It doesn’t matter if you’re tired of hearing it. There’s no point in investing money in your skin if you’re just going to expose it to the #1 skin-destroying element – the sun.

No matter what the season or weather, sunscreen is a must. They make them in all styles, so there’s no excuse not to find one you like.

It’s never too late to stop the continual damage the sun does to your skin, so even if you have sunspots and wrinkles from your sun-worshipping days, you have the option not to make them worse.

Yes, it feels great to get into a nice hot shower after a workout or on a cold day. But hot water wreaks havoc on your skin, making it prone to dryness.

If you do end up in a warm shower, the best thing you can do is moisturize the minute you get out, while your skin is still damp, with a thick coat of something like CeraVe in the tub.

If you can’t help but step into a steamy shower, try protecting your face while you’re in there.

Consider putting on a thick coat of moisturizer, a sheet mask, or even some Vaseline to protect that skin and keep it from getting dry and flaky.

Just remove it when you get out of the shower and go about your regular skincare routine.

We would all probably sleep more if we could, but life gets in the way.

However, it’s important to know that a lack of sleep can affect your skin, especially the skin around the eyes, leaving you with dark circles.

You can only cover up your lack of sleep so much. Finding the opportunity to get some more zzzs is key, whether it’s stopping your binge-watching a bit early or laying off the phone and computer light before bedtime.

Face massage seems to be a new fad, but it can help improve blood circulation as well as help you move muscles that might not normally get much of a workout.

You don’t even need a special tool to do it (although there are plenty available). Simply use your clean fingertips to massage in your products for a minute or two each morning and/or night.

And always work outwards and upwards.

Many people end up with irritated skin from over-exfoliation, whether it’s physical or chemical.

But exfoliation of some sort is a must in order to get rid of dead skin that sits on your face and speed up skin cell turnover – but it’s easy to overdo it.

You almost certainly don’t need to exfoliate every day, so leave the skin scrubbing and acids for a few times a week to prevent irritation and redness.

Everyone’s skin is different, so it’s always a good idea to talk to your facialist or dermatologist about the condition of your skin.

Not only does pollution and bacteria pile up on your face all day, but makeup settles into pores and fine lines the longer it’s on your face.

For those who wear foundation and mascara, a double-cleanse is likely in order. The first step involves an oil or balm that dissolves the cosmetics, then a good cleaning soap clears off the debris as well as the oil.

If you’re left with a tight feeling after washing your face, you likely need a more moisturizing soap.

There are very few skincare ingredients with real science behind them, but hyaluronic acid is one that’s been shown to improve skin’s glow. It’s also been shown to hold over 1000x its weight in water.

It’s a naturally occurring molecule that already exists in your skin, but the addition of a skincare product that includes HA can help hold in the moisture we lose over time due to aging or dehydration.

This may require some trial and error since there are products with low and high molecular weights and your skin may prefer one over another.

Regardless of what you choose, you should use it on damp skin (so it has water to draw from instead of drawing it out of your skin) and seal it in with a moisturizer.

Retinol can pose issues for women who are pregnant, but the rest of us can generally use it safely.

The key with this ingredient – which is also one of the rare ones with science to back it up – is to start with a low concentration (but at least .25%) and work your way up. Don’t go crazy and get that 1% retinol right away or you will end up with dry, flaky skin.

Used correctly, retinol can help with acne, scarring, hyperpigmentation, and skin smoothing, leaving you with a healthy glow. It can even help keep fine lines at bay.

If you’re worried about the dosage or have sensitive skin, it’s best to consult a dermatologist. They can also prescribe higher doses of retinol for those dealing with acne.

Just remember to use a moisturizer with this one and look for products that list retinol (or retinaldehyde) and not retinyl palmitate, which is a far weaker formulation.

They say you can tell someone’s age by the look of their hands.

Unless you’re an inveterate moisturizer, chances are you experience some dryness and wrinkling on your hands. It’s also a place we forget to put sunscreen, so sunspots can also be an issue.

One good way to take good care of them is to rub any extra products you’re putting on your face onto the back of your hands so they get the same treatment.

If you have beauty products that you didn’t like for your face, you might also consider using them on your hands instead of letting them go to waste.

Regardless, you have to keep that area sunscreened and moisturized so your hands look youthful and glowing.

For the last few years, Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has been a darling of the beauty world for its supposed ability to erase sunspots on skin.

