anti aging 10 Anti-Aging Beauty Tips To Upgrade Your Skin Care Routine

As the popular saying goes, “With age comes wisdom” — but so does maturing skin. As we grow older, our skin begins to go through many changes, like losing its elasticity and developing fine lines and wrinkles. While there’s, unfortunately, no way to stop time from moving forward, forming a solid, anti-aging skin care routine can certainly help improve the appearance of any skin woes.

For instance, getting a head start on your anti-aging skin care routine in your 30s and 40s and using skin care products with skin-loving ingredients (think: glycolic acid and hyaluronic acid) can help maintain a youthful and radiant-looking complexion. Ready for an upgrade? Consider our ten best anti-aging steps to incorporate into your skin care routine, stat.

1. Wash With A Cream Cleanser

Regardless of your skin type or skin care concerns, daily cleansing is always a must. But if you have visibly aging skin, reach for a nourishing cream cleanser rather than a foaming one since those tend to be harsher. As skin matures, it loses moisture, nutrients and natural oils, resulting in skin that looks — and feels — dry. A cream cleanser can help replenish moisture to the surface of your skin for a fresh look.

The L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Nourishing Cream Cleanser is formulated with replenishing oils that gently remove all traces of makeup without over-drying the skin. Every morning and evening, lather the cleanser in wet hands and gently massage it onto skin. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry.

2. Exfoliate Weekly

There are a plethora of benefits that come with exfoliating your skin. It cleanses and purifies clogged pores, brightens skin and boosts circulation. But keep in mind that you should only be exfoliating one to three times a week. Pay attention to how your skin responds to determine what works for you. That said, if you notice visible signs of aging, exfoliation should be part of your skin care regimen because removing dead skin cells is an essential anti-aging measure.

Reach for a gentle facial exfoliator, such as the L'Oréal Paris Pure Sugar Resurface & Energize Kona Coffee Scrub, which is made from three naturally derived sugars and real Kona coffee grounds (but no microbeads) to help polish away dullness and deliver radiant-looking skin.

Editor’s tip: Some facial exfoliators can also be used on your lips. Aim to use a lip scrub once or twice a week (before applying your lipstick) to keep your pout looking its best.

3. Apply A Facial Serum

Once you’ve cleansed your skin, you’re ready to move on to face serum. Find the right one for your aging skin concerns below:

L'Oréal Paris Age Perfect Skin Care Cell Renewal Anti-Aging Midnight Serum

As you age, cell regeneration slows down, causing a decrease in your skin’s overall vitality and radiance. This luxurious serum helps skin instantly feel smoother and firmer and appear refreshed. For best results, pat the serum onto cleansed skin morning and night.

L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 1.5% Pure Hyaluronic Acid Serum

As skin matures, it’s gradually depleted of essential nutrients, which results in dryness. Not to mention, years of environmental damage — like the sun’s harmful UV rays — causes skin to look dull and parched and lose its resilience. This serum helps replenish the skin’s protective moisture barrier and helps it look more radiant. It’s formulated with hyaluronic acid, which keeps skin moisturized and hydrated. Apply it on freshly cleansed skin morning and night before moisturizing. 

L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives 10% Pure Vitamin C Serum

This targeted serum contains 10 percent pure Vitamin C (or ascorbic acid), a powerful, natural antioxidant that boosts radiance and neutralizes free radicals that lead to aging skin. Apply it to clean skin in the morning and evening before you layer on your moisturizer.

4. Moisturize With Your Skin Type In Mind

If you have mature skin, try using a moisturizer that’s formulated to revive your skin tone and stimulate skin cell renewal, like the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Rosy Tone Moisturizer for Mature, Dull Skin. Infused with Imperial Peony Extracts and LHA (a.k.a lipohydroxy acid) to gently exfoliate dull, sallow skin, this lightweight cream helps bring back skin’s natural rosy look that often diminishes as skin ages. If you're looking to reduce wrinkles and even out your skin tone, grab the L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Pressed Night Moisturizer with Retinol + Niacinamide.

But remember, when applying your facial moisturizer in the morning and evening, don’t just stop at your face — moisturize your neck and chest area too. Think about it — this area is just as prone to becoming dry and showing signs of fine lines, so it’s important to protect and prevent.

