If you have followed along with me – you know that I am obsessed with skincare. I am always looking for the latest and greatest and even had a stint as a skincare saleslady.

My skin had been acting a little temperamental, and after evaluating my process I realized I was using WAAAY too many products. My poor skin was overwhelmed but not happy. So I have paired it down to a handful of products. They aren’t cheap and I am constantly asking my teen daughter (also skincare obsessed) if my skin is indeed looking better. But I do think it is worth it. And since I have cut out a crazy amount of products. Less might not actually cost more.

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Vitner’s Daughter

I had been seeing Vitner’s Daughter pop up in some of my favorite beauty blogs and magazines, and since I am obsessed with oils I was curious. But … the price tag is heavy so I didn’t think much of it. Then one of my favorite bloggers, Julia of Lemon Stripes shared how much she loved it and was not getting paid to tell us – I decided to give it a try.

I just started my second signature set of the Active Treatment Essence and the Active Botanical Serum and I am in love. The first set lasted me a little more than 12 weeks. The essence smells slightly like vinegar, which seemed a bit much, but the serum smells so fabulous that you really won’t mind. I love that it is all-natural and it really is making my skin look better. Less red and definitely more glowy.

So now I just wash my face and use these two steps and I am off and running. (Well almost just those two – see below) In the winter I might need to add a moisturizer, but this time of year I don’t need it.

Must Haves if you are almost 50 or above!

I am no longer in my 20’s or 30’s so there a few things that I just can’t quit – Eye cream, retinol, and AHA’s.

Eye Cream

Genes are strong – and I inherited bags. BUT… definitely not the designer kind. I have tried EVERYTHING! It is the one thing on my face that really bothers me, and my love of salt does not help. I have found a few things that came close, but not the holy grail. UNTIL …

My daughter and I were in Sephora shopping for the semi-annual sale. It was hectic and I was focused on keeping Eiley from buying everything in the store, but in the chaos, I managed to flag down a nice salesman and asked (like I do every trip) if he had a miracle eye cream. He handed me one and told me it was by far the best and I would love it. He was standing in front of the price, so I didn’t look I just grabbed it and ran after Eiley and her latest acquisition.

I checked out and it seemed pricy even after my Rouge discount, but just wanted to get out of there. Anyway to shorten my long story – I got home and learned that my new Kate Sommerville eye cream was $140. I never would have bought it had I known – BUT WOW! Life-changing. If you have bags – I highly highly recommend it. (I am on month 3 – it lasts a while)

Retinol

As women, we get a lot of beauty advice, but the one consistent is retinol. So I feel like I can’t quit it!

My two favs are Rodan and Fields Intensive Renewing Serum and Neutrogena Retinol Pro. I am using the latter now to save money to offset my other products.

AHA’S

Alpha Hydroxy Acids are another must-have that I think women of a certain age need. Basically, it is a gentle chemical peel you can do at home. Here are my favorites:

• Dr. Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel
• Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial™ AHA + BHA Mask
• Blue Mercury M-61 Power Glow Peel
• Beauty Counter Reflect Effect AHA Smoothing Facial Mask

Right now I am using the Dr. Gross pads daily, but just tried the Beauty Counter mask sample from a friend and it is really nice if you are looking for a 2-3x week option.

So while I am going a little crazy with my new fancy products, I think it probably comes out in the wash as I have cut way back on all the products I was buying and trying without fabulous results. And it’s not like I’m buying Agustinus Bader, right?

You might also like: My Sephora Holiday Sale Picks and The Best Everyday Self-Tanners for a Healthy Glow