I am the first to admit that I am no skin care or make-up expert. I have sensitive skin, don't wear a ton of make-up even for fun and I'm pretty simple about my routine.I pretty much know what works for my pale picky skin and stick to it. And because it's so prone to freaking out in a whole variety of ways, I don't like to try new things. But I also do try to take good care of my skin. I've never slept with my make-up on and wash my face every night with Cetaphil soap. I tone with Thayers Rose Water Witch Hazel and then I use and eye cream and a face lotion/night cream. Right now I've been using Aveeno for both of those.As we've been evolving our lifestyle, I've been adding more natural (and an added benefit is they are cheaper) elements to what I use. I use safflower oil as a body moisturiser and I've just started vitamin E oil on my face.
I tend to have oily skin in the t-zone so it seems a bit odd to add oil to my face. But since we've had less fat in our diet this actually is very comforting. After I wash my face at night, tone and moisturize, I put a few drops of the E in my palm and rub my hands together (my hands and nails benefit from this too) and press my palms lightly onto my face, neck and chest. When I wake up my skin is just glowy, which is amazing given the huge change in humidity I've undergone moving from FL to NC, especially in the winter.I've also heard good things about olive oil soaps, lotions and cleanser from DHC but this little bottle is only around $4 and will last for ages, so way cheaper. I would definitely recommend giving it a try. Even if you don't like it on your face, you can use it on your hands and nails.
Lately I've received a couple of samples of lotions to test out, and while I'm no big expert or consumer of lotions, I do have really fair and sensitive skin. With the change in climate from Florida to North Carolina, I've also been spending more time outside and dealing with issues like wind-burn and forced heat induced dryness.The first sample I got was directly from the company. They sent me a bottle of their SkinMD Shielding lotion which has aloe in it. After I was out at the antiques fair this worked great to calm down some redness I had gotten and it wasn't overly heavy or sticky, so I could put it on before bed. You can order bottles from the site or there is a store locator too.
The second lotion I got was a new night cream from Aveeno in their Positively Ageless line. The big ingredient they're touting is shiitake extract and wheat protein. As I've said, my skin, being fair, pre-rosacea and tempermental, doesn't like change. I also don't buy a lot of expensive lotions or washes because I've found more basic things work well and don't make me react. But I am big on moisturizing and have been since high school. I think that is something I've always done no matter what the evening brings - wash my face and moisturize.
I have to say this is a good product. It's not a light cream but it absorbs really well and in the morning my face has been looking all glowy and not puffy. So I'd give this a thumbs up. I will probably even buy some more when I run out. Aveeno is doing a sampling program right now via the website. If you click here you can order some to try for yourself.
