You don’t always have to spend your entire savings on good skincare products. The other day while browsing in Vitamin World, I picked up a container of their store brand Retinol/Vitamin A Cream.

Some quick background info on retinols/vitamin A: they do great things for the skin like prevent wrinkles and fine-lines, fade dark spots, and fight acne over time. Basically if I could marry retinols I would.

So I’ve been using this at night (as Carm B posted they can make the skin sensitive to sun so I’d avoid them during the day) every night for the past week and have already noticed a slight positive change in my skin’s tone and vibrancy. I mean, I don’t have major skin issues aside from some occasional super-stubborn acne, but if it can take my skin to the next level, I’m all on it.

Best of all a 2 oz container of Vitamin World Retinol Cream is only $6.49 ($4.99 with a Vitamin World membership). I got mine at a BOGO sale at the membership price so I got two containers for less than $7. Win!

I tapped friend and beauty blogger Carm B of Lipstick Fashion Mascara for a piece on anti-aging basics. Not only is Carm roll-over-on-the-ground-feel-like-you-did-a-million-crunches funny but she’s always either trying out something new in skincare or talking so she brings a great perspective.

Let’s see what she has cooked up for us…

We may not want to admit it, but aging is a concern amongst most of us. No fear–I am here to save the day. Here are some basics to get you started on your journey to forever young-ness.

I can’t stress it enough, SUNSCREEN. Sun is the single biggest factor in collagen break down. Once this break down happens you will see fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, and lack of radiance. My recommendation is at least SPF 30 everyday. Even if you won’t leave the house and are schlepping around in your Scooby Doo pajamas, wash your face then apply.

Once you are protecting your assets you can begin using treatments to address and/or prevent signs of aging. If you already see signs of aging, you may want to begin using products containing retinoids. When we are about 28 our cell turnover begins to slow down. Slower cell turnover makes our skin appear lackluster and not as plump as it once was. Think of retinoids as a cure all. They speed up cell turnover and single-handedly combat hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, and even adult acne. Retin A, Tazorac and Tri-Luma are all popular retinoids however they do require a trip to the dermatologist. Because retinoids make you sun sensitive only use at night.

Glycolic acid is another magical ingredient. It exfoliates without the use of beads, granules, etc. I suggest incorporating this in your regimen via toner or face wash at least a few times a week. It helps to excelerate the process of dead skin shedding and will help your products penetrate deeper. If you are using higher percentages of retinoids, use enzymatic products to exfoliate. Enzymes are just a fancy word for fruit derived ingredients. Look for masks that use enzymes as you wouldn’t want to combine too many aggressive products at once.

Eyes

The skin around our eyes is thinner than any other place on our face. We usually see signs of aging here before any where else. This is another area you must be sure to cover in SPF, but use around an SPF 15 since our eyes are more sensitive and can’t tolerate higher SPFs without tearing. At night use products that contain ingredients such as hyaluronic acid which plumps and hydrates the skin and holds more than 1000 times its weight in water. Use your ringer finger to apply product around your eyes. Be sure to pat the product into the skin because rubbing can cause damage.

Though it might sound tempting to incorporate into your skincare regimen, please note that over the counter retinoids have not been approved for use around the eye area.

If cost is a concern remember your skin is your largest organ. It is better to prevent than to attempt to correct. Additionally, I would suggest spending more on your night time regimen to better take advantage of skin’s overnight repair process.

Here are some of my product recommendations (click pics for product info):

Face Scrubs & Exfoliants by Bliss
Face Cleansers by N.V. Perricone

We slather all sorts of lotions and potions on our faces for the sake of better-looking skin, but are we paying the same attention to our necks? Check out this article from Dr. Perricone on how to protect one of the main areas on your body that gives away your age.

The neck seems to always give away a person’s age. The skin on the neck is thin, contains fewer sebaceous glands, and is just as vulnerable to damage as the delicate area around the eyes.

But the real answer as to why your skin shows your age lies in how you treat it. Your face is easier to remember to take care of since it stares back at you in the mirror. By just giving your neck some therapy, too, you can look younger.

Why your neck wrinkles and sags

The first wrinkles to appear on the neck are horizontal rings called Venus’s rings, which are a result from repeated neck stretching. Repeated movements are only one of the causes of wrinkles, however.

The real culprits that cause neck wrinkles and sags are free radicals and inflammation. Free radicals are unstable cells that damage healthy skin cells to regain stability. When the free radical steals an electron to become stable, the molecule from which it stole the electron becomes a free radical.

Collagen is one molecule in particular that gets targeted by free radicals because of its abundance throughout the body. Collagen is an important protein because it essentially holds the body together, and in particular, gives skin its suppleness and tautness. When free radicals attack collagen, a process called cross-linking occurs. Cross-linking causes collagen molecules which normally slide over each other to become stiff and inflexible. This damage and inflexibility results in sagging and wrinkles.

