The skin you're in

Someone asked in the comments here what I use on my skin to avoid crows' feet.

The conclusion I am coming to is that for me, specific products don't make a huge amount of difference. Cleansing well, rinsing very well (at least fifteen times), and making sure my skin is moisturized as needed seems to produce consistent results, regardless of the specific products.

(Do not consider leaving even the smallest amount of eye makeup on your face. I read recently that dermatologists are stunned at the amount of makeup residue that they see under their patients' eyes when they look at them under magnifiers. These traces contribute hugely to an old, tired look. Why spend tons of money on treatments and products if one of the easiest ways to look fresh is so cheap and easy?) 

Also, I don't smoke, I eat fairly healthfully, and I use at least SPF 15 every day, while not spending much time at all in the sun. (I also stopped drinking alcohol almost five months ago, since which time I have received lots more compliments on my skin and overall looks.) I could stand to drink more water, I'm sure.

But for what it's worth, here are some products that I use regularly.

Morning: Cleanse with Elemis Rehydrating Rose Petal Cleanser or with Murad Hydrating Toner or a Clearasil pad; apply Estée Lauder Idealist Skin Refinisher to minimize pores; tap a tiny bit of Murad Silk Eye Gel into undereye areas and outer corners of eyes; smooth on Murad Skin Perfecting Lotion if my skin feels dry. I wear Tarte Smooth Operator SPF 20 or Murad Oil-Free Sunblock Sheer Tint SPF 15 as a foundation.

Evening: Cleanse with the same Elemis cleanser or with Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser (which has clearly grown on me over the last year); tone with the Murad Hydrating Toner or Clearasil pad; remove eye makeup with Almay Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover Gel; tap some Kenzoki Relaxing Eye Whipped Cream into undereye areas and outer corners of eyes; smooth on some Dermalogica Medicated Clearing Gel if my skin is spotty or Murad Night Reform Treatment or Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream or a prescription-only retinol night cream that my dermatologist gave me several months ago. (That last step depends a great deal on how my skin is feeling at that moment. If it's a little tight, I use a bit of the retinol cream. If it's quite dry, I go for the Pro-Collagen Marine Cream.)

There is a lot of Murad stuff here - all of which I got for free from their PR department - not because I find their products to be miracle workers but because they do the job as well as anything else I have.

As you can see, my routine is not very routine. I mix it up a lot, mostly because I am always trying new products.

I would really like to find something to stop my monthly, menstruation-related breakouts, but I have a feeling that's something I'm going to have to learn to live with until pregnancy or menopause.

The key to my skincare is that I keep my expectations of specific products quite low, which I think is something that most women would benefit from doing.   

Comments

[Jenny]

Could you recommend an eye-makeup remover that will REALLY get it all off? I've tried a million times, scrape under my eyes with a q-tip, and still am not getting it all off. Help! I like liquid eyeliner and waterproof mascara.

[J]

Your only 30 for goodness sake. Wait another ten years, then you can have an opinion

[Jackie Danicki]

Actually, J, I can have an opinion now. And I do! Isn't that funny?

Jenny, I do love my Almay gel, and Avene makes a good, gentle eye makeup remover too (but the bottle needs very hard squeezing to get the product out). But I need an oil-free, petrolatum-free eye makeup remover (the Almay and Avene are both formulated for contact lens wearers). If you're having a hard time, you need to go oil-based, I think.

[kelly]

"I keep my expectations of specific products quite low, which I think is something that most women would benefit from doing."

So true! This is something I need to remember when I'm contemplating trying yet another allegedly miraculous product.

[Franziska]

Wow! That's a lot. I only use L'Oreal Re-Nourish Cleansing wipes for my face and eyes to take my make up off in the evening (not every evening) and in the morning (every morning). Once a week I use my Olay complete care day cream to moisturise but that's about it. I don't use any foundation, just loose powder and bronzer and my eye make up. And sometimes lipstick but only if I remember it.

Those cleansing wipes are really good to take eye make-up off, even waterproof mascara just comes off like nothing!

[Jackie Danicki]

Frances, I really WANT to incorporate the simplicity of wipes into my life, but all the ones I have used have left my face greasy and eventually led to breakouts. Most of them contain mineral oil or some other slick stuff, which my skin REALLY does not need.

[u]

Taking off eye makeup is at least as much about technique as it is the right product. Saturate a cleansing wipe (I prefer these to cotton pads) in makeup remover solution, and then hold it to your (closed) eye for a few seconds before gently sweeping downward over your eyelashes--no tugging! Leaving the solution in contact with your lids/lashes for a few seconds before trying to wipe things really makes a difference, I find but I often have to repeat the process once or twice to get everything out (I have a soft spot for kohl pencils!).

[Kathleen]

I protect my eyes from crow's feet (with some success) by wearing sunglasses with wide sides (arms/legs whatever you call them) whenever it is sunny. Even in winter months, any amount of sunshine is reason enough for me to wear them. Plus side is that it also protects your vision as well.

[Kaiea]

I didn't have crow's feet when I was 30...You shouldn't have crow's feet even if you're 35. But inevitably crow's feet no matter what you do shall appear and emerge on your eyes one day and you'll say "it always goes with getting older". But who cares if you have crow's feet when you're 40?

[Jackie Danicki]

Kaiea, I have several friends who are 30 (or younger) who have crow's feet. A lot of it depends on how much time you have spent in the sun, how much you've smoked, etc. I consider myself extremely lucky to have emerged with so little obvious sun damage, considering past habits (I grew up on the beach or pool, never used sunscreen, and worked at a tanning salon as a teenager, where I made maximum use of my free sessions).

[KC]

I turn 45 this year and am still waiting for the appearance of crow's-feet! I am convinced it is because I have been using a good eye-cream since I turned 25 and wear sunglasses religiously.

[Tammy]

"The key to my skincare is that I keep my expectations of specific products quite low, which I think is something that most women would benefit from doing."

I definitely agree with this! I've wasted so much money on expensive, chemical-filled products that I've finally realized that keeping it simple and natural works best. So many people have skin care routines that are 5 or 6 steps long! How many serums and creams do you really need?