Hi Shringaristas,
I have been getting requests to write a post on an anti-aging skincare regime for women in their 30s. So here’s my skincare routine that I have been following since almost a month to calm down my abused, over-exfoliated, angry skin. I have been acne-free since almost a month now, but of course, the acne marks take much longer to fade. In this post, I’ll tell you about my morning anti-aging skincare routine….
Here is my morning step-by-step skincare routine. I have listed out the products in the order in which I apply them.
Cleanser
This is a very important step in the morning, because, though you have cleansed your face at night and done nothing but sleep, your skin does produce some dirt magnets – sebum and sweat – while you sleep and these need to be cleansed. There was a time when I felt that my face isn’t clean if I haven’t used a foaming face wash but I’m quite comfortable with a non-foaming one now.
Currently, I use What A Girl Wants, which is a clay-based cleanser with Tea Tree and Lavender essential oils. It is non-foaming and will not remove any makeup. That is why I use it in the morning to cleanse the sebum and sweat that my skin has produced overnight. It makes my skin feel fresh and totally clean and doesn’t dry out my skin either. What more could a girl want? Read the full review of this cleanser here. Another great non-foaming cleanser which also removes makeup is Shiseido The Skincare Rinse-Off Cleansing Gel.
If you prefer a foaming facewash, the Clarins Gentle Foaming Facewash with Cottonseed is also excellent for normal to combination/oily skins. For dry sensitive skins, try Cetaphil. My mom has been using it since quite a while and loves it. There are of course several others available but these are the ones I have used myself and loved.
Toner
I never felt that a toner was an important part of the skincare regime. Though I had used toners on and off over the years, I was never regular with them and so never felt that they made any kind of difference to my skin. Till I tried a sample of the
Clarins Toning Lotion With Iris. I realise now that a good toner is really essential to get rid of the residue of oils/chemicals left on your face by the cleanser as well as soften and refine your skin. This Clarins toner is really wonderful and makes me feel very fresh. Though it is recommended for combination/oily skin, I feel it would suit dry skins too since it is alcohol-free. I used it all through winter when my skin got really dry and it didn’t aggravate my dry skin.
Eye Cream
The delicate skin around the eyes is the first place where signs of aging begin to show. The skin here is also prone to dryness and dehydration making the fine lines appear more pronounced. A good eye cream is a very essential step in an anti-aging regime. It is also very difficult to find an eye cream that works for you. Some might not be hydrating enough, others may be too rich and cause milia…
I had tried loads of them, from Vichy to Clinique to even Ponds Age Miracle (can you believe that!!) in my search for my Holy Grail eye cream and I finally found it in
Shiseido WrinkleResist 24 Eye Cream. It is super rich and hence I need a very tiny amount, which is why I have been using it for a year and still have half a pot left. If I use too much of it, it makes my undereye area greasy. I also, sometimes, layer the
Thalgo Collagen Eye Roll-On over it as it is very cooling and helps in getting rid of puffy eyes. It isn’t shown in the pic since I keep it in the fridge to keep it cool and forgot to take it out for the “photo shoot”. If your undereye area isn’t very dry and dehydrated, the Thalgo one is a great choice.
Serum
A serum is a more concentrated form of skincare that penetrates the skin better. Once you enter your late 20s, it is important to add an anti-aging serum into your skincare regime. Prevention being better than cure and all that. I, however, didn’t do that. Like toners, serums didn’t feature too high in my list of skincare. And moreover, most of the serums I had tried, felt too heavy on my skin and would leave my face looking like a “shiny disco ball.”
The
L’Oreal Revitalift Laser X3 Serum is one serum that I have tried and loved and it has shown me wonderful results too. It is lightweight, gets absorbed into the skin real fast and leaves it feeling very soft and smooth. Though I haven’t had much luck with Lancome skincare, the
Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate was another serum that I had tried and liked. The best however is the
Elizabeth Arden Prevage Advanced Anti-Aging Serum. This one is absolutely marvellous! I have just tried out the samples of it and it is rich, yet doesn’t feel greasy and somehow, makes my skin look really nice. I have a full-sized bottle that I shall use once the L’Oreal Revitalift one is over.
I also have samples of Lancome Bright Expert Crystal Essence (blue sachet in the picture) that I intend to start using from tomorrow instead of L’Oreal to see if it helps with my acne marks. I shall keep you updated on whether it works for me or not.
Moisturiser
Whether your skin is dry or normal or combination or oily, a moisturiser is a must! It is important to choose a moisturiser according to skin type. There are some people who prefer moisturisers with added SPF so that they don’t have to use a separate product, while others prefer to layer a sunscreen over their moisturiser. I prefer to use a moisturiser and then use a sunscreen depending on my activity level as with a moisturiser, you simply don’t use enough product for adequate sun protection. Also, a moisturiser with an SPF 20 (for example) isn’t really going to help you much in a tropical country like India.
Sunscreen
A sunscreen is very important in anti-aging because the UV rays of the sun cause a lot of damage to the skin, especially UVA. These days, I have become more of a BB and CC cream user as opposed to a sunscreen user. It makes life simpler for me coz it gives me sun protection as well as makes my skintone appear unified. For me, on my school run, this is ideal as I don’t need to bother with too many products. Depending on my mood, I use either the
Etude House Precious Mineral BB Cream (which I didn’t like initially when I had bought it from Hong Kong, but love it now…strange isn’t it?) or the
The Face Shop Aura CC Cream, depending on my mood.
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Whew! And that was my morning skincare routine. Of course it takes much less time to slap on these products than it does to write about them and it is actually quite a simple regime. Hope this helps those of you who needed to know more about an anti-aging regime and what product to use when and in which order. Let me know if you have any queries and I’ll help you out the best that I can (or I’ll tell you bluntly that I don’t know…lol). I shall write about the night time routine soon.
Caio
This actually answered my downside, thanks!
My boyfriend is into these supplements and has recently discovered the benefits to reducing wrinkles. His skin is looking brighter and healthier too! Amazing stuff and even promotes sleep.
Thanks 🙂
Most of the Shiseido products I have used have been really good. And Clarins as well.
Glad you liked 🙂
Seeing the state of my skin right now, I really need to.
You really take good care
http://wiseshe.com
I needed this 🙂
Reminder of products I have forgotten 🙂
Amazing review,
I want to use shiseido products as everybody talks good about them! also clarins is on my list too! 🙂
Nice post dear!
I’m glad you liked this post 🙂 The Burst Of Happyness cleanser is lovely isn’t it?
Yes it def is. Which toner would you recommend for acne prone oily skin type?
I really like reading skincare routines, it is awesome to know which product works for which skin problems. Thank you for sharing and I am using the burstofhappyness cleanser too 🙂