External factors such as cigarette smoke and UV radiation cause free radicals, but your body’s natural processes, like digestion, do too. Free radicals are one cause of inflammation, the other culprit. When free radical damage occurs, arachidonic acid is produced, which then activates the chemicals that produce inflammation. In turn, inflammation causes free radicals. All of this accelerates the signs of aging on the neck and other parts of the body.

Since the neck has less oil glands, the skin on the neck gets less therapy than your face. Your skin needs oils to stay hydrated and supple. The neck is also more easily damaged by UV radiation because it has fewer melanocytes, the cells which produce melanin. Melanin is important because it helps protect skin from the sun’s rays.

How to give your sagging neck therapy it needs

To start, when you apply sunscreen to your face, be sure to also apply it to your neck (and other exposed skin areas, like your hands, while you’re at it). 15 minutes before you step outside, apply sunscreen with at least SPF 15. Some moisturizers contain SPF to help eliminate one step from your daily regimen.

Then, be sure to apply a topical product that can help boost collagen production. For example, vitamin C ester, found in a number of Perricone products, helps stimulate the growth of fibroblasts, the cells that help produce collagen and elastin, another important protein that gives skin its structure.

Consider Perricone Active Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 15. This moisturizer, formulated with vitamin C ester as well as alpha lipoic acid and DMAE, is a great way to give your neck the sun protection it needs. The anti-aging key sciences in this treatment helps to lift and tone while minimizing the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. When applying to the face, be sure to extend down to the neck to give it therapy, too.

Finally, if your neck skin is sagging, a topical product with Palmitoyl Carnosine, a peptide, can help firm and smooth skin. Palmitoyl Carnosine has anti-glycating qualities, which helps prevent wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Glycation, a process that occurs when sugar attaches to a protein, causes the aforementioned cross-linking which results in sagging and inflexible skin.

Perricone Firming Neck Therapy is formulated with Palmitoyl Carnosine as well as Phospholipids and Tocotrienols.

Phospholipids help to repair and treat dry and damaged skin, while Tocotrienols deliver antioxidant and emollient benefits to nourish dry skin and improve skin’s overall health. These ingredients are especially helpful for giving your neck therapy since it is in need of extra hydration due to its having less sebaceous glands.

About a month ago I was sent the Clarisonic PLUS Sonic Skin Cleansing System for review consideration. I was super intrigued to try it since I heard so many people practically offering their firstborns for one…lol. You couldn’t stop the ladies from leaving glowing reviews about any of the Clarisonic brushes on Sephora.com.

What is a Clarisonic exactly? You know the Sonic brushes that have been cleaning your teeth for years? The same people make the Clarisonic! It’s a brush tool that helps to deep clean the skin and promises less skin issues like acne, helps improve the appearance of skin tone, and reduces the appearance of pore size.

So I’ve had it for about a month and have been using it in a number of ways just to see what it can do. Here’s what I’ve found over the past few weeks:

1. It works better for me if I use my own skin care products. The ones provided with the PLUS made my skin get little bumps—not acne, but something that looks like little heat bumps. Could be just my skin since it tends to be more sensitive in the summer.

2. I have to be a bit more willing to read instructions before trying something new. I almost NEVER read instructions on anything from this Clarisonic to electronics to anything that needs to be put together. Why is this important? Because I was about to cry that I had a malfunctioning Clarisonic that didn’t charge when in actuality, I was putting it on the charger base backwards. *smh*

3. When I finally figured out how to charge the brush correctly, I would notice that my skin did look “cleaner” and my tone looked a bit brighter. I also liked how the brush felt on my skin. But on the same token, I don’t have major skin issues–just love to go the extra mile for the sake of flawless skin. I usually have trouble with acne showing up here and there—nothing major but it does get annoying. I have noticed a slight reduction in new acne spots. I still get them (thanks a lot NYC heat and humidity) but they don’t come as often. My hyperpigmentation (dark spots) have not increased nor have they decreased in the weeks I’ve been using the Clarisonic.

4. Now the $225 price tag is very subjective. Had I not received this to review, would I have bought the Clarisonic? Probably not. If I had major skin issues would I buy it? Yes! I’d probably try about anything that sounded like it would help my situation as long as it had a solid return policy if it didn’t work. It should also be noted that the PLUS can be used on the body as well.

For the cleansing properties though, I would consider raiding my savings for the smaller and less expensive Mia though.

More clarisonic…

Have you tried any of the Clarisonic products? What did you think?

Nordstrom-exclusive Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing set includes:

1 Mia with sensitive brush head and cap
Available in: Lavender, Berry and Turquoise
Nordstrom-exclusive Daisy travel bag
1 oz. gentle hydro cleanser
Normal brush head and cap
pLink(tm) charger

Nordstrom-exclusive Clarisonic PLUS Model with Body Brush set includes:

White PLUS with sensitive brush head and cap
Nordstrom-exclusive Daisy travel bag
Gentle hydro cleanser, refreshing gel cleanser and nourishing care cleanser (1 oz. each)
2 oz. travel size and 6 oz. full size refining skin polish
Delicate, Normal and Body brush head and cap
Universal charging cradle

Get them starting July 16th at Nordstrom.com (pre-order now) or your local Nordstrom store.