GREAT MAKEUP STARTS WITH GREAT SKIN
SKINCARE BASICS FOR AGE 35 & OLDER
A good skin care regime is the fashion equivalent to yanking on a great pair of Spanx; troubled areas get lifted, everything gets pulled in and the lumps and bumps get smoothed over! In the same way that Spanx help you to rock a figure hugging outfit, a great skincare regime will have you rocking fabulous makeup.
“But…it’s a minefield out there, with a zillion products on the market! How on earth is anyone meant to know what works and what doesn’t?” I hear you ask….
Well….the honest truth is largely trial and error along with budget and skin type but there are some BASIC SKIN PRODUCTS and INGREDIENTS that are essential as we age to maintain optimum skin health and condition.
Many of my clients tell me they use the same skincare regime in their 50’s that they started in their late twenties. Equally, many of my younger clients admit they don’t look after their skin but spend a relative fortune on makeup. (Some younger clients even tell me they spray their faces with hairspray as a makeup fixer which would put the fear of God into any dermatologist and makeup artist but let’s not go there quite yet……!)
So, listen up Ladies! These beauties below don’t get to have their luminous gorgeous skin without a large amount of help in the skincare department before a jot of makeup gets applied and I’m here to help and give you some valuable info:
Skin is the largest human organ. Did you know that? Therefore, for that reason alone, it is worth the time and effort to look after it, both from the inside and out, as we age and understand its needs, much like our bodies, as we move from decade to decade. What worked for you in your thirties will not necessarily be giving you what you need in your fifties, for example. We lose collagen and moisture as we age which in turn means (depressingly) everything is on the downhill trend; we lose elasticity, firmness, muscle tone and get an increase in the wrinkles and crows feet department.
Shall we all get drunk and drown our sorrows now??! No…..because below are some of my suggested SKIN HERO BASICS for keeping optimal skin health starting in your late 30’s and above (though the younger you start a lot of this, the better) and keeping you looking your most radiant and beautiful best:
Skin Basics
Scroll on to your best skin….
Gentle yet effective eye makeup remover: the under eye area is the thinnest skin on your face and therefore very delicate and one of the first areas to show age. NO MAD RUBBING while removing makeup unless you want to speed up the ageing process here! Removers do not need to be expensive - most makeup artist’s I know use Nivea Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover which is great at also removing waterproof mascara and under £5.
Eye products: since this is the thinnest facial skin (as mentioned above), choose serums, gels or light creams as heavy products can encourage puffiness. If puffiness is a concern, try an eye product containing caffeine or equally, apply a caffeine serum before applying your eye cream or gel. The caffeine is great at rapidly tightening the skin under the eye as well as helping to reduce dark circles. Two budget friendly caffeine eye products are Caffeine Eye Cream by The Inkey List at just £8.99 from Cult Beauty or try the Caffeine Solution 5% + EGCG by The Ordinary for £5.80 also from Cult Beauty or £6.10 at Look Fantastic before applying your cream or gel of choice. Equally, there are cooling eye gels and creams complete with roller ball or under eye smoothing applicator to de-puff and smooth out the under eye area prior to makeup.
Cleanser: Do your morning cleanse either with a light cleanser such as a miscellar water or a face wash followed by a secondary cleanse at the end of the day to remove makeup. For that evening cleanse, if you only wear light makeup, miscellar water is generally fine but try to ensure you do a deeper cleanse a couple of times a week via a facepack or a thicker cleanser. If you are a makeup wearer, you may prefer to remove your makeup at the end of the day using an oil as a pre-cleanse (apply oil to dry face and then apply damp hands so the oil turns to a milky solution that you wipe off) prior to washing your face or try a thicker cleanser and massage that in well before removal. This facial massage helps stimulate circulation in your face, detoxify your face, plump the skin and brighten skin tone. Remember to dab your face dry with a towel - no vigorous rubbing!
