I grew up watching my mum applying thick, white cold cream to her face for cleansing the days make up away. She would then tone, and moisturise. Over fifty odd years later, she still follows the same routine and I have to say my mum, at 73, has beautiful skin.
What is Cold Cream?
Cold cream is an emulsion of water and certain fats, usually including beeswax and various fragrances, designed to smooth skin and remove makeup. Described in the Huffington Post as not ‘cosmetically elegant’ (ouch!), cold cream is something of an enigma to me.
Whoever said that beauty tips get passed down through generations was wrong! I could never quite attune myself to cold cream.
Most skincare cleansing products are ‘oil in water’ based, which when applied to the skin, easily absorb. Cold cream does not do that. I have tried it of course, but find it gets stuck under my nails, gets in my eyes and basically leaves a greasy residue on my skin.
No, cold cream isn’t for me. You know what I mean right?!
Nothing Like Water!
I was also never a 3-step cleansing process kind of girl, either. My skin just never felt clean and I was always left with a residue after cleansing, toning and moisturising.
Bottom line is that I like washing my face! That’s the only way I feel that my face is really clean.
So what do I do exactly?
- For my eyes – I use Simple wipes
- For my face – I use Simple wipes
- For my eyes – I use Simple wipes
Simple.
Then I wash my face with water. (No soap).
Sorry, I know that I’m not really inspirational when it comes to skincare routines.
Moisturise and Moisturise Some More
However, I am a big believer in moisturising. Always after washing my face, I feel the tightness and know I need to moisturise. I love Temple Spa Repose (thank you to my sister who introduced me to it). It goes on super easy, absorbs well and smells divine (they use aromatherapy oils in their creams). Even my children comment how nice I smell when I use it. If I had to choose just one thing for my ‘stranded on a desert island’ pick it would have to be Temple Spa Repose moisturiser.
Over the last year though, I have added one more step to my ‘not so inspiring’ skincare regime. Before applying my moisturiser, I now use face oil. Currently my fave is Nuxe. The best bit is that they sell it on Easyjet flights which is super convenient for me, so each time I go home to the UK or have a visitor come, I stock up. Truth is, a bottle of oil lasts a long time so you don’t need to buy it so often.
Top Tips For Youthful Skin
My other top tips for keeping skin healthy and glowing are:
- Drink plenty of water.
- Follow a healthy diet (lots of fresh fruits and veggies).
- Stay out the sun (or use a very high sunscreen).
- Limit alcohol (at least try!).
- Always moisturise (morning and night).
- Add in a face oil to your regime.
- Do a monthly face mask (I love the home made variety with oats, honey and avocados!).
- Don’t smoke.
- Consider a collagen supplement.
I’m not professing to be a skincare guru or anything like that, just wanted to share my experience. In the end, we all have our favourite products and our own way of doing things….wonder what’s yours?
I have always used Boots cold cream sparingly to cleanse my face at night then mild toner then a good moisture cream. Nivea Soft is good. The creams that are easily absorbed usually have alcohol in them no good for skin. I’m nearly 74 and often get told how good my skin is. Smiling a lot helps too
Thankyou my inspiring mum!