...to be pissed off at this comment from a 'friend'

[sandyballs]

She peered closely at me yesterday and asked what moisturiser I used. When I said Simple, she laughed and said anyone over 40 needs to step up a gear and pay for proper lotions .

DH thinks I'm misreading her and over-reacting but it has really pissed me off. she obviously thinks I'm a wrinkly old bag who needs advice.

She is jealous of your youthful, dewy skin which is why she asked about your moisturiser (she wanted to know if it could do the same for her). When it wasn't a super-duper expensive one she either wanted to take you down a peg for being effortlessly more gorgeous than her (if she's horrible) or encourage you to turn into a supermodel by using better moisturiser (if she's nice but tactless).

Bugger that, any dermatologist will tell you all you need is cheap moisturiser and sunscreen as a bottom line beauty regime.

I use cheap moisturisers and have great skin, mainly because I don't smoke and don't frazzle my face in the sun. Expensive ones invariably give me spots.

Thanks Bran, that's cheered me up .

i've heard that too Boffinmum, expensive ones are just a rip of and no better for your skin.

Sounds like jealousy at your perfect skin.

Think to yourself that anyone who needs all that expensive stuff only needs it because they look old without it (unlike you).

I don't use anything at all, and recently got congratulated on how well I was looking after my little brother and sister (aka DS and DD) . So I can only conclude that the less stuff you use, the younger you look!

LOL at StayFrosty's idea! Like it!

Sandyballs I am almost 50, and my skin if its lucky gets a wipe over with e45 cream.

It dosnt matter what you put on it matters what your genes are like, both my parents looked younger than their age, and I can usually get away with 40.

Only exception are products that contain Retinol. They have been proven to help in reducing wrinkles/signs of ageing - but they are really expensive.

I have very difficult skin and I react to a lot of things, and TBH the biggest improvement in my skin has come from finding the right cleanser for me. So my order of importance would be sun-screen, good cleanser, gentle moisturiser. Unfortunately my genes aren't great as I have very dry skin so look wrinklier than I should.

Yes, sandyballs, you are paying for fragrance (which I am allergic to anyway half the time, don't know about you) and absorption qualities, both of which have no impact on your skin's appearance. The rest of your cash is going on brand advertising, etc. Less is definitely more when it comes to skincare and also your wallet.

Retinol can be very harsh and cause other problems.

What other problems, boffinmum?

My granny swore by Simple moisturiser and Atrixo handcream and people often commented on her lovely complexion.
Your friend is being a snidey old cow and is probably jealous. Does she have a significant birthday coming up, perchance?

If I recall correctly, it can strip off the top layer of the skin and cause irritation and sometimes adult acne.

Retinol can give you broken capillaries. Been there, done that. It's not good for anyone with truly sensitive skin.

Thanks for replies. She's 3 years older and her skin does look quite good. i have dry skin which is prone to eczema now and then, but it doesn't look too bad.

My mum (65ish) has the most beautiful skin - even in daylight! She uses Aldi moisturiser - meant to be one of the best apparantly - about £3 a pot.

I use cheap moisturiser (vitamin e from the local health food shop) I got asked for proof of age this weekend, I am 35, with quite a few not very noticeable grey hairs... I was buying a bottle of wine in the supermarket... I don't suppose the assistant was wearing her glasses today!

agree with boffinmum; a friend who's a dermatologist says the same.

nasty comment to make.

Also expensive creams only get so much media coverage because they pay for a lot of advertising and send a great many samples to beauty journalists. That builds the brand.

My granny always used Oil of Ulay and so did my aunt. Until my little cousin who couldn't read very well peered at the label and painstakingly read out "Old.....and ......Ugly!"

One of my college lecturers who was a pharmacist said the entire beauty industry was a sham and recommended woolfat. Which I think is Lansinoh! Not Just For Nipples!

OMG - I used ROC stuff with retinol (because it had been recommended in various mags as the only ingredient which did actually work), and have suffered over the last few years with broken veins on either side of my nose, and (more recently) adult acne.

I put the latter down to the menopause/peri menopause.

Perhaps it was the moisturiser after all

My Gran is 54 and swears that just plain old water and a bit of any old moisturiser will do she looks about 40!

Although we do have a tendancy to look young in my family [smug emoticon]

Great gran 78 looks 65
Gran 54 looks 40ish
Mum 39 looks about 30
Me 22 looks too young to buy a lottery ticket without ID according to ASDA and COOP

Cheeky mare, ignore her you'll have the last laugh.