5. Use A Targeted Eye Cream

In case you didn’t know, your eyes need tender loving care too. Choose an eye cream that addresses the visible signs of aging you see around your eyes — whether that’s dark circles, fine lines or under-eye bags. The L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives with 1.5% Hyaluronic Acid, 1% Caffeine Eye Serum works overtime to visibly replump and hydrate skin and help reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. Use the rollerball applicator tip to massage the formula gently around the eye area until thoroughly absorbed, morning and night.

Editor’s tip: Honestly, you’re never too young to start using an eye cream. Even if you haven’t started seeing signs of aging, an eye cream should have a place in your routine. If you think anti-aging skin care isn’t relevant to you, check out our article: 6 Anti-Aging Tips For Beginners.

6. Try A Facial Oil In The Morning

Another sign of aging skin is when natural oil production starts to decrease. Daily exposure to harmful UV rays further compromises skin’s ability to retain moisture, leaving it looking dehydrated and lackluster. That’s where facial oil comes in. You can use an oil to give your complexion an extra dose of nourishment and help lock in moisture. Use a lightweight, non-greasy face oil that absorbs quickly, applying it over your moisturizer to help nourish mature skin.

7. Grab A Hydrating Foundation

Just because you’re working with mature skin doesn’t mean you should avoid wearing makeup. Instead, you’ll want to look for makeup products that offer some of the same benefits as your skin care essentials, making them an honorary part of your skin care routine. For example, after you’ve made your way through your standard routine in the morning, apply a hydrating foundation like the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Radiant Serum Foundation with SPF 50. This lightweight formula evens your skin tone, moisturizes and provides natural-looking coverage. Best of all, it’s formulated with SPF 50 to help protect your skin from the sun.

8. Use Other Non-Drying Makeup Products

Just like there are hydrating foundations, there are also concealers, blushes, mascaras and other makeup products that help combat dull skin and play defense against signs of aging. Take the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Radiant Concealer With Hydrating Serum for example: It’s formulated with glycerin and a hydrating serum that illuminates, nourishes and brightens your under-eye area for a glowing finish.

The L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Radiant Satin Blush with Camellia Oil is another great option for mature skin. It is formulated with nourishing camellia oil to provide your cheeks with a luminous splash of color without a cakey or dry appearance. Be sure to follow up with a setting spray — we love L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Spray and Set Make-Up Oil-Free Setting Spray for its budge-proof abilities.

Editor’s tip: Nothing completes a makeup look like a set of voluminous lashes. Perfect for mature lashes, the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Lash Magnifying Mascara with Conditioning Serum is a jojoba oil-rich mascara that gently defines and lengthens your lashes while softening them.

9. Remove Makeup Gently

Let’s skip to the end of the day: Before you’re ready to get some beauty sleep, you’ll need to remove your makeup. To avoid the clogged pores that snoozing in makeup can bring, reach for a bottle of micellar water before bed. Cleansing water is a smart choice since it’s formulated to remove makeup, dirt and debris in an extra-gentle manner. Saturate a cotton pad with the L’Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser Waterproof - All Skin Types and sweep it over your skin until completely clean.

10. Reach For A Wrinkle Cream At Night

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, sleep gives your body time to refresh and renew itself. Take advantage of that time and apply a wrinkle-fighting night cream before you drift off. Take your pick from the L’Oréal Paris Wrinkle Expert moisturizer line. These anti-wrinkle face creams help to visibly reduce signs of aging, including sagging skin, dryness, wrinkles and more. Choose the one that targets your specific needs.

Next: Our Best Eye Creams For Mature Skin

Edited by Sophie Dweck, Photography: Chaunte Vaughn, Senior Art Direction: Melissa San Vicente-Landestoy, Senior Visual Designer: Hannah Packer, Associate Creative Producer: Becca Solovay, Makeup Artist: Jonet Williamson, Hair Stylist: Akihisa Yamaguchi, Wardrobe Assistant: Victoria Ochoa, Digital Tech: Kyle Thompson, Model: Roxanne Hancock