Mumsnet Talk

I suffer from eczema and the skin around my eyes used to be really dry; it looked awful and couldn't be covered using make up. My SIL recommended Estée Lauder's moisturiser and since I've been using their products the skin on my face has healed and is now in good condition. Unfortunately I have been made redundant and am having to cut costs. The creams I use cost me about £180 a year

AIBU to buy expensive face creams when I'm trying to cut costs? I realise there are cheaper products available but it would be trial and error to find ones that would be as effective and I'm worried that it might end up being more expensive if I buy creams that I can't use.

YANBU. I have eczema and it's so difficult finding cream that's compatible with your skin. Even when you do, I tend to find it stops working after a couple of years and it's back to square one.

Which cream is it BTW? I might give it a whirl.

I do find the more expensive creams last longer than the cheaper ones so they are not that bad

Unless that's just what I tell myself..........

Try the aloe range from The Body Shop first - seriously good stuff and after YEARS of having bad skin I am clear. I thought I had excema on my cheek but it disappeared after using aloe within 3 or 4 days. Its magic stuff and very cheap especially if you order on line. I have used all sorts of expensive creams and imo it really is the best stuff I have ever used.

I second valiums suggestion, BS Aloe Vera is magic. But no, I don't think YABU if the Estee Lauder is the only thing that works for you. £180 a year isn't so much if it gives you healthy, comfortable skin.

aparently pure virgin coconut oil is meant to be a godsend for skin conditions like excema and psoriasis and makes skin smooth and beautiful. I have just bought a big tub off Amazon (cheap) its huge and will last ages. I used it on my hair and its all soft and shiny. I also have started taking a spoonful in some hot water twice a day as its meant to help with weight loss and tons of other things. rubbed some on my skin after my bath and I feel all silky today so will do it again after todays shower. It seems its a versatile ingredient that replaces loads of products. will see how I get on with long term. Oh yes its also good for cooking, replaces butter, oil etc and can be added to curries, rice etc.

Ask for a sample from the Body Shop - they will give you a generous pot of it so you don't have to shell out on something that might not work.

Aloe is really good. Also Elizabeth Arden 8 hour stuff.

I've used many different face creams, many of them cheap and cheerful, over the years and the only one that ever affected my skin was an expensive Estée Lauder one, which brought me out in a rash.

The other one I've been recommended OP is La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5. Think it would be cheaper than EL and might work for you.

I had an eye problem and my GP suggested a cream called E45 for my lower eyelids, available from shelves in supermarkets. It was a godsend and cost £1.45 for a tube but don't buy the tube, buy the little jar. Lasts ages because you need only a tiny scrap of it on the tip of your finger.

I suggest that you don't buy the tube because you can't see how much is in it. It's thick plastic so not the sort of tube that you can roll up (like toothpaste) to squeeze out the last bit.

YANBU. I have eczema and it's near impossible trying to find skincare that doesn't react with my skin. I've tried myself in the past to find cheaper alternatives but just end up spending as much through trial and error, and throwing most of it away.

Also interested in knowing which cream you use though, might try and get a sample!

You see E45 is dreadful for my skin , I wish I could only spend £1.45

RuleBritannia cutting thick tubes in half often gives loads more days of use with what is left inside. Anyone else out there tried coconut oil?

Eccles I thought I was good at lateral thinking! Good idea. thank you.

I used their Verite moisturiser until my skin healed, along with the eye cream and calming fluid. Then I got a sample of TimeZone and I liked the way it made my skin feel so I switched to that.

I do think the creams are worth it, it's just the cost now that the family income is reduced. Maybe I'll ask for them as birthday presents instead of buying them for myself.

you are welcome, my cupboard is full of half tubes, use one end first then slot in ito the other as a lid. (thrifty)

I too have eczema.

I have always used Clinique dramatically different moisturiser. The yellow one.

I can't honestly tell you how much the large bottle is because it lasts so long. Approx £30 maybe??

I religiously use it every day too. You only need a very small amount. It should last ages.

