Skincare advice for building a routine for mature skin

[Nikki3009]

Hi, I'm in my 50s and my skincare routine has always been a bit hit and miss, my skin is pretty normal so I've gotten away with it, but in recent years the texture and pores are more noticeable and I have a bit of redness.
I double-cleanse, use moisturiser and SPF but I think I need to add in some anti-ageing products.
It's an absolute minefield trying to get good information. I'd like to build a fairly simple routine with a mix of drugstore/higher end products. My go-to used to be Dermalogica, but it's so expensive now and the routines they suggest run to costs that are way out of my budget. It's hard to know what products to save on and what to splurge on.
Who are your go-too's for skincare information? Is there a brand that works well for older skin that you would recommend? Products you can't live without? Thanks :-)

Medik8, vitamin c in the morning with a good SPF and retinol at night. I play around with lots of other products but those are my staples.

Don’t hate me but honestly this is one of the things ChatGPT is really good at! (I say this having sat up with it late last night bemoaning the fact that my customary brand is now outrageously expensive. It took me through exactly the questions you’re asking here - and set out a list, tailored to my wants and needs and preferences - of the best alternatives to try. Also explained how I might usefully tweak my routine to best effect.

(Obviously some glitches - it inadvertently included some points relevant to a contact lens solution query I’d made earlier - but no big deal.)

And I’m obviously not saying it can replace personal experience. But it can be a useful additional tool.

I would NEVER have thought of using ChatGPT for something like this so thank you! (deffo no hate) It's coming up with some really good options especially in the budget ranges.

I certainly found it very informative.

One thing it pointed out was that (aside from all the external frippery that made it expensive) the reason my chosen brand worked for me wasn’t the base ingredients, which are cheap, but the fact they avoid other ingredients which might irritate and cause bad reactions on my particular skin. So it looked for less expensive products that also excluded the wrong ingredients.

I asked searching questions. Added a recent photo. Included any details on my routine and lifestyle that might have a bearing on my choices. Obviously I don’t take everything it says as gospel - I am doing my own research as well! But surely only a highly experienced beauty professional could have anything like as much information at their fingertips, so 🤷‍♀️ …

Hi OP. The actives worth focusing on are retinol (or a gentler retinaldehyde), niacinamide for redness & pore appearance, and a well-formulated peptide serum. SPF is genuinely your highest-value anti-ageing step! For where to spend versus save= invest in your SPF, retinoid, & a good moisturizer. Cleanser/toner are fine to keep affordable (the skin doesn't absorb much from a rinse-off prod. anyway). Hope this helps!