Skincare is one of those things that women feel the need to spend exorbitant amounts of money on. Do you think that $140 Creme de la Mere will make you look 19 again? That’s cute, but you’re living in crazy land. I get it, this is your face we’re talking about, but here are some great ways to save money on skincare and but look like you’re using overpriced imported lotion from exotic countries.
1. Use a good night cream (but don’t spend too much)
A good night cream has active ingredients that are of higher quality and concentration, which is important to use before bed since your skin does all of its maintenance and regeneration during the night (cells turnover 8 times faster!). Plus, UV rays that you expose your face to during the day can decrease the effectiveness of these ingredients, and could also make your skin more sensitive to sunburn.
If you think that drugstore brands aren’t as good as department stores, think again. Huge companies like Proctor&Gamble own brands like Oil of Olay, and they have plenty of money and resources to do the research and development to produce high quality products.
Look for night creams with:
- Collagen and elastin: proteins that help regenerate our skin and keep us looking young. You’ll see faster results when you use these at night in reducing fine lines and puffiness.
- Rentinal: This is great if you have problem skin and for wrinkles
- Peptides: Rev up the production of collagen, boosting firmness and smoothing wrinkles.
- Vitamin C: Has been identified as an essential factor needed by the skin to make collagen.
Some of my favorite night creams:
- Olay Professional Pro-X Wrinkle Smoothing Cream Anti Aging (23.99 on Amazon)
- Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate ($46 on Amazon)
2. Skip the fancy face wash
There really isn’t a need to spend a lot of money on face wash, since the active ingredients get washed down the drain pretty quickly. Plus, fragrances and acids can strip oil from your skin, making it more susceptible to irritation from whatever products you slather on afterwards. A fragrance-free, mild wash is what’s best for most people – I’ve used Cetaphil ($11.99) and Neutrogena Deep Clean
(5.29) face wash for years. For those experiencing breakouts, look for a face wash with salicylic acid that will help to dry out blemishes.
3. Use 2 for 1 products
- Your face cream should also double as your sunscreen (use at least SPF 15) – I use Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Daily Moisturizer SPF 15
- I like to use a tinted moisturizer in lieu of foundation, especially during the summer – I use Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 blended with the Aveeno.
- When I’ve had breakouts, I find that concealers that contain salicylic acid (like those from Neutrogena’s SkinClearing line) can be a life saver.
4. Change your diet
- Eating plenty of fruits and veggies rich in antioxidants will do more for helping your skin glow than anything you could put on top of it. Snacking on blueberries, strawberries, grapefruit, kale, spinach, and different kinds of colorful foods will help get you the vitamins you need to fight wrinkles from the inside out.
- Avoid junk food and sweets – dermatologists say that high-glycemic foods increase insulin levels, which could cause the same inflammatory and hormonal reaction as PMS (no bueno), plus it dehydrates the skin which could lead to wrinkles.
- Drink more water – water flushes out toxins and keeps your skin hydrated and youthful.
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