Okay. I know somewhere in the bowels of my blog archives I’ve written about skincare on more than one occasion. And today, I’m gonna talk about it a bit more!  From time to time, I do receive products for review. And I’m grateful for that. As a 66-year-old example of our “mature” demographic, companies aren’t too swift to send products for review to the older woman. Especially if the company’s niche is geared more toward the younger woman.

And listen, I’m no skincare expert but I know what works for me. My skin needs hydration. It’s super-dry with the exception of that glistening glow during the heated summer months and that is largely due to the sweat that’s dripping down my face—it keeps me hydrated.

Yes. Ms. Spears and I have that same sultry, sweaty glow! Only she looks better! I am also of the #freebritney movement!

All kidding aside, we definitely have different issues going on with our skin. We have more lines. We have a tendency toward a more uneven skin tone as we age. Our skin sags. It just isn’t as taut as it once was. But that doesn’t mean we need to give up on taking care of our skin.

Let the good times roll but take care of the skin first!

But the other aspect is that good skin provides as a better canvas of sorts when it comes to applying the rest of the makeup.  Foundation on dry skin doesn’t look too appealing and can actually make us look older.  The same with the blush and other products.  We need a good base for everything and that’s where the care of the skin is paramount.

It’s true. A good skincare routine and products will improve your skin and give a better canvas for makeup. I’m taking it a step above and not even wearing foundation during the summer. I’m letting my skin do the talking!

Trust me, when I was young, I basked in the sun, washed my face with Ivory Soap and pretty-much neglected my skin.  But back then, I don’t think I was alone.  We didn’t have the products that are available now.  Maybe with the exception of Noxzema which was used for everything from moisturizing, to after-sun care, to cleansing—and that camphor scent—I don’t know-something tells me that Noxzema wasn’t the best product to put on your face.

Camphor and Menthol were two of the ingredients in this stuff. Trust me, at 16 years old my skin never looked that good. Noxzema worked for sunburn but on my face? No!

And during this summer, I’m wearing less makeup anyway. It’s a choice I’ve made to get my skin into better condition for the fall and winter months.  So come along with me while I tell you about two skincare brands that I’ve been using and at the end of this blog, I’ll show you a brand that I’ve just received to begin testing.

The first brand is Y’our Skincare. The company reached out to me a while back and I was on board because the “kits” so to speak are personalized based on your answers to the quiz on the brand’s website. The quiz is fun and easy and is pretty-much on target to match you up with the appropriate products for you needs!

My skin report. Aha! Just as I thought!

I received products for the four-step process. To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations at the time because I didn’t know whether or not the quiz was gimmicky or not.  My expectations were so wrong!

Four products and it couldn’t be more convenient. All numbered!  These are the four products I received!

Cruelty free, the products are natural and work. I’ve used them for about two months and am a fan.

Step One is the Gentle Cleanser and this really is gentle on the skin but is an excellent cleanser–and a tiny bit is all you need. BTW don’t mind my nails. I’m going for a manicure tomorrow evening.

I start out with the gentle cleanser.  True to form, it’s gentle. But before I continue, please allow me to add a caveat. Since I wear eye makeup and a heavy dose of mascara, I do remove my makeup first with Albolene.  I’ve been using it for years—actually over a decade and this “lard-for-the-face” makeup remover is epic.

Okay. Back to the Y’our Gentle Cleanser. I don’t detect a scent. It is a clear gel-like substance and a little is all you need.  It does an excellent job of cleansing and my face doesn’t feel tight after using it. For a gentle cleanser, it does the job of getting the face clean.

This is the money right here. Only one ounce but just a tiny bit is all you need. I’m getting nervous though because I know I’m near the end of this. I wish..oh how I wish this day cream was offered in a larger size because I would be all about it!

The Day Cream. Holy $hit! This cream is excellent!  I truly love this stuff and am rather sad that a larger size isn’t included in the kit. The packaging is great because the pump actually works!  One pump is all you need. It is light. It blends into the skin quickly and seemingly dissipates so there is no moisturizing “film”. It really is a beautiful product!

If you are a serum person, you’ll like this. For me, if felt fantastic on my skin but I’m not a serum person. 

The Serum.  Look. I’ll be honest here. In my opinion, serum is serum. I’m not a big serum person. I’ve used this serum many times and it didn’t irritate my skin. It soaked into my skin fine.  It did what it’s supposed to do I suppose. If you are a serum person, my thought is you’ll like this. If not a serum person—it’s part of the kit so it can’t hurt.

Another winner. This night cream is also excellent. A little thicker than the day cream and a more whipped texture. AND IT DOESN’T IRRITATE THE EYES!!!!!!!

The Night Cream.  Another winner here!  The night cream is a thicker consistency but not too thick. It’s like a whipped product. And it doesn’t irritate the eyes. That’s the one issue I have with products—especially when applied in the evening for overnight use.  Many will sneak into the eyes for some ungodly reason, causing stinging and irritation. This does not!  And it’s a great thing!

