A Simple and Effective Pro-Aging Skincare Routine
We are almost to a New Year… can you believe it?? I haven’t even bought all of my Chrismtas gifts (yet much less wrapped them!), and we are just over a week away from December 25th. January 2024 is right around the corner, and that means my 46th birthday is also almost here - I’m a January 30th baby! And with this birthday on the horizon, I have become more and more determined to have a consistent and mega-effective skincare routine that shaves a few years off the only face I have! So today I am sharing A Simple and Effective Pro-Aging Skincare Routine.
It’s around this time of year that I start to truly reflect on how quickly time is flying by. My three children are a stark reminder of this…aaaannd so is my aging face - ha ha!
The magic of Christmas evolves into something slightly different with them each passing year and now as they are all teenagers. Our skincare routines should evolve each passing year to reflect our needs, too.
I quite enjoy getting older and celebrating birthdays, but that doesn’t mean I am going to just give up and let nature take its course on my face without a fight - no way. I want to set a good example to my sons and daughter, that mom prioritizes taking care of her face as a form of self-respect. (and let’s be honest, I want to look my very best when I look back at all of these holiday photos I take with them!)
TL;DR
Jennifer shares A Simple and Effective Pro-Aging Skincare Routine
Jennifer's product recommendations are shoppable via text links and image widgets
A Simple and Effective Pro-Aging Skincare Routine
KEY INGREDIENTS
First, here are some KEY INGREDIENTS you should look for to add into your routine if you want your face to age backward:
- Retinol at night (start with 2X a week until you can tolerate it more. I use retinol at least 5 nights out of the week)
- Vitamin C in the morning
- Sunscreen everyday
- A chemical exfoliant 1-2X a week
After much research and collecting advice from my local dermatologist and esthetician friends, there is a correct “order” of application of products to make them work at peak performance. At the most basic level, do remember to apply your skincare from the thinnest to the thickest.
Here is a snapshot look at what my daytime AND nighttime skincare routines and products look like…
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Morning and Night Step 1: CLEANSER
Disclaimer - I do not cleanse in the morning, only at night. Cleansing again in the morning dries my skin out like crazy! And I switch out my top-rated mulberry silk pillowcase every week to a clean one, so I feel like my face isn’t getting dirty the less than 8 hours I get to sleep.
However, lots of derms suggest a cleanse in the morning, so it’s particular to your skin type. At night I switch between the pricey Tatcha Rice Wash Softening Cleanser, $40 , (which is a real treat) then for my drusgtore choice it’s been the CeraVe Hydrating Cream to Foam cleanser, $18, for over a year now. I keep repurchasing it because I do love a foam and it contains Hyaluronic Acid that’s a must for our aging faces!
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Morning and Night Step 2: TONER
I like to switch these to get the most out of a variety of ingredients. I am seriously in love with the Glow Recipe Watermelon PHA + BHA Toner, $34 applied in the AM for its pore-tightening effects before I apply makeup! And then in the evening, I switch to Good Molecules Niacinamide Brightening Toner, $14. I find they both work best and get in deeper when applying them with a cotton round, rather than just splashing it on with my hands.
Morning Step 3: VITAMIN C
Why Vitamin C? Because it is a potent antioxidant and helps back up the protectiveness of sunscreen during the daylight hours when applied before SPF. I have been extremely impressed with Paula’s Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum, $62, for its clinical strength of Vitamin C which also visibly improves uneven tone, + radiance. Additionally, C helps to produce more of the other C we lose as we age - collagen - which equates to elasticity and firmness!
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Morning Step 4: MOISTURIZER WITH SPF
After giving your Vitamin C a chance to absorb, then apply your moisturizer - yes even if you are oily, you still need to put moisture back into your skin (but the oil-free type). I like to be quick about this and pack in my SPF with my moisturizer in one product, and I’m not sure I’ll ever stray from the Neutrogena Hydro Boost with SPF 50, $18. I love it because of its ingredient list which includes Hyaluronic Acid (specifically designed to help with aging concerns) and the texture is amazingly ultra-light and silky. If you want to do a two-step process - do your moisturizer first, then apply sunscreen on top
Morning Step 5: EYE CREAM
My eye beds are the puffiest when I wake up, so my cup of coffee + caffeine equivalent for my under eyes is the L’Oreal Revitalift Eye Serum, $28. Its steel ball applicator when rolled around the eye bed helps to drain the puffiness and I love the feeling of the serum after it’s dried down and how smooth it makes my skin! Also, it gives me a slightly tighter under-eye effect! It’s perfect to use before your concealer because it doesn’t settle so much into the fine lines and wrinkles.
Night Step 3: CHEMICAL EXFOLIANT (2x per week)
After you’ve done the Cleansing (see Morning & Night Step 1) and the Toning (Morning & Night Step 2), let’s move to your Night Routine Step 3.
If you’re not adding in an exfoliant, you are truly missing out on living your best skin life. My most used exfoliant has been Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant, $35. Everyone can and SHOULD use this miracle product. No fancy packaging, no smell, feels like water, but man oh man does it give smoother less flaky skin results quickly!!
