The Best Anti-Aging Skin Care Routine for Millennials

Let’s be honest, we all forget to wash our face sometimes. That doesn’t mean you are doomed to a life filled with bad skin though. When it comes to an effective skincare routine, some people prefer to do a crazy 10-step K-beauty routine while some of us, myself included, prefer something simpler and easier to follow. Like a 5-step anti-aging beauty regimen.

Now that I’m 30, I find myself obsessing with the latest anti-aging skin care products rather than the latest beauty pallets. Color beauty is a young people’s game haha. Lucky for me, when I worked in the beauty industry, I had access to tons of information regarding skincare ingredients and what works best when it comes to anti-aging products.

Products are just half the battle though. It takes serious dedication to get up off your comfortable bed and do your skincare routine whether it’s in the morning or before bed. I’ve had plenty of drunk nights where not even a face wipe meets my face, definitely not some of my proudest moments but hey, we’re all human.

Knowing that I’m always on the go, or just plain lazy, I try to minimize the steps in my skincare routine and use the best anti-aging products I can find. This allows me to 1) want to actually do my daily skin care regimen and 2) know that with each product I use, my skin is truly benefiting.

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1. Wash Your Face with Glycolic Acid

A good face wash is an absolute game-changer. There’s no better feeling than a cleansed, refreshed face. When it comes to anti-aging, a good cleanser really sets the foundation for a better, overall look and feel. That’s where Glycolic acid comes in. Glycolic acid is known to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, minimize the appearance of pores, fight acne, remove dead skin cells, and even skin tone.

My go-to recently has been the Dr Song Glycolic Acid Face Wash from Amazon. Not only does it only have 2 ingredients Glycolic Acid and Antioxidants, both known to be extremely beneficial for the skin, it’s super affordable at under $10!

Another one of my faves, also from Amazon, has been the InstaNatural Glycolic Acid Facial Cleanser. Full disclosure, this face wash in particular is a bit more expensive and has more ingredients than the Dr. Song Glycolic Acid face wash. However, all ingredients are clean and the face wash is cruelty-free and paraben free. One reason why I love this product is that it has green tea extract, which is known to stimulate blood flow in the face among other things like diminish signs of aging, eliminate dirt and dead skin, decrease the appearance and occurrence of blackheads etc.

2. Combat Aging with a Toner

Quick confession, I didn’t start toning until last year. Why? Because I really didn’t understand it nor did I see a benefit. That is until I actually gave it a try and OH MY GOD, was my life changed! In case you didn’t know, some face washes leave dirt behind or don’t get everything trapped in your pores.

Toner helps cleanse and hydrate the skin as well as help restore pH balance after you wash your face. It also minimizes pores and helps keep out unwanted impurities that may clog pores. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m sure you’ve come across Thayers Witch Hazel Facial Toner. This stuff is literally one of my holy grail face products! It’s probably unfair since I have never used any other toner to compare it with but that’s just because this one is too damn good!

I use it every morning and every night post-face cleanse and I’m always surprised at how much it still removes. So how does a toner help with your anti-aging efforts? You may ask, well, toners help minimize pores and tighten cell gaps after you cleanse (hot water opens pores). Toner also helps you better absorb moisturizers and serums by prepping your face as a primer does.

3. Apply Eye Serum

The secret to anti-aging is all in the eyes. I don’t know about you but now that I’m older I’m starting to really see the difference in my eyes. The crows feet, bags and under-eye circles are not the biz when you’re trying to look your best. I’ve definitely been more cautious of my sleeping patterns and how I manage stress in order to get the wrinkles under control.

To combat the dark circles and crow’s feet, I started incorporating an eye serum that specifically targets the thin layer of skin under your eyes. In case you didn’t know, eye products defer from regular skin care products by being formulated specifically for that area. Since your under-eye skin is much thinner, regular, thicker products don’t absorb well into the skin. When you invest in an eye serum you immediately notice that it’s so much thinner than regular face products and a little goes a long way.

The one linked above is pretty expensive ($85) but this one seems to also be a good purchase for those on a budget ($15) 🙂

4. Use A Good Moisturizer

A good moisturizer goes a long way when it comes to anti-aging. You want to look for products that are jam-packed with ingredients that will benefit your skin by moisturizing and encouraging collagen and cell regeneration.

Recently I was introduced to Georgette Skin care, a natural and luxurious skincare line that uses anti-aging ingredients like Caviar, DMAE , Omega 3 and Gold Vitamin C to help renew and restore aging skin.

Georgette Skin Care’s unique approach to combating aging combines eastern, western and Mediterranean philosophies that provide users with powerful and pure products, neat right? The brand also has a deep commitment to sourcing ethically grown, chemical-free ingredients from around the world and all products are sulfate free, paraben free, glycol free, silicone free, gluten-free, petroleum-free, PEG free and are not tested on animals (which I love!)

5. Apply Eye Cream

A good eye cream is hard to come by but like the serum, a little tends to go a long way. Like the serum, eye cream helps moisturize the thin layer of skin under your eye. The main difference between the two is that an eye serum is lighter in texture (almost gel-like) and cream is heavier like a regular moisturizer.

So why use both an eye serum and cream? Glad you asked, an eye serum is usually used to repair and treat issues like bags, dark circles, etc that the skin already has. On the other hand, an eye cream is more a preventative measure meaning it will prevent the issues from appearing as often. For this reason, using both is ideal!

I found this brand on Amazon and have been obsessed! The product is formulated with caffeine (helps de-puff) and Hyaluronic acid (helps hydrate) and is also cruelty-free. This one is also good and helps with collagen production and has Vitamin C for that brightening glow.

6. Incorporate a Facial Oil

Until recently (like last week to be honest) I hadn’t given facial oils a try but after doing some research, I gave in and bought the Mad Hippie Vitamin C Oil. So far I’ve been loving it! I use it with my Gua Sha to massage it in and so far I’ve noticed a huge change in my skin’s radiance and glow.

Face oils help moisturize your skin which then in turn helps combat fine lines that eventually turn to wrinkles.

The trick to flawless skin is prevention!

Keep in mind that when wrinkles are formed, they can’t reverse. The damage has already been done to the skin so if you would want the wrinkles gone, you would actually need fillers or a plasma treatment.

That’s why it’s so important to invest in your skin as soon as you start to notice anything.

Bonus

Exfoliate weekly

Exfoliating helps remove dead skin cells that may have clogged pores. By exfoliating weekly, it helps your pores absorb product, helps with acne, boosts blood circulation in the face and helps stimulate collagen production. Which we all know declines after we turn 25.

My favorite exfoliating scrub as of late has been the YesTo Vitamin C Scrub. Not only does it cleanse, It helps brighten the skin.

Use a Clay mask

I’ve tried so many masks and I’ve only truly loved and seen a benefit in using a clay mask. Clay masks are usually anti-bacterial and help with fighting eczema (which I get on occasion). They also help unclog and shrink pores (see the trend now), detoxify the skin, improve skin tone, and regulate sebum production (the gland that helps skin stay moisturized) among so many other things. If you’re interested in learning more about clay masks, check this post out.