Stuff I like: Skin Care

After having had problematic, Rosacea prone skin for the past 10 years, I have tried everything to improve my skin. All the high end creams, and everything in between have been used but to no avail. I was using Sisley products for about a year, Creme de La Mer, (Creme de la crap) before that. Both were hugely expensive.

Sisley, all day all year face cream. It currently retails at department for stores for around $398.00, plus tax.

My skin makes me so miserable that I was prepared to pay exhorbitant amounts for even the slightest sign of improvement. Predictably, a pleasing result was seldom evidenced.

I spent $$$$$ dollars on Sisley, not to mention La Mer which cost $450.00 a jar in Australia, yet only $250.00 for the same size here. Estee Lauder, parent company of La Mer, knows it can get away with charging Australians a whole lot more. Is that Antipodian discrimination? What a rip off.

Both Sisley and Creme de La Mer plumped up my skin because of all the fillers and silicones. They did little to actually improve skin surface or tone. Sometimes the fillers and natural fragrances in the creams would cause irritation. There is no need at all for fragrance, it's put there because people like to use something that smells nice. If people are that stupid, they deserve skin care that does not work! Finding products without the superfluous fragrances is not an easy task though.
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The sales people at Saks 5th Ave where I would purchase Sisley, La Mer and the odd La Prairie, were really aggressive, like hungry barracudas devouring their hapless prey, as long as that prey was wielding a credit card that is.

I was spending vast amounts and still was not completely happy with my results. The sales people would call me constantly to come in for a 'free' facial and make up. Of course the free facial meant I had to buy a product. The cheapest thing they sell is a lipgloss worth $50.00, plus taxes. It's good lip gloss but comes off and runs just as easily as one worth $10.00.

Once they realised I was easy prey, they sunk their manicured talons in and called me often, sometimes as much as once a week. Eventually I was able to stop the Sales Sirens before I and my Saks credit card were fatally dashed against the rocks. Those merciless harpies! I had to firmly state that I had found something better, something scientific rather than an overpriced cream that could only offer flower power to fecklessly defend my fragile skin against the ravages of time. They kept informing me that Sisley used only the best botanical ingredients, grown organically in the lush valleys of France. Whatever. Those pampered flowers performed no better than a neglected lavender shrub growing in a junk yard would have. What a load of hype and nonsense, of course I was stupid enough to fall for it.

Some of the creams include crushed gemstones, purportedly to create a coruscating effect. Such a pompous claim. I use a Creme de La Mer exfoliant with crushed diamonds and sea quartz, no radiant gleam of scintillating light refracts from my face, but it's a bugger to get a bit in the eye. I want my gem stones around my neck, not scratching my eyeballs.

When people see the gleaming remnants of diamond bits, they inform me that I have glitter on my face. Either I tell them that it's really crushed diamonds and sound like a flaunting clown with Marie Antoinette delusions, or let them think it's tawdry glitter only to have them ponder what a woman my age is doing with it on her aging moue. Perhaps a job moonlighting at a seedy dancing establishment?

In this post I aim to extoll the praises of the new line I use because it's just brilliant, and to exhort my friends to be weary of falling victim to the siren song of department store and their money grabbing schemes. Walking into Saks 5th Ave and seeing them all lined up behind the counters or prowling around calls to mind the lines by Coleridge in Kubla Khan,

And all who heard should see them there,

And all should cry, Beware ! Beware !

The worst area is the skin around my eyes. Always dry and full of dehydration lines. In exasperation one day I began looking online for a good eyecream. I went to the Shopnbc.com page and found the ISOMERS range. There were so many amazing customer reviews that I jumped in and bought their One 3000 for eyes. The results were spectacular. Nothing else I had ever used created such dramatic results.

The Carnosine + by Isomers is potent cream I cannot be without.

An even better antioxidant than pure idebenone - independent laboratory testing shows that Isomers Carnosine+ Complex is over 250 times more powerful than pure idebenone (an analogue of co-enzyme Q-10) as an anti-oxidant (using the Trolox Laboratory method) Carnosine+ Complex is designed to help support skin elasticity


My favourite item so far is the Nutritone system. A hand held device that emits micro-currents into the facial muscles. I thought that I would give it a try, but thought the claims were a bit too outlandish to be true. I was so wrong.

It's purpose is to target fine lines and wrinkles, plumping skin out and increase luminosity.

My Rosacea prone skin constantly has a red flush, which is not too bad if one wears makeup daily. It's way too humid to do that here for most of the year, and on top of that, I am lazy. I have been to dermatologist's and tried the creams they gave me but with no success.

After one use of Nutritone I noticed a dramatic reduction of facial redness. With repeated use I have noticed more and more improvements.

I am currently using a Copper P Serum, Matrixyl, One 3000 serum, Skin Stacker, H Pur 100, Synchroniser, Vitamin K serum, One 3000 for eyes, Desert Youth and Daily Exfoliating serum. Some are for morning, others for night. When applying serums I combine a drop of each in my palm, making a serum cocktail.

For the first time in the past ten years I am finally happy with my skin. Isomers is a miracle product for my skin.

No more shall I enter a fancy department store and allow myself to be cornerned by the over made up, over primped and over the top sales staff who are expertly skilled in luring a half witted milquetoast like me into handing over the credit card.