Creams & Serums & Masks - Oh My!
No doubt you’ve heard about a myriad of skincare lines and products that are out there. People touting the latest and greatest constantly. This is my 2¢ about what works for me and what hasn’t…and what I’m going to try next.
But first…☝🏻
I found these notes that I took, from an article that runs yearly in Town & Country, last fall. “Beauty Experts Recommended Secrets For Looking Younger.” Well, I’m not really interested in looking younger. That could be fraught with peril - I might end up looking like a stretched rubber band. (And let’s face it - I’m chicken.) BUT…I am interested in looking like the best version of me! Here’s what they recommend that you can easily add into your routine:
Incorporate facial massage into your regular routine. This can tighten the jawline and lift and sculpt your cheeks. It creates blood flow and brings oxygen to your tissue. ( I do this when I apply face oil.)
Don’t neglect your neck! It has a lesser lipid layer and age shows faster. Treat it as you would your face AND as part of your body! Give it double treatment. And don’t forget sunscreen here! 🌞
Speaking of sunscreen - also don’t forget your hands if you don’t want them covered in dark spots.
Add Vitamin C products. This supports collagen and elastin. Serums are the most potent forms.
Use an acid peel weekly. Supposedly the longer you use them, the better they work. This also builds collagen and helps to erase pigmentation and fine lines.
Use Vitamin A at night. This helps with healthy skin production and unclogs pores. It can also speed cell turnover and even out discoloration.
Take collagen supplements. This helps support natural collagen production, which decreases 1% a year after age 20. Yikes! (I take marine collagen from fish.)
Make working out a priority. Movement prolongs youth. It speeds cellular regeneration, metabolism and slows down aging.
Eat your greens.
Invest in products with hyaluronic acid. This helps to plump you skin - it naturally occurs in skin and keeps it hydrated.
Eat enough good fats - avocados, wild salmon (NOT farm raised), grass fed beef, almonds, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts and chia seeds.
Micro current facials and LED lights can tone, lift and plump from the inside out. Micro current works on the facial muscles and LED lights boost collagen internally. Led lights can give your skin a bouncy, glowing look. (I swear by both.)
Keep cuticles hydrated with solar or almond oil.
All good info.
These are products that I use, have used, or want to try. Some of these I have used for years. Click on images for links.
DHC is Japan’s #1 skin care item, has been around for years and I’ve been using it so long, I can’t remember where I learned of it. I’ve never seen it in a store - only online. I love this water soluble oil that cleans off all makeup except the most stubborn waterproof eye liner. It leaves your face feeling soft and not dry at all. It is made up of olive oil and Vitamin E.
I love this stuff. I use it on days when I am home all day with no makeup or sometimes when I wash my face at night. One use is 7 drops in your palm and you can massage it in. It smells heavenly. It’s very pricey and I save up for it and use it sparingly, but it’s wonderful on your face. A luxurious face oil, filled with organic botanicals. A real treat.
I use this PCA serum more than any other. It feels great on my face and it hydrates really well going on before moisturizer.
I have used this for years also. It’s the best for bumps and zits. I don’t tend to get them any more unless I’ve eaten too much sugar, but when I do, they are usually front and center. 👁 This will dry them up overnight. The container lasts forever.
Last but certainly not least, I use these brush-on masks as mini face-lifts before an event or holiday. This oxygenates your face - it gives you good color and a firmer, lifted appearance, for several hours! You get four in a kit and each kit lasts me a few months - depending on my social life. They have been sitting on the shelf lately…
I also love this DHC product, a physical exfoliant scrub made of apricot seed extract. It also contains licorice root and soapnut peel, and doesn’t contain microbeads. It leaves your face feeling soft and polished.
This is very similar to the Vintner’s Daughter in smell and is much more reasonably priced. It does have more of a chemical makeup and has fewer botanicals. But it is still very good stuff and is a great alternative.
Another PCA serum that I use once or twice a week. It’s a strong Vitamin C product, so I don’t use it daily. I tried that and was a flakey mess. It’s a great antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and helps with discoloration.
These work almost as well as the Obagi, but take up WAAAAY less room in your toiletry bag on your trip! They will not get rid of the zit, but it will be much less noticeable.
Well. I have me some long eyelashes these days thanks to this. Again, not inexpensive but it works. It ALSO works on my brows!
I have not tried these products but they were just recommended to me by someone in the blogging world, so I may give them a try.
I was introduced to this moisturizer by my aesthetician and ALSO love this one - I use it almost every day. It smells wonderful and has peptides, and SPF 50 Protection. I wear it under makeup.
This PCA serum is a professional product and I found the PCA line through my aesthetician also. I smooth this on after cleansing and before moisturizer. I specifically use it before makeup. It helps with lines and creases, and smoothes out your face. The more you use it, the better the results.
Another DHC product. These under eye gel strips work in just 20 minutes - or you can leave them on for hours. I have slept in them before. I feel like the freshen up the under eye area - I still have never found anything to help with my dark circles, but this helps the crepey skin.
This was recommended to me by my dermatologist. She said it’s the best, so I went with it. I wear this when I am gardening or on the water. It is a physical mineral lotion, meaning it physically blocks the sun as well as chemically. So you have to really rub it in, and you still have a little whitish situation going on. I put it on my hands too.
I have tried this through several free samples. Maybe it is life changing after using daily for weeks - it does have stem cells. But I honestly didn’t notice any ground breaking changes in my face. And for the price, the earth would need to move. 💥
I try to use products that are clinically tested, dermatologist approved, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, vegan and cruelty-free.