Overall?  I feel the kit is worth it. It’s a no-brainer (on my part simply because I’m lazy). The products work. My skin is in very good condition.  So, I can’t complain. My only complaint is that I don’t think the products are sold separately. I perused the website and didn’t see any product sold individually. And that’s a shame because the day and night creams are two items that I would purchase regularly!

The skincare kit comes in at $180 for a three-month supply. It seems pricey but if you head to a department store for luxury brand skincare, you’ll most likely pay a bit more. And to be honest, the price of drugstore brands’ skincare regimens keeps escalating.  So, you’ll be paying about the same amount no matter what.  As I stated, I’m lazy so the convenience of purchasing this kit is pretty decent.

I give this an A+ for the way the products work but an A- because I don’t think the products are sold separately.

Onto the next brand—Boom by Cindy Joseph.

Ain’t gonna lie. I love my Boom Sticks!  I use them regularly and for everyday and travel, the Broomstick Trio is epic greatness. One is in my travel kit and one is always within reach. In fact, I am an ambassador for the brand but let me make it clear that I receive no monetary compensation!  I just happen to be pretty passionate about my Boomsticks!

Seriously. I love my Boomsticks.  They are always with me!

The brand also has a skincare line.  And the products I have are Boomsilk, Boom Nectar, Boom Gold, Boom Clean and Boom Scrub.  The target market for this brand is the woman over 50 and in all fairness, the skincare products, for me, run the gamut of excellent to okay.

The Boom Skincare!   

Let’s start with the Boom Clean.  Like the Y’our Gentle cleanser, the Boom Clean is a winner. The two products are incredibly similar. In fact, I would say they are twins inasmuch as they perform the job in the best way.  A gel substance, this does the job of gently cleansing the face. A drop is all you need to get that face nice and clean!  This is my favorite product of the bunch. You can never have enough facial cleansers—and gentle at that.  This product is sold out on the website but retails for $32. It sounds expensive but to tell you the truth, so little is needed that it will last a long time.

Boom Clean.  You know, the gentle cleansers are perfect for mature skin because the gel-like substance just glides on and you don’t need a lot of pressure to get a soft lather. This is a great product.

Next is the Boom Scrub.  A creamy texture with little exfoliation bits that aren’t scratchy. This is a very good product that I happen to like—as long as I use it my way and not the recommended way. It’s recommended that you leave it on for a few minutes –kind of like a mask, and then massage and wash off.  This way didn’t work for me. My skin is just too sensitive and I found that after a minute or so, my skin was tingly to the point of irritation.

Sorry. I thought I took a photo of this.  Here’s the scrub from the website.  When I use this MY way and not the recommended way, it’s fine. I love the gentle exfoliators that are in the product. But if used the recommended way of letting the scrub set on your face for a few moments, it’s just irrating. My skin is uber-sensitive, I suppose. Not knocking this at all. I like it as long as I use it my way!

However, when I use this as a scrub—literally, it’s much better. I apply it to my skin which I’ve splashed with water, then massage the scrub into my face and wash off immediately after scrubbing.  The little exfoliation bits are soft and do a very good job of smoothing out my skin.  I don’t use this often either. Perhaps once a week—sometimes twice.  Retailing for $48, I’m a bit on the fence about this. It is a good product and the gentle exfoliation is a wonderful thing simply because it is gentle. However, if you do have sensitive skin, if kept on too long, it could irritate you.

Boom Silk. This can be used as a whole-body moisturizer but I use it only on my face. For me,  it’s just too thick for my body but for extra moisturizing on the face–especially during winter, this is great!

Boom Silk. A heavier moisturizer, I’ve not used this much during the summer simply because the temperature makes me sweat and the sweat keeps me hydrated—thus the need for a heavier moisturizer is better used when the weather cools down.

This is so rich in emollients that you have to mix the oil in with the product. This is what you want in the dead of winter!!! Again, you don’t need a ton of product. I’ve had this for a while but I use it only on my face!

But…during the cooler months this is used on those days when my skin has been very dry and I need a little assistance and is excellent as an overnight moisturizer. You do not need a lot of this. Believe me, I learned my lesson. The first time I used this, I applied too much and it got in my eyes. I spent a while rinsing it out.  That taken into consideration, this moisturizer is fantastic for those autumn/winter days and nights!  First of all, it’s so chock-full of emollients that you need to mix the oil into the cream. There is no scent whatsoever and it really works to hydrate dry skin.  The price varies on this one.  From $29 for a two-ounce jar (which might be a great option if you don’t want to commit to a larger size), to $44 for a four-ounce and $64 for an eight-ounce jar.  Truthfully, I do believe this moisturizer is very fairly priced. Not only do you get options, but the $64 for the larger jar is a good deal. Take a look at the price of luxury-brands are charging for heavy-duty moisturizers and you’ll see this price is decent.  I use this only on my face and not on my body.

A deep-moisturizing face and eye serum, I’ll stay with moisturizer. Honestly–let me know what you thing if you use a serum. Maybe I need to rethink serums!

Boom Nectar. Again. I’m not much of a serum person.  I know. I know.  A large number of influencers, bloggers and the like love them some serum. I think of it as an “extra”. For me, it doesn’t matter because I really just don’t see much of a difference using any serum but, hey, that’s just me!  This serum retails at $58 for a 1-oz bottle and $86 for a 2-oz bottle. How do I feel about the pricing?  Well, as a non-serum person, I think money can be put to a better choice of products.  This is my personal opinion—especially since I think it’s important to prioritize spending.

