Looking your best as you approach 40...

[dontcryitsonlyajoke]

So I've got a year to go to my 40th. My 30s has been all about huge changes - physical, emotional and career - due to 4 pregnancies, 3 babies, 3 years of breastfeeding and associated weight loss and gain.

The birth of my youngest a year ago brought unbelievable sleep deprivation and has aged my face significantly. I used to look young for my age but I look every day of my 39 years now!

I want to hit my 40s in a much better frame of mind - it's going to be the selfish decade where I reclaim a lot of "me".

So I want your tips on how to get myself looking and feeling better. The baby steps I've made so far are:

1. Good cleanse/serum/moisturise routine in place for the last 2 years but nothing more - no variants beyond my morning and night routine
2. finally found a hairstyle that suits and I think I can keep
3. started filing and clear varnishing my bitten-for-30-years nails so they're starting to look better (though still very weak
4. 2 litres of water most days
5. good exercise routine

What else would you suggest I do?

So how do you actually use the retin A and Glycolic acid? Is there a good place to read about how to use them at home?

Marking my place..I'm just recently turned 38, have a 5 month old and a 5 year old and I'm tired..and look it.

My big thing is my teeth, I'm planning to get them straightened before my 40th, I've hated them for years.
I second oil pulling, and all the glycolic/salicylic acids etc, I used to get them from eBay but stopped, I don't know why. My problem is lack of cash and acne...I find it improves with pregnancy so it must be hormonal but that isn't a suitable cure!

Try rubbing your acne gently with a little raw garlic! Before bed! (probably best if you sleep alone )

Or ess. oil of geranium, or tea tree oil (3 drops in half a glass of water).

I've got all of those handy ppeat...not sure about the garlic though!
I get them in my hairline mostly, it's cystic acne I think. Then generally my skin just needs exfoliating properly, it just feels grotty.
One nice thing about still having oily skin is that I don't seem to have many wrinkles yet. There's time though!!!
I am currently reading the Marie kondo book and planning to tackle all my clothes tomorrow., Ive a feeling I'm going to have nothing left to wear as she asks you to ask if your clothing 'sparks joy' before deciding to keep.it or not. That doesn't apply to anything I own. It's all cheap, not brilliantly fitting and either frumpy of ridiculous (the things I love!)

I might be posting a photo in a few days..this is what I have left, what the hell do I need to buy!

You could also look at what you eat, when I follow my way of eating properly my skin looks lovely and I guarantee am a LOT older than you!

Marie Kondo sounds interesting but I can't be looking for 'sparks' when I'm clearing the garden, and cleaning a very dusty house .

Ppeat tell me about it...my house is so filthy whichever exactly the reason for decluttering..I can't actually clean it!

I eat poorly, I know I do. Not shockingly badly, no fizzy pop, little bread, dairy or ready meals etc, but I do need to eat better. Maybe my skin is better because I eat better in pregnancy? But it getting worse is coinciding with the hormones gradually returning to normal.
Anyway sorry op for the hijack! I agree it's a point, turning 40, where hopefully we can start to be a bit more selfish about what we want/need. For me, my confidence is much higher, I'm more comfortable in myself than in my 20s or early 30s, I just want to look how I feel!

Well I follow my Blood Type by Dr Peter D'Adamo, not religiously I go by what suits my body. Though sometimes you can't tell. Kim Cattrall and Courtney Cox are on it (if that makes a difference)

I eat pure spelt or rye bread but not wheat bread because even the organic brown wholewheat is not brilliant.

Of course your hormones will be all over the place after pregnancy, you could try taking a herbal supplement for it like camomile or lemon balm (melissa). Just to balance things.

Oh living this thread! I've started on the Alpha H Liquid Gold and love it. I put it on at night (tingles but not too bad). My skin looks brighter when I get up. You do need to wear a high factor sun block though.
I'm going to start drinking more water as from today - it sounds simple but I always seem to forget!

Am 41 and find carrying a few extra kilos adds years as the bone structure on my face lacks definition and I gain an extra chin 9thanks mum for the genes.)

Product staples (cheap): Aqueous cream (massive tub) to cleanse & remove make-up, Aldi sensitive moisturiser (spf 15) and sudocream at night. Do have night serums to use from time-to-time but generally avoid as have sensitive skin.

Have tried more expensive products but they just do not suit my skin.

Generally, if I regularly supplement a meal with freshly made vegetable/fruit juice, eat less meat (avoid bread) and drink plenty of water; I feel better (important) and look okay(ish)/passable.

In my 20s, I could do anything, eat anything and look fine. In my 30s, gave over self to have children (sleep deprivation + body/hormone changes.) In my 40s, feeling like it really counts now...

Thanks to this thread my skin is looking so much better. I can't believe the difference.

I was the same at 41 Bobbie I also started getting aches and pains in my hands and 'remembering my dgm's' arthriticky fingers I studied eating for health and I began not mixing carbs and protein at the same meal, also eating fruit on an empty stomach. I lost well over a stone just doing those things and giving up my daily caffeine fix.

I did it to stop the arthritis which it did and lost weight too .

Marking place to come back to later. Also 40 at the end of this year and have also embarked upon Operation Me...

