Too early or too late to start anti-aging products

These days I feel bombarded by the choices I get for beauty treatments and beauty products. It’s no secret that I’m in my 30s and I’m actively in the market, on the prowl for products that will address my 3 biggest concerns – hydration, pore cleaning and anti-aging. But as I delve deeper and deeper into the testing and experimenting of all the different avenues, I start to wonder if I’m jumping on the bandwagon a little too late! I’ve always had it in my head that 30s (i’m old fashioned like that) are just about the right time to start on anti-aging skincare because that’s about the time fine lines starts to pop out. But while attending beauty events in the last few years, I noticed that a lot of the girls highly invested in skincare and anti-aging are not in their 30s, 40s or 50s. They are in their 20s and I dare say that some of them confided in me that they started anti-aging skincare since they were 17.

I aplaude them for their knowledge and eagerness to start young but part of me wonders if starting too young might have side effects. From what I’ve gathered, there are 2 camps on this issue.

Camp A – It’s never to early to start anti-aging. Prevention is better and cheaper than cure. Lots of skincare companies built their anti-aging range for women in their 20s and older. You don’t need to be older to afford good skincare with luxurious ingredients. Why wait when you can start now.

Camp B – Anti-aging products are usually more expensive and are a waste on the young. If you don’t have wrinkles, you don’t need anti-wrinkle creams. Using anti-aging products when your skin is young will render it less effective when you need it later on in your 30s, 40s and 50s. AHA and other acids on young skins that don’t need renewal will only make it over sensitive and prone to redness.

Which camp are you in?

Personally, I believe that it’s important to use the right skincare that addresses your what your current skin needs regardless of age. I was still battling with sensitive skin and oil bumps in my 20s and it wasn’t till I turned 30 that fine lines started to surface. Traveling is a big part of my lifestyle and to cater for that, I don’t always stick to the same skincare routine. I shake it up every once in awhile to fit into the climate I am going to be in. Generally, I’m blessed with pretty good skin (considering that I started taking care of my skin only in my mid-20s). My skin is sensitive but not unmanageable so I can still muck around different products and try them out for comparisons. Unlike skincare products, makeup is a little tricker for me as I tend to break out when I try makeup products (especially foundations). Thus, you’ll generally see more skincare reviews on my blog as compared to makeup reviews.

Aging is a wonderful thing. I feel wiser, more fulfilled and more comfortable than I was in my teens or 20s. However, this only applies to intrinsic aging. On the physical front, extrinsic aging should be prevented as much as possible without going into extremes. Personally, there are a few tips that I would like to share so that I feel you can start as young as possible and if you haven’t started, you really should.

1. Sun Care

The sun is your greatest enemy when it comes to the aging of your skin. It’s the one thing that all dermatologists around the world agree on. While we do need some doses of Vitamin D, you need to put on sun block or sunscreen and protect yourself from the sun religiously! Even if you don’t use any skincare products at all when you are in your 20s, sunblock or sunscreen is the holy grail of anti-aging that you cannot miss out on. It causes a whole lot of problems that women battle with for the rest of their lives. Just look at the image below for an overview!

I generally prefer skin block over sunscreen for my body as my skin is sensitive and sometimes doesn’t sit well with sun screen. For my face, I usually don’t put any type of foundation for my daily routine so sometimes putting liquid sunblock or sunscreen might give my face a sheen. This is especially so in Singapore’s humid weather. So instead, I use Jane Iredale’s Powder-Me Sunblock with SPF 30 UVA/UVB over my moisturizer. It’s translucent so don’t expect any coverage at all but since it’s powder form, it tends to keep my face matt with a good sun block factor. I love this and have introduced it to so many of my friends and family over the years. Jane Iredale is available on strawberrynet  and recently, more so in specialty spas around Singapore but I still stock up my supplies when I’m in the states.

