The Vitamin C Showdown

I've gushed to y'all before about Vitamin C Serum. I'm still in love, and apply it religiously every morning. I could also slather it on at night under other anti-aging creams since it plays well with retinol and alpha-hydroxy acids. 

I've become a bit savvier in how I shop on Amazon; there is a whole "fake review" business that goes on there. There are multitudes of serums being sold with questionable user feedback. 

Additionally, I'm not crazy about the standard dropper dispenser; product shouldn't be constantly exposed to air and contaminants. That means pumps or tubes only. 

Yet there aren't many of those. Most of the Amazon options were of a watery, gel-like serum, a consistency I wasn't crazy about. I even tried an expensive product from Sephora, but the texture was worse—sticky and bright orange, and the results aren't any better than the others. 

I found one now that I like: Kleem Organics.

The pump emits a smooth, non-sticky serum that sinks directly into skin. The results are on par with the others I've tried so far. I ignored the reviews, like I tend to ignore Amazon reviews nowadays. I've decided to trust it.

Enjoy the collagen! 

My Nighttime Routine

I reference my nighttime routine often, but I never have gone into detail what it involves. My bad. 

OK, it's 9 o'clock at night, and I head for the bathroom. After a thorough brushing, flossing, and mouthwashing: 

1) I shake Philosophy Just Release Me Dual-Phase Oil-Free Makeup Remover, dab some on a cotton round, and carefully take off the day's eye makeup.  (Yes, it is pricy, but after purchasing it during a Sephora sale I can't go back to my previous product. This takes everything off without any effort. None. No rubbing, no lash fallout, no tzipping, just bare eyes. Whatever one pays for in this one saves in really expensive eye cream since it minimizes rubbing, ergo wrinkling.)

2) I have no loyalty to facial cleansers, but I am currently using Alaffia African Black Soap Tangerine Citrus. After wetting my face, I rub a dollop in. 

3) I work in the cleanser with my electric face brush. (My model has been apparently discontinued; it's only a matter of time before I plunge for the Clarisonic.) I utilize an electric face brush because I once I began using it, my usual blemishes hit the road. 

4) Rinse face. I try to shoot for warm water, but I'm not going to run the sink endlessly. It's usually cold. 

5) Pat (not rub) face dry with a towel reserved for that purpose alone. 

6) AHA moisturizers! For the face, my current love is M2 Skin Technologies Skin Recovery Moisturizer. Oh, the alpha hydroxy acids! My skin tolerates it well since I have been throwing such stuff at it for years; but even then I blend it with Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion for extra moisturizing and to take away any "sting." Moisturizing is important even for oily skin types—mine is combination. I slather it on to my face and neck. 

7) The eye area could use a little extra love; many advocate the application of a serum as well as a cream. I tap on the entire eye area (including the lid) with my ring finger (the weakest of all the fingers, so it does not tug the skin) in an outward motion (to draw pooling blood away from my dark circles) Reviva Labs Firming Eye Serum, topped by Derma E Hydrating Eye Cream with Hyaluronic and Pycnogenol. 

8) My lips are dabbed with a lip balm of sorts. I'm not crazy about it, but I tend not to throw away anything, so I am currently applying Rosebud Perfume Co. Rosebud Salve. I don't like it because it is made from the same pore-clogging petroleum grease as Vaseline. I try to make sure it doesn't stray onto my skin at all. 

Shea butter works pretty well as a lip balm. I'm probably going to stick with that next.

9) I moisten a q-tip with castor oil and run it over my lashes, as expounded on before. It nourishes the lashes and removes any residual makeup.

*Every once in a while, I preface this regimen with a face-steaming. The Conair Facial Sauna System that's still around. I've probably had for ten years. 

I am never one to advocate all or nothing; for those who have no regimen at all, do not be discouraged. Just adding one step can make a big difference. 

Washing the face is of paramount importance, no brush needed. Cetaphil can also be dabbed on the eye area, which always thirsts for moisture. As for easy-access products, Olay's anti-aging line is always highly praised and recommended. 

Try to buy products that come in tubes or pumps as opposed to tubs, since dipping in germy fingers contaminates the product.

But for any results to be seen, regular, specifically nightly, activity is needed; five minutes before bed (as opposed to my ten to fifteen), and then "someone" will be looking quite gaw-geous when she turns 50 (or even 60. Dare I say 70?).   

Happy Face

I was watching an old episode of I Found the Gown; a mother and daughter team came in. The daughter wasn't probably that old, but her face was carved with deep grooves. She was obviously resentful of her happy-go-lucky mother, who smiled cheerfully while her angry daughter, mother herself to nearly grown children, barked "We're bonding!" in a way that felt a tad violent. 