Toner/Hydrating Sprays & Hyaluronic: I rarely use toner. I find the best toner is a splash of the coldest water you can manage after washing. This closes your skin pores post-washing while also tightening and brightening skin tone. It’s entirely a personal choice but a stage you can easily skip and easier on the pocket. Unless of course you are using a toner formulated for a specific skin issue such as flaky dry skin or large pores, as one example. A good all rounder product everyone can benefit from is a hyaluronic hydrating spray or my favourite hydrating facial spritz, Caudalie’s ‘Beauty Elixir’ (it comes in a small and a large size) which smells delish and I can’t get on an aeroplane without it! Hyaluronic locks in 10 x more moisture so it’s a whole load more moisturising than simply spraying water on your face. A great hyaluronic spray is by the French brand La Roche Posay for £19.50 also available from Boots and superb for sensitive skins. Hyaluronic is an ingredient we can all benefit from as we age so if you don’t get it in a mist, I suggest you definitely use it as a serum before applying a moisturising cream.
Introduce Acids/Active Ingredients: What is an active ingredient? In short, it is the ingredient in a single product that targets a specific concern but it can be trial and error as to what works for you as we all have varying PH levels in our skin. They come in variety of forms such as serums, moisturisers, face packs, spritzes or cleansers. Glycolic, Ascorbic (Vitamin C), Hyaluronic (see above), Salicylic, Lactic, AHAs and BHAs etc…I shall do another blog in more detail on acids very soon!
Add an Antioxidant serum into the mix. This will assist greatly in the fight against ageing but importantly, it will repair the skin damaged by UV, which occurs even if you are wearing an SPF. This is where layering products comes into play. If you layer an antioxidant serum beneath your SPF, your skin has a good chance of repairing itself from any UV damage whilst also preventing the onset of skin pigmentation issues. With the exception of retinol serums (below) all serums should be applied directly after cleansing and then sealed in with moisturiser on top.
Retinol/Retinoid (& Wild Indigo): Essential to keep you looking younger. Collagen depletes as we age and so does our skin cell turnover and repair mechanism. Available as serums or in moisturisers but these MUST be used at night time and in conjunction with wearing SPF in the day time as retinol is sensitive to UV light and direct sunlight and can reduce product efficacy. If you know you are sensitive to retinols/retinoids, check out products with Wild Indigo instead. Very effective and inexpensive starting points for retinol products are: The Ordinary and the super new cruelty free brand, Face Theory, (click http://facetheory.refr.cc/phillipah to get 20% off when purchasing at Face Theory).
SPF & Pigmentation: speaking of SPF….again, ESSENTIAL for a variety of reasons but particularly as we age because age spots and pigmentation can become an issue for some, and quite seriously for many. It’s extremely difficult to cover pigmenation with makeup without trowelling on full coverage foundation, concealer and so on. So to keep pigmentation issues at bay, be sure to wear a good SPF (MINIMUM 30, ideally 50); you can always get the bronzed beauty look using makeup. I’m hearing good things about Glossier’s Invisible Shield which is a water gel with SPF 30 and great to put makeup over the top because it is water soluble. One of my personal favourite SPF’s if you have any hormonal blemishes however is Clinique’s City Block range. It’s non comodgenic and there is a slight yellow tint to it which diffuses and blurs any red beasts on the skin!
Face Oils: most of us lose moisture as we age so a face oil is also essential in your skincare artillery to replace lost moisture and to retain skin elasticity, tone and brightness. A good face oil will sink into your skin and will not sit on the surface creating an oil slick. If in doubt, just use a few drops alone on cleansed skin at night or mix in with your moisturiser. Perhaps even try an essential oil skin balm such as Decleor’s Night Balm or Aromessence Oil range which all smell incredible!
Moisturiser: choose a moisturiser that is packed with lots of skin nurturing goodies according to your skin type. Personally, I believe night creams are a bit of a marketing ploy and if you are doing all of the above, a separate night cream would be considered a luxury as opposed to an essential. You can just add a few drops of face oil into your moisturiser at night or skip the moisturiser and use an oil balm as mentioned. If you are using a retinol/retinoid, some choose to just use that and not to add moisturiser so have a play and do what feels most nurturing for your skin!
DON’T FORGET! Nourish your skin from the inside too. Maybe consider taking supplements specifically designed for skin, hair and nails or starflower oil which is more potent than Evening Primrose Oil, which is often suggested for a variety of skin conditions and skin health.