While the evidence isn’t conclusive in humans, there are studies that show a topical application of vitamins C and E can help prevent UV damage and possibly reduce the effects of UV damage such as fine lines – and there is plenty of chatter online about people having luck with this combination to even out skin tone.

The problem is that good, shelf-stable products tend to be expensive (think over $100). Anyone who tells you to just rub a lemon on your face is a quack – and a dangerous one at that! You might as well just eat your vitamin C if you want a cheap alternative.

If and when you do invest, be sure to use the best version of vitamin C, called L-ascorbic-acid (look for it in the ingredients), because that’s what all the research is on.

You might like the way your skin looks when it’s tan, but the only “safe” tan is a fake one – and we don’t mean dangerous tanning beds.

Self-tanner is your only option to stay UV-free and keep your skin healthy if you want your glow to be of the bronze sort.

Tanning beds can and do increase your risk of cancer by 75% before the age of 35!

It’s easy to become obsessed with beauty products once you see some of them start to work. And all of those free samples that come inside our packages are basically begging us to try something new every week.

But your skin can and will get overwhelmed and may turn out dry and inflamed if you use a ton of different things.

It’s tempting to try the latest and greatest product – and that’s precisely what marketers are hired to make you do – but your best bet is to stick with a few good products as long as they’re working.

It typically takes a few weeks for products to start to do their jobs anyway.

There are no “correct” number of steps in any beauty routine, so if you want to save yourself time and money on the quest for glowing skin, try to limit yourself.

Slapping a bunch of serums and essences on your face every 30 seconds is no good – most people don’t even give them time to absorb.

We require different products at different ages and your skincare routine might have a few extra steps if you’re 60 as opposed to 20 – and that’s ok!

Just remember that the more you put on your face that harder it is to figure out the culprit if something goes wrong.

Even if you find your “holy grail” products and stick to a simple routine, your skin may have different needs in different seasons to keep it looking its best and brightest.

Moisturizer, for example, may need to be a bit creamier and heavier in the winter to make up for dry, warm air and constant temperature changes.

Just listen to your skin and not the hype when it comes to making a change.

And remember that sunscreen is a year-round need!

Skin tends to develop issues when we’re sedentary. You can even develop certain kinds of psoriasis from sitting one way all day.

You need to keep your blood flowing to keep your skin looking its best – after all, it needs the oxygen your blood cells carry to feed its needs.

Just like you would massage your face to get those muscles moving, you should also consider exercise and even massage as an integral part of your skincare regimen, especially if you’re concerned about your skin from the neck down.

Even a daily short walk is better than nothing.

Alcohol leads to dehydration and we’ve all been there. Dehydrated skin tends to be sallow and shows fine lines and wrinkles more easily. And no amount of topical plumping treatments are going to help if you’re dry from the inside.

So drink your water and cut back on the booze if you want glowing skin. This is especially important if you’re prepping for a big event. A good facial can only do so much if you’re not taking care of your body.

Alcohol can also alter blood flow and make your skin flush or lead to broken capillaries.

If you get oily mid-day, it’s not always a great idea to reach for the powder – you’re just piling onto the problem and contaminating your beauty brushes in the process.

Try blotting papers for starters so powders don’t clump around your face in the oily spots.

No matter how many mattifying products you try, your skin might still be oily by lunchtime. Many people use harsh cleansers and toners and skip moisturizers as a result, thinking they can dry out those oil-producing sebaceous glands. But the opposite is true. Drying out your skin will only lead to MORE oil production.

Look for oil-free and noncomedogenic moisturizers and makeup in order to keep oil production at bay. And for heaven’s sake, do NOT touch your face during the day if you can help it.

Just like you should pay attention to your hands, your neck and chest should get the royal treatment as well, especially when it comes to sunscreen application.

Instead of keeping all of that product on your face, bring it down a bit and make sure you’re cleaning and hydrating the skin below it as well for a youthful glow.

Humidifiers can lead to mold growth, which is not our friend, but if you can agree to keep yours clean and check it each week, they can be a godsend in winter when indoor air has all the moisture sucked out of it by our furnaces.

It won’t take the place of a good moisturizer or skincare routine, but it can certainly help keep the skin all over your body hydrated.

And now you can get personal-sized humidifiers for your desk or bedside table as well.

Ok, so we know we have to keep skin moist and hydrated and hyaluronic acid, moisturizers, and humidifiers (at the right time of year) can all help.

But it’s also important to think about the outermost layer of your face when it comes to locking in your products.

