40 and suddenly look like shit. Could I get a skin intervention?

[ShimmeringIce]

My skin has never really troubled me, but since turning forty it seems to have gone downhill fast
I have a minimal skincare routine, cheap-but-with-spf moisturiser, scrub off make up with micellar water at night. I feel like I should be buying The Ordinary, and maybe retinol, and serums??
Hoping the pics will show all my lovely lumps and bumps, red veins(?) and new under-eye wrinkles where I store my eyeshadow...
Any suggestions please?

I agree with baby....i do very little to my skin and i wear make up everyday...the more i try to cleanse and faff with my face the more it flares up.

I really recommend checking out Paula's choice. They do all the hard work for you in terms of giving you a skincare regime. You answer some questions about your skin type and they recommend a routine and the products to go with. I switched from just using makeup remover wipes and moisturiser to a full routine and my skin is feeling fabulous for it.

Routine now is:

Morning: cleanse, tone, vitamin C serum, moisturiser SPF 50

Evening: remove makeup with micellar water, cleanse, tone, exfoliate, retinol serum and moisturiser

Excellent stuff, ShimmeringIce!

Thanks for all you advice kaldefotter! (Bit scared to google what your name means lol)

Ha, ha, it just means cold feet! When I was signing up, I couldn't think of a name, but my feet were cold (as usual).

I've just started using the Boots retinol cream and I'm so shocked that retinol actually works. It's not just another beauty product fad thingy it actually works!

Sorry to jump on but this seems good advice!! Do people recommend the indeed labs serum and then also a separate moisturiser? And if so what type? I just use Nivea anti -ageing at the moment.

I see Super Facialist night cream at Boots which has good reviews and also contains retinol but would that be overkill with the serum too?

Thanks!

Whats the consensus on The body Shop Vit E day cream?

For me the key things include diet - make sure you're not consuming too much caffeine or alcohol. Drink lots of water and use SPF daily, I love Ultrasun.

Lots of great advice above about oil based cleansers with cloths to be gentle to your skin and retinol is fab but SPF is a MUST if you start using them.

Leonasa - serum first followed by moisturiser morning and night. What kind of moisturiser is best very much depends on your own skin and budget x

I swear by indeed hydraluron (££ sadly) and then I use garnier rose day cream which is not expensive. My skin gets lots of compliments.
Ditching moisturiser with silicone helped a lot but it's hard to find ones without it.

Which are the moisterisers not containing silicone, QuentinWinters?

I use this one at the moment as the hydraluron needs to be used with water based moisturiser
www.boots.com/garnier-skin-active-naturals-rose-moisturiser-10229282

A lot of the organic moisturizers are silicone free. It is quite hard to find them though- I spend a lot of time looking at labels!

Sorry to hijack the thread but I'm having a wrinkle crisis at the moment. I'm 43 and my skin is clear, good tone no spots but I suddenly look awful wrinkle wise. My crows feet stretch half way down my face when I smile....

I would be really grateful for advice. From reading the thread and doing a bit of research (not much so far) I'm thinking I need:

In the morning:

Vit C serum ( is Kiehls the best?)
A day moisturiser with SPF and Retinol (Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair?)

At night:
A deep wrinkle Retinol night cream (ROC or Neutrogena?)
A retinol eye cream (ROC)

Can I use a retinol moisturiser and eye cream together?

Failing all that botox might be my friend!

Thank you!

I could have written your post a few years ago after I got into my 40’s. I’d been using the same face wash/moisturiser for years and my skin looked awful.

A friend recommended me to cleanse my face 6 days out of 7 with an oil cleanser washed off with a hot cloth and then to use a gentle exfoliating wash on the 7th day.

It has revolutionized my skin. It’s never dry, my blackheads on my nose are so much better and I feel it’s slowed down the progression of my wrinkles.

I’m not in the UK so can’t recommend you a cleansing oil but I’m so glad I adopted this regime - it’s made such a differenxe

@Nottheboreworms I think that might be a fast-track way to getting your face to fall off! I guess it'd resolve the wrinkle issue though.

Seriously, though, take it easy with introducing new things to your skin. Retinols are powerful, skin is a sensitive organ, and going from 0-60 in an instant with retinols is not being kind to your skin.

Try to find a well-recommended retinoid, start out using it no more than a couple of nights a week. See how your skin is. Over time, see if your skin is happy with increased frequency. Over time, see if your skin is happy with a stronger product. Work your way up. This should take months.

Don't use retinoids in the day, only at night. Retinoids and sun exposure are not a good mix.

Moisturisers with SPF might be adequate for most people, but you need a separate, good quality sunblock if you're using retinoids. SPF 30 at a minimum (I use SPF 50).

Look into introducing acids and oils. Glycolic toners are useful. Plumping up the skin (hyaluronic acid products or oils) will help lesson the appearance of your wrinkles.

Mostly, be kind to your skin.

Thank you - was worried it might be overkill! I'll take it easy.

I've bought a night cream that has hyaluronic acid and retinol in it. Ivexakso seen a day cream that combines retinol and SPF 30. I've already got something called Heliocare SPF50 that I use ever day. I fear that now they're here and so deep there's not much I can do .

I don't look too bad in a mirror but my God photographs are a bit of a shock.

I'm with Baby and myusername - just warm water, flannels and moisturiser if needed - and an oil-based cleanser for getting mascara off. If I use water that's too hot I get very red skin and thread veins. Don't be tempted to wash your face in your nice hot shower or bath.

@Nottheboreworms Don't buy a day cream with retinol. That seems crazy. The cream would either put you at risk of reacting badly to sun exposure, or there's too little retinol in it to have any effect. Actually, the latter is more likely.

Moisturisers with retinol included might well be pretty ineffective too. Retinol is the trendy thing, so companies are 'including' it in their skincare products. It's in there, but there's not enough to have an actual effect.

Consider getting a proper standalone retinoid product, and introducing it slowly into your routine.

theordinary.com/product/rdn-granactive-retinoid-2pct-in-squalane-30ml?ccm=6afb414ca0a748bd85ed7ead6c4e6729f133993f2fd49d2697d9aa1f3700dc05f70102cb1d00da802a8fe86a4f7a904b2cc58b019d79610ab89b7e00b33f328bc753a4096d6833cfdfd104393f7b6d2e13d3be62d2812a619276ae63528d2b1265e7700d9def1e871b0cd27f25796d63997483dbf4cca5cb711510237fcdd8825c7c5d06460f6a0ef8fd36b51866c0fc

Kaldefotter I have to disagree with such a blanket statement. I use a moisturiser with retinol, it probably isn't high in content as purer retinol products but it does work. I have noticed a dramatic difference to my skin since I started using it.

brass brass I'm glad it's working for you.

So I've been shopping and have got:

• vitamin c serum
• a serum with concentrated
• retinol (2% in squalane)
• a Boots No7 cleanser and cloth

If I don't look 20 years younger by next week there's no hope for me

*a serum with concentrated hyaluronic acid

Could someone please tell me what vitamin c and retinol will do for my skin, and also how to apply them and buy them? Please

Nottheboreworms I nearly died when I thought you'd bought 2% retinol, but I've realised you mean 2% retinoid. The Ordinary describe their 1% retinol as high strength, very high irritation.

Anyway, that all looks good! Have fun with your new products.