If you can, try to stay out of the sun between 10am and 3pm because the UV rays are at their strongest. If you have to be out, do reapply your sunblock. It’s very mafun (inconvenient) and I tend to overlook reapplication as well but don’t follow my bad example.

Other than applying externally, it’s good to protect from within as well. When I was younger, such technological advancements were non-existent. But since it’s available now, one must make full use of it!

I’ve been taking Skinbiotics since it launched last year. It has many wonderful functions to rejuvenate your skin and you can read in detail on how Skinbiotics has worked for me but the main attraction that has lead me to continue to be on it is that it is the only supplement that increases my sun protection by 7 times. Most sunscreen are designed to protect us from UVA and UVB rays but they don’t protect you from blue light in UV which causes wrinkles and skin damage. Taking Skinbiotics means I get sun protection when I’m indoors because UV rays can still get to you if you work near glass windows. Skinbiotics can be found at all Watsons Singapore stores.

The last step to sun care is sunglasses! Sunglasses protect the eyes from painful sunburns and may help slow down cataracts and macular degeneration.

The World Health Organization reports that, worldwide, approximately 900,000 people are blind because of cataracts—cloudiness in the lens of the eye—triggered by UV exposure. Both my grandparents and some of my aunts have had cataract surgery. Wearing sunglasses often can delay the onset of cataracts. Wearing sunglasses also prevents premature aging of the delicate skin around your eyes. If that’s not enough reasons for you to start wearing your sunglasses, here’s one more. The skin around your eyes and your eyelids are the most prone to getting skin cancer! Even children should start wearing sunglasses.

For some reasons, I feel that while most people do own a pair of sunglass, people don’t seem to wear sunglasses often enough. I don’t really understand why not because other than protecting your eyes from the sun, it’s an awesomely cool fashion accessory. I own tons of sunglasses and always have 2 or 3 pairs in my car so I can mix and match them with my outfits if I forget to bring one out. These days I’m usually spotted with my Miu Miu sunglasses (pictured above) which I bought on my last europe trip or in my Ray Band original Wayfarer.

In all fairness, you only need one good pair. However, I just can not get enough of sunglasses and here are two on sale from SmartBuyGlasses that I’m tempted to get.

I love the Prada Baroque sunglass with the beautiful scrolls design and round frames. This one has a 100% UV protection rating too!

I’ve also been eyeing on this super oversized Tom Ford sunnies. I’ve heard that the design allows you to wear it all day without having leaving any “sunglass marks” on your nose which is my only complaint about wearing any type of glasses.

Some friends have told me that that don’t like to wear sunnies because they can’t get used to how the world looks in the tinted shades. Here’s a tip that I’ve learnt after owning so many different pairs. The sunnies with grayish lens tends to give the world it’s most natural tint.

2. Don’t sleep with makeup

I know some days it’s hard to even make it to your bed, let alone making sure you properly cleanse off all the makeup on your face. But not washing your face before you sleep is the sort of thing that bites you in the a** the day after.  Not going to bed with a clean, fresh face forces your skin to fend off irritants and bacteria all night long while it’s supposed to be replenishing itself.

Of course, I recommend a full cleansing routine but if you really really cannot even make it to the sink, you can consider removing your makeup with quick and easy cleansing wipes.

DHC Make Off Sheets can be found at Watsons Singapore Stores (S$17.50) .

Just make sure to properly cleanse your face once you wake up in the morning!

Thanks for reading.

XOXO,

Karen

PS- Since I’m on the topic of beauty, go check out my latest review of Hitachi Hada Crie Cool beauty gadget.

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Outfit of the day

I’ve been pretty lazy to dress up recently. Most of the time you’ll catch me in a top and denim shorts. But I hope this yellow outfit brightens up your Easter weekend.

Top: La Bella Vita

Shorts: Guangzhou

Shoes: Chanel

Necklace: Phiten X100

Sunglasses: Miu Miu

Earrings and Bracelet: Hermes

Bag: Louis Vuitton