If you’re dealing with very dry skin (or even a localized area of dryness – say, where you had a breakout and went a little crazy with the salicylic acid), you should consider an oil or even a jelly to lock in all the hard work you’ve done during your skincare routine.

If you find your skin is dry or failing to plump up no matter what you do, you might need to add one more layer to the outside.

There are much harsher ingredients in body soap (and bar soap) than in face soap. And the odor-fighting power of body soap isn’t something you need on your delicate facial skin.

You need to do your own assessment (or have a professional look at it closely) to get a sense of what you need in a face soap. Assess how it looks, its moisture levels, any problem areas you want to address, and buy a special facial cleanser that addresses these issues.

If you don’t have acne, for example, you might not need a cleanser with salicylic acid. You can probably use something much gentler.

Skin flare-ups can be caused by just about anything – and we may not even know what the problem is in cases where our skin is reacting to some new allergen or irritant.

If your skin gets inflamed or “angry” from time to time, consider keeping some aloe around, or at least a product containing aloe.

It’s one of those rare natural ingredients that really do work to soothe and calm your skin.

Ok, so we mentioned this when we said lay off the alcohol but some people just don’t understand the importance of drinking water. In fact, people who have a soda addiction can go almost a whole day without drinking any!

Not getting enough water can affect your digestion, circulation, the transportation of nutrients, and much more – and all of these things show up on your skin.

It’s a lot like sunscreen – it’s a non-negotiable when it comes to getting glowing skin.

Nothing is a “must try” if you know it’s not going to work for your skin. You might have a friend who insists you try something – but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The only people who know your skin better than you are your facialist and dermatologist and that’s because they see it magnified and are trained to look for certain signs. Your friend sitting across the table is not the same kind of expert no matter how many websites they’ve read.

Ever get the feeling that a lot of problems can be solved by exercising, eating well, and drinking water? That’s because it’s true. And yet we’re willing to spend thousands on lotions and potions and ignore the cheap solutions right in front of our noses.

While websites tout the “natural skincare” effects of weird concoctions made from fruits and vegetables, they’re really not a great idea to put on your face (especially if they’re not organic).

Seriously, just eat them instead and you’ll glow from the inside out!

Ceramide molecules are already present in the outer layers of your skin and the fatty lipids are part of what helps hold the whole structure together. But as we age (and expose our faces to the sun and other pollutants) they can break down. That’s why you see them popping up everywhere in beauty products these days.

When your skin’s outer barrier is compromised, redness, dryness, and irritation can result and your skin will show more fine lines. Ceramides in skincare can help restore that barrier – and there’s some science to back it up.

As with any important ingredient, look for it near the top of the ingredients list. Once you get to the 6th ingredient or lower, things tend to be present in very tiny doses.

Men and women need to wash their faces every night, regardless of whether they put anything on them during the day.

Pollution, as well as bacteria and other germs from your phone and the other things you touch, can easily cause breakouts and irritation.

Washing your face at night isn’t simply about avoiding mascara raccoon eyes, it’s a way to take the day off, quite literally, and start with a clean slate.

You’d be horrified to know what’s on the things you touch all day without even thinking about it. But instead of getting paranoid and going all Lady Macbeth, your best bet to keep your face glowing is to develop a hands-off policy.

No more leaning on your hand or fist or reaching up to feel if you’re getting oily.

If you need to touch your face during the day, wash those hands first!

Stress can be a major skin concern. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all just get rid of our stress?

Not so easy, sadly.

When you’re stressed, your body produces a hormone called cortisol that can not only make your skin more sensitive but tell it to produce more oil as well.

Rashes, itchiness, bumps, breakouts – stress can do it all. And it’s hard to fix it with a product without addressing the root cause.

“Patting” appears to have originated in Japanese skincare. It involves putting an essence, serum, or moisturizer on your fingertips, rubbing them together and then patting the product on your face. People believe this helps the skin absorb products better than simply rubbing them in.

Of course, there’s no evidence on this and there never will be (how does one really run a real scientific trial on it anyway?) and anyone who tells you that rubbing products on your face is enough to break down the collagen doesn’t know a whole lot about physiology – but some people notice that tapping or patting in products does make them absorb faster.

So give it a try and see if it helps – at the very least it tends to distribute your product more evenly than rubbing.

This one actually goes for your hair as well. Microfiber towels have softer fibers and absorb a lot better, which is a win-win for your skin.

