Wrinkles Are Not What's Making You Look Old. It’s This.
And there are 13 things that can help with it.
by The Candidly Team
It’s never fun to start with a disclaimer, but after hitting you with this title, we kinda think we gotta.
There is NOTHING wrong with aging.
But as women over 35 who write articles predominantly for other women over 35, we’re realistic about the fact that we like to take care of our skin in ways that make us look and feel our best.
And since 90% of aging can be chalked up to THIS, we see no reason not to take a proactive approach to skincare.
Having healthy, glowy skin just feels good. And because we have the unique opportunity as beauty editors to try more things than the average gal, why not share what’s worked?
Ok, now for the thing that’s making us look older. For the most part, it isn’t actually smile lines or forehead wrinkles. Those can actually be cute and full of character. So what is it then?
It’s TEXTURE.
When our skin looks dull and dry, but especially when it starts to look less taut, that’s when we can start to look even older than we are. So what are some of our non-surgical options for taking action?
Let’s start with the lifestyle stuff:
We can try microdermabrasion or microneedling.
Microdermabrasion is like an intense dermatalogical exfoliating treatment. It’s done professionally, and it basically sloughs off a top layer of rough, dry skin to reveal a much smoother and brighter surface.
Microneedling does indeed involve teeny tiny needles penetrating the skin, and when the skin repairs, it’s supposed to help produce more collagen which could help with tightening.
Now, of course, you should discuss ANY procedure you’re thinking of trying with your doctor to assess if it’s right for you, but before we get to the at-home stuff, we wanted to shed a little light on some of the in-office options.
We can be careful about the sun.
As we alluded to before, up to 90% of aging comes from the sun. So proper SPF protection can do a ton in the way of anti-aging.
We can drink more water.
Dehydration affects the skin - just like it does everything else - so while drinking water won’t Benjamin Button us into our 22-year-old selves, it can help us avoid the dryness, dullness, wrinkles, and lack of elasticity that can come from dehydration. Here’s how we get ourselves to drink enough water by the way.
We can eat a healthy diet.
Skinwise, highlights include avoiding inflammatory things like processed foods and alcohol and eating a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids (think salmon, oily fish, flax and chia seeds, walnuts and almonds). You should also eat plenty of foods that have Vitamin C (citrus, broccoli, bell peppers, strawberries and kiwi to name a few) and Vitamin E (almonds and sunflower seeds are good choices) as well. You can also get skin-smoothing lycopene from tomatoes and polyphenols from green tea and grapes.
We can use Vitamin C, retinoid, and SPF.
These are the only 3 ingredients proven to help with aging. Learn more HERE.
We can try at-home tools.
Many are bogus. Some show results. More on that later.
We can learn to do our makeup for mature skin.
Say ta ta to cakey powders and thick foundations More on that later.
Ok, so now that we’ve outlined some of the basic steps we can take, let’s get to the good stuff - the products that work. We’ve spent years assembling this list, and we’re pretty darn proud of it as well as what it’s done to our skin.
So, naturally we start with skincare:
THE SKINCARE
1. Furtuna Due Alberi Biphase Moisturizing Oil
We have written odes to this oil. Its golden color feels appropriate to the magical effect its had on our skin. The glow and dewiness are instant, but what it does to smooth texture is longterm and game-changing. Here is a before and after from one of our own after using the oil on her chest for several weeks.
It’s not cheap but it lasts forever, as all you need is a few drops, and Furtuna was kind enough to give us a code to help with the cost.
Use CANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Price: Starting at $100
2. Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare
Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads
Our own Editor-in-Chief, a very sage beauty junkie wrote of this product “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a speedy change in my skin. Tighter pores, brighter overall, unbelievably soft skin in the morning.” The way they resurface the skin is like instant youth. Sorry if we sound a little Isabella Rossellini in Death Becomes Her, but it’s true.
