Nora Ephron really hit it on the head when she titled her book, “I Feel Bad About My Neck.”
I don’t have many regrets in life. However, one huge regret that’s been bugging me lately is that I wish I would’ve taken better care of the skin around my neck.
It feels like one morning I woke up, took a look in the mirror and BAM! Neck lines! Rough skin! Wrinkles!
I’m a big fan of wearing sunscreen as an anti-aging treatment and have been slathering it on my face since I was a teenager. I don’t like the feeling of having a sticky neck, so I’d always skip out on slathering it all over my neck. I really regret that now.
In the effort to make up for lost time, I’ve been trying to take better care of my neck, and one thing that I’ve been doing lately is washing it with a Micellar water cleanser.
Several French skincare lines make Micellar water cleansers, which are liquid cleansers that you use without water. They usually come in a bottle in liquid form. You apply a lil’ bit on a cotton pad, wipe your skin down with the moistened pad, and then voila! Your dirty birdy self is clean because there’s no need to rinse off with water. Micellar water cleansers are usually geared towards sensitive skin and sometimes the formulas also combine the cleanser with toner or moisturizer.
The weather is getting cooler round my ‘hood which means that in the morning, my bathroom turns into a freezer. It gets so cold that I can’t bear to wash my neck because that means I have to take off whatever sweatshirt/long sleeve shirt I’m wearing. And if I leave on whatever shirt I’m wearing I get water and soap down my shirt. It’s not a pleasant way to start the day.
So lately I’ve been using Darphin’s Azahar Cleansing Micellar Water Cleanser to wash my neck. A few weeks ago I did a review on it, and back then I felt just so-so about it as a makeup remover, but now love it as a waterless cleanser for my neck. I put a few drops on a cotton pad, wipe the front, back and décolleté area and voila! A clean neck without any fuss or muss. (And, I get to stay warm!)
At $50 per bottle, Darphin is definitely on the higher-end of Micellar Cleansers. If you want to try a Micellar cleansers but are on a budget here are a few lower-priced options:
Nuxe Eau Demaquillant
$22.00 for 8.4 fl oz bottle
– antioxidant-rich
– removes all makeup, including water-resistant from face, eyes and lips
– alcohol- and fragrance-free
– moisturizes and tones the ksin
– natural extracts and green tea
Nuxe is a French company that uses plants and essential oils in their products. Their producuts also contain no animal substances, mineral oils or artificial colors. I’ve used a few products in the past and remember really liking the line. I think when I run out of Darphin this is the next brand I will try.
Caudalie Paris Cleansing Water
$22.00 for a 6.7 oz bottle
– Soap-free
– Three-in-one cleanser, makeup remover and toner
– Good for sensitive skin
Caudalie’s line is based on polyphenols found in grape seeds.
In the past I’ve used both Energizing Cream, an anti-aging moisturizer, and Gentle Cleanser, a cleanser containing free radicals. I liked the products because the didn’t irritate my skin are were very gentle.
In addition to a full skin care line they have several “Vinotherapie Spas” with grapevine-derived anti-aging treatments. One is located a stone’s throw away from me in Sonoma. Girl’s spa day, anyone?
Eau Thermale Avene Micellar Lotion Cleanser and Make-up remover
$15.00 for a 6.7 fl oz bottle
– contains “active” ingredients which are naturally encapsulated within the lotion and released upon contact with the skin
– deep cleansing without irritation
– hypo-allergenic and fragrance-free
Avene skin care products are geared towards those with sensitive skin and healing skin conditions like dermatitis, psoriasis and eczema. The key ingredient in their products is the therma spring water that flows from France’s Cevennes Mountains.
I’ve got a soft spot for both French skin care (my last name is French, haaaaaaay!) and Japanese skin care. I don’t know if it’s clever marketing, but these brands do seem to have products that appeal to my sensibilities. Do you have any favorite foreign skin care lines?
Besides mangling the French language, when I went to Paris a few years ago one of my favorite things to do was to go into stores and pharmacies to look at all the weird and unusual lines they offered. Paris is one of my favorite cities in terms of style, culture and carbs — OH! THE BREAD! I can’t wait to go back.
Anyway, I hope your Monday is off to a good start, and I raise my cup o’ coffee to you. Keep fighting the powers that be!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Christine says
October 22nd, 2007 at 11:19 amThank you for giving me something interesting to read during class!
I’ve long finished my Starbucks (though I don’t drink coffee, it’s a caramel apple cider!), so I’ve been lookin’ for distractions.
Note to self: wear sunscreen on neck!
Jane says
October 23rd, 2007 at 8:48 amNeck lines are scary and I also have lots of them because, like you, I also belatedly realized that I should have taken better care of my neck starting when I was like 12.
I gotta say though, $50 for a smoother neck is a bit much. Hahahaha! 😀
Karen says
October 23rd, 2007 at 5:57 pmSeriously. Wear sunscreen or turtlenecks! Do it now and save yourself potential horror later!
Karen says
October 23rd, 2007 at 5:59 pmYup, Jane, no doubt that $50 could buy a lot of Wet & Wild at the drugstore. It’s a nice splurge if you’re in the mood, though…
NBLACK says
October 24th, 2007 at 10:13 amWu Tang could not have said it better “Protect Ya Neck”!!! It’s only slightly shaded if you have a bid head or a huge Afro. As a Taurean I value my naturally massive neck and try to treat it as well as my face. However, I don’t like to use a lot of nasty tasting chemicals that might deter would be neck kissers. How do those neck washes taste?
Karen says
October 24th, 2007 at 10:30 amYou are such a dork but you know I’m your #2 fan (behind Erin and yo’ kids and the hand-me-down-cat).
I haven’t had the chance to have the hubby taste test the product because he’s been sick. 🙁
BTW, I have great pics of us from Friday. I will email to you.
CAT POWER!
Michele E. DiCola says
March 10th, 2011 at 8:39 amI use Avene & Darphin ; both have saved my skin this winter!
Where can I find those other products?
Michele
Sugar says
June 26th, 2013 at 2:40 pmThe best cleanser I’ve tried by far is definitely Hush Dotti’s balm cleanser. The balms definitely rejuvenate the skin where these water ones I feel dry me out.
Maybe the water ones are not for everybody? I don’t know. All I know is the balm cleansers are super popular in France and other places in Europe and I’ve been a fan since discovering it. Right now balm cleansing is the way to go for better skin.
Love Sugar