Friday, May 29, 2009

How to get rid of those odd dry, sensitive skin patches which just won't go

I've had this small, dry, scaly patch of skin on the outside of my left nostril just where it joins my face (or upper lip if that helps you visualise it!) now for a good six months. It's been one of those things that I do notice when scrutinising my face in the mirror (I don't do this often - it's not good for morale) but which I am mostly aware of through touch as I seem to have developed an annoying habit of checking it's still there every day. I am not sure when it appeared or why but it just wouldn't go. It hasn't been particularly itchy or sensitive but has been sore when I've had a cold.

I had resigned myself to living with my lizard-like skin when I thought I would try our very own Queen Skin Cream. There's nothing like first-hand experience and, guess what, it's done the job. I put it on every night for a couple of weeks and the patch has gone. I did get a bit complacent last week while on holiday (although still religiously massaging the Skin Cream into my heels) and noticed that it had started to come back but a couple more nights of application and it's gone again.

Now, I know this just sounds like bragging but it is backed up by the comments we repeatedly get from our customers about this product.

An email today from Mrs Golder in London, which prompted this self-congratulatory post, said:

"And by the way, I must just tell you how brilliant your Queen skin cream is!  I had a sample for my toddler's face which worked miracles.  Then I had a dry patch on my face for months.  I tried everything including a hydrocortisone and was beginning to think it was skin cancer (you know the mind works!) when I suddenly thought about your cream and it's absolute magic!  The mysterious patch has disappeared!".

Says Mrs Cliffe, also from London:

"Queen Skin Cream is just wonderful. I suffer from eczema and find it really soothing and it has got rid of dry, scaly patches that I have had for years. I use it on my face, on my feet, on my lips and in areas of eczema on my ankles and face.  It's better than the stuff the doctor has given me. At night, if my legs or ankles start itching, I rub some Skin Cream in really well and it soothes it immediately. It's brilliant, I can't praise it enough."

This product, called Skin Food many years ago when it first came to market, is a miracle cream and every dressing table or bathroom cabinet should have some, whether you suffer from sensitive skin or not.

For sensitive and very dry skin it's great as a moisturiser but it's also brilliant for a whole host of other things, including:

  • dry heels and dry elbows
  • itchy skin caused by eczema, psoriasis etc
  • to repair dry lips (or to keep lips soft and moisturised)
  • taking the heat out of minor burns
  • it can be used to soothe and repair skin suffering from sun burn, chapped skin and wind burn, making it perfect for the beach, ski slopes or out at sea.
  • to soothe itchiness caused by bites or allergic reactions
  • to prevent or soothe chafing caused by clothing or shoes. Prevent blisters by rubbing it into areas which are likely to be affected  or cover the blister (or even rub it into the leather of your shoes/boots to soften it!) with the cream to prevent further injury.

I could go on....but that's enough of the advertising spiel. It is fabulous though and great value too as it lasts for ages. Visit www.queen-cosmetics.com to find out more. You won't look back!

Have a good weekend.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Tamiflu mayhem at John Bell and sensitive skins praise Queen

We were up at our main stockist, John Bell & Croyden, in London's Wigmore Street, yesterday and it was absolute mayhem.

John Bell is known to be the top pharmacy in the UK, serving the likes of Harley Street and all the private medical practices in the West End and beyond. There were long queues at the pharmacy counter as people took in their prescriptions for Tamiflu, the anti-viral swine flu drug. Needless to say stocks had run out some days ago and stocks of face masks were also running low, with staff members dashing around bringing up the remaining boxes from storerooms below. Quite how you get your hands on a prescription for Tamiflu, I don't know. I can only assume it's via one's private medical practice, should you have one. The chaos at John Bell just gives a taste of what we can expect if swine flu does take hold in the UK. Terrifying.

On a lighter note, it was a good day for meeting people, both existing users of Queen products and potential customers. One woman who had tried some samples a few weeks ago and had subsequently bought a jar of our Skin Cream told us she was delighted with the product. 'I've tried all sorts of brands and this is the best. It's perfect for my skin.'

That's not the only glowing report we've had.  We have had some lovely emails this week.

Wrote a lady from Northamptonshire: "Hello there. I am delighted to say that of the Queen samples received I have found 3 products already that have not upset my sensitive skin and make it feel actually moisturised!  Woohoo –I have not enjoyed comfortable skin for some considerable time so I am very grateful to have discovered you!"

She continued:

"I am 47 and in recent years my naturally rosy face has become more and more intolerant.  I found a cream which was soothing but within minutes, especially in the winter, my face still felt as if it had been sandpapered and then stretched like a drum skin.  I am sitting here now with my face smoother and soft to the touch and comfortable to boot.  Since receiving the samples I have identified the ones that suit me and I am actually able to cleanse my face twice a day when before I used to dread even touching it.  The Sensiderma Foundation Cream is also a real find as it is making my own foundation sit smoothly whereas before while it was not upsetting my skin it would almost immediately flake and dry out and close up looked horrible. Many, many thanks!  Order to follow!"

And another received today said:

"Thank you for my order and thank you also for such immediate service. I'm delighted with my light night cream! That's what you call a free gift! It's amazing. Full size no less! I'm also impressed with the tinted foundation. A lovely creamy peachy tint and it stays put all day. That's no mean feat with my sensitive skin as the only other foundation to do that has been Kanebo which is very expensive and now only available in the U.K  from Harrods!

"I'm trying to convert my daughter who is 29 & still very prone to acne. I bought the light moisturiser sample for her to try. She already likes the medicated cleanser which she regularly purloins from me!
Thank you once again."

The free Light Night Cream refers to a two-day offer we ran last week. So glad we did it now!

Hmm, was just reading this month's SPC (Soap, Perfumery & Cosmetics - www.cosmeticsbusiness.com) magazine reports that, in France, two thirds of cosmetic products marketed as 'bio' (French for organic) and described as being preservative-free contained traces of preservatives.

The findings come from an investigation carried out by two French agencies, the AFSSAPS which is responsible for health product safety and the DGCCRF, the agency responsible for competition, consumption and fraud focused on 28 bio-cosmetics, of which 22 carried the Ecocert or other natural accreditation.

Of the 28 products, 12 claimed to use no preservatives and 16 claimed that they did not use phenoxyethanol. However, 19 products were found to contain traces of preservatives. The investigators said that it was impossible to conclude whether there had been a deliberate intent to deceive.

Isn't this still rather worrying news though?! If products are certified by a body like Ecocert then surely they should be what they claim to be otherwise the reputation and existence of these bodies should be called into question. Green, natural or organic cosmetics are marketed as being whiter than white and purer than pure yet, in this instance, this is clearly not the case.

SCP reports that the AFSSAPS says that the traces of preservatives could result from the raw materials, especially those coming from a vegetable origin.

I don't know how people are supposed to navigate their way through all this stuff. We always advocate that consumers learn to read ingredients' labels but what's the point when this sort of thing is going on?

This post is already far too long and there's orders to despatch. Enjoy this weather and have a good weekend.

The Queen Team
www.queen-cosmetics.com