A few notes on my anti aging skincare products before we get started. This is a long post. I go into depth on what ingredients are going to help you the most, then I head onto my skincare routine. I am not an expert. Just a 30-something lady trying to look 20-something. Make sure you see a dermatologist once a year. Also, everything I recommend isn’t going to work for everyone. We all have different skin and different skin needs. Sorry.
And remember, skincare takes time and commitment. A retinol isn’t going to work overnight, it’s going to take 6-8 weeks to see real, visible results. Same goes with other products. And if you’re only applying these products a few times a week, then you’re going to get results that match that. Skincare is like brushing your teeth. Do it everyday to see results and to keep your skin healthy.
And yes, we should all go to an esthetician for maximum results. They will help take your skin to the next level. I mean, probably best case scenario is you get a facial each month. Or really, hopefully one or two times a year in my case. I feel like every time I go my skin gets really clean. Maybe I should book an appointment…Skincare videos on my IGTV channel: AM Skincare Routine & PM Skincare Routine.
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The Good Stuff for Anti-Aging Skin
Retinols
Hyaluronic Acid
Vitamin C
Exfoliate
SPF
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you’ll need to skip the retinol and hyaluronic acid – sorry. Head over to my pregnancy skincare products for what I used while pregnant and breastfeeding.
Retinols – According to Allure magazine, who did speak with professionals retinol: “reduce fine lines and wrinkles by increasing the production of collagen. They also stimulate the production of new blood vessels in the skin, which improves skin color. Additional benefits include fading age spots and softening rough patches of skin.” So that sounds right up my alley because I’d like to minimize wrinkles. Just remember, you have to start slow with retinol! It will cause peeling and redness because it’s strong. So apply it 2-3 times a week at first and work your way up. This Allure article is super helpful if you want to know more.
Hyaluronic acid. It’s the holy grail when it come to moisturizing your skin. And why is that important? Because dry skin is your enemy! A well moisturized face looks fresher, plumper and helps with the overall slowing of aging. According to an article from Elle magazine, hyaluronic acid “also has antioxidant properties, which means it can act like a shield against free radicals we aren’t in control of, like pollution and other aggressors.” Fun fact, hyaluronic acid is something our bodies naturally produce and retains over 1,000 times its weight in water. That means it soaks in a holds all that moisture. This article from Elle is a good resource to learn more.
Vitamin C. Here what vitamin C does, according to this article from Allure magazine, it helps with: “Uneven skin tone, rough texture, fine lines, acne scars, general dullness.” Vitamin C helps our bodies inside, and outside, to stay healthy. And is very useful in treating hyper pigmentation. Studies show it’s best to use vitamin C in the serum form for the most powerful results. This article from Allure explains even more.
Exfoliate. Get rid of those dead skin cells people! Your skin will not be able to absorb all of the products listed below if you don’t exfoliate! This article from Cosmopolitan is really helpful to understand it more. “Exfoliation can smooth rough patches and fade acne scars and dark spots—but that’s not all! It can also reduce redness and brighten your overall complexion” As they point out there are physical and chemical exfoliators out there. Turns out the chemical ones are better and I haven’t even used them yet! Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) are your best bet for chemical exfoliation. You should be exfoliating three to four times a week. However, if you haven’t been doing this, start once a week and work your way up.
SPF. You know all about SPF and why you should be wearing it. And you know, no matter your skin type, that you should be wearing SPF every day. It is the best line of defense for your face. It will help protect you from the sun that can cause skin cancer, wrinkles, hyper pigmentation, etc.. That means it’s also going to help you, not have to use so many products in the future because you were on the defense and wore SPF.
My Anti Aging Skincare Products
Day Time Face Routine
- Rinse face with water – no face wash
- Remove facial hair – Tinkle eyebrow razor
- Apply under eye cream – Murad Eye Cream
- Apply vitamin C – L’Oreal Vitamin C Serum
- Apply facial oil – Youth to the People
- Roll face with jade roller – Jade roller
- Apply AM moisturizer – CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion AM
- Apply chapstick – Ursie Apothecary lip butter or Dr Rodgers Healing Balm
Here’s the video of my AM skincare routine on my anti aging skincare products is up on my IGTV channel. The PM skincare video routine will be up soon!
