The advantage of age is that we have seen a lot. Have tried a lot and have been believing a lot of crap concerning what we need - this applies also to our bathroom shelves.
There comes a time, when you gladly return to the old and trusted; concerning bathroom shelves, this means the happiness of finding an old favourite and rediscovering it in all its glory. Remembering while you smell it this and that situation when you used it, perhaps even 20 years ago.
This happened the other day with me. I was, as a favourite pasttime and stressbuster, doing my little tour in the cosmetic department, getting back to a classic and really "old" staple cream at Clarins: Creme Douceur. I sniffed at it and was transported back to a summer, many summers ago, where I was house sitting in Florence and used this cream. Loads of memories of that stay came up and I started to think, how nice it is, to meet an old friend again. Not only Florence in august, the humid heat and the wonderful food, the Campari Orange drinks in the evening out on the terrasse with Jessy Norman singing the "4 Letzte Lieder" - and all that with a wonderful view over Florence!
This lead to some sort of musing about old favourites in the bathroom. Nowadays we all are so much trained to go for the latest newest and often forget, that easy and simple does it too. Which does not mean, that I hereby declare, that I am going back, leaving all the new lovely stuff behind! But should give us the oportunity to reconsiderate.
From Creme Douceur de Clarins ( jour et nuit) it was only a tiny step to their face oils - especially the Huile d`Orchidee, which is not only smelling wonderfully, but really very effective to dehydrated skin ( which I have - so the favourites can be a little bit onesided here). And a last product by Clarins, the fabulous Huile Tonic is still the best treatment for getting rid of this bumps and lumps - especially after you had a baby. The trick is to do the cold water thing as they propose in the shower - massaging the oil in and facing the cold water shock afterwards. Smells good too..
For getting in shape for that one-piece-swimsuit (bikinis after 45 have a dangerous connotation, be aware of it!) good old body brushing is still one of the most effective treatments. Done daily, you get hooked quite quickly and it makes a real difference to the tonus of the skin. Followed by a good body cream... and here starts, for me at least, the hour of Nivea. Cheap and good - so no restrictions in slashing it on the old body. My favourite is not the real thick dark blue one, but the one in a shade of blue which is not light and not dark. Pity that they redid the bottles, to give them a more modern look, it looks now cheap. But the thing inside is still good.
What concerns the "blue box" - this is an allrounder for all the family. Nivea Creme is good for the face and neck as a mask - make a big mess, put a warm and humid towel over all of it and wait some 10 minutes - hey, there is plump and soft skin beneath. Unbeatable in highly cold climates - like skiing resorts. And I have used it for hands and feet, for nails and toenails ( very good!), on elbows, hair and shoes - yes, on shoes! If you are short of a polish paste for your shoes and have a bit of patience and elbowgrease at hand, it is a perfect shoepolish too! Also good for smoothing dry and damaged hair at the beach...
Hair: the brush does it - and makes such a difference! Invest in a Pearson&Mason Hairbrush and you will see the difference! It is not for nothing a beloved and trusted tool of every hairdresser who has some aspiration to hairglory...
Concerning creams and cleansers for the face, there are some more delicious and lovely old friends to be mentioned. As you might have understood by now, I am an apostle of that water-and-soap procedure, because well done with a flannel, you never need to make a peeling. Which very often is too agressive anyhow. If you clean well, not need for more stripping the poor old skin.
One of the cleansers I use and have used for many years is the "Mud&Soap" Cleanser by Kanebo. It is horribly expensive, but lasts and lasts, therefore a highly recommendable investment. A little blop makes a wonderful silky foam and skin feels clean and fresh, glowing with health. Another advantage of this grey paste is, that it is a perfect cleansing mask - put it on your face, hop in the shower and take it of afterwards with a warm flannel and be happy.
Another, hilariously expensive cleanser is the cult balm of Eve Lom. Not yet available widely, you have to go to Paris to buy it in Bon Marché, or ask a friend to bring it to you from the UK. It looks not very convincing the first time and smells a bit medical, but is wonderful wonderful wonderful. You have to insist of massaging your face and then again take it of with hot water and a specially provided cloth, finishing with a splash of cold water. They say, that a normal skin does not need a moisturizer after this, but I have noticed, that dry skin is happy to get a good slap of cream afterwards. I highly recommend it. As a matter of fact, there will be in Brussels soon a possibility of buying it - so I am told. It is not official yet, but I will keep you posted. I will be the first of signing up for a facial - can´t wait for it!!
Generally speaking, all the cleansers of Shiseido are good too, and I have had it suggested by 2 different dermatologists. They sell a little brush extra, which is a very good investment for cleaning your skin at home in turbospeed.
If I think of creams, then an old and much loved favourite are the face creams of Annick Goutal. Again very expensive, but to be uses day and night and then going a long way with a tiny amount of wonderfully rosescented and smooth cream. When I feel rich, I get a pot and am happy with it always. Also the eye cream they produce is, in my opinion, one of the best I have ever tried - sinks in immediately and gives a fresh feeling of being awake. If you are in need of some special TCL for the poor old body, try the bodylotion "Eau de Sud" - it smells deliciously and sinks in in a second.
Now to other things: why not getting back to polishing i.e. buffing your nails? My daughter brought this back into the bathroom and I have happily returned to it too. No more splitting nails, no chipped nail varnish and groomed hands, even after doing the washing up for the 129800000 time. And you can buff in the car and while waiting for the kids at school. What you definitively also need for nice nails is a pot of Creme Abricot de Christian Dior. Sticky and orange coloured, it is the salvation of dry and abused nails - the difference after having massaged it into your nails and sleeping a night over is amazing.
If you do not want to buy an extra nail cream - it is affordable though - you can always use the fantastic 8HourBalm invented by Elizabeth Arden. This is also an allrounder - as lipgloss, hair treatment, highlighter on cheeks and emergency treatment for blisters and sore patches this is unbeatable - also for protecting delicate skin in cold and windy weather. Good for children too!!
This is enough for today. More will follow. Real life wants me - have to drive the children to their sports lessons!
Let me know your favourites? Always love to learn something new...
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