Price: $92
3. SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic
This is the queen bee in the world of vitamin C. And as we said, it’s one of only 3 ingredients shown to have anti-aging effects. So this is a “big one” so to speak. Once again, it’s not $19, but a little goes a long way. And once again, we asked for a code for you to help soften the blow.
Use CANDIDLY to get 15% off.
Price: $182
4. A313 Vitamin A Pommade
Yes, it went viral this year, and it does not come in a pretty package, but this pharmaceutical-grade French Pharmacy retinoid helps stimulate cell turnover, iron out lines, and diminish the look of pores. So basically, it’s all about more youthful texture. Use it at night only and slather on the SPF, because retinol makes you more vulnerable to the sun.
And if you’re just too sensitive to do retinoid at all, try THIS. It’s been magic for those of us who opt to skip the pharmaceutical stuff for fear of flaking.
Price: $20
5. TULA Protect + Glow Daily Sunscreen Gel SPF 30
If you want your skin to stay looking supple, it is ALL about the sun protection. We love this SPF because it gives off a lovely luminescence and works as a beautiful primer under makeup. The sunscreen in a foundation is sadly not usually enough to go the distance in protecting you from UVA + UVB rays, but adding this to your routine only enhances your skin’s final glow.
Price: $38
6. Biossance Squalane + Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum
This product is designed for loss of firmness. The powerful squalane and peptide combo adds a plumpness that we have to say we’ve never experienced with any other product. Plus, it’s gorgeous in terms of hydration. Definitely a desert-island product we tell every woman we know about.
Price: $68
THE TOOLS
7. NuFace Trinity+® Starter Kit
There are lots of gadgets out there that promise to lift and tighten and do nothing, which made us naturally skeptical about this tool. However, after trying it, it sort of feels too good to exist. Here’s an example of the astonishing the results on our own Editor-in-Chief...
Price: $395
9. Solawave 4-in-1 Skincare Wand
We’d heard about how red light therapy helps with dark spots, brightens the skin, improves texture, and aids with acne scarring, redness, and puffiness. And the fact that it takes just 5 nonchalant minutes a day to reap those rewards is a gift to both our tired skin and chaotic schedules. You can see some before and after results HERE.
Price: $169
10. Wrinkles Schminkles Forehead Wrinkle Patches
Ok, so there’s a caveat we’ll be up front about here. This product works. It tightens the skin to a point where you might not believe our very own before and after below. However, it’s more of a use it at night and enjoy the next day type of deal, not a permanent solution to skin aging. But if you want to look your best for an occasion or just want to have something on hand that gives you immediate results, this is your gal.
We went for a forehead lift but they also have patches for crow’s feet and mouth and lips.
Price: $30
THE MAKEUP
11. Trinny London Miracle Blur
We’ve been known to refer to this as “better than Botox,” and while we can get a little hyperbolic when we’re excited, we have really good reason to be excited about this miracle putty. It fills in pores and blurs our skin which gives it a much smoother, more buoyant look. It’s made with collagen and elastin so “plumping” is definitely a good word to describe what it does. Honestly, we’re just never without it since our first use. You can even read our full screed about it HERE.
Price: $34
12. bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream
If you are over 35 and in the market for a foundation that will give you glassy skin without magnifying an inch of sag (sorry to use that word), look no further. This formula is seemingly MADE for mature skin, adding a healthful glow that doesn’t cake or look heavy like so many foundations that end up aging us. The effect is your skin but better - much, much better.
Price: $39
13. Jones Road Miracle Balm
We close with something that also has the word “miracle” in it, but here’s why we’re okay with that. Powder blushes look dry and aging on older skin, but a dewy, natural finish like the one you get from the Miracle Balm is practically unheard of in the world of over-40 makeup. And don’t we all want to seem like we’re not wearing makeup and just naturally woke up looking glowy and amazing? Well, this is simply your best best for achieving exactly that. We get into more detail about why HERE, but the best thing to do is try it and marvel at your own results.
Price: $38
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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