Beauty and the Price (or Beauty is in the Hands of the Moneyholder)

I'm 35 and I am terrified of getting wrinkly, saggy, old. That said, everybody says I look at least 6 years younger, which makes me very happy indeed.

My investments are paying off then: I've been exercising all my life and have always had a very healthy life style: never abused the sun, alcohol, drugs or cigarettes - I've had my share of fun though- I eat lots of fruit and vegetables and virtually no sugar, saturated fat and trans fats.
But this is not all. I'm also addicted to creams and moisturizers and cannot imagine being without them. If I was loaded, I'd be every cosmetic company's dream consumer.

The ritual starts in the shower: sponges that gently exfoliate and massage to help increase circulation; gentle, moisturising and dermatologically tested shower gel and face wash. I don't worry much about my hair: good but inexpensive shampoos and conditioners do the job as my hair is always shiny and soft.

Right: Decisions, decisions.
(Cartoon from CSL Cartoon Stock)

On the other hand, I have to be extremely careful with what I put on my skin as it's EXTRA sensitive, especially my face: I get itches and rashes easily, my cheeks are always red, and it's now getting drier and drier, not to mention the appearance of unwanted lines. On top of that, I like a type of cream for everything and everything has its own cream, e.g. boobs, cellulite, eyes, face (night and day), body firmer and moisturiser, lip countour, sun care, hand and foot cream, etc etc. I don't bother much about make-up though; I only wear foundation (moisturising, anti-aging, SPF30+ please) lipstick and mascara.

So, ever since I can remember I have been trying all sorts of beauty products -these being some of the cheaper ones::

• Nivea
• L'Oreal
• Dove
• Garnier
• Vitesse (Laboratorios Dermatologicos Kinesia Puig)
• Avon (my mum's favourite this one)
• O Boticario
  
• Yves Rocher (bought it for the first time last week)
  

They are okay, really -most of them anyway. But not quite what I feel I need, as my skin is never hydrated enough and lines continue to get deeper -have I mentioned the bags under my eyes yet?
So, are their promises empty or have I been ill advised as to the type of cream that would be appropriate for my skin? (I always have the impression that the shop assistants sell me the products they need to promote rather than what's good for me)
above: the hard sell
(Cartoon from CSL Cartoon Stock)

Then there are the ones that are supposed to be very good, the more expensive ones, which I have also tried:

• Avene
• Roc (I'm now using their cellulite cream, it's supposed to be good)
• Clinique (I have a gay friend who swears by this brand, and I must say the 'Dramatically Different Moisturizer' is rather good)
• Vichy
• Elizabeth Arden (I really like their 8 hour cream)
• Boots No. 7
• Lancome (never really liked it: so much perfume it makes me sneeze)
• Lancaster
• Galenic (their cellulite cream is really good)
• Clarins (quite likeable)
• Molton Brown
• Shiseido
• Eucerin (Seriously thinking of going back to this one)
• Neutrogena (best hand and foot cream ever)
  

I really don't want to make this list even longer, so let's stop here.
So, what's the verdict? Well, guilty. I'm a cosmetics whore and will carry on searching for the perfect one, if it exists.

That said, I do have a feeling that I would find what I'm looking for if I could ever afford La Mer. Hah, dream on beauty queen -only the wealthy can afford the best in order to look their best!