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As a beauty editor, having a bathroom cabinet (and several boxes hidden in a hallway closet) full of skin care, makeup and hair products isn't out of the ordinary—loving a particular one so much I'm squeezing a tube of moisturizer with all my strength for one last drop is. Almost as a rule, I often bounce around between various skin-care brands and products whenever the mood strikes, but over the last several weeks I've found myself avoiding the switch up, instead savoring every last bit of my current routine.
When I entered my 30s, my skin didn't immediately worsen overnight, but the signs of the times are all there: The subtle shift in texture, elasticity and plumpness, fine lines, dark spots and melasma are more noticeable with each passing year. My skin-care priority is no longer just prevention, but repair and protection, too. Never one to gatekeep, I’m sharing an in-depth look at the recent skin products I've used till empty that keeps my 37-year-old-skin complexion smooth, tight and bright.
On little-to-no makeup days (which is most days) my double cleansing routine has been replaced by MERIT Beauty's Great Skin Double Cleanse, a a bi-phase cleanser with a liquid-to-foam texture that hydrates, gently exfoliates and cleans off every stitch of makeup, sunscreen and tiny pollution particles that may build up throughout the day, without disrupting skin’s natural moisture barrier. I reviewed Great Skin's launch last summer and it's been my go-to cleanser ever since.
This mist is glass skin in a bottle. I start my day and night routines with it and use it midday if my skin needs soothing (which, since using this regularly, doesn’t happen often). Another dual formula—it's one part water essence, one part nourishing cream—it's packed with hyaluronic acid, rice bran and panthenol to keep dry skin at bay.
Fragrance-free, barrier-strengthening and loaded with ceramides, essential fatty acids and hyaluronic acid, I knew before I tried Facile's Beyond There moisturizer I'd probably love it, but the most impressive thing is how lightweight such a rich cream is. My skin feels smooth, silky and never sticky. I'm wringing out every last drop I can before opening a new tube.
I started using Dr. Loretta's Barrier Enhancing Milky Essence this winter as an added boost of hydration to get my skin through the season, but this is a year-round keeper. Packed with niacinamide, ectoin, glycerin and jojoba seed oil, it locks in moisture, protects the skin barrier, calms redness and lays the perfect canvas for my skin to drink up subsequent serums and moisturizers.
From one thirty-something to another, it's time to start a retinol. If you're looking for a great one, I'm now on my second bottle of Shani Darden's Retinol Reform. One-percent encapsulated retinol ensures the wrinkle-fighting, acne-reducing, tone-balancing active releases slowly over time, meaning less risk of irritation. Rounding out the formula are tripeptides, for further wrinkle reduction, and prickly pear extract for gentle exfoliation.
