Moisturiser - help me make sense of it all

[iamaLeafontheWind]

My skin is going to pot, I'm now 35 & still getting spots, really dry & red. Obviously my Simple moisturiser is no longer keeping up.

How do I make a decision about what new moisturiser to choose? There are SO many, every time I try to look into a new brand I feel like I'm being given the hard sell or I just get completely confused.

Is there anything foolproof that isn't going to take me hours the the morning that you wise people can recommend for me?

Sounds like you have sensitive skin and need something soothing. Lush do good moisturisers and you can try them before making a decision although I don't know if they do actual take-home samples.

I also have sensitive skin and currently use aloe vera gel all over my face (makes a great primer also), and then a little e45 cream (actually I use Derma v10's e45 dupe) on my dry areas. Nives creme (blue pot) is also excellent on dry sensitive skin.

Moisturiser won't fix spots. Moisturiser is to make your skin feel comfortable after cleansing.

What texture do you like? Is your skin dehydrated/dry/oily?

It's all about comfort IMHO. I switch between a gel texture and Neals Yard Frankincense hydrating cream depending o how my skin feels on a day by day basis. If it feels tight I use NY, if it feels ok I use the gel one.

Liz Earle products have not worked miracles on my spots (nothing except medication has), but my skin has never felt as soft and comfortable. I use the range for acne/sensitive skin.

Also how do you cleanse? Try the hot cloth method with a cream cleanser (any one, Boots Essentials fragrance free is good - method is more important here). Rub cleanser all over face, take off with flannel soaked in hot water and wrung out.

See this is where I get confused, I need to work out not only what but how to use it properly. Sigh. Thanks for the replies.

Decide if your skin is dry (lacks oil), dehydrated (lacks water) or both. Kiehls shop assistants will do an oil test / skin diagnosis for you, and don't usually do a hard sell (they will give you some samples), so I would recommend popping in to them for twenty minutes. (For my money you can get products as good as theirs for far less, except the Line Reducing Concentrate which is phenomenal! But I digress)

Aside from that it sounds as though you need to balance your skin. Oils are good for that, in cleansers and moisturisers. I would: switch to hot cloth cleansing, Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish is a good start; find a day cream that suits your skin type - Boots Botanics have some great affordable ones, La Roche Posay, Eucerin both really good; start using a little oil at night, either alone or under acream - Clarins treatment oils are amazing and such good value. Once you're happy with all those, add in a serum. Then you'll be obsessed and can get into eye cream, night creams, the lot

If your skin is cross, keep things as simple as possible. I use plain rosehip oil (Trilogy) as my moisturiser - it doesn't leave your skin feeling oily and it really helps to balance it and make it feel soft. And a really plain cleanser - I use Anita Grant carrot and wheatgerm oil cleanser to take off makeup, or Lush Angels on bare skin in the shower.

This looks great
www.boots.com/en/Botanics-82-Organic-Softening-Cleanser-250ml_1262005/

I would say: hot cloth cleanse, Advanced Night Repair serum, moisturiser for sensitive skin (e.g. Liz Earle/Burt's Bees).

Can I throw in a random rec?!
Amphora aromatics echinacea moisturiser
Under a fiver, sold online, works on combination skin and helped my spots

Feel your frustration! Same here, 35 still occasionally spot prone and with sensitive skin that tends to need both hydration and oil to varying degrees (and depending which way the wind is blowing on any given day it seems!).

No quick fixes but there is lots of great advice here from folk already.

Seeing a good skin therapist or experienced non-pushy retailer is always a good call. Heard great stuff although I've not tried Kiehls, did find Dermalogica facemapping service useful. The more info you can get, the less products you'll end up trying that just don't work for your skin.

I've found hot cloth cleansing with raw oils has been a saviour. I use hazelnut, jojoba and sweet almond depending on time of year and whether my skin is going through a particularly spotty phase. The Hazelnut and Jojoba oils sink into the skin without leaving any oily residues, sweet almond is much richer, still sinks in but leaves more of a coating - great for evening or cold mornings. They don't block pores, my skin is far more balanced, far fewer outbreaks and less red and irritated. Clean hot terry flannel once a day, massage oil into the skin then remove with hot cloth. It takes a couple of weeks to see any difference, you may get more spotty initially but it soon balances. Try a good aromatherapy supplier like www.baseformula.com/ or www.naturallythinking.com/ found both to be great - good oils and service.

I've also recently switched to oqibo (costs a little less than active moist) for daily moisturiser. Really good marine based cream, feels fairly light but does seem to hydrate my skin properly www.oqibo.co.uk/oqibo/hydra-restore-cream/. Skin loves it so far (so does OH for that matter!).

Hope you find something soon!