Skin care cream is very important.  However, if you feel that your skin has become excessively dry over the years, or if you have any other concerns about your skin, it is very important to realize that while investing in a good moisturizer is a good idea, it is not the entire solution to helping your skin to look healthier.

For instance, you can use all the skin care cream in the world, but if you are not keeping your body properly hydrated, meaning that if you are not drinking enough water every day, you are really doing your skin (and your overall health) a serious disservice. Hydration does not only help with your internal functioning by helping you to flush toxins from your body, it also keeps your skin soft, supple and smooth. So remember to keep drinking.

If you always have some water handy, you are more likely to stay as hydrated as you should. You can drink other liquids (not just water), but pure, filtered water is usually the best beverage to drink if you want to stay hydrated and healthy throughout your days. (Remember to drink a glass of nice cold water when you wake up in the morning because after sleeping all night, you are bound to wake up dehydrated. In addition to keeping yourself hydrated, make sure you are eating right, getting plenty of sleep and also getting a moderate amount of exercise every day. Your skin can be seen as a reflection of your overall health.

When you are feeling well and staying fit, your skin tends to glow more. This does not mean you should skip over the use of a high quality skin care cream that works well for you and your skin type. It only means that your skin care cream is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to maintaining good skin health. And if you are doing all of the other things you should be doing (washing with a gentle cleanser, sleeping well, staying hydrated, eating healthy food), your skin care cream can do its job better.

Many of the blog posts on this blog focus on commercially produced skin care cream, such as products by Olay and Avon. But there is another world of skin care cream that is well worth exploring, and that is the world of natural beauty care. One of the better natural beauty care companies out there right now happens to be the line of Burt’s Bees Skin care creams.

Burt’s Bees is a company that has been around for quite some time now, and they make many of their products, such as their Burt’s Bees Radiance Day Creme and their Burt’s Bees Radiance Night Creme out of all natural products, such as royal jelly. Royal jelly is a secretion produced by honey bees to nourish the Queen and the larvae. Many people like to ingest royal jelly internally because they feel that it provides many nutrients, including several different kinds of vitamins and fatty acids. But you can also use it externally, in skin care cream, and many people do. People feel that it possesses anti-inflammatory properties, and that it moisturizes their skin beautifully.

So, if you are in the market for a natural beauty skin care cream, you might want to consider purchasing a jar of the Burt’s Bees Radiance Day Creme (and/or the night creme), both of which soften the skin considerably. Burt’s Bees products can be purchased at different types of stores, including natural food stores and drug stores. They are also available at some grocery store chains. They have many loyal customers, and you might be interested in trying one or more of their products. By the way, if you like their skin care cream, you might also find that you like the products that they make for lips. After all, the produce all kinds of deeply moisturizing lip care products.

When it comes to proper skin care, why do are so many beauty products marketed in threes: a cleanser, a toner and a moisturizer? Well, for starters, these manufacturers are hoping to sell you more products. After all, they are in business to make a profit. But is there any validity to their three step plans?

Many beauty experts feel that this three step plan is in fact a good approach to caring for the skin on your face. When we go about our days, our faces are in fact exposed to a lot of dirt and pollution. We also tend to use make up (foundation, powder, blush, etc.) on our facial skin, and this needs to be thoroughly cleaned off in the evening if we want to allow our pores to “breathe” and recover.

The first step, the cleansing step, helps remove the dirt that accumulates during the course of the day. It also helps to take off the layer of dead skin cells that develop naturally during the course of the day (or night), freshening and revitalizing your skin and, as mentioned earlier, allowing the pores to breathe. It also helps you to get rid of any residue from makeup (when you wash in the evening after a full day), or any night skin care cream (when you wash in the morning after sleeping all night).

The second step, the toning step, is the one a lot of people skip because they deem it unnecessary, but it is actually a good idea to tone after cleansing and before moisturizing, and therefore toning is highly recommended by many skin care experts. Using a toner after you clean (especially one that contains glycolic acid) can help remove dead skin cells and any residue left over from cleansing. It also appears to aid in the restoration of the skin’s healthy pH level, so that the skin can properly absorb the moisturizer in Step Three.

