Now I need the same thing for skincare- someone to just tell me what the best thing is so I can buy it and use it everyday and stop wondering if there's something else I should be using. Because I took a selfie with Cora on Monday and nearly had a heart attack when I looked at it all blown up on my computer later.
You guys, I just turned 33, what the FCK is happening around my eyes? are those wrinkles in my dimples? why are my eyes puffy? why do I look so tired?? I wasn't! That was Monday night, the evening before the new JR Ward book downloaded on my phone at midnight and I accidentally read it until 3 a.m., giving me 3.5 hours of sleep before my alarm went off. THEN I can look tired. This was after a better than normal 7.5 hours of sleep yet I literally yelped when I looked at myself.
So. Skincare. Also probably hydration because I go whole days without drinking water and technically know that's bad but just genuinely never feel thirsty, so I'm working on force hydrating myself. (It's going okay. I have a 40 oz. hydro flask water bottle that usually takes me 2 full days to drink dry. Sadly, this is an improvement.) But let's focus on things that involve even less effort- what can I buy to slather on my skin that will make everything happening around my eyes go away? Can we make my face less puffy? Can we just brighten and tighten and freshen it all up a bit? I need a daily regimen. If I invest in it, I'll do it. What do you do? Love? Tried but didn't love?
What are serums and do I need some? Where do they fit in the skincare routine? Do you use a different night and day cream? What ingredients should I make sure are included? Retinol? Vitamins? I am not anti-chemical. Do you use an eye cream? While I have googled the crap out of these questions, the end result is inconclusive and I've decided to turn to real people instead.
A bit of background- I have slightly dry, never oily, generally very clear skin. Because I was terribly spoiled with skin that never broke out, I didn't start washing my face regularly until... oh maybe a year ago. I've slept in makeup way more often than not. I put on lotion on nights I wash my face, but never use an eye cream even though Sephora has given me samples of three expensive ones. I'm never sure if I'm supposed to wash my face in the morning if I washed it the night before, or whether I'm supposed to put on lotion first in the morning or just start with my makeup. I have never used a mask and have no idea where that fits in.
I currently have philosophy's Purity Made Simple and philosophy's Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash as face cleansers and like them both. I also have the Algenist Rejuvenating Cleanser in sample size and LOVE it and may switch to that as a cleanser when my philosophy's are gone. I use the Oil of Olay Regenerist Serum in the mornings and the Oil of Olay total effects anti-aging night cream when I remember. My favorite makeup remover to date is the Dermalogica precleanse.
I mostly need (detailed!) moisturizer recommendations (and serum explanations) though I welcome any and all input. What's your regimen? What do you love? Please help me take selfies with my toddler that don't make me sad. The frowning just adds more lines.
This post made me laugh - we're the same person skin care wise! I also barely drink water. I'm fascinated by people who drink tons of water every day. Anyway, I'm genuinely excited to see what people recommend for you!
ReplyDeleteThis is somewhat expensive, but I see it as an investment in my skin (and don't ever plan to do plastic surgery or Botox or whatever). The brand is Revision, and is only sold by doctors' offices. I use the retinol and DEJ face cream at night, and the vitamin C and DEJ face cream in the morning. Then I use the intellishade prior to make-up, which is a miracle product as far as I'm concerned. Contains SPF (a must!) and somehow magically corrects imperfections. They also have specific eye products which I haven't yet tried. This regimen was recommended by a plastic surgery colleague, and I have zero financial interest in the company! If looking for a cheaper regimen, I'd do some sort of retinol at night plus Cerave face cream, and try to find a vitamin C product for the antioxidant effect. I'd still recommend the intellishade though. A good gentle face wash is important too - I use Caudalie. And finally, people rave about the Clarisonic Mia, but haven't tried it yet. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI'm a super skeptic on beauty/skin care science because...most of it is bullshit. HOWEVER, there are two anti-aging skincare products with actual science behind them: retinol (you can get prescription strength or OTC) and sunscreen. So I would definitely say add a retinol cream at night and a sunscreen in the morning.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, I choose my products based on what smells nice, is relaxing or soothing to put on, is in my budget, and then finally "demonstrably does what it claims and has no visible adverse effects." So basically it has to take all of my eye make-up off/actually make my skin soft/whatever the thing is supposed to be, and not make me break out or generally look worse.
Depends how much you want to spend. I like the origins products or for more of a drugstore brand try the simple brand products.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really love my clarisonic, But that is an investment and try to grab a Sephora or ultra coupon for that.
