The Age of Beauty: My Skincare Routine Throughout the Years

Many of you have written to me and asked me what my skincare routine is now that I’m in my 30’s and it got me thinking about how my routine has evolved since I was young.  I’ve always been interested in makeup, but I haven’t always taken care of my skin.  In my teens and early twenties, I rarely took off my makeup before bed, (especially if I had been out with friends until all hours of the night) and didn’t have much of a “routine”.  I washed my face in the morning with a basic face wash, and since I have dry skin, I would just use a basic moisturizer to keep my face from feeling tight.  I never wore SPF unless I was going to the beach, or I was going to be in the sun all day.  At that point, my main concern was preventing a sunburn, rather than skin damage and aging. 

All of that changed when I hit 25 or so.  I started to worry about looking old and became more concerned with preventing wrinkles, especially since dry skin tends to show signs of aging faster.  I started trying out different anti-aging creams and serums but since I didn’t have wrinkles, I wasn’t sure if they were helping or if they were doing anything at all!  It took me until I turned 30 to get my routine down to a science and to become more informed about different ingredients and what they do.

Not much has changed in the last 5 years since my 30^th birthday. Here’s my basic daily routine as well as tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way.

P.M. Routine

Most nights, I am way too tired to wash my face, plus I’ve found that splashing water on my face wakes me up and then I have trouble getting to sleep.  So my solution is to use pre-moistened makeup remover wipes, and I especially like the exfoliating kind. Olay's Regenerist Exfoliating wipes have been my go-to product for years. These get rid of makeup and some dead skin as well as dirt and grime from the day.  I find that they are effective at cleansing, but I also don’t wear that much makeup.  If I go out on the weekend and wear more, the wipes aren’t enough and I have to wash my face.

Next, I use retinol products- serum, moisturizer and face cream.  I do this at night for two reasons:  the first is that retinol, while helping your skin to make collagen and eradicate wrinkles, also makes your skin more sun sensitive.  The second is that your skin repairs itself while you sleep and skincare products can work more efficiently during that time.  So I use the heavy-hitters at night so they can fight hard to get rid of lines without a layer of makeup sitting on top of them.  Finally, I slick on a layer of thick lip balm, which soaks in overnight and stays on much longer than it would during the day when I’m eating and drinking.  I wake up to soft, plump lips that are less lined.

A.M Routine

In the shower, I usually shampoo first, and then apply conditioner and leave it to sit on my hair while I complete the rest of the routine.  I wash my face with a cleanser for my skin type, and I use a scrub every other day (any more than that dries my face out).  This gets rid of anything the wipes may have left behind from the night before.   

 I use Olay's Pro-X Cleansing brush, and I love that it really gets deep down into the pores and leaves my face glowing afterwards.  It costs around $30, which is a fraction of what other similar brushes on the market cost.  When you’re in your 30’s, your skin doesn't turnover as quickly and dead skin can build up on your face, leaving it dull and accentuating wrinkles.  That’s why exfoliation becomes so much more important the older you get!

 I apply my morning face serum, moisturizer and eye cream and then get dressed while I let them soak in.  During the day, I stick to products that have high levels of antioxidants as well as SPF, to prevent new skin damage from happening (while my night routine is more for repairing existing damage). Then I apply makeup.  

I have this nifty little microfiber hair towel made by Aquis that absorbs a lot of water to help my hair dry more quickly.  I find that when my hair is twisted up in the towel, I can really focus on my face to apply products and makeup without my hair getting in the way. 

I’d love to hear what your routine is and how it’s changed as you’ve gotten older.  Or if you’re young, do you throw caution to the wind like I did, or are you already a die-hard user of anti-aging products?

As a leader in skincare with an eye for emerging trends, Olay is bringing the first-ever mass market CC line of products to the United States {Canada} beginning in October 2012.  CC, or Color & Correct Creams have started to emerge in Asia as a new category and are designed for women who love BB Creams for their ability to provide a quick, flawless finish but are seeking skincare solutions that deliver long-term benefits. 

The Olay Total Effects CC Tone Correcting UV Moisturizers fight seven signs of aging, while also providing immediate color correction with tinted formulas that include UV protection and tone correction over time.  The multiple, must-have instant and long-term benefits leave skin luminous and even-toned with the reduced appearance of discolorations, fine lines and wrinkles.

**Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Olay and Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Olay.**