Gorgeous For Life

By Sally Wadyka

How can you get an enviable complexion in your 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond? Use the right products for your skin, follow a healthy diet, and choose makeup that plays up your natural radiance.

When you’re 18, a tight butt, firm abs, and smooth, glowing skin are practically givens. But as you age, keeping things perky requires a little more work. “You wouldn’t expect your body to stay toned and slim if you never worked out,” says Mary Lupo, M.D., a clinical professor of dermatology at the Tulane University School of Medicine. “Having firm, beautiful skin requires an investment of your time and energy too.” The good news? It’s never too late to start. “With the right routine, you can whip your complexion into great shape in a matter of weeks,” says Lupo.

A Stay-Smooth Skin Regimen

With the abundance of skincare products available today, it’s tough to know what you really need. So we’ve navigated the aisles for you to find the ones that get results at every age.

Repair Your Skin
“The epidermis [your skin’s top layer] acts like a shield, keeping good stuff, like water, in—and bad stuff, like wrinkle-causing free radicals, out,” explains Lupo. This layer remains impenetrable until your mid-20s, when inflammation triggered by sun exposure, pollution, and dehydration can cause it to develop “cracks.” To fill them in, apply a product with ceramides (a synthetic form of lipids, a natural part of skin) or borage seed oil (an omega-6 fatty acid). Try Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules ($68; elizabetharden.com) or Philosophy When Hope Is Not Enough Replenishing Oil ($45; philosophy.com), with borage seed oil; both should be applied at night to clean skin.

Hydrate!
“For smooth, plump skin, you need plenty of moisture,” says Neil Sadick, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in New York City. Using an oil-free moisturizer once a day in your 20s (when you may still be battling breakouts) should suffice, but move to a richer version by your late 30s and up the application to twice a day to make sure your skin is getting the hydration it needs. Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, which attracts water to the skin and holds on to it. Find it in oil-free Clinique Moisture Surge ($32; Clinique .com) for 20-somethings or oily 30-somethings and Clarins HydraQuench Cream ($48; clarins.com) for women over 35.

Fight Free Radicals
“These cell damagers destroy skin’s collagen [the fibers that make your skin firm]. Antioxidants help fend them off,” says Joel Cohen, M.D., a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado. And while antioxidants in skin care are not new—vitamins C and E and green tea have been popular ingredients for nearly a decade—updated formulations help products deliver even more potent doses into the skin. What’s more, the latest antioxidant discoveries, like coffeeberry extract, found in RevaléSkin Night Cream ($110; revaleskin.com for physicians), are proving to be even more effective at neutralizing free radicals than their predecessors, says Cohen. In your 20s, use a moisturizer that contains antioxidants, like Mark for Goodness Face Antioxidant SPF 30 Lotion ($15; meetmark.com). As you get older, step it up to a more concentrated serum, like SkinCeuticals Serum 15 AOX+ ($90; skinceuticals.com), with 15 percent pure vitamin C. Apply in the morning (before using a moisturizer if your antioxidants are in a separate serum) to fight the free radicals you face during the day.