Sooooooooo...................
I'm going back, not too Shiseido, but something close, something more than the drugstore varieties of skincare. I appreciate that my dermatologist has like a degree and all but I just don't feel that the drugstore varieties are doing as good of a job for me. I know, being a dermatologist and all, I have facts and knowledge to back up my feelings. No. I don't. But it is how I feel. I tried all the free samples she keeps giving me (in a cute pretty bag by the way) Dove, Aveeno, DML (what is that?), and various others....but I don't feel that they are doing the job my old good friend did. Do I want to spend the money? No, the idea of savings was great, but I used Shisiedo for years, and I loved it. So I am going back. However, I am going back half assed.
No more expensive facial cleanser, no more toner...we're going to keep it at a minimum. Moisturizer...and maybe some eye cream. But that's it, I swear (I sound like a desperate alcoholic, just one more drink and that's it, I swear!!). And we're not going back to Shiseido. I haven't narrowed the winner entirely down yet, but I have been doing allot of research and reading on this. Apparently, Dr's find Shiseido to be pricey and a bit redundant in their ingredients (yeah? so?).
If any of you care, below is what I have found on some various product categories (god help me if I ever get a real job)
Cheap vs. Expensive (what you should and should not spend your hard earned money on)
CHEAP:
Mascara: Maybelline!! proven years of goodness, the number 1 seller in America actually. Loreal, Revlon...all of them are said to be just as good. Supposedly there is only so much you can do to pump up those mascara polymers
Face Wash: Try some Aveeno, some Dove, Ponds ...experts claim that unless you are standing in the shower with the product on your face for at least 5 minutes, those special ingredients are just washing down the drain. Let's face it, if I had that kind of free time, I'd probably take a nap. Yes, in the shower.
Toner: It's true, you don't need it
Expensive:
Foundation: I tend to switch allot between brands, so I can't really say which one I love most. I find that I enjoy Vincent Longo and Chantecaille (but I still have a beloved bottle of Neutragena Healthy Skin Tint, just don't tell anyone)
Powder: Supposedly, you should go the pricey route. I haven't bought any new stuff in years, so I have no opinion....the Shiseido has lasted that long..or maybe I am a sad under user of powder, who knows.
Bronzer: NARS. I swear by this stuff. For those of you who know me, I am one pale assed girl, and yet I brush this on every day. Helps to hide any skin tone issues, and gives even us "Caspers" a nice natural glow. Something us Caspers would pay for again and again, believe me.
And on the happy side, the one I haven has lasted 2 years now, and still bronzing, so you truly get your moneys worth.
Hair: Oh yes, now we are even getting into hair. DON'T, I REPEAT, DON'T use anything with Sodium Laurel Sulfite. Yes, it makes your shampoo all fizzy and stuff so it lathers up nice and big, but it also strips your hair of everything. Natural oils, any color you may have put in, baby snot, EVERYTHING is stripped out. The only 2 products I can recommend here are: Kiss My Face ($) and Mastey ($$$), and that's just because those are the only 2 I know. It's very hard to find a shampoo with out the nasty Sulfite. But not having it has done wonders for my pathetic hair. Also, don't actually wash your hair every day, wet it down in the shower, sure, but don't put detergents on it every day (and this, coming from someone who would swear she was a grease monkey without a daily shampoo).
And lastly...this scary link. I think some of us may have seen this circulate a few years ago...but I stumbled on it again in my vanity motivated search for the perfect moisturizer. Makes me want to live in a plastic organic bubble (not plastic, plastic toxic, plastic BAD)
Had enough of my beauty update? I have.
What do you guys find works great for you? After years of being stuck in my ways, I am open to suggestion.