Great topic ladies!
I have turned out 40 this summer and cannot stand my wrinkles (especially the frown lines between my eyebrows and the 'smiley' wrinkles around my eyes and mouth. I look quite young for my age (friends say I look as I am early thirties), but think this can improve with better sleep and much more care of myself. Manicure and pedicure only for holidays due to shortage of time (DC are 8 and 11) and due to stressful job.

Haven't yet read the whole thread but I am using Paula's Choice' s products for the last 3 years and cannot change them for anything. A whole retinol and hyaluronic acid range, here are some links of amazing products:

1. This one is the most expansive, but lasts for long and also available in a trial size:

www.paulaschoice.co.uk/clinical-1-retinol-treatment.html

1. My daily morning and evening treat:

www.paulaschoice.co.uk/clinical-1-retinol-treatment.html

1. Retinol Body:

www.paulaschoice.co.uk/resist-retinol-skin-smoothing-body-treatment-with-antioxidants.html

1. Excellent weekly treatment. I use it on a night before going out or having an important meeting and it takes 5 years off your face:

www.paulaschoice.co.uk/resist-retinol-skin-smoothing-body-treatment-with-antioxidants.html

1. Hyaluronic Acid Treatment:

www.paulaschoice.co.uk/resist-hyaluronic-acid-booster.html

I know I sound like a sales person, but I am not selling them. You can get them only online from the website.

Loving this thread,am picking up soooo many tips,though am a decade further on than the OP. 5am yoga a particular draw,but class/DVD/YouTube? And the water......need much more water but what to do about the constant need to pee that comes with that? Have a bladder the size of a split lentil.....

Awesome topic, have read every post and there are some fabulous tips there . . .

I'm 46 - the best thing I ever did for my skin was starting to apply a good factor 50 suncreen every day, rain or shine. wish I had started sooner. My age-related skin complaint in mainly loss of radiance. As you get older you definately start to look duller. I've started using facial oils and thats a huge help - the Clarins Blue Orchid one is fantastic. When wearing make up I add two or three drops of BioOil to my foundation so I still get the coverage, but also a lovely radiant gloss to the skin without looking shiny/oily. On the subject of makeup . . . I've learnt that less really is more as you get older. Dont put on a mask, just enough to even out pigmentation and make you look like a fresher version of you. Also avoid powder blushes and switch to cream blushers . . . Bobbi Browns are fabulous and very blendable, you get a far fresher more natural and youthful effect. And last but not least, I really believe that after 35 its good to carry an extra 5kg of weight . . . it helps keep volume in your face. Not that I am advocating an unhealthy weight, but being very thin although fabulous for your clothes, can often strip your face at a time when you are losing volume anyway.

But aside from that . . . the forties are amazing!!! You can look just as good, even better than you did when very young as now you have all that great life experience and are comfortable with your own amazing body and life and beleive me, that shows xxx

Bourjois CC 123 cream is amazing. It turns me from haggard into normal each morning, but without making me look too made up.

Acid toning wiped years off me last year, but now I think it's broken my skin - it's gone crap again so I need to find a new routine.

Oh, and I've just started wearing factor 50 whatever the weather when I'm going to be outside for more than an hour.

Love and laughter, failing that upping fruit and veg and dr wells at origin seem to work a treat x

Place marking 😃

Me too

Count me in. I want to be in my ideal body weight for the first time in my life when I reach 40. I have 2.5 years to go.

I'm 39, hit the same place, I use eucalyptus oil cream, have grown my hair longer with a fringe, cut down sugar, caffine and bread, started swimming, c25k and using my exercise bike. I recently started taking berroca, I am 5'9 and my weight has stayed at a healthy 10st for 6 months. I do my own fringe, nails, eyebrows and use pinterest for clothes, make up & accessories. The bed thing to improve my looks was buying my lovely VW beetle

Thanks OP & everyone else, great thread! I am not vain, I am still young enough to care and make an effort to feel good, be healthy and look good for me. Positive unconditional regard for myself.

Around a month ago, I was feeling bad because I noticed I had rough skin. I used to have good, smooth non-acne prone healthy skin. Never needed makeup. Usually just used sunscreen and Johnsons baby powder. Then I woke up, I'm 37, and oh boy. I think the intense heat of Aussie summer also contributed to my skin condition.

I started regular intense moisturisation using Physiogel intensive cream or Physiogel daily lotion + rosehip oil (because I was told in the Giorgio Armani and Chanel counters that my cheeks were dry) and started religiously using tretinoin 0.05%. I was already using it but sporadically.

Upon the advice of my friend (who's a dermatologist back home) I started using Glycolic cream 5% over a week ago. I used it every three days. I just bought the cheapest brand from [[http://au.iherb.com?rcode=MDL974 iHerb]]. They have free shipping for over $40 so I bought that and a couple of Real Techniques brushes.

I don't know if it's the glycolic or the moisturisation, but I am quite pleased with my skin now. Of course it's not the same baby-ish, smooth skin of years past, but I can honestly say it's smoother and more radiant now.

Now if I can only lose 2-3 stones, my heart will be full of joy.

Oh the brand I bought was Reviva Labs 5% glycolic acid cream. They also have 10%, but I started with the lower dose.