Fuck this shit. I've decided I'm going retro with my skin care.

[HoneyDragon]

It occurred to me the other day that I like Steam Cream because it's like a cold cream, but lighter.

I used cold cream (Nivea) every night throughout my teens and early twenties.

It's occurred to me that I've only ever adapted my skin care when stuffs been discontinued or because I've got older and you are supposed to change and you age.

In all honesty my skins no different to it was 15 years ago apart from the odd wrinkle.

I picked up some Nivea last week pm in pound,and and I had forgotten his much crap it gets off my face and how nice it leaves my skin.

So I thought back, and I've spent the last 10 years trying to find a cleanser as good as Himalaya cleansing milk, and non have been, not even close. Even Lancôme and Clarins. You could see the grime come off your skin, and it melted make up in seconds (stung the eyes though so used Nivea to remove eye up).

So I've ordered some on Ebay that is imported.

And ditto for Ponds Vanishing Cream. That was so good in the mornings that I could go without make up and it kept my shine free all day. And when I put make up no primer was required.

So I've sourced that too. Up till now never occurred to me to see if they were still been manufactured else where in the world.

I am happy and excited, and can't wait till they come

What other products were really brilliant that you just can't get in the UK anymore?

It was bizarre logic that called a make up range "Miners", wasn't it? When the stereotypical picture of a miner is a grease smeared face and orange overalls...

Oh yes the yellow Flex shampoo and cond was amazing!

Was Finesse the purple bottles? Am loving this blast from the past.

White musk from the body shop takes me back a good couple of decades when I smell it in the shop!

Yes it was the Japanese washing grains!

I used that and then some paint stripper style tonic afterwards.

My spot cream was pretty severe too - I once burnt my entire chin - flaky skin for weeks. No spots thoug!

Anais Anais takes me back. I have a couple of samples that I bought from ebay for nostalgic purposes...despite the fact that it immediately transports me back to the best 6 mths of my life, it also smells like a 4 yr old mixed all their mum's smellies together and then sat in it for a week. Sooooo heavy.

I used to always want a boots lemon grass gift set for Christmas as well, but my Mum always said it wasn't worth the money, all packaging.

And Avon Moonwind talc, and Mornay Sandalwood soap. I've smelled other Sandalwoods since, but none as gorgeous as that.

I went through a phase, 1989 of needing the exact lipstick that Wendy James of Transvision Vamp had, a sort of very shocking, yet flat matte pink. I ended up with about 30 lippies, all more or less exactly the same, but never quite right.

I just jumped to the end of this thread to mention Body shop Japanese washing grains! I even tried making them myself with crushed akamu (?) Beans.

Loved them.

Drank Ah yes anus anus is how I used to pronounce it. Tres chic.

Having always had pretty good skin, even as a teen, I have no idea what most of these things are. However, my grandma used to do Nivea face masks, so that's something I still do. I loved body shop banana shampoo and conditioner.

My mum used to use a hand cream that was in a glass jar with a metal gold lid. Anyone remember what it's was called? It was a bit like wallpaper paste.

Glazzit - Atrixo? - not sure of spelling...

Atrixo was yellow and green tub I think. She used that too!

Found it, creamolia

Anyone remember a talcum powder called Babybird? I was thinking about it the other day - it was in a tall slim cylindrical plastic bottle with blue/purple/pink bands. Smelled divine, and I think the powder was actually lilac coloured although I could be making that part up ......

Lovely thread, can still smell VS and Flex shampoos in my head!

I love Atrixo, use it on face, body, hands. Fantastic stuff.

I loved Mary Quant Special Recipe range. My mum bought me a gift set for Christmas in 1976 and I always associate it with a very special time in my life.

Mums pink roll on deodorant in glass bottle

Anne french cleansing milk
Oil of Ulay was pink watery liquid in a glass bottle.

Vosene shampoo in a green bottle made hair really shiny.

Does anyone remember Duo tan? which made the pores in your legs orange but the skin stayed white!

Vosene's not the same, ds uses it

I have heard it said, on MN no less, that Atrixo is exactly the same as Crème de La Mer, bar one ingredient. Obviously the ingredient that makes CdelaM cost eleventy billion pounds, but still.....

Ah my mum used Cremolia as well as atrixio - where my confusion came from
Pretty sure the smell of atrixo would be one of those that took me back to being a child...

Nulon hand cream,
Wella Litex balsam smelled wonderful as did the Vidal Sasson one in the brown bottles
Bonne Belle Lip Smackers
old perfumes from the 70's- 5 a.m , Stevie B, Maxie, Laughter, Tramp (!)
Evette makeup from Woolies
You can still buy Cremolia handcream from Boots- was a bit sticky as I recall

I am 50 and i still use Anne French cleansing milk; they used to make a face mask as well called Glow-5 which used to make your face bright red as it was so harsh!

When I was about 20 I used the Boots Cucumber range for a good while which I loved (and I loved the price!). This thread is making me think about checking it out again. It was very gentle and I loved the scent. It would be a real blast from the past

This has prompted me to seriously think about simplifying my skincare routine. The prices of the things I use have gone up loads in the 15+ years that I've been using them, and I think its getting a bit much. I use Estee Lauder stuff, and I have no complaints about it at all. I love it.

I have dry skin, and I use their foamng cleanser for dry skin in the pink tube (about 18), then the Idealist (41 or so now for 30ml), the the Advanced Night Repair eye cream (about 35 for 15 ml), and then Day Wear moisturiser for dry skin (about 40 now for 30 ml). I do exactly the same at night, but I replace the Idealist for Advanced Night repair serum (about 48 for 30 ml).

It is costing a fortune. It all lasts me 3 months which is really good, but still, I wonder if there is a cheaper way of getting just as good results.

I don't think I can be parted from the Day Wear moisturiser, but I am re-thinking whether I need all of the other extras.

Food for thought ...

My nan used to use Cremolia. It was about 1 a jar. I remember buying it for her for Christmas when I was about 10 (so nearly 30 years ago) and my budget, per person, was as close to 1 as possible. Its made me smile to remember.

Does anyone remember a shampoo that had "two layers" maybe one of shampoo and one of conditioner - think one layer was clear and one was maybe purple, and you shook it to mix them before you used it. I remember thinking it was really exotic and had a lovely scent. Could it have been called Once?

Is Atrixo a cleanser or moisturiser?

There's a chapter in Ben Goldacre's Bad Science about cosmetics. Can't remember the precise detail but essentially the expensive stuff is all marketing and packaging and we're all fools.