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vote please: expensive skincare - worth it, in your experience?

164 replies

Tutter · 31/10/2006 12:17

and if so - which brand (and what's your skin like)?

OP posts:
bloodyhowler · 31/10/2006 22:31

Have always used Liz earle and it is very good but have been using avon anew for about a month and it is excellent I have the day and night creams and I can see a real difference.I have use all the expensive ones even creme de la mer which i thought was just an expensive old style cold cream!Avon is not too expensive and has moved on from its old image i think

mosschops30 · 31/10/2006 22:33

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO so not worth it.

Anita Roddick was interviewed once and said all these fancy creams are bo**ks. Just use a cream that is suited to your skin type.

I use the simple range (about £4) i use the light one cos my skin is quite greasy and I find it better than any of the others I used to buy (like Clarins at £20 a pop)

Smurfgirl · 31/10/2006 22:40

I use Boots fragrance free stuff atm, but am thinking about buying that Olay stuff for younger skin. Am 22 with skin of steel so not sure what to go for but have a couple of wrinkles now so need to act I think. My foundation has an SPF of 15 in it...

WitchICouldGiveUpWork · 31/10/2006 22:40

Blimey Saint Hub-don't drink,smoke or eat meat-dread to think what your vices are-no wonder you don't need these bloody creams!!

HAve been using Dior Capture Totale for 6 months now and believe it or not I used to be in the Hub camp-all tosh preying on our insecurities.Well dd bought me the serum for Mother's day and the face cream for my birthday-hugely expensive and I thought I would go back to any old crap I could pick up in the supermarket when it ran out.
Wron-I really do think it makes a difference and have bough replacements since.It's hardly the "surgery effect" we all secretly hope for but I do reckon it has done more thanprevious creams.

Kittypickle · 01/11/2006 07:46

I vote No, the expensive ones are definitely not worth it but there are some products that will benefit your skin more than a £2 product.

A pot of cream generally has a very high water content (which is why you see aqua listed on the ingredients first) and is chock full of chemicals put there to do things like enhance the feeling of it sinking into your skin, which really isn't going to help it one bit, but will make you feel you like it more as it absorbs so easily. You also need an emulsifier to bind the water and oil content together and to thicken it to the right consistency, so that takes care of another 3-6 ingredients on the list. Then you have a humectant to help reduce water loss and a mositurising agent. Water and oil mixed together will need a preservative, so there's a couple of them as well. Finally you get an "active ingredient" that might actually do something to help your skin, but the jury is out on a lot of them.

The mark up on these products is truly frightening. Learn to make your own and you realise how horrendous it is and how really there isn't much difference between them, bar the packaging and the image built up around them. I think that Vitamin C serums can have a positive effect on your skin (but haven't tried them so can't speak from experience) and that DMAE & Alpha Lipoic Acid probaby do help them somewhat, but there won't be a jot of difference between a product containing one of them for £10 or £100 in terms of what it will actually do to your skin.

The cleansers such as Eve Lom and Liz Earle that are removed with a muslin should help your skin from the point of view that they will help remove the dirt, but they are greatly aided by the effect of gently massaging them into the skin and stimulating blood flow when you remove with the warm muslin cloth, which also will gently exfoliate.

My personal approach to this is a natural one, I make my own using good quality unrefined cold pressed oils - eg Jojoba, Rosehip, Apricot Kernal. There is one or a combination to suit all skin types - Jojoba for oily skin for example (won't clog your pores as you would think and using oil can actually reduce the amount of oil your skin produces, though you would think the opposite. Quality is defininitely the key here, look at the difference in colour between a refined Rosehip Oil and unrefined one and it is quite startling.

There are also herbal extracts and essential oils that I think do make a difference - Seabuckthorn & Echium extracts are part of my night oil. I gently massage it into slightly damp skin and it will absorb in nicely - a bit longer than a cream obviously but it will and you have a much better quality product that will over time make a difference (you need to be realistic about how much is possible) for a fraction of the cost once you have bought your initial ingredients.

lorina · 01/11/2006 08:28

Ones I have had in order of expense

la prairie £90 .Rubbish

elemis marine cream £75 .Excellent

decleor vitaroma £58. Ok but not worth the money

Had lots in the £30 to £40 bracket with varing results.

The only cheap thing that I think is any good is E45

I've got dry skin

CountessDracula · 01/11/2006 08:35

I use clarins for most things but I don't really like their moisturisers. Have tried lots but I always come back to Dermacare which costs nowt and is great for my skin.

I do use clarins make up remover, toner, eye gel, beauty flash balm and eye flash balm stuff

I also have some Freeze 24/7 which I use occasionally if I am going out somewhere special or looking particularly haggared. It really does work.

speedymama · 01/11/2006 08:59

I have very dry skin and use to buy Nivea cream for just under £6 but now I use Siana Moisturiser from Aldi, 79p and it is brilliant!

LadyMacbeth · 01/11/2006 09:23

Eve Lom's TLC cream is AMAZING. Thick gloopy stuff - I pat it on around my eyes after removing make up at night. After just three days I noticed that virtually all the fine lines around my eyes had gone.

Not sure how long it will keep working though!

Also Garnier Ultralift cream (1/2 price @ Sainsburys) seems to work well - started using it this week as a daytme moisturiser and smells beautiful. My skin looks great.

Clarin's Beauty Flash Balm is great too - I put it on whenever I'm hungover/ had no sleep / need a primer and want to look ultra lovely for a night out.