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Night Step 4: RETINOL
Retinol is a necessity for pro-aging as it works the hardest to prevent new wrinkles from forming, as well as smoothing out any fine lines that we may already have. It could be argued aside from sunscreen, it’s the most important product and step in your skincare routine.
Bonus side effect of retinol use it to help decrease pigmentation by cellular turnover. I’m on my 2nd bottle of the Sunday Riley A+ High Dose Retinoid Serum, $85. It’s just as powerful as true retinol, but gentler to the skin, which makes it ideal for anyone with sensitive skin. But if that price tag is too high, the L’Oreal Revitalift Retinol Pure Serum, $26 is a fantastic option.
Always apply your anti-aging ingredients before you moisturize, to see a real difference in your skin texture and overall complexion.
Night Step 5: MOISTURIZER
I don’t use anything with SPF at night for obvious reasons! But I do go for a thicker cream at night, the It Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream, $59, that is loaded with higher concentrations of super ingredients like niacinamide, squalane, and peptide-lipid complex.
This cream is heaven in a jar! It delivers visible results like reduced appearance of wrinkles and a boost in visible firmness and plumpness along with a a super silky texture. So if you want to use a moisturizer that is specifically designed to target aging concerns, this is the one to try.
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Night Step 6: EYE TREATMENT
Give those eye beds a little extra attention at night because of the thinner skin around them. I just started using the Sunday Riley Auto Correct eye cream, $65. This formula is great for visibly firming and brightening with caffeine, watermelon, and light-reflecting particles to improve the look of under-eye dark circles.
EXTRAS for both day and night:
These reusable face wash pads, $10 are amazing for cleansing the skin and I like them better than a washrag. I wear a lot of waterproof eyeliner and mascara and the ONLY thing that gets all of that eye makeup off with ease is the Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye makeup remover, $13, - no tugging necessary!
Can we include super cute pajama sets as part of our night and morning regime?? The Show Me Your Mumu brand has so many fabulous pj options you should treat yourself to. We wear these garments NIGHTLY so spend a little extra to go with your beauty sleep.
And remember your lips are a part of your face, so be sure to hydrate them daily! Gosh, I love the feel and hydration this Laneige Lip treatment balm, $25, gives! Its piña colada scent is formulated with coconut oil to deeply moisturize and peptide and adenosine to help visibly smooth and firm lip wrinkles. Plus, the applicator is stored in the lid for cleaner use.
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In conclusion, take really, really good care of your skin and do the steps that will show up when you take those selfies with your kids, grandkids, or friends!
I’d love to hear what ONE skincare product you’ve personally used that has truly made a positive difference in your skincare journey. Please share with all of us in the comment section below so we can see - sharing is caring 🙂
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Thank you for this post. I love that so many of the products are in my price range. I have added many to my List on Amazon, so when I finish the products I am using, I can find your suggestions.
Have a wonderful holiday!
Arna
Wonderful Arna! So glad the mix of price points is helpful. Just like makeup and clothing, I don’t think your entire face has to be complete with all super pricey products – there are so many great and effective drugstore brands and products available right now! Happiest of HOlidays to you as well and thank you for being here!
Great post, Jennifer. Always happy to see effective and reasonably priced products. Will definitely try a few to save some money. I do love Tatcha moisturizer in the purple jar. Believe it or not, I recently used Pond’s moisturizing cleanser at my sisters house. It’s great at removing waterproof mascara and seems to really clean deeply, and didn’t aggravate my sensitive skin. Old school stuff. Who knew?
Glad you enjoyed it Deanna and gave you some good products at various price point options! And I totally believe it about the old school Ponds still being effective! “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” right??
My mam was a geriatric nurse and I often accompanied her when she was just popping into work to check on her “oldies” outside of her work hours. (Oldies was her word, not mine!). Anyway. I’d chat with the residents, and there were a few women over the years who had incredible skin. They’d have been in their 80’s and 90’s, so I asked secrets. Maybe because there were less options back then (I’m the same birth year as you Jennifer, so these women would be 110-120 years old if still alive!), but over and over again I heard “Ponds cold cream and Olay moisturizer”. So that’s what I use – Ponds to remove makeup (not that I wear much), Olay facewashes (I rotate between regenerist, retinol and vitamin C types, and a scrub after the gym), eye creams (vitamin C for the day, rotate between retinol and brightening at night), serum (vit C for day, anti-aging at night), moisturizer (one with SPF for day, rotate between hyaluronic acid and retinol at night). Maybe I’m lucky with genes too – my dad is 84 and has always had great skin, my (late) mam not so much but she smoked from her teens on which is the worst thing you can do for your skin IMO (and not just your skin!) – but people are always really surprised when they hear my age, they tend to think I’m mid 30’s at oldest.
I love hearing these recommendations from women that have lived life to their fullest and used some of the more simple but effective products! I just might have to grab a tub of Ponds cold cream again to try and add it into my skincare regime after so many recommendations . I do believe genetics has a good bit to play into a woman’s skin as well – my 74 year old mom has less wrinkles than I do – no kidding!!