This little 1/2 ounce bottle houses Boom Gold. A facial oil. I’m beginning to come around to the oils. It is good, but I still prefer a cream to oil.

Boom Gold.  This is a tiny bottle of oil. It’s good. Very good. But, again, for the type of skin that I have, this is better left for those dry, cold days of fall and winter and even those spring days when it’s more on the cool side than warmer side. Maybe it’s just me but my skin is just naturally less dry in the summer. So basically, all I need is a good moisturizer and cleanser.  This, for me, is also better used in the evening than the day. The Boom Gold is hydrating though.  And at a price of $54 for .05 ounces, it’s a bit pricey. But, if you do purchase this around the beginning of October, it’ll last the entire winter because you don’t need to use it every day/night and you’ll only need a drop.

All of the products (including the epic greatness of the sticks) can be purchased for $286.90.  It’s a fair enough price.  And personally, I would rather give my money to a smaller company than a larger one such as the luxury brands sold in department stores. 

All these Boom products, along with the beloved Boomsticks can be purchased in one complete “Boom Bag” for $286.90.  Given the price of luxury brands, I think this is a decent price for all the products. Believe me, I got suckered in to purchasing a Trish McEvoy kit that cost me $400 about ten years ago. There was no skincare included—it was all makeup and it was the biggest waste of money I’ve ever spent.  So, I gotta say, the pricing of the Boom products with few exceptions is overall pretty good.

I gave this a B+ for the skincare collective. And I’ll tell you why-The Gold and Nectar are pricey–so I don’t know if they are “essentials”. But the cleanser and the silk are incredible–on their own, they get A+.  And the Boomsticks–well, definitely an A+.  I would recommend trying the smaller sizes that are available so you can test the waters!

Between Y’our and Boom’s products, my bare skin is looking pretty decent. Not bad for 66!

What I just started to use:

WildMint skincare!  A UK-based company (don’t worry, they ship to the USA). The UK is pretty strict (as is all of the EU) about what goes into skincare products and cosmetics so I’m really pleased to be trying these out!

WildMint Skincare. I received five skincare products ranging from cleanser to eye cream.  I’ll begin this regimen tonight (Monday, July 26, 2021) and am really looking forward to seeing how these products will be doing on my skin.   But..I have to be honest here. I used the eye cream. And it was hydrating AF! Incredibly hydrating!  I compared it to my L’Oréal eye cream and hands down, the WildMint was so much more hydrating under the eyes.  So, from the looks of it, these products look promising!  I’ll let you know in the beginning of September! Holy Cannoli! Can you believe that September is only five weeks away?  Let’s get prepared for that fall/winter skin!

The WildMint Bright Eyes?  It is insanely hydrating. I think we’re gonna be besties…

….finally, an eyecream product that 100 percent doesn’t irritate my eyes.

As an extra, I’m going tell you what I’ve been using on my body.

Goldies Orange Cypress Lotion.  The first time I came in contact with this lotion was, believe it or not, the first time we stayed at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn back in January of 2015!  I mentioned the brand in one of my very first blog posts!  Anyway, last month when we returned to the Wythe for another wonderful weekend, the Orange Cypress Lotion was in the bathroom and I couldn’t help myself. I slathered this milky lotion all over my body.  It made my skin so soft that I ran to the front desk (after I got dressed, naturally) to inquire if the product was sold at the hotel. It wasn’t but within hours of our arrival home, I went online and ordered.  At $30 for 12 ounces, it’s worth the money, however, I’m going through this stuff the way my grandson Owen goes through diapers.  I’m pondering ordering the half-gallon at $115 for the winter simply because I know that if I order the larger size, I’ll use it till next Spring.

I bought this at the end of June and have put quite the dent in it already. Oh let me tell you this is a keeper. I’ll be ordering more of this and other products from Goldies. THIS is the kind of body lotion I love. Light and not greasy!

But what I love about this is that it really soaks into the skin and doesn’t leave a greasy film the way many body lotions do.

And when nostalgia hits me, there’s Jergens Original Scent.

Call me a sentimental old fool–just don’t call me late to dinner. But every so often I feel the need to rub this into my skin and it brings back wonderful memories. I honestly think I love the smell of this better than the product!

I dunno but every now and then, I take the Jergens Original Scent down from the shelf and rub it into my arms and legs. That cherry/almond scent always gets to me. It brings back memories of my childhood. It runs the gamut on drug store pricing from $6.00 up to around ten bucks. You cannot go wrong with this.

Yup. The changes in our skin over the years can be a bit of a shock to the system, but if we take care of that skin, it’ll look and behave better. We’ll never attain the epidermis of our youth, but as long as the skin is in decent shape, it’s all good!

Oh yeah. My skin looks great–especially with the bra strap sticking out from my dress that’s too tight! LOL!

What do you use on your skin?  Luxury brands? Off-the-beaten-track brands? Drugstore brands?  I’m really interested!