Anti-aging Skincare Routine

confidence, cruelty free, skincare, Tips

One day I woke up, looked in the mirror and realized, "Shit, I'm getting older!" It's subtle things I noticed; Like my eyes are more hooded, my eyebrows aren't quite as high, and my skin is not quite as taught. So it's nothing major but I notice it. And if you all are anything like me you're noticing the changes too.

I've started researching more about anti-aging skincare and applying them to my routine... at least a little bit. According to Reviews.com (an amazing beauty resource btw), the most important ingredients for a great wrinkle cream (aka anti-aging products) are retinol and hyaluronic acid. And the great thing is, we've heard about these for years so they're easily accessible in the products out there at any price range.

Good news! Reviews.com did reseach on the most effective wrinkle creams with these ingredients and they came up with the top 3 (read more here) one of which is cruelty-free! Yay for cruelty-free anti-aging.

I haven't tried any of the top 3 yet, but I have been including those ingredients in my cruelty-free skincare routine. I use a hyaluronic acid serum in the morning and a retinol serum at night.

Daytime Skincare

I keep my morning skincare routine pretty simple because, let's face it, I'm sleepy and don't want to deal with a million steps. But I make sure to get in a few power products with hyaluronic acid and SPF.

I do a quick cleanse with the Yes To Cucumbers Calming Micellar Water on a cotton pad
Apply a dime sized amount of The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate and pat it into the skin - this is my hyaluronic acid step and adds a nice bouciness and fullness to my skin.
Dab in the Murad Eye Lift Firming Treatment (this started as a mask but now I just use it as an eye cream, not sure it does any lifting but I keep using it)
Apply a nickel size of the Andalou Naturals Sheet Daily Defense Facial Lotion SPF 18 - I would say SPF is another top ingredient for healthy skin and anti-aging!

Nighttime Skincare

My night skincare routine is more involved as I feel my skin can absorb more overnight. I want a clean slate and lots of great ingredients for my skin to soak up.

My 1st cleanse is with The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil - I rub it into dry skin to remove all the day's makeup (great for removing my favorite mascara)
My 2nd cleanse is to really clean my skin. I use Alba Botanica Hawaiian Pineapple Enzyme Facial Cleanser
Then I spritz on The Body Shop Vitamin E Hydrating Toner to tone my skin and prep it for the serum
The retinol product I use is the OZNaturals Anti Aging Retinol Serum and I definitely notice the difference in my skin (see how it healed my acne scars here). I press it into my skin to ensure it sinks in so I get full benefits.
I use the same Murad eye cream... dabbed onto my undereye area and outer corners
I finish with the Mad Hippie Antioxidant Facial Oil pressed into my skin.

Skincare Tips for Anti Aging and Beyond

Over the years of trial and error I feel that I have developed a pretty good cocktail of skincare. I have a few tips to help your skincare routine work it's best at any price point, complexity, or type.

Be gentle - this is your face afterall, it's been nice to you. Try to be gentle as you wash, put on products and apply eye creams.
Press in your heavy-hitting produts - After I lightly swipe my serums, oils, and/or moisturizers over my face I got back and press it all in all around my face. This helps the product sink and and ensures you get it all off your fingers.
Take your time between steps - some products (serum especially) should settle in before you move on. That's usually when I do the eye cream.
Don't forget your neck and decollete - all of the serums, oils, and moisturizers I talk about I'm also applying to these areas.

I hope this post has been helpful to you! I know skincare can sometimes be complicated and confusing. But I swear it gets better - talk to professionals, do your research, and keep trying different things until something works.

Amber But Better