Let’s talk about the no face wash in the morning real quick. I read a few years ago that there is no need to wash your face in the morning. Doing so strips your face of those good oils you need. And at the time I was getting a lot of pimples so I thought, I’ll try anything. And I’ll be damned if it didn’t work! I swear by only washing your face at night. Pimples or no pimples.
Remove hair. It’s best to have a clean surface to work on and sometimes you want to remove the little baby hairs on your face, that’s why I like the little eyebrow razor. Don’t let the name fool you, you can use it all over your face. Also, I don’t do my entire face. Just some spots where I don’t want to look like a man – if ya know what I mean.
Under eye cream. I had never used an under eye cream in the morning but I’m but I’m glad I added it. It really helps to keep my under eyes moisturized and deliver a little hint of a highlighter under my eyes and on my cheek bones.
Facial oil. If you don’t know yet facial oil is my favorite skin care product. I feel like it’s really helped to improve my overall skin appearance. Probably because my skin wasn’t hydrated enough. Once I started using it though my skin started to appear plumper, glowed more and appeared more even.
Jade roller. Once I’ve applied the under eye cream and the facial oil I get in there with my jade roller and make sure I’m letting my skin soak in all the good stuff. It also helps to get the blood flowing in my face and gives me a nice wake-up. Here’s my video on the facial oil jade roller tutorial.
AM Moisturizer. We all know you should wear SPF every day on your skin and the CeraVe moisturizer has an SPF 30. It’s a lightweight, non-greasy moisturizer I’ve been using for years. It gets the job done. Make sure to put some on your hands too!
Chapstick. Don’t forget those lips. Nothing like a smooth face and so cracked up lips. I like Ursie’s Apothecary’s lip butters and when my lips are really dry, the Dr. Rodgers balm.
Night Time Face Routine
- Wash face
- Apply toner
- Apply under eye cream
- Apply PM moisturizer
- Apply facial oil
- Facial massage
- Jade roller or slap your face
Here’s the video of my PM skincare routine on my IGTV channel.
Face wash. Cerave foaming face wash. I switched to this face wash about a month or so ago, and I’m really liking it. It’s feels like, and seems to, really clean my skin. I do also like Neutrogena Natural Purifying Facial Cleanser and Tatcha The Deep Cleanse face washes too.
Toner. This has been another product where I’ve seen great results in my skin. Word on the street is apple cider vinegar is awesome for skin, so I decided to find a toner with that in it. I picked up Ursie’s Apothecary toner. After just one month, I noticed a huge difference. My skin seemed brighter, my age spots lighter and the overall appearance of my skin was nicer. And part of that is thanks to the Vitamin C that’s in the toner. Just a head’s up, it does smell like apple cider vinegar which isn’t wonderful but the smells disappears and soon as it dries – about 60 seconds after you apply it. If you need to really jump start your skin. Use the apple cider and water blend for a month or two then switch to the ACV toner. Make sure to use Bragg’s raw organic apple cider vinegar and dilute with water, for about a 1:4 ratio. This pure mix will jump start your skin a little quicker than the toner and get rid of skin tags too! It does take about two months of consistent application to see your skin tags fall off. However, the smell is much stronger and does still linger on your face. So if you can’t stand the smell, I would recommend Ursie’s Apothecary toner.
Under Eye. This is when the retinols come into play. I actually had a sample of the Sunday Riley serum, and only used it under my eyes. I liked it and noticed an improvement in my fine lines. Now I’ve changed things up and am using the ROC eye cream, which I know I’ll probably like. I know, I know, I just started using it. Just remember retinol can cause irritation to your skin, so start out using it 2-3 times a week, then work your way up.
Serum. I haven’t tried serums all over my face yet…so stay tuned.
PM Moisturizer. OK now onto hyaluronic acid. Right now I’m using La Neur moisturizer and it’s good. I’d like to explore more moisturizers but it is a good, solid product. As I write this I have The Ordinary and Youth to People’s hyaluronic acid moisturizers on the way to my house. I added the other moisturizers because they’re supposed to be good as well. So I’ll report back once I’ve used them for a while.
