Though I've never been the type of person to endore various products out there, simply because what works for one person may not work for another, when it comes to Nivea Creme, I must make an exception. For the last 3 years I have carried around a laminated article that was published in the New York Times Magazine, dated April 15, 2007, in which actress/singer/art patron Kitty Carlisle Hart talked about her love for the product itself as well as some quips regarding her numerous decades in showbusiness. I adored that woman, as an actress, a singer and justa downright nice gal. The article was published 2 days before she died and I'll never forget how sad I was to hear of her passing. But Kitty wasnt ever the type of person to mope around and mourn life, she always picked herself up by her bootstraps, kicked whatever troubles she had square in the ass and proudly marched onward. That was one lady who was a first-class act all the way, in every sense of the word. She was also extremely intelligent and when it came to Nivea Creme, she was damn right about that too - it does indeed work!
Now I'm not talking about the umpteen Nivea skincare products that are currently on the market right now, each one designed for this-or-that skin type, I'm talking about the original old-fashioned stuff, Nivea Creme, that you find in the blue plastic containers or better yet, in the giant blue glass jars. By the way, cost-wise, if you go to the right store, it's more economical to buy it in the big blue glass jars, running on the average of about $6.97 per jar, versus the $6 you'll pay for the blue plastic container version. Most people do swear by Nivea Creme even though in recent years some cosmetic experts have actually knocked the product because it's one of the very few skincare products out there that has not changed it's formula since the year it first appeared on the market, 1911. Yeah, it's been around for 99 years and it is living proof that if something works fine, don't try to fix it, just be thankful for it.
Myself, I've used Nivea products since the mid 1980's and though I use to use the Nivea Enriched Hand Lotion, which I'll admit, is an excellent product, it simply was a bit too greasy for me. But again, that was my personal experience with it, my skin type's interaction with the product - it may work perfectly fine for other folks out there and if so, hey, I think that's great. When it comes to any skincare product, my theory is this - regardless of what anyone else may say, if a product works great for you and you are pleased with the results, then stick with it. By the same token, even if a product doesnt work for you, then share your experiences with others regarding it, after all, that's how the general public learns about this stuff - reading testimonials, making a comparison here-n-there and then making a sound decision. And, this even applies to what Kitty said about the Nivea Creme as well.
She swore it was the best stuff she's ever put on her face and I believe her, not just because I admired her for the extraordinary human being that she was but because she looked great for her 97 years. So I went ahead and tried the Creme on my face and even though it made my facial skin feel nice-n-soft, the rest of it simply did not work for me. I have one of those T-zone complexion issues and while it made my cheeks feel great it was way too greasy for my nose and forehead area. So, I returned to the stuff that I've used for years on my face, Palmer's Cocoa Butter concentrated cream (the stuff in the tube). Then I remembered hearing from other people that whenever a person has a dry-skin problem on any area of their bodies, Nivea Creme always does the trick. So off-n-on over the past few years, whenever I had a severely dry or chapped skin area, I'd dab a bit of it on that area before bedtime and wake up the next morning with considerably better feeling and better-looking skin. Then a few weeks ago I began to notice that the skin product I was using for my severely dry hands didnt seem to be working as well as I thought it was, so I got out my old blue glass jar of the Nivea Creme and decided it was time to do an experiment.
In the last 3 weeks the skin on my hands has literally transformed itself - I kid you not! For these past few weeks I have massaged Nivea Creme into my hands every night before bedtime and when I have woken up in the morning, the appearance and condition of my hands has simply been amazing! Yeah, really. At first I thought "Oh, you're just imagining it Spice, you just want to believe the stuff is working." But then at both my jobs, I've actually been getting compliments like "Wow, what have you been doing to your hands?" or "Oh, nice hands, what do you use?" and every single time after thanking people I mumbled to myself "Waita second, men arent suppose to get compliments about their hands, wtf ?" But it's true, my hands and most importantly, the skin on my hands has never ever looked better, not in years.
I'll admit, I'm one of those fortunate people who was born into a family where most of the people look at least a good 15 to 20 years younger than their chronological age, so genetics does explain a lot; however, as I've said before, I'm just an average-looking joe and I have had my fair share of skincare problems over the years as most folks have, so naturally I've always been somewhat conscientous about my skin, period. My hands are a prime example of that. Secretly, I've always taken great pride in the way my hands have looked. Then around the age of 38 I noticed that my hands looked as if they were starting to age and I said to myself "No no Batman, we can't have this. Other parts of me may be in rough shape, but not the hands, not my hands." So over the next several years , anI tried several different brands of creams on them before bedtime, doing so faithfully night after night.
But then a few weeks ago, after using Cetaphil Cream on them for several months, I noticed that that stuff just wasnt cutting it. Now dont get me wrong, Cetaphil is also one of the best skincare creams and/or lotions out there too - in fact, I still use the lotion daily but that expensive cream of theirs? Forget it, it just did not work for me. So that's when I switched back to the Nivea Creme and as of right now, I dont think I will ever need to try another skincare cream for as long as I live - or so I hope! I'm serious, my hands look as great as they did when I was at the sprye young age of 17. Kitty was right, it does work, perhaps not on my face like it did hers, but everywhere else, it's a major winner. It really does work.
As much as I do fully recommend the Nivea products, for those of you who have been thinking of trying that Cetaphil Cream, by all means give it a try, especially if you like unscented creams but keep in mind that it is expensive, in the $11 to $15 price range per tub, depending on where you buy it at. Try to find it in the small tube form to see if it will even work for you first. Keep in mind, a high price does NOT guarantee that the skincare product will work. In most cases, the cheaper alternative is just as good, if not better. That's certainly true with the Nivea Creme as well as a host of other products.
Aging is a part of life, it's a process that we have no control over whatsoever, regardless of what it does to our skin or the rest of our bodies. However, be that as it may, there's certainly nothing wrong with making the commitment to take good care of our skin the way we do the rest of our bodies. I could go on-n-on about how this product is great and that product is lousy but that would be wrong because I too do not have all the answers when it comes to telling you what is the best thing to use on your skin. But, what I can tell you is that it never hurts to try out new products but try to avoid doing so on a whim. Ask questions. Ask people what they use and what they like or dont like about the products they're using. Process all the information you gather first before making a decision. You want to make the best decisions possible in every other area of your lives, why not with your skincare too? You really do owe it to yourself. Besides, Kitty Carlisle Hart would never steer you wrong and neither would I, unless of course, you're a Republican. Sorry, I couldn't resist! Best wishes for great skincare health to everyone and as always, thank you for reading.
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