Any moisture that you add to your face that ends up evaporating there can add to dry skin (that’s why some people skip the essences and toners if they have dry and sensitive skin).

So invest in a few towels and make sure you keep a clean one in rotation for your more sensitive areas.

It may sound like overkill, but this is your skin we’re talking about.

Never put a lemon on your face (it’s not the kind of acid you want and can cause massive irritation). Never put baking soda on your face (no matter what a celebrity who is also getting $500 facials says they do). Just turn around and walk in the other direction at these DIY face masks that run rampant on the web.

Now, we’re not telling you to shell out a bunch of money for something you can make at home, but the thing about the products you buy from companies is that they have to go through cosmetic testing to ensure they’re safe to apply to skin. That doesn’t go for the topical application of food products.

And let’s be honest, if you’re taking care of your skin, you probably don’t need a face mask of any kind – the results last a few hours, at most. There’s better self-care out there that doesn’t involve scraping oatmeal and honey off of your face.

Products you can use frequently with active ingredients are going to be the ones that keep your skin glowing. If you want some real, free, self-care, give yourself a facial massage.

These are a few of our favorite things. And we HATE to hear that they’re bad for us in every way.

Since your skin in an organ, it works in tandem with all of your other organs (your body is a pretty cool, interconnected system – when it works right). That means what you’re doing to it in one area will affect others.

Now, we’re not saying cut all the fun out of your life, but if you have a serious penchant for sugary drinks and candies or look forward to the pre-dinner bread plate a little too much (it’s ok, you’re not alone), chances are you can see some of that on your skin.

Flushing, immune reactions, puffiness, sagging, breakouts – they can all visit your skin after indulging in bad food. Your own personal reaction just depends on how your body processes the food and what else you’ve got going on.

There’s no such thing as sweating out “toxins” or “detoxing” your body. While scientists call it a myth, it’s really more of a bad metaphor for ridding the body of some nebulous and unscientific “ickiness.”

Your skin is not a place where toxins come out. All of that work is done by your liver and kidneys.

When a beauty product promises a toxin flush or detox, just know that you’re reading pseudoscience. That should call into question some of their other claims as well. And while that doesn’t mean a product won’t work for you, it should give you pause.

Your skin glows because you take care of your body inside and out, not because you invest in some wacky detoxifying treatment.

Your pore size is your pore size, no matter what. Sorry.

Pores also don’t open and close. We know, mind-blowing, right?

The only things you can do to your pores are to clean them (a good facial will use a suction instrument and manual extraction to get the job done) and to use a product that obscures them. But nothing will actually shrink them.

Frankly, when we’re all more honest with ourselves about what we can and cannot achieve with our appearance, it makes life a lot less complicated (and saves money too!).

Forget the “pore-shrinking” nonsense and strive for clean pores. Regular facials and good exfoliation (that’s not too rough on your skin) are key.

Microcurrents, LED masks, dermaplaners, microneedlers – beauty has gone high-tech in recent years and it’s shaping up to be a multi-billion dollar business despite a real dearth of evidence.

Of course, some people do see a drastic improvement in the quality of their skin after using devices, but that’s typically only with very frequent use. If you have the time and money, there are FDA-cleared devices (which are not the same as FDA-approved!) that could help make your skin look more taut, clear, and glowy.

But if you don’t have 20-30 minutes to set aside 3-4 times a week, you’re much better off spending the money on a good facial or a skincare product that fits your needs.

Smoking robs your skin of oxygen and can leave it looking discolored and prematurely aged. We can usually spot a smoker when we see one.

There’s no beauty product that’s going to eliminate the damage if you continue to smoke. And while you might be able to get away with the occasional cigarette and still look youthful in your 20s, that’s not going to be the case in your 30s and beyond – and those bad habits from years ago will come back to haunt you.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of reasons to stay away from tobacco and none to use it.

Facials are a luxury and they can be quite expensive. But if you have a big pile of beauty products, it might be worth adding up the cost of those and seeing if you’d be better off getting a facial instead.

They don’t have to be done all that frequently to be useful – in fact, you can get one once a year just to check in and get an assessment of what your skin needs.

Just remember to ask questions about the condition of your skin, what it might need, and don’t feel obligated to go home with a big pile of products sold by the facialist. Ask them instead why they recommend a product and what its active ingredient is so you can research your own products.

They might even give you some samples to try.

