Starting a Skin Care Routine in Your Mid-30s

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Since a lot of us have been stuck at home, I’ve been hearing about the handful of ways people are spending their time. It really ranges from watching all of the tv to working out to taking lots of naps. (Or D all of the above). I’ve also heard a handful of people taking about using this time to breakout their facemasks. When I saw that, I thought it might also be a good time to start a skin care routine.

I’ve heard a lot of people who say that they don’t do them because they:

• Don’t know what products to use
• Forget to do all the steps
• Don’t like putting all of the products on their face
• Don’t have the time to do it

While those are all valid reasons, let me mention again the ample time thing I just mentioned. Which makes this the perfect time to learn.

I figured that while I could talk about why regimens make it easy to establish a skin care routine, it would be more fun to bring in someone else. So I reached out to Anne (a frequent guest on here), who has recently become somewhat of a routine pro. Anne is going to share why starting a skin care routine in your mid-30s isn’t too soon (or too late!). She’ll also discuss how she figured out what products to use. Finally, she’ll share why regimens are easy to use, since they’re an all-in-one routine.

Starting a Skin Care Routine in Your Mid-30s

As someone who got lucky with pretty easy skin, not needing any of those products marked for “oily” or “dry” or “breakout-prone” faces, I never really bothered with any type of skincare routine. But then turning 35 last summer and landing solidly in my mid-30s, it just felt like it was time to start paying attention to my skin a bit more. Feeling old-ish makes me feel like wrinkles must be on the way, so I’d better head them off!

I didn’t really have any idea where to start, but Beautycounter made it easy. Since I had already transitioned to clean products for makeup, it was natural that I would look for that in skincare items too – and since I already liked Beautycounter’s foundation and concealer, I figured their skincare lines would be worth a try. So I tried a few products from both the Countertime regimen, which is supposed to reverse anti-aging effects. I also looked at the Countermatch collection, which is supposed to give you a radiantly moisturized complexion and prevent aging effects.

Here’s what I experimented with, what I thought of it, and what I ultimately invested in:

Countertime

• Used an entire bottle of the serum and the supreme cream (a night cream) from this line
• Didn’t find it to be a “miracle” change, but I was starting with skin that didn’t need a lot of attention. Though I did definitely notice that my skin was more moisturized and softer, especially when I woke up in the morning
• Saw a bit of brightening/evening of skin tone too
• Found the night cream to be weirdly thick at first, but I grew to really like how rich it felt on my skin. I never grew to like the scent very much though…
• Loved how the pretty pink packaging looked on my bathroom shelf but didn’t love using the cream out of a tub that I had to unscrew the top from. I prefer a dispenser product when possible for ease of use

Countermatch

• Started with sample size of the adaptive moisture lotion and the recovery sleeping cream before I had any skin routine at all (as in, at that point I put zero moisturizer/lotion on my face), and these felt so nice on my skin that I actually wanted to start a routine
• Loved how the night cream in this line feels on my skin even more than the Countertime one – it’s not quite so thick, and both of the lotions in this line have this lovely light (maybe even almond-y?) scent that I just drink up
• Find the milky cleanser to be just okay, but that’s because I don’t enjoy washing my face and would rather just swipe a cotton pad with micellar water on it – I’m adjusting though
• Continue to find my face to be smoother and softer and less dull than before using any products; also it just feels much more moisturized, making me think that even though I didn’t have dry skin, I’m still really benefiting from use of these

And the results….

While I like the idea of the anti-aging properties in the Countertime line, I didn’t see a ton of difference in using that serum + night cream compared to using the ones from the Countermatch line. Maybe because I have fairly smooth/easy skin to begin with, and thus maybe I’ll feel differently in 10 years when my skin is more wrinkly. So I decided to go with Countermatch when I invested in a whole regimen. I like the creams just a bit better, plus it’s a bit cheaper. And now it has updated pretty packaging!

I do have to start getting ready for bed a few minutes earlier than I used to, to make time for my “lotions and potions” as I call them. I also admit I feel like kind of an old lady any time I pat on an eye cream. But purchasing the whole regimen felt worth it to me because it instantly gives me the routine: though I was clueless before, I now know what order to apply the products, from toner to serum and beyond, and I don’t have to make any decisions about exactly which bottle of each type of product to buy (such as if I just showed up at Sephora and wanted to start a routine – overwhelming!). It’s attainable and affordable for a skincare beginner.

Now we’ll see how old I am before I manage to start a morning skincare routine as well…

Thank you Anne!

(P.S. You can use the same products for your morning routine. Just only use the Adaptive Moisture Lotion and skip the Recovery Sleeping Cream and Eye Rescue Cream.)

As you can seeing, starting a skin care routine in your mid-30s doesn’t have to be hard! It can also be kind of fun.

Now, if you’re interested in trying out any of the products Anne mentioned above, you’re in luck! Right now, you can take 10% off sitewide on Beautycounter through March 31st. This includes Regimens and Collections and Flawless in Five and Get the Look.

Let me know if you have any questions or if you need help figuring out what regimen might be best for you. I also have an easy quiz that you can do to help you figure it out. Getting good skin doesn’t have to be hard!

Thank you also to Anne for supplying me with photos of her Countermatch collection!