If you've ever read this blog before, you know that for most of my adult life (from about ages 30 something to 58) Aveeno lotion is the only lotion and/or beauty product that I used on my face with its ultra sensitive skin. While I don't use it exclusively anymore, I will still use it at night when I have any kind of skin rash or problem, or sometimes over a stronger retinol that I may be wary of using.
However, I still do use Aveeno lotion all over my body. It is hands down one of the best moisturizers that I have ever used, and with a chronic dry skin condition known as icthyosis, that is saying something. For summer, I use the Aveeno lotion with a sunscreen all over my body. Cures dry skin and protects it from sun damage. It also seems to "plump" my skin; my skin seems thicker after application. After using for about 30 years, I have to say it is still a winner!
By now, everyone surely knows about Essie! If not, here is some good news for your nails, especially for those of us over 40. Essie nail polishes go on smoothly and last. They have one of the best choices of light colors that look good on over 50 hands. The light pink (see below) flatters older skin, a good thing since our hands are one of the first places to show age. My favorite range from white (looks so clean and fresh, especially in the summer) to a medium dusky pink. Sugar Daddy and Mademoiselle are almost cult favorites: pale pinks that look good on everyone. Some of my favorites: Fun in the Gondola, Eternal Optimist, Fiji, Mademoiselle, Sugar Daddy, Ballet Slippers, and Vanity Fairest.
Essie's best invention: No Chips Ahead. This marvelous topcoat dries quickly and really makes your manicure long-lasting. I've had a paint job last for a week! Really! I love this stuff and will never be without it. To me it seems to work best with Essie polishes although I've used it with other brands as well.
Donna Cluny Gardner
- Put clear lip balm on your cheekbones? Try it! Vanessa Axente, a Hungarian model who is also the star of Endless Euphoria fragrance ads, uses Chanel's Rouge Coco Baume on her cheekbones, then follows with a bit of blush.
- The highest part of the arch of your eyebrow should be jusst above the outer edge iris of your eye.
- Drink 1 1/2 litres of water a day and a good hyaluronic serum should follow your antioxidant serum. Hyaluronic acid can hold and bind up to over 1000 times its own weight in moisture.
- Remember to put sunscreen on your hands and reapply it throughout the day. Hands show age dramatically.
- Try soaking your feet in apple cider vinegar to make them especially soft. It's cheap, too!
- Squeeze water out of your hair, but don't towel dry it so that you will avoid the "frizzies"!
Can anyone tell me why it is that when I find a great product, the store that offers it invariably decides to discontinue it? The Bath and Body Works had Pumpkin Body Butter that worked wonders on my ultra dry skin - yes, discontinued! Another favourite is The Body Shop's Grapeseed Body Butter; although it says on their online site that they are temporarily out of stock, I'm afraid that this wonderfully smoothing cream which is the best I've used so far is going to be discontinued also. So, what to do? First, I've been looking for other formulations that also contain jojoba oil and shea butter as well as the grapeseed oil. There are a couple of possibilities that look interesting only one is in the U.K. and I hate to think what shipping could be for it since it comes in a heavy glass jar. The other alternative is Ebay, and surprisingly enough I've found quite a few offerings. I got Pumpkin Butter at a reasonable price - not the $3.00 a jar it was selling for on the website when they were getting rid of it all, but a reasonable price with reasonable shipping. If you check Ebay, be sure that the seller has at least a 99% feedback rating (although this can differ depending on how many feedbacks he/she actually has), and that the ad for it says that it has been unopened. If it doesn't state this in the ad, be sure to send an e-mail to the seller to make sure that this is a new, unused product. Likely, it is, since many Ebay sellers will go to stores such as The Bath and Body Works and buy all the products that are being discontinued at rock-bottom prices, then offer them for sale on Ebay to people like me who can't live without them. Happy Shopping!
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