This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Apart from moisturising one’s skin, cleansing must be the other most important part of your beauty routine. We all have to cleanse our faces even if it is a hasty rub down with a wet wipe before you fall into bed. However as one gets older we start to realise that there is a difference between cleansers and there is not one cleanser that suits all. So I have asked the other CountryWives to tell us what their skin types are and consequently their favourite cleansers.
Grace: I have dry skin. My favourite cleanser is Simple Micellar water. You simply squirt a small quantity onto a flat cotton wool pad and wipe your face. Not only does it ‘wake up my face’ every morning because it is a refreshing experience, it also cleans deeper than any other product I have used. You can see the dirt and grime on the cotton wool (slightly disgusting/very satisfying!). The lid flips open easily and you only need a few drops to give your face a really good clean – whether I’m wearing make up or not. I use it morning and night because it’s so quick and – well – simple!
Ellie: I have normal to dry skin; although it looks oily so I don’t know how they figure that one out – beauticians at the spas I go to, once every 10 years, tell me
that my skin is “dry in patches” but has the age date of a much younger skin. This information makes me beam as I spent the first 30 years of my life under direct sunlight in Libya, Brazil and then Algeria with baby oil for protection if I had the choice and when with friends in UK we used silver foil under our faces to give the sun’s rays extra potency for that elusive golden tan.
As well as smoking in the car, the tube, on the plane and everywhere else that allowed a stinky cigarette to be puffed, and drinking as much alcohol as we could lay our hands on and never sleeping much most nights we really laid in to our skins for which I officially apologise to my younger self.
Truthfully, my favourite cleanser is a bar of Dove soap, a basin steam and MUDD pack once a month and a very strict Oil of Ulay moisturiser (I’ll call it Ulay if you don’t mind) routine every night and morning.
The reason I’ve always used a gentle soap and water on my face is because I can’t bear the residue of cleansing products on my skin; soap is always there when you need it so the WALK OF SHAME at least had a clean face even though the soap may not have been DOVE it did the trick. I find that with soap and water I can wash every last bit of make up off, especially round the eyes, knowing that I’m not yanking and pulling about with a ball of cotton wool so possibly saving on wrinkles too.
Sorry that I can’t be of more help to you with the cleanser tips as I’m sure no-one out there would use soap and water but, followed by a good moisturising routine, I’m happy with my choice so far; fingers crossed it continues to work for me……
Bumble: I have Combination skin, sensitive, with a tendency for menopausal rosacea. I use Dermol …… as recommended by my Dermatologist. Simple, medical and does exactly
what it says on the packaging – cleans effectively whilst being kind to my face.
Annabel: I have very dry skin and I love Sarah Chapman’s Skinesis range as it suits my skin. The pump action Ultimate Cleanse is gentle yet efficient. It is a balm which you massage into dry skin, then splash on some water and it turns to a milk cleanser. It is enriched with collagen stimulating peptides, Vitamin A, potent antioxidants & omega rich oils. I absolutely love it and one bottle seems to last a long time.
I hope this article helps as we have shared the choices of 4 fairly average ladies over 50!