We all want to keep our skin dewy, taut, and young looking. We don’t want to turn back time – well, maybe we do a little – we just want to age gracefully, with as little sun damage and wrinkles as possible. I don’t like that botox ‘frozen’ look that a lot of people sport when trying to cover up the signs of aging. I prefer natural looking skin. Luckily, there are lots of things you can do to keep your skin looking its best.

If you’re over 20, you should be wearing daily moisturizer. A daily moisturizer with a sunscreen is best, though you can put it on separately. I prefer, however, to combine the two and save myself a step. I like Neutrogena Healthy Skin. It softens and smooths your skin, and keeps you safe from sun damage. Here’s a bonus: Use code NEUT75 at checkout and you’ll get this great daily moisturizer with sunscreen for only $8.99.

If you’re over 30 and you’re starting to see a few fine lines, you should add a daily skin serum to your beauty routine. You’ll knock out those lines around your mouth, and you’ll improve the overall health of your skin. That means less sagging, more collagen production, and better looking skin that appears much younger than its age. I like Olay Regenerist products. Olay Regenerist made the number one spot on Consumer Reports best skin care list. That’s really something, because they tested products that cost 5 times as much as the Olay line.

If you’re over 40 – unless you have oily skin – you should be using an anti aging night cream as well. I use Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream. Yes, I know it’s not traditionally used as a night cream, but I like it better that way. It firms sagging skin and moisturizes very well. My skin is dewy and hydrated when I wake up in the morning, and I swear the skin around my jawline seems tighter.

You can keep your skin younger looking and fight off the signs of aging much longer than you might think. Skin care has a great deal to do with that. These three products – daily moisturizer with sunscreen, daily skin serum, and and anti aging night cream – can go a long way toward keeping your skin in optimum condition.

What’s your daily beauty regimen like? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a message here on the blog.

You haven’t had a breakout since your teens. Now you’re getting acne all over again. That whole range of skin problems you never thought you’d see again are back. What’s going on? Don’t panic – many women start having breakouts later in life. It can be caused by hormones, stress, or even medical problems or medications. If it’s severe- see a dermatologist right away. Otherwise, taking good care of your skin is the best way to fight acne.

Make sure you cleanse your face every morning and every night. Always, always, always remove your makeup before going to sleep. If you’re absolutely too tired to wash your face, keep makeup remover wipes by your bedside and clean your skin. You can toss the used one in your garbage can without getting out of bed. Make sure that it’s a gentle cleanser – you want to clean your face without drying out your skin.

Use a deep cleansing mask once a week. Clay masks are great – they’ll get rid of skin impurities and everything that clogs your pores. You’ll also get rid of dead skin cells, and reveal a more radiant complexion. Don’t use a harsh scrub – you’ll just redden your face and you might even make your acne worse. You want to exfoliate, but you don’t want to cause damage.

Use the right moisturizer. You want to use a gentle moisturizer that will keep your skin from breaking out. Also use non comedogenic makeups and oil free powders. This will keep you from breaking out further. They also make foundations that have acne fighting compounds in them – be careful, though. These can be incredibly drying, and you can still have dry skin AND acne. Not a good feeling, so check those ingredients and test them out before you start to use them long term.

What do you do when you have a breakout? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

Here’s a video that tells you the vitamins best for skin:

We all want our skin to be firm, smooth, and glowing. How can we get that? With a combination of a good diet and the right skin creams, your skin can look better than it ever has.

Good nutrition is the building block for healthy skin. When your diet is right, you’ll feel better…and you’ll look better. Vitamins and minerals found in food can protect your skin and help it look its best. You need lots of fruits and vegetables – and the following tips will tell you why.

Vitamin A invigorates skin by increasing cell turnover. Put simply, that means new skin cells rise to the top faster, making your skin fresh and glowing. Eat carrots. Don’t like orange vegetables? Try a salad made of romaine lettuce, which contains all your daily requirement of Vitamin A.

Vitamin C helps keep your skin smooth and firm. High intakes of Vitamin C mean fewer wrinkles. Citrus fruits and strawberries are good sources.

Lutein increases protection against UV damage that can lead to fine lines and brown spots. It also makes your skin firmer, and keeps it better hydrated. Eat an egg a day.

Vitamin E increases immune system function, which helps keep skin cancer at bay. As an antioxidant, vitamin E can protect against UV radiation and other free radicals. Your skin will be firmer and smoother. Eat nuts for lots of Vitamin E. Just a handful a day will do the trick.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids keep skin moist and elastic. Salmon, walnuts, and flax seeds are excellent sources.

Whole grains contain a lot of antioxidants, which are great for skin health. Eat oatmeal, whole grain cereals, and whole wheat bread. Your skin will thank you.

Now that you know how to feed your skin from the inside, let’s concentrate on the outside. No matter what age you are, you should be wearing a moisturizer with sunscreen. It keeps UV damage from prematurely wrinkling your skin and giving you brown spots. You should also moisturize your face, every day, no matter what type of skin you have. Even if your skin is oily, a moisturizer for oily skin will keep your skin healthy.

Do you use moisturizer daily? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a message here on the blog.