LadyMacbeth · 01/11/2006 09:26

Oh, and drinking lots of water, a healthy diet, yoga and regular exercise in the fresh air is IMO a good basis for ageing gracefully! Beauty creams should really be used to support a healthy lifestyle! (IMHO of course... )

arfishymeau · 01/11/2006 10:40

I used to fly every other week for 3 years, and have over-sampled and bought everything available in duty free.

My faves are:

Eve Lom cleanser - probably good because you pay so much and therefore make the effort with the steaming/muslin (yes, take note PPH!)
Any moisturiser with SPF in, quite like Lancome and Olay 7 Signs of Ageing.
Model Co Lip plumping lipstick
Clarins Bain aux Plantes Tonic Shower Gel
Clarins Huile Tonic for pregnant tummies
Clarins Lait Jambes Lourdes for aching legs (my favourite product of all time)
All Benefit makeup & Body Treatments
Model Co Skin Drink body moisturiser spray
Model Co Airbrush Shimmer (for spraying onto tans)
L'Oreal Refinish MicroDermabrasion Kit

(I have quite dry skin). Apart from this I'm a sucker for YSL & Chanel because they do shiny stuff and I'm easily led.

JackieNo · 01/11/2006 10:48

arfishymeau, lol at 'they do shiny stuff and I'm easily led'. I'm a marketing person's dream, I'm afraid, even though I know in my heart of hearts it's mostly hype. I'm the person who goes round the supermarket saying 'Ooh look, this is new, let's try it', especially if it's in a trial size.

twelveyeargap · 01/11/2006 10:50

I've used Dermalogica for 4 years. Never looked back. It's not prohibitively expensie, but I think it's around £20 for the moisturiser. Don't use any other face stuff. I even use their tinted moisturiser.

TheDivineLiliLaTigresse · 01/11/2006 10:58

I like buying nice make-up, usually Chanel, but hate spending money on skincare stuff
Best investment for me was spending 45 euros last august to see a dermatologist in france who recommended daily use of sunscreen on my face and 'decollete' (she recommends La Roche-Posay 'Anthelios' 40SPF Creme Fondante), the 'Intolerance Repairing Cream' by Roc Dermatologic to wear under foundation, as I have sensitive skin, to avoid red patches, and in the evening after taking off my make-up I use Galderma's Cetaphil (also recommended by the dermatologist) to finish off the cleaning, it leaves my skin very soft amd not dried out by all the make-up removing stuff, really great stuff!
I think this is the best thing anyone can do to really understand what your skin needs and get the right products, it has really made a difference to my skin.

Marina · 01/11/2006 11:08

Yet another thing I like about France - dermatologists are part of life for a lot of French women, not slightly scary orange-faced teens with only one set of products to promote.
I might look out that Roc product on my next wallet-busting trawl round Marionnaud, Lili - I get ominous-looking plaques rouges all too often these days

TheDivineLiliLaTigresse · 01/11/2006 11:10

It's called Calmance, very nice stuff, not greasy
Highly recommend the Cetaphil thing from Galderma, but you will only get this from a chemist I fear...

arfishymeau · 01/11/2006 11:36

Yep, JackieNo. Make it new and especially 'limited edition' and it's in my bag before you can say 'oooh look at that!'.

bluejelly · 01/11/2006 12:10

Think it's all a big con
The products feel nice but don't think they 'do' anything
Have switched to Simple and am planning to spend spare money on something more rewarding, like vodka

grannyboots · 01/11/2006 12:40

depends what's up with my skin - generally i use liz earle cleanse and polish - buy in bulk or deals from qvc (it's so much cheaper) and skin repair as a moisturiser (come in combination and dry skin).

i also use the Gatineau laser range - and anti redness cream (it's fantastic - but 25quid for a wee tube) and i really notice a difference with it - skin smoother, even skin tone etc.

however, i think that each person is different and you need to experiment with different products to find what suits your skin....

Scootergirl · 01/11/2006 13:12

If anyone out there used Bio Oil on their tum to stop stretch marks, try using the rest of the bottle (a bit at a time, obviously!) instead of night cream. Is fab! (and cheap)

mcnoodle · 01/11/2006 13:17

Another vote for Eve Lom cleanser. Used it religiously with fancy pants muslin and facial business for about 2 months before my wedding. Skin looked amazing. Well worth it at the time.

Now am haggard old mother and no time for all that poncing around. A friend gave me this fab (cheap) soap made purely from olive oil - it's keeping the haggard look at bay slightly I think.

katierocket · 01/11/2006 13:22

I don't know, not sure I agree about Eve Lom. I have some and am seriously underwhelmed by it.
I always use Liz Earle which is not ridiculously expensive but very good.

gscrym · 01/11/2006 13:28

I use Lush tea-tree water for cleanser/toner. One of their facial soaps for washing my face and Gorgeous moisturiser afterwards but only on the dry bits of my face. I also only stock up once a year when they have their spend £x get a free thing sale.

GoingQuietlyMad · 01/11/2006 13:30

I am a sucker for these things. I am like a kid in a sweet shop in the cosmetics department. I love the gift bags you get, so I usually wait till one comes up to buy anything.

I started using them at about age 25, when I discovered Clinique, and now use their oil free gel (have v oily skin). I also use Boots No 7 time delay exfoliator, which seems to make a difference.

I am sure it is a con, but I just love the feeling on my skin - makes me feel pampered.

drosophila · 01/11/2006 13:32

I am using the Olay Regenerist at the moment and it is the only one that has ever seemed to make a difference to how I look.