Like a lot of women at midlife, my skin has become more delicate and more sensitive since menopause reared her hot head and skincare has become more of a priority.
The fact that my mature skin is in good condition most of the time is entirely due, in my humble opinion, to a lady called Liz Earle. Liz is based in the Isle of Wight where she has a company that specialises in naturally active skincare. You’ll often see products from her range mentioned in the glossy magazines.
About three years ago, I tried the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser for the first time. It’s a natural cleanser in the form of a rich cream that you massage in to your face and rinse off with a hot muslin cloth. It’s a pleasant product to use, doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin, and smells wonderful and calming. As well as lifting off the cleanser, the cloth acts as a gentle exfoliator so it helps to keep the skin looking fresh and healthy. The ‘hot’ is achieved simply by rinsing the cloth under the hot tap.
I have found that Cleanse and Polish is simple, quick, and very effective and the results are good. I can genuinely say that this cleanser made an immediate and very positive change to the condition of my skin. I’ve had virtually no blemishes while I’ve been using it and I get a lot of compliments about my skin.
Menopause or no, my mature skin is in better condition that at any other time of my life and the credit definitely belongs to this cleanser.
When it comes to toner, I’m a bad girl – by which I mean I don’t bother. I’m quite happy after cleansing to rinse my muslin cloth out in cold water and let a quick wipe suffice. Don’t get me wrong, there are a couple of toners on my dressing table, and some of them feel pleasant on the skin and are refreshing. But the honest truth is I hardly ever use them in my skincare routine. I’ve just never understood the point.
Moisturiser, however, is non-optional once you reach a certain age. The more mature your skin, the more you need to have a good moisturiser in your skincare routine. The trouble is finding one that doesn’t irritate the skin and that you won’t sweat off if your body clock raises the temperature before you leave the house in the morning.
The Liz Earle range does moisturisers and I’ve tried a couple of them but, for me, they feel a little too oily and tend to irritate my eyes. Instead I’m using Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar and Decleor’s Hydra Floral both of which are quite light but give good results. The Philosophy one is particularly good on ‘grey’ days while the Hydra Floral is a gorgeous and nourishing and smells wonderful even if it is a little light for a more mature skin.
Exfoliators are a little too harsh for my sensitive skin at the moment. I do like to use them every so often and I’ve tried a few but I haven’t yet found one that I’m really comfortable and confident with. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d be interested to hear what you’re using. In the meantime, if I had to call it, I’d probably opt for the Elemis Rose Exfoliator on the basis that it’s gentle. I find the jojoba beads in the Liz Earle one are hard to rinse off and I’m afraid of them getting trapped in pores.
Masks are an occasional pleasure to be treated with care on sensitive menopausal or permenopausal skin. The ones I have liked best all my life – like the dead sea mineral masks – are really designed for younger skins and although they feel good, they’re too drying for me now. About once a month, I allow myself to indulge and, for this, it’s back to Liz Earle for her Deep Cleansing Mask - a mud treatment that really does leave your face feeling clean. Another option from her range, is the Brightening Treatment which has a lovely zingy scent and is gentler and quicker to use but it’s a pick me up rather than a cleansing treatment. Liz’s range also includes a Nourishing Mask which one of those layer it on thickly and tissue it off cream masks. I sometimes spike the Nourishing mask with a pump of Brightening Treatment and get quite good results. On the soothing side, I also like Decleor’s Rose Harmonie mask which is a good rescue treatment if you’ve been working too hard and had too many late nights.
Clarins Beauty Flash Balm seems to be on everyone’s list of ‘hero’ products. I got a tester size recently and tried it for the first time. I do think it had a visible impact on fine lines and it felt good on the skin. Apparently it can be used as a mask in the same way you’d use Harmonie or the Liz Earle nourishing mask, but the tester size I’ve got is too small to experiment with. If I feel I have to have more when I get to the end of the tube, perhaps I’ll return to the topic.
If you’re wondering where to buy – I have purchased Decleor online from qvcuk.com which has the advantage that you can return a product if it doesn’t suit your skin. They also stock Liz Earle but if you buy direct from LizEarle.co.uk you sometimes get free gifts and samples with the purchase.
So, there you have it. My personal recommendations for skincare products that are worth a try on more mature skin or if you’re looking for new brands because of heightened sensitivity. Doubtless there are lots more out there. These are just some of the products that work for me.