Moisturizer, the third step in the plan restores much needed moisture to the facial skin, which is essential for keeping skin elastic and youthful looking. Even people with oily skin need moisturizing skin care cream, and fortunately, there are some moisturizers designed specifically for the proper care and treatment of oily skin. So, do not be afraid of moisturizer if you have oily or combination skin. Just be sure to look for products that are truly compatible with your skin type. Some companies that manufacture moisturizers that are oil free (but also effective) include Neutrogena, Olay, Lorac and LaRoche-Posay.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer is step three in Clinique’s three step skin care program that consists of a cleanser, a toner and the yellow, creamy Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer lotion. Clinique is a department store brand, and, as such, it is pricier than some of the drug store brands of moisturizer.

It is also not as well reviewed by customers as some of the drug store brands of moisturizer. For instance, some customers report that if you have combination skin or oily skin, the Clinique moisturizer will leave your skin feeling even oilier, which is not a pleasant feeling for people with oily skin who simply want to moisturize their skin without making it feel like an “oil slick.”

Then again, there are other consumers, particularly customers with somewhat dry or very dry skin, who absolutely adore this particular moisturizer and find it to be just the “drink” their skin has been seeking (as stated in the marketing campaign).

Some customers express their displeasure with the fact that this particular product contains no SPF against the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet rays, as well as the fact that it contains no ingredients that are known to fight acne. Some people also state that they do not care for the color (yellow), nor do they care for the fragrance. (Many customers of skin care cream prefer their products to be fragrance-free.) It bears repeating, however, that some customers who have somewhat dry to extremely dry skin contend that this moisturizing product is one of the best they have ever tried and that they cannot see themselves trying anything else anytime soon.

This product retails for around $25.00 in most stores, which is not as expensive as some other department store brands of moisturizer and which is comparable with the most expensive of the drug store brands of moisturizer. However, twenty-five dollars is twenty-five dollars, and if you are going to spend that kind of money, you need a product that suits your purposes and skin care needs. So, if your skin is quite dry or very dry, you may be interested in trying the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer. Otherwise, you may want to try a different moisturizer.

As you can see, when it comes to buying skin care cream and moisturizers, the most important thing is to take your own particular skin type and needs into consideration, and to make your purchases accordingly. If you have dry skin, this moisturizer may be your dream product. If you have oily skin or combination skin, you may want to investigate some alternative choices.

The line of Olay Regenerist skin care products, including the Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion SPF 15 gets stellar reviews almost across the board. There are some customers with sensitive and/or oily skin and/or skin allergies who report that their skin does not react very well to these products. Some report a tingling sensation, some experience redness and some feel bumpiness after use.

But overall, most users rate these products very high. Interestingly, some individuals who suffer from Acne Rosacea state that it has helped to soothe their Rosacea symptoms, which would seem to contradict what some users with sensitve skin have had to say about these products. The takeaway message from this might be that not all sensitive skin is the same, and that what works for one person with sensitive skin might not work well for another. In other words, as marketers like to say, individual results will vary.

Not only is the Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion SPF 15 well reviewed by the majority of consumers who have tried it, but it has also been well reviewed by a significant number of professional beauty product reviewers and reviewers of various products, including Consumer Reports.

The secret seems to lie in some of the key ingredients, particularly the amino peptides, antioxidants and the protective ingredients that shield the skin from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. It seems that this particular combination of ingredients is proving to be very effective for protecting the skin and from the early stages of aging. However, it must be conceded that these products cannot do anything about existing wrinkles. It may help to prevent you from developing new fine lines, however. Of course, the important thing to remember is that as much as many consumers report liking Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion SPF 15, no single product can be the right choice for every individual.

Olay is not a department store brand, which means that it is available in most drug stores and discount stores. This also means that it is relatively reasonably priced (at around $18 – $22 for a 2.5 ounce bottle), although it is not as inexpensive as some other comparable products on the market. If you do have sensitive skin that breaks out or gets red when you use various products, you will probably want to proceed with caution. Otherwise, you might find that it is the right product for you.