When one reaches a certain age, the refusal to smile has visisbly left its mark. There aren't just wrinkles, there are crevasses. Bitterness doesn't just percolate below the surface; its festering juices gnaws away at the epidermis. 

No lipstick can save you now.

In my hope for happy skin, I must be happy myself; potions alone won't do the trick, as Jane E. Brody informed me in "A Youthful Glow, Radiating From Within." 

Since I have gentically anxious tendencies, I have become aware of the concept of cortisol, that harrowing hormone that bubbles away in times of stress, reeking inflammatory havoc on the body. I have therefore attempted to de-stress my life as much as possible, of course factoring in unavoidable nerve-wracking situations, but my produce-based diet hopefully churns out enough antioxdants to neutralize the worst of the damage. 

Remember to smile, dammit!    

Take THAT, Wrinkles!

While AHA! is a good anti-aging weapon, there is a tougher means to fight wrinkles. 

Under the classification of vitamin A, there is retinol. Retinol is considered (by the all-knowing Drs. Oz and Roizen) to be, along with AHA, the only proven ingredient to zap wrinkles.

Skin has to be gradually introduced to retinol and other stronger anti-aging agents; my skin is not sensitive and I have been throwing all sorts of stuff at it for years. It is an individual situation as to what your skin will be okay with. 

April's Vogue had a whole write-up. 

Imagine for a moment that a revolutionary skin-care ingredient was discovered. It visibly smoothed out wrinkles and obliterated breakouts; it improved skin texture and tightened pores into tiny little nothings. It could lessen the look of brown spots and sometimes even helped reduce precancerous lesions. It quite literally turned back the skin's clock glowier, more luminous past. Imagine, too, that skeptics and researchers the world over and tested this ingredient exhaustively, scrutinizing it for decades to see if it really could be as potent as it appeared - and it was . . . Such an ingredient does exist . . . It's retinol.

"Vitamin A is the go-to-skin-care ingredient," says Jennifer Linder, M.D. . . . "The best anti-ager is sunscreen; the next is Vitamin A. Nothing else approaches it."  

Roc is a brand that is very highly recommended. 

There are other retinol-derivative products like: 

Derma E Vitamin A Retinyl Palmitate Wrinkle Treatment Moisturizing Gel is my favorite for summer nights. During the warmer seasons my skin doesn't need major moisturizing, so this water-based gel is ideal. It does leave a bit of a sticky residue, but I don't mind that.  

There is also a cream for drier skin types. Derma E Vitamin A Retinyl Palmitate Wrinkle Treatment Creme. Another one by Derma E has even more retinol potency: Derma E Retinol Vitamin A and Green Tea Wrinkle Treatment Creme. 

For convenient dosage, there is Perlabella Retinol Anti-Aging Face Pure Dose Pearls. These have .075% concentration of retinol. I'm not actually sure what that means, but according to a study found on Livestrong, that is enough to decrease wrinkles. I happen to find these pearls to be a bit of a pain to squeeze out, but the consistency is velvety soft and worth it. 

Watts Beauty Retinol Face Cream has a whopping 1.5%. There are a lot of oils in this so I don't use it myself since I fear breakouts, but Ma likes it. 

*Warning*: Retinol should only be applied at night, never during the day. UV rays degrade the retinol, which takes the skin along for a destructive ride. Remember: only at night!

For those wanting a serious kick of retinol, dermatologists can prescribe prescription-strength retinoids, which can treat practically any skin condition: aging, acne, my dreaded milia. Retinoids seem to be the answer to everything. 

A dermatologist gave me Differin, a retinoid, for my milia. It is an acne treatment, and he uses it himself in conjunction with other products to keep wrinkles at bay. This version can be worn in daylight. 

He advised that I should apply a moisturizer first, and he recommended Cetaphil. It's so booooring, but it does a good job if one is looking for a moisturizer for sensitive or reactive skin (no-comedogenic). It provides great deep moisture. 

My milia are obligingly moving along after years of frustration, while the grooves around my mouth are gone. I've become slavishly devoted to this wonderful, wonderful product. But I don't know how to go back from a life on retinoids.

Prevent the Inevitable

Even middle-aged women have laughed at my skincare regimen. 

"Is it so terrible to look ahead?," I inquire, flummoxed. "Haroya es hanoled." 

I have enough great-aunts with road-map visages due to a life of sun worship that I diligently apply SPF every morning, be it sunny, cloudy, or monsoon weather. At night I slather on creams that scream "anti-aging" on the jar. And tugging my lids for eyeliner?

Never.

Enough skincare experts will back me up on this: it is easier to prevent than to repair. Sort of like it being easier for a tailor to take in rather than let out.

Yes, I may be merely 25, but I don't want to look back and say, "I should have taken better care of my skin," then hopping on a plane to Brazil to get my face redone.

So get a jar of face cream (I'll tell you which one). In 30 years, you won't regret it.