PS. Moisturizer first, then oil. That seems to be the general consensus. The idea being oil acts more like a barrier, not letting anything through to your skin, so the moisturizer needs to go on first.
Facial Oil – I use Youth to the People Maqui + Acai Prickly Pear Goji Glow Oil. I got into oils because I read somewhere that they’re awesome and at the time my skin was super dry. Well it works! Now my skin is super hydrated and glowing. I use around two to four drops a night, depending on how dry my skin is.
A few notes on the oils. I’ve actually used all the oils I’ve listed. My favorite, priced-right oil is Youth to the People. True Botanicals is quite expensive but really nice – I like it a lot. Nyure and Honest Oil are solid oils they just tend to be a little heavier.
Can I go on a tangent for a minute here? I remember growing up and oil on your face was frowned upon. Those oil blot papers were everywhere and the matte look was in. So I carried that mentality on with me into my freaking 30’s. Until one day I was watching someone on Instagram with super amazing skin. She was doing a story at night and apologized for her face being so oily, it’s just apart of her night time routine. And something clicked. Well damn, you are supposed to hydrate your skin like mad. It wasn’t her apologizing that clicked but rather her moisturizing her face within an inch of it’s life. And no joke, my skin has been better for it. And now I aim for dewy skin!
Facial massage. So if you don’t use the jade roller in the morning, use it here or slap your face. I know you skipped directly down here when you read that. Now listen, if you’re like. Sara, I’m not slapping my face! Then here’s my video on the facial oil jade roller tutorial. Otherwise, slap your face. Supposedly it helps awaken your blood vessels and stimulate your face. Here’s the truth. Someone, with really nice skin, said to do it and I was like, OK. So I do it occasionally.
Weekly Face Care Routine
- Exfoliate
- Do about two – three times a week
- Physical and chemical exfoliators
- Acure Brilliantly Brightening Facial Scrub
- Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Packettes
- The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA
- Biologique Recherche Lotion P50 Original “1970”
- Clay masque
- Do once a week
- Aveda Botanical Kinetics Deep Cleaning Clay Masque
- Face masks
- I like to do them once a week
- See my favorites here
- Facial mist
- Spritz everyday
Exfoliate. So remember there are two types of exfoliating products – physical and chemical. Turns out the chemical ones are better but I haven’t picked any up yet. I will though. There are Alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and Beta hydroxy acids (BHAs). AHAs are the hardest working but if you have sensitive skin the recommendation for you is BHAs. These products are typically pads or a serum you apply to your face.
For the physical exfoliators, you’re scrubbing your face with a product that has something hard in it, but not too hard, to really clean your face. I like Acure Brilliantly Brightening Facial Scrub. It’s not too harsh and a clean product to use for your face. Just remember that exfoliating your face is a must. I wasn’t using them before because I was lazy and didn’t understand the importance of sloughing off old, dead skin cells. So do it. And you’ll want to exfoliate your face about two to three times a week.
Clay masque – I picked up my Aveda’s clay masque after a facial. I find that it really gets deep into my face to clean it and smooth out my pores. The esthetician recommendation was to put the mask on in the shower, let the steam open up your pores for a deeper clean, then rinse off. I will say it does sting a tiny amount at first, but then goes away. I really like this product! It’s like a tiny facial.
Face masks. Honestly, at the end of the day face masks are fun. Sure, if you’re in need of an extra cleaning, brightening, or some moisture – they are handy. But I love them because it’s an extra dose of pampering my skin gets while relaxing for 10-20 minutes. See some of my current favorites here.
Facial mist. Facial mists are in the same vein of face masks. They’re a fun, relaxing product. They can however, moisturize your face and help perk up your face in the middle of the day. I currently don’t use but they seem fun and relaxing, right?
And just so you know, I’m in the process of trying new products as I type this and I’ve ordered a few more. So I’ll always keep you posted with any new products I like or throw into the rotation for my anti aging skincare products.
What products do you love for your face? Let’s me know below!
Wow this is an extensive list and so very helpful. I’ve only just gotten into skincare and using products so this couldn’t have come at a better time.
Awesome! I’m so glad it’s helpful!