YANBU. You wear your face every day, and £180 is only 50p a day.

I've suffered with acne since I was 13 and so, although I have no experience of eczema, I can imagine what it is like to find a 'cure' for a problem that causes discomfort and that you feel looks horrible.

Do you have a link to the coconut oil you bought, stepaway?

180 a year isn't a huge expense when you think about it, keep buying your cream if it works and you are happy and cant find anything else that works try online to see if you can buy it cheaper , but apart from that if you can afford it buy it, ,

I am about to try the lacura stuff from Aldi, it gets ver,y very good reviews i.e just as good as the expensive stuff.

I have also read that glycerine you can buy from the supermarket mixed with water and put onto the skin can be excellent. If you look at the ingredients for most of these super- expensive creams glycerine is the chief moisturising ingredient!

big that stuff is hideous on sensitive skin so be careful if you are delicate!

YANBU to spend your money as you like.

OTOH, expensive moisturisers do not work any better than cheap ones - you are paying for packaging and hype. The EL one does not suit you because it is expensive but because it does not contain an ingredient to which your skin is sensitive - probably a perfume or carrier agent.

The best moisturisers for eczema are actually the greasier ointments because these absorb into the skin well. However they are not great to use under make up so you might want to use an ointment at night and a cream during the day. Experiment with those marketed for eczema - there are dozens out there and one of them will suit you. A lot of my patients like Diprobase which you can get for £2: link here

My auntie raves about the Aldi stuff and she used to be a clinique all the way woman ( until she retired) she is in her 70s and looks in her early 60s her skin is lovely ,

I would carry on using it, it sounds like it has transformed you! I'd give up booze or trips to the cinema or whatever you spend money on that isnt as necessary as this cream

Thanks for the good advice Anyone. I love diprobase for eczema in other places but not so much as a face cream. I used to use it but I find it leaves my face too greasy.

YANBU to priorities your skin care. Bad skin can have a huge impact on your self esteem, so if you've found something that works for you, you should try to stick with it. Can you keep an eye out for discounts, or loyalty points? Or check out websites like strawberrynet.com.

I really like rosehip oil under moisturizer when my skin is dry and flaky.

I don't agree. Haven't read the whole thread. Pre dc's I could afford such prices, now I can't. I've read heaps of material telling me that I had wasted by money all thoses years and its all utter rubbish about estee lauder, e arden et al.

A gp told me E45 and Ponds. She was old though. But it's interesting.

My estee lauder make up costs less per ml than the ink for my printer.....! Work that one out!

I use the daily moisturiser, I love it. Also save up the boots points, its never anymore in there and see if there are any double points going, brings it down a bit! Just spread it out 15 pounds a month isn't much if u save it by the month rather than a big chunk one month.

As a fellow eczema sufferer YANBU!

I use zerobase on prescription so about £8 for a massive pot. It's non greasy but quite thick. I've tried a lot and this one works best for me.

Before i moved to the expensive brands I wasted more on trying the latest boots local etc stuff, used a few times and then tried something else. I agree they last longer too.

bigbuttons glycerin is a surfectant, not a moisturiser. It enables creams to glide across the skin's surface.

Thankslovelylady I won't use it then!
I have been to aldi this morning and got myself a stash of stuff. The reviews for all the aldi stuff is bloody amazing. No one says anything bad and it has beaten other top brands in blind trials hands down. I didn't know which to pick as all have such good reviews in so many places. And CHEAP, blimey. I wish I'd bought the shimmer cream and the moisturising serum as they won top awards. But I got the Q10 stuff and the lacura equivalent of touche éclat ( which also has rave reviews)

lovelyladuree even

No. Havign skin conditions is expensive business and treating them properly isn't a luxury imo.

However, I have similar skin to yours (acne and sever eczema ahhh) and Body Shop aloe face cream/lotion is like nectar on my skin. Though thats about £80 a year.

I have eczema something chronic and my skin is a pain when it comes to face creams - after using things for ages it suddenly decides to become allergic ..

