crayons]

Lynne, you should be able to return the product you bought accidentally and get your money back. I know it seems strange if you've already opened and used it, but most drug stores are pretty good about this.

I had unclear skin on and off until I was in my 30s. Not really severely, but I always had one or two or three zits at any given time. I tried everything, particularly benzoyl peroxide. Nothing was very effective.

Then, in the early '90s, I heard about alpha hydroxy acid. I started using it and pretty much never got another pimple again. It was fantastic. I also don't have many wrinkles at 51, and I think the alpha hydroxy might be part of the reason for that, too (I do have jowls, though -- it's not a magic potion  ).

If anyone is interested, I find the best well-priced, fragrance free skin products -- including alpha hydroxy gel and a lot of other stuff -- are Paula's Choice products, available at www.cosmeticscop.com.  I can't recommend those products, and that website, highly enough. Paula Begoun, who runs it, got her start as a "cosmetics cop," rating products and debunking unrealistic claims by cosmetics manufacturers. After writing about this for a while, she started her own line of products.

[Lynne]

Lynne, you should be able to return the product you bought accidentally and get your money back. I know it seems strange if you've already opened and used it, but most drug stores are pretty good about this.

I had unclear skin on and off until I was in my 30s. Not really severely, but I always had one or two or three zits at any given time. I tried everything, particularly benzoyl peroxide. Nothing was very effective.

Then, in the early '90s, I heard about alpha hydroxy acid. I started using it and pretty much never got another pimple again. It was fantastic. I also don't have many wrinkles at 51, and I think the alpha hydroxy might be part of the reason for that, too (I do have jowls, though -- it's not a magic potion  ).

If anyone is interested, I find the best well-priced, fragrance free skin products -- including alpha hydroxy gel and a lot of other stuff -- are Paula's Choice products, available at www.cosmeticscop.com.  I can't recommend those products, and that website, highly enough. Paula Begoun, who runs it, got her start as a "cosmetics cop," rating products and debunking unrealistic claims by cosmetics manufacturers. After writing about this for a while, she started her own line of products.

Hey there, Crayons!  Thanks muchly for the advice.  I ended up giving my opened moisturizer to my housemate.  She's in her early twenties and uses similar products.

At some point, I'll probably check out the alpha hydroxy products at the website you recommended.  The wrinkles and jowls are certainly starting to appear.  And it's odd but there's been a marked change in skin texture over time, especially the last 5 years or so.   

I tried a cleanser once that was 'Age Defying'...I don't remember the brand, but I think it was one of the pre-moistened wipes with alpha hydroxy.  I  didn't care for that very much - again, too drying.  But I feel like it is definitely getting time to start a whole regimen, including eye cream, and maybe a weekly masque!

   [Just kill me now!]

[injest]

Hey there, Crayons!  Thanks muchly for the advice.  I ended up giving my opened moisturizer to my housemate.  She's in her early twenties and uses similar products.

At some point, I'll probably check out the alpha hydroxy products at the website you recommended.  The wrinkles and jowls are certainly starting to appear.  And it's odd but there's been a marked change in skin texture over time, especially the last 5 years or so.   

I tried a cleanser once that was 'Age Defying'...I don't remember the brand, but I think it was one of the pre-moistened wipes with alpha hydroxy.  I  didn't care for that very much - again, too drying.  But I feel like it is definitely getting time to start a whole regimen, including eye cream, and maybe a weekly masque!

   [Just kill me now!]

oh stop! You are not near old enough for that! we are all our own worst enemies....

[Lynne]

oh stop! You are not near old enough for that! we are all our own worst enemies....

You make a good point.  I would love to be someone who ages gracefully, but to-date I'm not feeling the least bit gracious about it.  On the other hand, there's not an age I would go back to, so I guess I just have to stand it!   

[serious crayons]

You make a good point.  I would love to be someone who ages gracefully, but to-date I'm not feeling the least bit gracious about it.  On the other hand, there's not an age I would go back to, so I guess I just have to stand it!   

If you can't fix it ... 

But I think these days "aging gracefully" just means anything short of voluntarily getting your face sliced up with a knife. There's something about that that just creeps me out, even though the older I get the more I understand the temptation.

I'd be so afraid of ending up like poor Kanye West's mother, though ... 

[BelAir]

Is okay to gossip on this thread?  (If the answer is yes - anyone watch the Kennedy Center Honors and have an opinion of Barbra Streisand in terms of yes work vs. no work?  I would not be embarrassed to ask a friend this on the phone, but feel sort of bad gossiping about it in print.)

Lynne - are you still loving your Positively Radiant stuff?  I am prone to breaking out and dryness (horrendous combination), and I have recently been managing okay with sensitive skin moisturizers... First used Dove, then, b/c the store didn't have Dove, Oil of Olay... but if you really like yours so much I'll keep that in the back of my mind...

[Kelda]

Id say its okay to gossip but I didnt see the Kennedy Center Honors

[Front-Ranger]

I have to buy my own stocking stuffers...(long story) so this year I got a MyChelle sampler kit with about 30 different creams, serums, and moisturizers. I love them all! But I'll try to narrow down my choices to a few and let you know. As far as being "old enuff" to use creams, my 20-year-old daughter uses creams daily! It's not a function of how old you are, it has to do with hormones, general health, and whether you live in a desert LOL!

Yesterday I went into a new store called Melt and bought some Sugar Scrub. It's great...only problem was that a smallish tub of it cost $26!! Think I'll stick with Lush which is more reasonably priced.

[serious crayons]

Yesterday I went into a new store called Melt and bought some Sugar Scrub. It's great...only problem was that a smallish tub of it cost $26!! Think I'll stick with Lush which is more reasonably priced.

I got some Lush shower gel for Christmas from my stepmother. I don't know ... it's like liquid candy! And the whole department in the store is like a candy store!

I'm kind of sensitive to fragrance. I like a little tiny bit, but not at all overwhelming, and I don't like to smell it on myself later throughout the day. So I've been experimenting with mixing fragrance-free stuff with scented stuff.