Aging Gracefully

Isaiah 46:4  Even to your old age I am he, and to grey hairs I will carry you.  I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.

Aging gracefully means to age with the grace of God with you.  Aging is nothing to be afraid of, growth and maturity is part of being the person God created us to be.

In terms of helping our skin as the condition changes as we age, here are a few suggestions to get things going.  Remember that serums are more potent in terms of anti aging skincare, so from about mid 30s, start first with anti aging moisturisers , and probably use masks for an extra boost, before you progress to the use of serums.  Otherwise your skin will just adapt to what you are using, losing its effectiveness and you'll run out of product options before you hit menopause.

As mentioned in my earlier post, Liz Earle is my go to natural skincare brand for their anti aging collection.  I have started using the Superskin moisturiser which is hydrating but not overly rich, leaving the skin soft and smooth.

I use the neroli option which has a slight fragrance and is slightly richer than the original.  It is great for dry skin, while the original is more suitable for normal/combinaton skin, or if your skin is extra sensitive.

The moisturiser by itself RRP at £39.  I have generally found it more cost effective to buy it as part of sets and deals on http://uk.lizearle.com/superskin or www.qvcuk.com if you use some of their other products.  

My absolute favourite natural skincare range has to be Juice Beauty, but as mentioned before, it is a US brand that is not distributed in the UK apart from https://www.naturisimo.com/index.cfm?nme=jui Also, with the low sterling, the range has become much more expensive than it was.  However, if you can be bothered to order it from overseas at http://www.skinstore.com/brands/juice-beauty.list it has an expansive anti aging range, and is a pleasure to use.

I have started on the Green Apple range, which is more preventative in terms of brightening dull and uneven complexions, smoothing fine lines and providing greater levels of hydration compared to their standard ranges.  The Green Apple Age Defy Moisturiser has a wonderfully smooth texture, their botanical juice base gives a light fruity scent, and when applied, it has a richness without being greasy.  Your skin will feel wonderfully smooth and hydrated. 

If you have started getting more visible and inset lines and wrinkles, then it's worth stepping up to their Stem Cellular range.

While highlighting products that I love and recommend, I would also like to provide some feedback on other product ranges which I have chosen not to use, but could still be beneficial for some.

Neal's Yard Remedies anti aging range is their Frankincense Collection.  I have pretty much used all the products within the range, including the moisturises, serum, eye cream and mask.  However, I have not have much positive to say.

First of all, you have to be able to tolerate the scent, which is very pungent, and is definitely not suited for everyone.  Secondly, the range as a whole is extremely rich, even for my skin which is very dry, I feel a greasy layer on my skin throughout the day, and have ended up clogging the pores and causing some breakouts.  There are some advocates for this brand because of their high natural ingredients, but I would say avoid this collection unless you have very dry and mature skin.

Their mask is absolutely pointless, it is a gel mask which does absolutely nothing in terms of hydration, and I have not observed any improvement in the firmness of skin or reduction in fine lines after use.

The serum is okay if you can tolerate the scent, but considering the price point for this range compared to other natural skincare brands on the market, it scores rather poorly on my preferred list.