What about us 50 somethings who still want our skin to look great?

[#1]

I''m looking for the best skincare regime for those of us over 50. I've taken good care of my skin so far but now find i need a little extra help. I'm beyond the "preventing fine lines"

i need some brightening, tightening and moisture. What skin care line caters best to mature skin? and is vitamin c serum just for the 20/30/40 something?

Help!

[#2]

Hi there! First I'd like to say that Vitamin C is great for all ages! The benefits that vitamin c has to offer are endless. It will brighten, moisturize, and even out the skin tone. In your case there are two treatments I would look into and invest in.

First and foremost no matter what you plan to apply on the skin and no matter how miraculous it is ALWAYS APPLY SPF. I'm sure you already do this since, as you mentioned, you take good care of your skin, just thought I'd should mention it first.

in the morning I recommend starting with Ole Henriksen's Truth Revealed Super Creme. Not only does this cream hydrate, it brightens (thanks to its good dose of vitamin c), firms, polishes the skin, and diminishes the appearance of wrinkles, creating a smooth canvas. In addition it works well with sensitive skin and smells amazing. (This one in particular contains an SPF of 15)

As a night treatment I recommend Korres Wild Rose and Vitamin C Sleeping Facial. This hydrates your skin while your sleeping, as well as brightens, lightens dark spots, evens out skin tone, and you literally wake up to a fresh, luminous complexion. I don't recommend this if you have oily, acne-prone skin, because it does have a thick texture which may possibly clog pores, however if you have normal/sensitive skin this stuff is great!

Hope this helps! Good luck

xox

[#3]

Hi barbkd - I think you'll get tons of great responses to this question. You'll probably have a hard time choosing what to go with.  I'm a Philosophy girl, so that's what I recommend. Not to say I don't use/try other products, because I do, but Philosophy is the core and what I always come back to. I love it because it can really be tailored to just about any age range and isn't crazy expensive like some brands (i.e. Perricone) especially if you buy it in some type of value set.

I love their Purity Made Simple Cleanser and Mirodelivery Exfoliating Wash, you can alternate them. I reeeaallly love The Oxygen Peel which I think is extraordinary...it's not a peel like a chemical peel though, I think it's quite unique (I can give you more detailed info and tips for getting the most out of it if you'd like) You'd follow that up with any number of their anti-aging/ treatment products which can be boosted and tailored by using them or mixing them with other Philosophy Products. I like the Hope Eye Cream, but am not married to it, I'm a bit non-committal and always like to try newer, better products for the eye area, it's a bit of an obsession. Products with Vitamin C  and retinoids can be very beneficial. Even if you don't purchase from Philosophy I think you might want to check out their website or watch if you see them on QVC. I think you'll get great info about products and ingredients that are good for aging skin, regardless of what brand you choose. You should also be using SPF daily, that's a big one.

There are many great brands out there, Dr.Denese is a good line, gee there are just so many others that I'm sure you'll get recommendations for.  I've used Elizabeth Arden, great line, but not quite as easily tailored and flexible as Philosophy. I may be wrong, haven't used it in a while. Kate Somerville, Stri-vectin and Peter Thomas Roth have huge cult followings and I've heard wonderful things about all of them, they're a bit pricier. I've just begun to dabble with these lines. My personal choice would be getting set up with a good core routine with Philosophy and then coming back in a while and spicing things up with some products from one of the lines I just mentioned.

I strongly recommend investing in Clarisonic Mia - it's the 'travel' version of the big Clarisonic which can be used on your face and body with different brush heads for each. The Mia is only for the face (neck and décolleté too) it's a bit smaller and less expensive, I think it's easier to hold than the biggie, but I have tiny hands. You can look around and find deals on this, that's what I did. I love it but I'm glad I didn't pay full price, I waited just a little longer until a great deal came around. I think tons of people will recommend Clarisonic. It really cleanses your skin and exfoliates beautifully, getting rid of all of the dead skin so that your treatment products can get right to your skin, without having to try to get through all of the yucky skin that needs to come off. Then your products can really work their magic and you'll get the best possible results.

I hope this helps and I hope you'll come back and let us know what you ended up going with and how it's working for you. BTW, it says you're new, so Welcome!! I'm glad I got to give you your first heart! Enjoy the rest of your weekend and let me know if I can give you any more info.

[#4]

I'm in charge of skincare for my mom, whose in her early 50s and have oily combination skin. Most brands have an anti-aging (not "first sign of aging" or "fine line") regimen. Some time tested good brands are Clinique, Estee Lauder, and Lancome. You can definitely use Vitamin C. Vitamins don't distinguish between age =). Also, you need to consider if you are oily or dry skinned?

Moisturizer: First of all, all the hype about Olay is a lie, none of their product ever worked for my mom. She tried Clinique and Origin and it got better, but the jackpot was L'occitane Immortelle Precious Night Cream (blue bottle with blue jar). She said she saw results overnight, and a week later when I went back home, she did have less wrinkles (she does not use serum or eye cream, so it's definitely the moisturizer). As for day cream, Clinique Youth Surge SPF 15 works, Estee Lauder Resilience Lift SPF 15 works better (she said it made her look prettier), and I just gave her a jar of Ole Henriksen SPF15 that the other poster recommended to try, we will see how that work.

Regimen: Basically you need to cleanse, then use a serum, eye cream, and moisturizer. A serum is especially important because it's a more concentrated dose of brightening/tightening/anti-aging ingredients than moisturizers, but it doesn't really moisturize so you should apply a moisturizer after the serum. The skin around the eye is more delicate than elsewhere, so you need a separate cream for it. Some good serum brands are Origin, Ole Henriksen, and Caudalie (Dior and Estee Lauder are also good but more high end). You can also do peels, which are great for even skintone, but if you have sensitive skin, Philosophy and ExfoliKate may be too harsh, Origin Brighter by Nature Peel pad is easy to use and made my dark bump smaller and lighter within 2 weeks, Dr. Dennis Gross Extra Strength Alpha Beta is also a favorite but a bit too mild for my taste.

If you are buying now, Ole Henriksen have great value kits and Caudalie's anti-aging kits are on sale at Sephora. Lancome counter in Macy's is currently doing a Gift with Purchase promotion (might have ended), and Origin gives away a full size product (they have an anti-aging option) every year on Earth Day. Yes, I keep a beauty calendar to keep track of promotions (if you do it right and count in the value of freebies, the price end up bring almost the same as the drugstore brands).