A year ago though, I started just using the old fashioned Nivea cream, the one in a blue pot. It's only 99p in ASDA and last me ages. Not had a problem since (apart from the time I tried to use the pore-refining version and turned into a puffer fish)...

Can't really vouch for the anti-aging properties though but it works for me.

www.amazon.co.uk/Coconoil-Original-Virgin-Coconut-Oil/dp/B000RL80T0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357837886&sr=8-1
bit late but as requested upthread, link to the coconut oil.

I can't recommend Liz Earle moisturisers enough. They are great on eczema and don't cost £180!

might be worth a boring hour or so reading labels. Write down exactly what is in the one that works, and find a cheaper one with the same content. There will be one somewhere in the vast excess of 'choice' that we have.

With EL you are paying for the ads, the walking skeleton who poses for them and the airbrushing.

it is an interesting exercise with hair products too - all the ones that are supposed to have different effects are in fact exactly the same thing in a different bottle.

Thank you valium for the body shop tip.Went in today and got samples of eye serum, face serum and day cream and can say already that the eye serum has eased my sore eyes a lot. I have it inside my eyes.unfortunately which means my eyes have constantly streamed with tears. After 13 months my eye area is extremely sore.
Fingers crossed this works for me (and it is 3 for 2 until 27th jan)
My problems started soon after I tried lacura so wouldn't recommend (although may not be related)

Oh fab, glad you like it! I always bang on about it because it has really transformed my skin

Try the night cream - it is better than day cream and is the real miracle in a jar! Offers on line are always better than in store - I usually end up paying about £3 an item.

If you shop around online you wil probably find the EL cream loads cheaper, places like fragrance direct etc.
Also, try olive its one of/or the most closest oil type to the natural moisture we have in our skin already (I didn't explain that very well, lol, hygwim).
It's great for sloughing of dry skin without being harsh.
My youngest suffers from eczema and it's horrible, her face gets so sore : (

Wow, thanks Valium I will. Do you use the night cream instead of the day cream or as well as?

I use the night cream as a day cream as it is SO gorgeous. The day cream I use when my skin is in need of less TLC. The night cream is not heavy though and makes an excellent base for make up.

I really wish I had discovered this stuff years ago, I feel quite sad I didn't and had years of shite skin.

Wonder if you can get aloe vera products to put in your eyes. Off to google it....

I know you can drink aloe juice...

Apparently you can put it in your eyes if you dilute the fresh sap with water. Where the hell can I get Aloe Vera plants in the Midlands though?

My dd3 had dreadful eczema , all over her torso.

I used coconut oil on her, and within 2 weeks it went...and (touch wood) has not returned for over a year!

I've used it as a general moisturizer too, fabulous!

You can but Aloe Vera plants from a garden centre - they are fab for when you burn yourself too, you break the leaf and rub the gooey stuff straight on and it's like magic! Easy to care for too!

www.cactusplaza.com/aloe-vera-barbadensis?gclid=CLDf7pGN4LQCFQ7LtAodJjEAfA

If you need something for inside your eyes, use chamomile tea bags. Just soak them in some luke warm water, and then use the tea bag on your eye - or a cotton wipe in the tea. Works for mild congunctivitis as well. Absolutely brilliant. It can also be used as a final rinse for your body after a shower to soothe your skin.

valium you are a mine of information! Thank you

Thank you DIY I have tried the tea bags but my eyes are quite severe and need something actually in them.
I have rubbed aloe vera straight onto my skin when on holiday, it is amazing stuff. If it could stop the burning in my eyes I would feel like all my Christmases had come at once

I actually squeeze the teabag into my eye, and blink the liquid around. Sounds painful but it isn't.

You can buy aloe vera plants online, and get them posted to you.

Res you are welcome x

Have you actually been to the GP and checked you can't have drops?

Oh YY chammomile in the eyes is lovely and soothing!

Am on consultant No5. Have had every eye drop known to man so will try again with the chamomile and will also try the aloe vera.
Thanks both.

Oh you poor thing, that's rotten x