The ordinary dkincare

[jeniwatty]

Can you suggest an AM / PM routine for over 50 targeting wrinkles and fine lines etc from the ordinary collection?

[WinglessOne]

@jeniwatty  I’m 50something and use a few The Ordinary products, though my full skincare routine’s a mix of various brands’ products. (There’s no single brand whose entire product line I can use.) Were I to restrict (or almost restrict) a routine to just this brand, I’d start with these 3-4 basic effective steps: 

1. Wash - which cleanser may depend on your skin type/behavior. TO says The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser Hydrating Makeup Remover is for dry skin, The Ordinary Glucoside Gentle Foaming Cleanser for Oily Skin 5 oz / 150 ml is for oily skin, and The Ordinary Glycolipid Cream Cleanser for Dry Skin and Makeup Removal 5 oz / 150 ml is for all skin types. TO used to sell minis of all 3 in a Cleanser Discovery Set, but it’s not currently available at their site. 
   
   
2. Treat - assuming your skin’s leaning drier with age, consider either The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Hyaluronic Acid Serum for Firmness and Elasticity or The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + Copper Peptides 1% Serum; the main difference between them is copper peptides. Both serums are good hydrators and contain peptides (Matrixyl 3000, argireline, SYN-ake, and one more I don’t recall right now) that theoretically target fine lines and wrinkles. Plus, copper peptides may boost collagen production. This year I’ve been using the copper peptides version just around my eyes (I have hollow tear troughs, and nearly all my visible lines are under my eyes) twice a day, and it’s softened my lines a bit—probably by plumping that skin a bit. In cold weather, I still apply the non-copper peptides version to the rest of my face because Chicago winters dry the heck outta my skin. 
   
   
3. Moisturize - pick whichever TO moisturizer you wanna try. I haven’t looked closely enough at ‘em to say how they differ from one another… eh, maybe try The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + PhytoCeramides Rich Moisturizer if your skin’s dry. I think one of other moisturizers is a light gel formula meant for oily skin, and TO’s original moisturizer might be an “all skin types” option. I do have one of these 3 moisturizers but haven’t tested it yet (note to self). 
   
   
4. Sunscreen (broad spectrum, minimum SPF 30) - this is where I’ll deviate from The Ordinary and suggest you use whichever brand’s sunscreen you like enough to apply daily. Don’t rely on SPF in makeup; use a true sunscreen under any makeup you wear. TO does have a sunscreen but I’m not sure if Sephora carries it; you’ll find it at their site. It’s a runny sunscreen, similar in texture to the La Roche-Posay mineral sunscreen you have to shake before use—except TO’s is a chemical sunscreen (no zinc oxide). Looking up its name… UV Filters SPF 45 Serum. You might be able to use this (or any) sunscreen as a moisturizer, which would let you skip step number 3 in this routine. I do that in hot weather, but in winter my skin needs a separate moisturizer beneath sunscreen. 

Once your skin gets used to that basic routine, you might consider introducing another product to step 2. Which one is up to you but, for wrinkles, I’ll always suggest a retinoid (vitamin A). With any retinoid, you’ll wanna start slowly: use it just 1-2 times a week for a few weeks, then increase usage to 2-3 times a week, and so on until you reach a comfy-for-you frequency. That could be nightly, every other night, or even just 3 nights a week. Some retinoid serums can be used during the day, if they’re formulated with “encapsulated” retinoid—but never ever use a retinoid twice on the same day. That’s a good way to irritate the heck outta your skin. 

The Ordinary has a few different retinol and granactive retinoid serums. They also have a retinal (retinaldehyde) you may wanna consider, though it’s a higher strength than I recommend anyone start at: The Ordinary Retinal 0.2% Emulsion High-Strength Retinoid Nighttime Treatment 0.5 oz / 15 ml. A safer starting place would be 0.5 - 1.0% retinal; if you’re in the US, Ulta now carries Avène Retrinal products, which come in both those strengths.

[MakeupQueenGC]

Hi pls like mins