Update on July 12, 2009:

By the way, the author of this website has been using this particular product for a few weeks now and is loving it.  Future updates to follow.

If you are seeking skin care cream that is very moderately priced and that you can pick up right in your local drug store or discount store, one product that you may want to investigate is Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Regenerating Moisture Cream, which has been steadily gaining in popularity with many consumers of anti aging products. This line of products is relatively new, but it does seem to be making a “big splash” in the world of skin care cream.

For starters, it typically retails for around twelve or thirteen dollars for a 1.7 ounce jar, and it receives many positive reviews from customers who have used it, say they plan to use it again and also report that they would absolutely recommend it to a friend with no qualms whatsoever.

More specifically, some of the qualities that customers like about it so much include the fact that they find it gentle and soothing. They like the way that it penetrates their skin without feeling oily or greasy. Many consumers also state that they really feel that it makes their skin look and feel younger. Of course, this is the number one goal for any manufacturer of an anti aging skin care cream.

A few customers with sensitive skin report that although they like the way it feels when they initially put it on, over time, it irritates their skin. This is something to keep in mind if you have sensitive skin. Before trying it, take a careful look at the ingredients to determine if there are any that have irritated your skin in the past, and if there are, you will probably want to steer clear.

For many people, one of the biggest pluses about this product is its modest price. The fact that you can get it for under fifteen dollars when similar department store products tend to cost so very much more (only to deliver the same or less stellar results), make this particular product a real winner in the opinions of many satisfied customers who continue to use it and keep enjoying the results that they are seeing.

Therefore,  if price is a big concern for you, but you really want a high quality product that will produce genuine and long lasting results in the appearance and texture of your skin, you may want to try Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Regenerating Moisture Cream along with other products in the Garnier Nutritioniste line of skin care cream products.

Avon has numerous products in its Anew line of skin care cream products which have been heralded as a breakthrough series of products by the company itself as well as by a number of reviewers and actual customers. The marketing angle that Avon takes with their Avon Anew Clinical Advanced Wrinkle Corrector is that it can do “what no collagen injection can.”

At the time of the publication of this article, this particular product is retailing for $32.00 per jar directly from Avon. While this is pricier than many drug store brands of wrinkle creams, it is also substantially less than many department store brands of anti-aging creams, and it is certainly far less expensive than visiting your local plastic surgeon for any kind of procedure, including collagen injections. Of course, when using a facial cream, there is also none of the discomfort associated with getting injections in the face. Not only that, but when using a skin care cream (instead of getting injections), there is also no chance of experiencing any side effects, which are always a very real possibility with any medical procedure, no matter how minor.

Speaking of collagen injections, as you are probably well aware already, people can go to plastic surgeons to receive injections of collagen to make their skin appear more youthful. So, essentially, the company is making the rather bold statement that this particular series of beauty products can help consumers achieve even better results than they could obtain by visiting a plastic surgeon’s office.

Avon must have been thrilled to learn that overall their customers have generally been very pleased with the Anew Clinical Advanced Wrinkle Corrector (and also with the other products in the Anew line).  So how exactly does Anew work, according to Avon? Well, they designed it to plump up the skin (much in the same way that collagen injections do). As a direct result of this plumping of the skin, fine lines and wrinkles begin to diminish and the skin starts to feel more supple, elastic and youthful. Avon also states that Anew helps the skin rebuild hydro-protein.

When Avon ran its own series of trials, they stated that every single woman who participated in their trials (that’s right, 100% of the participants) reported that they felt the product had improved their skin, in some cases quite significantly, noting fewer fine lines and wrinkles following the study. The participants also felt that their skin felt firmer and more elastic. All of the Anew products are also hypo-allergenic, oil-free and have been tested for safety by dermatologists. Avon also contends that Anew helps consumers rebuild collagen, particularly in the skin around their mouths, noses and eyes.