Years ago I reacted to almost every commercial skin cream so began to use vegetable/nut oils for all my skin care. In order of preference I'd rate them like this: Argan oil - extremely beneficial and within a few minutes it absorbs and doesn't feel oily Coconut oil - love how my skin feels and smells and it's great for removing makeup Tamanu oil - it's a fantastic skin oil but rated lower only because of it's intense nut-like scent. I mix a drop of it with coconut oil Apricot kernel oil - very good Peach kernel oil - very good Olive oil - works well but I find it has an oilier feel and I have to wipe it off with a warm damp washcloth I use only organic, cold-pressed, virgin oils and add pure essential oils known to be good for skin care, such as Rose Absolute, Lavender, Frankincense, Geranium, and others. For damaged or aging skin an excellent essential oil is Wild Carrot Seed but I prefer Rose Absolute as it has a more pleasant scent. Please don't use fragrance oils and expect results. They are toxic substances. I use these oils twice a day after my shower and notice the difference in how my skin looks if I miss even once. My skin is very sensitive but I clean it by washing with soap (not detergents) and moisturizing with oils. The only thing these products don't have are the fancy containers and high prices of most skin care products!

I'm thinking the same way as mitch. For normal everyday - when I will have on a bit of makeup - I use a moisturizer with sunscreen. That is one good thing about mineral make-up also - it has sunscreen protection. But I rarely use it anymore. If I'm going to be outside for a period of time, gardening, boating, walking, etc., etc., etc. I wear actual sunscreen. I use one for faces and it's either 45 or 50 SPF. Good for you gals using SPF daily. I truly believe that is the single best thing we can do to prevent our skin from aging. Or perhaps I should say to slow down the signs of aging. tina

alisande - the funny thing is of course is that my skin is not really all that good - it was basically my foundation - now d/c - have one application left - that made it appear so. One lipstick isn't my only problem - I have one blush, foundation, a couple of neutral eye shadows and my moisturizing loose powder. My husband thinks I am making it up when I tell him that so many women have drawers full of the latest colours! Of course my one lipstick is not cheap - but since I only have one it sort of balances out. I read your posting written by the beauty editor - I wish I could use retinol. Back in the day when these types of products first came out, my derm tried just a touch on the side of my jaw - yikes: My skin is just too thin - and with the rosacea a major problem. Can't handle fillers either - so what you see is what you get. I have bought the new formulation of my foundation - has more oil which is good but lacks the coverage which is bad. The SAs in the U.S. have found that their customers of a certain age hate it and it has really cost them sales - certainly younger girls like it, but if I wanted a slightly thicker TM I would have bought one. Actually, despite wearing my former full coverage, oil based foundation, I appeared to be wearing a TM - my skin just sucked it up. Of course everything I use is higher end but at the lower end of the high end due to my acid/retinol issues. I would love to be able to do a yogourt mask - or egg and honey (the honey gets me), I can't use exfoliators - my skin seems to exfoliate itself. My derm and his nurse actually wrote a paper about me. So the search goes on for a new lipstick - and one that does not look dry. I do lip balm my lips like crazy, then fill them in with a liner (now d/c) and then the lipstick. I once managed to match the colour but the formula felt as if I had been eating greasy soup and crackers. After apply my l/s I can't tell I am wearing it, which is good. Basically, I have no colour to my face - never have - except for the yellow under-tone and the dark, deep set eyes. I don't use concealer because what goes on must come off and I also have ocular rosacea. My lips have absolutely no pigment. My eyes are hazel but I don't suit lavender e/s - yellow skin - plus I can't handle the pigment. Same with copper shades. I adore "sophisticated" pinks - unfortunately I look horrible in pink - but since in Toronto we can buy so many brands at only one store, the same customers have seen each other over the years and everyone knows that I will try something if I think it might work - and have seen the horror shows - so they will ask for my opinion - particularly re pinks! But better to know that they look awful on me. Clothing wise I look best in jet black, navy and khaki green (that is a hard one to find). I look pretty awful in most other colours. So black it often is and we have a white dog - who sheds. I wish my skin was normal! I do often add almond oil to unscented drugstore body lotion - that helps a lot. I do not have any perfume because it turns rancid on me - so that is a money saver and at least I can't be accused of stinking up a room. Unscented antiperspirant is a problem because the scented versions turn on me - I smell like rancid baby powder. Then there is unscented laundry detergent. You have many more options in the U.S. that we do in Canada, so if I can find a laundry detergent I can use, I buy 6.

My friend, the "Makeup Queen" always has a bunch of freebies from her many visits to makeup counters. She gave me some good-sized samples of body dusting powder and I mixed one with 2-cups cornstarch. It smells the same as the EXpensive stuff at a fraction of the cost, and I think it actually works better than plain talcum powder in the summer. For a moisturizer and hand cream, I use Lou Ana brand coconut oil that I get at Wal-Mart (next to the Crisco). I also cook with it, so it's not just for one-use only. I make my own pots of lip gloss using coconut oil as the base ingredient, a little beeswax, cocoa butter, and vitamin E oil. -Grainlady