I would recommend you go to a dermatologist and let them give you recommendations just right for your skin! Best copay dollars you'll ever spend! That's what I did and now I love my fabulous healthy looking skin...and I stick to the products they recommended (for me, it ended up being Josie maran Argan oil, elta md moisturizers, and ROC sensitive skin eye cream). Good luck!! Once you find good products, they make everything better (just like your makeup!)
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for finding a dermatologist you love. My only set products are a prescription retinol, Elta MD sunscreen, and Aquaphor - all recommended/prescribed by my dermatologist. There's no need to spend big bucks on products. Get good, evidence-based basics and save your money for expensive things that are also proven to work like lasers and peels.
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of my Kiehls + dermatologist combos. (Kiehls has a good price point, I like their ingredient lists, etc.) I use Cerave and prescription face wash (rosacea) and their "Super Multi Corrective Cream" which is an anti-aging cream. If I'm washing my face and going to work out I just use their "plain" Ultra Facial Cream which is nice and light. They have a couple of awesome serums- Midnight Recovery Oil for daily use, I put a thin layer on and top with face cream as needed/ Overnight Biological Peel, which I use alone 2-3x a week and makes your skin SO SOFT and SMOOTH when you wake up. I also just tried their new Cilantro & Orange Extract overnight mask and I really like it but have yet to figure out how to work it into my routine. And I love my Retin-A from my dermatologist, although I cycle off and on it as it thins your skin. All of that plus daily sunscreen and I think I'm doing pretty well!
ReplyDeleteGoing to second JJ re: SPF. That's pretty much the most important thing!
ReplyDeleteYou might want to look into oil cleansing. I "wash" my face at night with coconut oil and it's great. I usually do not need to use a moisturizer on top. If I do I put a little bit of Tsubaki Beauty Oil on (http://www.sephora.com/tsubaki-beauty-oil-P377917) and Acure eye cream (http://www.amazon.com/Cream-Chlorella-Edelweiss-Acure-Organics/dp/B003Z4MCJA). I'm honestly not sure the eye cream does anything, but it feels nice!
First of all, i DO NOT see anything wrong with that picture of you! You.look beautiful, as always! Second, I've done a lot of skin care research and what seems to be consistent is retinol (like, real retinol, the expensive stuff, not watered down neutrogena products with retinol in them, retinol has to be the main ingredient) and the daily use of a moisturizer with sunscreen. The spf moisturizer provides a layer of protection against not only sun, but pollutants in the air.
ReplyDeleteI've recently had terrible breakout ad come to love the brand Paula's Choice which seems to be the primary recommended brand among readers/commentors on Corporette (best blog ever for any advice of all kind). Good luck!
Lighting makes all the difference in photos like that. I also would recommend you check out last month's issue of Real Simple. They had a really good article interviewing a bunch of dermatologists about various skin care routines and what's worth investing in and what's not. I've tried a bunch of the advice and been really happy with the results. The article was their cover story - Drug Store Skin Care (I think?). I also second the advice above about Corporette. Lots of good advice there.
ReplyDeleteI am 34, so just a year older and I do have smile lines (below the eyes, as I have chubby cheeks and big eyes).
ReplyDeleteI drink 2.2 L (74 oz) of water as an average. I used not to drink a drop...but that can only be done by youngER people :-)
I use moisturizing cream with spf in the morning and night cream. During the winter I use a richer cream to compensate the dry cold. And I use a specific eye cream at night. I get allergic reactions easily (had a whole face red rash infected this year...shuddeeeerrrr), even with creams like L'Oreal.
So I use Lancôme, Chanel, etc...My favorite is Chanel's line, it is so so good, and expensive :-(
I always remove my make up, with an oily solution with micellar water from Garnier for sensitive skins, so it does not dry. And I always use a tonic after (I like Lancôme's but cannot find in my location, so I use Neutrogena without alcohol).
So, a ton of work! That I did not have to do 10 years ago.
Btw, I also use a hair tonic night and day, as genetics from my mom and grandma will make me lose my thick wavy hair into very thin and very little hair, as they did. So more work on this front!
I laughed out loud at this post. All I see in that picture is a gorgeous mommy with a gorgeous little girl. Now I'm 38 and have 5 kids so I have a lot more wrinkles caused by frowning LOL! I just started using Rodan + Fields ReDefine regimen. I've only been using it for a couple of weeks and I do see a difference but a small one. It's a 60 day money back guarantee which is why I went ahead and tried it because it's not cheap. My 15 year old son has cystic acne and we'd exhausted almost every prescription medication recommended by our dermatologist. He's been using the Rodan + Fields Unblemish regimen for 30 days and I already see a HUGE difference in his skin. So I figured I'd give the Redefine one a try for myself. I don't sell it or anything so this is just an honest assessment from a customer.
