In this post I explain the steps I follow in my morning and night Winter skin care routine for skin over 40. I include the list of products I’m loving right now.
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored, but it does contain affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. I am not a professional skin care expert. The opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal experiences using these products which I purchased.
My Skin Journey
As a child I suffered from really bad acne. It cleared up in my late teens and pretty much stayed that way in my 20’s and 30’s. I turned 40 and was pregnant with my first child. My skin was glowing and radiant all through the pregnancy. Post-pregnancy, my combination skin was looking older and dull. I developed Melasma around my eyes, forehead, and cheeks. It was time to start taking my skin care more serious.
And the Research Shows…
After a couple of quick Google searches I realized there are a lot of products and ingredients on the market. In consultation with a Canadian Brand called Indeed Laboratories, I learned about layering ingredients, and subscribed to a few YouTubers whose channels focused on skin care. The channels I found the most helpful are:
The #1 advice from all 3 channels (plus other research and doctors) – Sunscreen is the most important and final step in your AM skincare routine! Slather it on as the final step or right before you put on makeup.
The #2 advice is to look for fragrance free products as added fragrance can irritate the skin and really it is an unnecessary ingredient.
The #3 piece of advice is the best routine is the one that isn’t a chore to follow and this will look different from person to person. I want a routine that is effective with the least number of steps.
Suncreen, Suncreen, Sunscreen
I’d been wearing sunscreen on my face for several years, but I discovered I wasn’t wearing nearly enough for it to be effective, nor was I reapplying it throughout the day as suggested. In 2020, I became more vigilant in applying the right amount, a dime sized dollop on the face, paying extra attention to the areas visibly affected with melasma.
I also tried a bunch of different brands and formulas. I prefer mineral sunscreens for my face, but I do have a few fav moisturizers that use chemical filters. If you have sensitive skin I recommend using a mineral based sunscreen as they are more gentle since they work by sitting on top of the skin to reflect the sun rays vs. penetrating the skin to create a chemical barrier.
A few of my holy grail sunscreens that I love and recommend are:
Mineral face sunscreens:
- Australian Gold Botanical Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Tinted Face, Fragrance Free (1 Pack)
- La Roche-Posay Sunscreen Lotion, Anthelios Tinted Mineral Sunscreen Ultra-Fluid Lotion Face Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Titanium Dioxide, Fragrance Free, 50ml
Chemical filters for face that contain other skin care ingredients
- CeraVe Anti Aging Face Cream With Spf | Retinol Cream With Spf To help Smooth Fine Lines | Fragrance Free, 50 Grams
- CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion AM SPF 30, Daily Face Moisturizer with SPF and Hyaluronic Acid, Verified Extended Use Date, Fragrance Free, 89 Millilitres
- Marcelle Cc Cream Spf 35 Canadian Dermatology Association, Medium, 1 Count
- MARCELLE Sheer Tint Moisturizer Spf 30, Beige Moyen, 40 Milliliters
Winter Skin Care Routine
Skin care can get complicated. There are so many ingredients and product combinations. Some experts layer on 5+ products in AM and even more in their PM routines. I was looking for a simple skin care routine with minimal steps and products. It has to be easy otherwise I will not stick with it, especially on busy mornings or nights I’m exhausted. Here are the steps I decided to focus on:
Morning Winter Skin Care Steps:
- Wash face (sometimes just with water)
- Specialty product – like vitamin C or retinol
- Moisturize
- SPF
Night Winter Skin Care Steps:
- Wash face with cleanser, sometimes double cleanse if I wore makeup or water-resistance sunscreen
- Specialty product – like retinol
- Moisturize
Simplifying the Products
During summer of 2020, I tested out several products from the Indeed Laboratories line and found a few products that I saw great results with, namely their Hydraluron™ moisture jelly, Vitamin C24, Retinol Reface™, the hydraluron+ volumising lip treatment and the in-circadian night mask (for my Canadian friends – all these products are available at most Shoppers Drug Mart stores).
I did love these products and the results I was starting to see, however I felt I was using a lot of different products. To give the product a chance to soak into the skin I was waiting 3-5 minutes before layering on the next product. I was finding the process a bit much and not sustainable when I need to get out of the house quickly.
When it came time to curate my Winter Skin Care routine, I looked for products that did double duty – like moisturizers that moisturized and contained the specialty ingredients like vitamin C and retinol. Typically these 2 ingredients don’t mix well. Research suggests using vitamin C in the morning and a retinol at night. The Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair® Moisturizer Night is recommended by Dermatologists because Neutrogena found a way to safely combine both retinol and vitamin C into this night cream.
Products in my Winter Skin Care Routine:
Morning Winter Skin Care Routine
- Face wash
- Moisturizer
- CeraVe Eye Repair Cream Eye Cream with Hyaluronic Acid To Reduces the Look Of Dark circles & Puffiness Ophthalmologist Tested for Sensitive Eye Area Fragrance Free, 14.2 Grams (you don’t need a separate eye cream but if you have sensitive skin around the eyes, I recommend layering on this eye cream under your regular cream)
- Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron™ moisture jelly layered on top of Neutrogena moisturizer on days where my skin is feeling really dry or if I’ll be wearing the Australian Gold sunscreen as it is a drying formulation
- For the lips – hydraluron+ volumising lip treatment
- SPF
- Any of the ones mentioned above
Night Winter Skin Care Routine
- Face wash
- Moisturize
The Results
I did notice an improvement to the appearance of my skin after only a couple of weeks. It looks more radiant, smoother, the lines on my forehead and eye area are less visible, and I do notice a slight improvement on my darkest melasma spot. Overall, I am pleased with the results and will continue with this routine for now. I will adjust the routine or products as my skin needs change or by the season.
What skincare product are you loving this Winter? Leave the name of it in the comments.
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