If you’ve never had a facial, there’s nothing to be afraid of. And if you don’t like the idea of extractions or if something hurts, just ask the aesthetician not to do it.

Glowing skin isn’t just for your face. Those summertime legs can benefit from a good natural glow as well.

One thing that can keep the skin on your legs from looking their best are ingrown hairs and the red spots they leave behind.

In this day and age of shaving and then immediately putting on yoga pants, fitted jeans, or stockings, we’re all practically begging those hairs to turn back around and grow in the wrong direction.

Invest in an oil like Fur or Bio Oil to soften stubble and keep it from leaving you with redness and bumps.

Dry brushing your legs once a day will also help improve circulation and loosen any hairs that are getting the wrong idea.

Now that companies are making reusable sheet masks we don’t have to worry so much about the environmental pollution they create.

A great way to give your skin a boost, especially in the morning or before an event, is to use a sheet mask that’s been in the refrigerator.

In the summer especially, the cooling effect might make you a lot more likely to use it and give your face a moisture boost.

If you do use multiple products, it’s important to know how to layer them. For example, if you put a moisturizer on first, some of your other products are wasted because they won’t be able to penetrate that layer.

A good rule of thumb is to go from thinnest to thickest. You don’t have to use multiple products, but if you do, you should always put on liquids (like essences and toners) first, then gels, then creams, then anything thicker.

If you’ve invested in skin exfoliating devices (or even low-tech solutions like dry brushes and loofahs) you could be doing more harm than good if you’re not keeping them clean and replacing them frequently.

Not only do skin cells and bacteria build up in them, but they start to lose their shape over time as well and fail to do their jobs properly.

If you’re exfoliating your skin with something dirty, you’re just depositing bacteria farther into your skin – and that will not leave you with a natural glow.

Product junkies can often lose track of how old and item is. The same goes for samples.

Don’t hide those products away – keep them where you can see them.

If you have something that doesn’t work well, consider giving it away rather than letting it sit under your sink until you have the bright idea to try it again 3 years later.

You can’t decide if something works until you’ve given it a few weeks, or even months.

However, you can usually tell right off the bat if something is not right for your skin after trying a sample.

If you’ve invested in the whole bottle or jar and it’s not irritating your skin, try using it until it’s done before you make a judgment about it.

This will also save you some bathroom space and money in the long run.

Even the best, most expensive product is going to need some time to work and your skin will need some time to get used to it.

Nothing works overnight.

People with oily skin tend to be afraid of adding and oil into their skincare routine, but nighttime and post-shower hours are the key times to lock in moisture. They can also be useful if you want to give yourself a facial massage.

Those struggling with acne shouldn’t shy away from oils either, especially since acne-fighting ingredients like salicylic acid and benzoyl peroxide can dry skin out.

Squalane, marula, and argan oils are all safe options for most skin types and can work equally well on oily and dry skin. They’ll keep moisture from escaping your skin and keep pollutants out as well. There’s also science on their ability to be anti-inflammatory and healing as well.

Just do some research on the best type for your skin’s needs.

Moving away from the face for a moment, it’s important to address skin issues elsewhere as well. The torso and thighs are often neglected when we think about skincare but skin here can often be damaged from chafing and ingrown hairs.

This doesn’t mean you have to worry about every square inch of your body, but if you do experience dryness under your breasts or between your thighs from chafing and notice redness and irritation in those areas, consider keeping some unscented baby powder around to protect this sensitive skin.

A dry brush is a great tool (if you keep it clean!) for improving circulation and preventing ingrown hairs around the body.

Ignore the claims about “detoxifying” effects and focus on its ability to exfoliate instead. A dry brush will remove excess skin cells that keep your skin from looking radiant.

The benefit of a dry brush, as opposed to one you use in the shower, is that it won’t do as much to dry out your skin. Exfoliating wet skin can be too aggravating and evaporating water on freshly exfoliated skin can dry it out.

Ok, so we just recommended face oil a few slides ago, but oils are a complicated business and there are times you might need them and times you want to skip them.

If you have oily skin, you still need to moisturize your face, but in this case, you’ll want to look for an oil-free moisturizer.

These tend to be water-based and even mattifying so you can avoid the wrong kind of “glow” by lunchtime.

Putting your phone to your ear or touching your face after you handle it can lead to breakouts.

You probably don’t want to know what lurks on your phone, so your best bet is to invest in some alcohol or antibacterial wipes (or a spray bottle and washable cloth to be more environmentally friendly) and give it a wipedown a few times a day.

