Returniing to old faithfuls

If you follow my blog in full you will realise I live a life peppered with illness and medication. This has a problem of the fashionista kind, my skin gets trashed. With a constant stream of pain medication and other tablets enterin my system my skin has more spots than it did in my teens, and its dull and dry.

Over the years I have tried and failed various creams and potions, so much so my collection is endless and a lot gets relegated to the bin after a couple of uses as it physically hurts on my skin. I have finally found my skin basics that don't drive my skin insane and seem to work for me. The price range is varied and probablly unexpected.

For starts I swear by E45 cream for very dry skin anywhere. I was introduced to it by my GP to repair my skin after steriod creams and not looked back. It can be used on any part of my skin from face to cracked heals, nd you will find it hard to over apply. I personally like to apply it straight after a a bath as it locks in the mositure and that doubles it affect. This is a constant on our shelves at home and I also tend to walk around with a tube at the bottom of my hand bag. I know they have extended their range to release difference creams for different parts of the body, but if you buy the general cream as shown here it would cover all.

If you don't have the funds to pay for the label any aquaous cream would provide the same service and most pound shops have an unlabeled brand on their shelves. Just check they are aquaous creams.

My next faithful purchase is Nivea cream. I use this on my face to deeply rehydrate my overly dry skin. If my skin gets to the flaky stage due to a mixture of weather and meication, this cream will clear it up after a couple of nights of application. Although I do look a fright with my face caked in the cream it works, and whats a couple of nights of horror for hydrated skin. The bitter wind and rain can demolish the best of routines so we all have to have our emergency repairs, this is mine. A small hand bag size tin starts at £1 in major supermarkets and is worth every penny plus some. It is low on fragrance with means even the more sensative of skins are safe using it .

My luxury facial brand is the Divine Cream by L'Occitane. It is a costly cream at about £56 a tub, but a little goes a long long way. If you are looking for a cream not just to mositurise, but to revive this is the cream for you. I would love to use this daily but at the moment I am waiting for Santa to replinish my supplies. It never sets my skin into a flare up, instead leaves my skin glowing almost like a primer. I have a couple of samples I am streching out till my next jar as I love it so much. If in doubt on such  big out lay, if you contact L'Occitane directly they usually will send you a sample of their best sellers including this to try. That is how I found this cream havin equired about the ranges suitable for my skin type. Usually I refuse on principle to spend so much on a cream, but when you work out how much you use per day compired to cost it works out very cost effective

This leads me on to my favourite hand cream again it is L'Occitane brand, and this has been a godsend. I hve never found a cream that didn't leave my hands feeling tacky and dirty, until this. Trust me on this I have tried just about every product on the market, especially as I have broken my wrists`on multiple times in the last 10 years and any one who has had a limb in plaster will know what damage those casts do to skin. All I have ever wanted in a hand cream is for it to mositurise with out feeling yucky, I mean that is a hardly a big request, yet only one has totally achieved it, with boy shop coming in second. I don't want to walk around all day with my hands smelling of some synthic fruit either. So I tend to go for a shea or nut frangranced cream, athough having just laid my hands on the date scented one and that is very plesant. The price is £8.50 per tube, but I found this lasted months, and well worth it. If in doubt keep your eyes open for a freebie with a beauty magazine as there is usually at least one a year, and it is a good way to try this out. If like me you love this range look for gift sets as they are often more cost effective and can make great stocking fillers for your friends.

Then there is the ever faithful Vaseline, often used on lips it is a multi purpose little tin of magic. If you ever run out of mascara or like me you find it harsh on a day to day basis, it is great to use a little of the plain product across your lashes and you have  quick fix. Also it can be used to create a gloss on lip sticks. I just can't imagine a handbag with out it. Sure you can buy all the trendy flavours for your lips, but a small tin of the plain product is good enough and serves many purposes.


So these are my old faithfuls I wouldn't be without. I am sure everyone has their own choices and favourites, what are yours?