Mid-thirties skincare for dummies

[Zoomface]

It's recently come to my attention that I am no longer 21.
When I last looked, cleanse, tone & moisturise twice daily was the order of the day (and you could replace toner with a splash of cold water).
I've been doing this and wearing spf 50 for many years but, on closer inspection, I increasingly look less than glowy, and actually a bit blotchy.
Many of the skincare threads on here talk about retinol, vitamin c, serums, hydraulic (??) stuff.
I have no bloody clue.
Does anyone have any recommendations of resources to educate myself in the world of middle aged skincare (ugh) so I can at least figure out which of the fancy bottles might do me some good?? I really need basic. Skincare for idiots. I've woken up and the world has significantly moved on, this must be how my mum felt when her vhs player broke & she realised John Lewis don't even sell dvd players anymore.
Thank you.

Anyone??? 😫

Just scour all the skincare threads on here and cherry pick the stuff you like the sound of. Everyone's skin is different so what works for one person won't for another. There are loads of serums and various different acids recommended but you have to do a bit of research - figure out what it is that's bothering you about your skin now, have a read up on what might improve things and give a few products a try. Aldi and Superdrug skincare ranges always get recommeded on here. Lots of people love The Ordinary. Online reviews are great for giving you clues about what might suit your skin. I felt the same as you a few months ago but I've had a read of mumsnet and tried slapping a few new products on my face and I really have noticed a difference.

In very simple terms things haven’t moved on that much. The order of the day is still cleanse (although a double cleanse in the evening routine), a toner (although now they are acid toners for exfoliation) and moisturiser. SPF to complete the morning routine.

Then - The Actives. Mostly vitamin A (retinol) for anti ageing and vitamin C for brightening.

Plus your added extras, others acids and peptides depending on what your specific area of concern is.

If you check The Ordinary you can see several routines of products depending on what you’re trying to achieve e.g pigmentation, lines, hydration.

It feels a lots when you first start looking but start with the basics and go from there

Thanks so much both of you. I find most of the skincare threads on here a bit overwhelming, people talking about ingredients & I have no clue if that's something that would be suitable for me or not.
@FreshFaceTime it's really nice to hear your efforts in understanding it all have paid off!
@MrsPeacockDidIt thanks for the high level explanation & categories there, that in itself is really helpful!
I will look at the Ordinary, I'm also struggling with labelling what's actually wrong too - what does "dull" "pigmentation" etc mean? I was hoping there might be something on YouTube or similar but all seems either trying to market something specific and/or assumes a higher level of knowledge than I have!!

Caroline Hirons Skin Care Book

@FlyingByTheSeatof that looks great, thank you!!!

Check out skincare by Hyram on YouTube - I’ve followed his advice and my skin looks so much better already. Im actually looking at the ingredients in my products now too!