Just think for 10 seconds about all of the surfaces you put your phone on and whether or not you’d put your face on them as well.

Even if you get all of your makeup off at night, oil, skin flakes, and saliva can build up on pillowcases.

Dust mites love bed linens (sorry, it’s true and it’s just a fact of life) and while there’s no way to get rid of them completely, washing your pillowcases in hot water at least once a week will help keep breakouts at bay.

Not keen on laundry? Invest in a few sets of pillowcases and switch them out once or twice a week.

If you think about all the sulfites and other chemicals that are in shampoos and conditioners as well as all of the places you rub dry (no matter how clean they are!) after a shower, the idea of putting that same towel on your face won’t sound very appealing.

This is particularly the case for people with sensitive skin.

Just keep a separate towel or washcloth around that you use only on your face – preferably a soft, microfiber cloth that will soak up water and be gentle on sensitive, waterlogged skin.

Niacinimide sounds intimidating but there’s more and more science showing that this old-school ingredient really can help reduce skin sensitivity and strengthen the skin’s natural barrier.

There’s actually a long list of what it’s been shown to do in clinical trials (albeit small ones) here.

Just remember that if it’s not listed high up in the ingredients list of a product, there’s likely very little of the active ingredient inside. So look for niacinamide in the first 5-6 ingredients on the list.

If you’re 50, looking 18 is not a reasonable goal. Neither is getting rid of every fine line on your face (unless you don’t mind looking like a Botox-filled plastic doll).

We all need to set reasonable goals for skincare. Eliminating problems is tough, but reducing them is a worthwhile endeavor.

When it comes to thinks like breakouts, there are ways to get drastic results. But when it comes to lines and wrinkles, you need to understand that those are a fact of life as we age.

Investing in skincare can be great for brightening skin tone, reducing redness and some age spots, and making lines less visible. Turning back time is a whole other matter.

And there’s nothing wrong with aging – in fact, we’re lucky if we get to do it!

There are a lot of things we’re happy to use on our hair that we don’t necessarily want on our skin. Sometimes we need harsher chemicals or ingredients to maintain its color.

When that water drips down your skin in the shower, all of your hair product comes with it – and if you have ultra-sensitive skin you may see a reaction.

It only takes a second to refigure your shower routine so that you wash your body or give it a good rinse after you’re done letting the water run through your hair.

Just because you found it on Overstock or Amazon cheap doesn’t mean it’s an authentic product.

Many brands are careful about who they sell to and have lists of authorized retailers that they know will do quality control.

High-end products like SkinMedica and Biologique Recherche will flat-out tell you not to buy from most third-party sites, which makes you wonder where they got their products to begin with.

If you want a good deal, get on a mailing list or find out when products go on sale on websites like Dermstore instead of purchasing the first cheap version you find.

When bold lips are in, you have to exfoliate to keep them looking good.

If you spend time biting the skin off of your lips, that means they’re dry and you need to moisturize them.

Glowing skin only goes so far if your mouth is chapped and dry.

Lip balms are a good choice, but you should also exfoliate your lips at night when you wash your face. You can do it with a clean, soft toothbrush to remove those flakes.

And make sure you get all of the toothpaste off of your lips and out of the corners of your mouth!

Traveling can wreak havoc on skin. From dry airplane air to hard or soft tap water your skin isn’t used to, you might see more dryness and breakouts when you’re away from home.

Keep moisturizing products on hand and be sure to invest in some reusable travel-sized bottles so you can always carry your skincare routine with you. You don’t want to end up using hotel bar soap on your face just because your bottle of facial cleanser was too big to pack.

If you forgot something at home, find a nearby Sephora and go in for a sample of it or something similar.

If you’re unhappy with your skincare routine or are looking to solve a specific problem, it’s best to invest in one new product at a time and use it for a few weeks so you can assess its efficacy.

If you buy a whole new routine, you’ll never know which of the many products is doing its job – and since keeping it simple is best, you want to use the fewest products possible to achieve that clear, glowing complexion.

There are some things you just can’t “fix” – at least not without drastic interventions.

At some point, we all age – if we’re lucky! – and our skin will change as a result.

You simply can’t keep your face looking exactly the same from decade to decade, so at some point, you’re going to have to embrace the changes and make them work for you.

That doesn’t mean you have to give up on looking youthful, but you do have to remember that it’s going to take more and more to keep your skin looking its best as the years go by.