It’s time to update this post from last year. I only do this post once or twice a year. One reason is that I am constantly telling you about new products and finds in my posts. The other is that I just don’t change it up all that much with any frequency! Lots of times, I try something new only to end up going back to my tried and true favorite!

No doubt you’ve heard about a myriad of skincare lines and products that are out there in Skincareland. People touting the latest and greatest constantly. I have too and always have my eyes open for something better. This is my 2¢ about what works for me and some things that haven’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. 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. I put everything on my hands that I put on my face.

• 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.

• Microcurrent facials can tone, lift and plump from the inside out. Microcurrent works on the facial muscles giving them a workout with low level electricity. I have been getting them for 11 years and I swear by them. The older you get, the less effective they are, but they are still beneficial.

• Red LED lights boost collagen internally. LED lights can give your skin great color and a glowing look. Instead of having it done at the spa, I finally got a panel for home, for my skin and my aches and pains. (It purports to be good for both.) I sit in front of it 5 minutes a day. It really is crazy looking - it’s very BRIGHT and very RED. But it is much stronger and quicker that those masks you buy. (And you don’t look like an ax murderer when using it. An alien, maybe…) I have a little portable one that I take on vacation, if I think I’ll use it.

• 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. If I say it is a clean product, that means it has no phthalates, no parabens, no sulfates and no petroleum.

Click on images for links.

DHC is Japan’s #1skin care line, has been around for years and I’ve been using it so long, I can’t remember were 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 dried out in the least. It is made up of olive oil and Vitamin E, and is not crazy expensive. A clean product.

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 my moisturizer. It feels great on my face and it hydrates really well - a great hyaluronic acid product. This one also lasts a long time.

This is a less expensive version of the Vintner’s Daughter. It’s a third of the price. It smells similar, but it does have a more chemical makeup with less botanicals. It is still good stuff and a great alternative to the other. I gave a bottle of it in the winter Posh Box! A clean product.

Last summer my dermatologist prescribed this and it has made a world of difference. It is used to treat your dark spots from sun damage. I use it two or three times a week on my face and hands, at night under my moisturizer. It’s the mildest dose for the prescription strength cream. It is stronger that retinol.

This is definitely just for winter. It’s a really rich balm made of botanical oils in a beeswax base. A little goes a long way. I use it before bedtime, it’s the last thing I put on and when I wake up, my skin feels soft but not oily or greasy. I just started using it and I really like it. A clean product.

This is a lush hydrating cream that I found in a french pharmacy - ooh la la! All of their products contain thermal spring water that is infused with good things. It is not crazy expensive but it is lovely. It’s my go to night cream three seasons a year.

This is also great and I highly recommend it for long lashes. I have me some eyelashes these days, thanks to this. They are smudging my glasses, they are so long! Not inexpensive, but lasts almost a year and works.

Last in the face and neck product line up, but certainly not least, I use these brush-on masks as a mini facelift before an event or holiday. This oxygenates your face - gives you good color and a firmer, lifted appearance for hours afterward. You get 4 masks in a kit and each kit lasts me several months - depending on my social life. Sometimes a box will last me 6 months. It works out to $27 per facelift! 😜

I saw this online and was intrigued. It is a sold body moisturizer. Works best on warm, dry skin just out of the shower. You just rub it over your body and then spread it a little more afterward. It’s a great winter moisturizer - more thick and concetrated than my usual Cetaphil. Plus it comes in a bamboo box that you just use over and over again for each stone and there is no plastic bottle with product you can’t get to, that ends up in a landfill. A clean product.

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. A clean product.

I was introduced to this moisturizer by my aesthetician and love this one - I use it almost every day. It has a very slight smell that’s wonderful and has peptides, and SPF 50 protection. I wear it under my makeup. It lasts a long time. A clean product.

I love this stuff. I use it when I am home all day and/or not wearing makeup. 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. I buy it once a year. I use it sparingly, but it’s wonderful on your face. A luxurious face oil, filled with organic botanicals. A real treat in the winter on dryer skin. A clean product.

This is another PCA serum that I use once or twice a week. It’s a Vitamin C product and can sting if your skin is really dry. I don’t use it daily and less in the winter. But it’s also good stuff. A little goes a long way and it lasts a long time. A clean product.

I was just introduced to this by Katie from The Preppy Nester and she says it’s the best stuff for your neck. It’s an emulsion that supports collagen production. I have only used it for a week but am liking it so far. I am a sucker for anything that might help my neck….It did really well in clinical trials and has 5 peptides in it. So far, so good! A clean product.

I have used this for years. It’s the last Obagi product I will not give up. It is the best for drying up bumps or blemishes. I don’t tend to get them anymore, unless I eat too much sugar. Then they are usually front and center. This does the trick.

This is great stuff. It’s my go to sunscreen and you should try it if you haven’t. It’s moisturizing and is a mineral sunscreen, which means it has zinc in it instead of lots of chemicals. So there is a slight white sheen for a few minutes when you use it, then it’s gone. I use it when I’m outside with no makeup on or at the beach, on the water, etc.

This is my favorite year round body lotion. Simple, no fragrance, inexpensive. A Clean Product.

And these are simple and work for body exfoliation. I like these better than stuff in a bottle. Each pair lasts more than a year. I use them til they fall apart. You can throw them in the washing machine. And they are essential before any type of tanning drops or lotions.

Things that I haven’t loved…

• Augustin Bader - Rich Cream - just didn’t think it was 3 times better than anything else I’ve tried, but the price is three times higher!

• Under eye moisturizing patches - haven’t found anything that truly moisturizes and/or helps with dark circles.

• Neutrogena Sheer Zinc - mineral sunscreen - my dermatologist recommended it but I looked like a mime.

Well that’s it for everything I could possibly put on my face, neck and hands. For information on what my aesthetician does for me at her day spa, this is a great post about her and the spa. If you are in RVA, I highly recommend her!

Thanks for reading and I’ll be back next week talking about makeup and more.