ReplyDeletedid your son try accutaine? worked WONDERS for me.
DeleteDitto the ladies who recommended seeing a dermatologist for the best products. Personally, I love Oil of Olay and my dermatologist is good with that.
ReplyDeleteI use Olay Complete broad spectrum sunscreen on my face, neck, and chest every day. It's one of the few sunscreens with niacinimide (niacin/B3). There's a recent NIH-funded study proving that niacin is key to an anti-aging regimen.
For eyes specifically, I like the Olay Pro-X eye restoration, but I have friends who love ROC. My mom gets a retinol eye cream straight from her dermatologist that is phenomenal.
Up until a few years ago, I could go a few days without drinking any water. About a year ago, my dermatologist said I needed to seriously up my intake because most of my issues with my skin were due to dehydration and he didn't have a miracle serum that could combat that. I started drinking a gallon of water every day. It took me a few weeks to work up to it, but now if I don't have at least 90 oz/day I feel parched. Since, I upped my water intake, I don't need foundation, powder, or any kind of skin corrector. My skin has no blemishes, it's not dry or oily, the fine lines around my eyes/mouth have disappeared, and I have a natural dewy glow. Best skin of my life and I'll be 36 this year.
LOVE the idea of the water. I neeed to try that.... (going to get a glass)
DeleteDaisy posted a selfie on Instagram and I immediately asked what she uses on her face because it was PERFECT. She got me hooked on Kiehl's, which I used sporadically in the past, but I absolutely love their products. If you go in to their store, they can help you select products and they are super generous with their samples. It's a middle of the road price point, and you get rewards for every $100 you spend. I highly recommend it! BTW, you are beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteI came back to see what others recommended (product junkie) and I'm blushing. Thank you. I'm glad you like it too! And they are WAY generous with their samples. It is how I manage to travel all the time and bring my "good" stuff along.
DeleteMy dermatologist gave me four basic guidelines:
ReplyDelete1. Mild cleanser (she, and I, like CeraVe)
2. Anti-oxidant in the morning ("we" like Skinceuticals C E Ferulic serum)
3. Vitamin A serum(retinol or retin A) at night
4. Sunscreen (I like the Coola brand; she likes Elta MD)
I like how easy the routine is, and it is a good mixture of high/low in costs.
I forgot one!
Delete5. Your moisturizer should have peptides (We like CeraVe PM--you can get a coupon at CereVe's website).
I second the recommendations for CeraVe! I use their cleanser after having used Purity for years -- I decided that I would rather spend money on the products that will actually make a difference rather than the products that are intended to clean. I personally have a high end serum that I use (Shiseido Power Infusing Concentrate) which has made a huge difference in my skin's smoothness, and follow with simple moisturizer with an SPF and an Eye Cream from CeraVe (though I'm also thinking about upping my eye cream game). From my experimentation (always on going! I subscribe to Birchbox and love to try different things), it makes most sense to me to save your money for things that are going to make a big impact.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Made me smile! Wish I had skin care recommendations but I'm in the same boat :)
ReplyDeleteI'm 44. So when you hit your 40s (not before), try botox. And be sure you don't get sun on your face for the next 40 years.
ReplyDeleteBetter yet, join the boys and don't give a care what your face looks like!
anyway, you are BEAUTIFUL! don't forget that!
I have no advice. I still wash my face with bar soap in the shower and head out the door.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are all awesome. I'm taking notes, possibly making a spreadsheet, and super happy I can just ask you random questions and get lots of answers.
ReplyDeleteI just turned 40 (omg) and noticed the wrinkles in the last 5 years:(
ReplyDeleteForehead , between my brows and around my mouth. I'm currently trying to 're work my bangs to help cover some. I am also never thirsty. Never. I've been trying lots of drug store stuff in the $20 range and other than my skin being more moisturized and makeup going on easier I haven't had any reduction in wrinkles. Im trying to avoid botox. Let us know what you try.
I am terrible at drinking water! For skin care I use the Timewise cleanser, moisturizer, SPF, and night serum from Mary Kay. It's the only skin care routine I've ever stuck with on a consistent basis.
ReplyDeletehave to admit I utilize the botox once in a while.... Other than that find a good moisturizer and eye cream.
ReplyDelete