My Skincare Routine for Looking After My Skin in My 40s

Not that it’s a “bad” thing at all (in fact it’s great!), but at 45 I am well and truly in midlife. And it’s amazing how much skincare in your 40s is as important to you as it was in your teens… if not more so.

I often receive compliments about how old I look (or don’t look?) which is very flattering, but it doesn’t come easy, that’s for sure. Getting great skin is a battle I’ve been fighting for years now – and still battling.

It’s inevitable that we’ll all get lines and wrinkles as we age, and I’m perfectly okay with that, but looking my best is very important to me and I’m very aware of all the things that affect our skin health. I thought I’d share with you my skincare routine for looking after my skin in my 40s (and how I want to go on looking after it)!

I’ve been working with NIVEA this year which some of you may have seen on my Instagram and Facebook feeds: They make the Q10 range that I’ve actually been using for a couple of years now. I’m a genuine fan of this very affordable range that contains the no.1 best-selling anti-age night cream and the no.2 best-selling anti-age day cream in the UK.

 

NIVEA is one of those brands that everyone seems to have a story about, often concerning memories of their mother or grandmother using it and the iconic blue pot. In fact when I started working with the brand this year I suddenly realised how many NIVEA products I use apart from the Q10 range, everything from lip balm to hand cream to suncream.

So when I say I’m a genuine fan, I’m a genuine fan…!

 

General things I do to look after my skin

As I mentioned, I often get people say I look younger than 45 – it’s true that good genes has a lot to do with it, but there are so many other factors that make a difference to your skin health and appearance.

The best things you can do for your skin are:

1. Drink plenty of water and cut out fizzy drinks (stop consuming all that sugar)
2. Get plenty of quality sleep
3. Take regular exercise. You’ll feel better too
4. Don’t smoke. If you do, quit NOW
5. Don’t bake yourself in the sun and wear SPF all year round. Hats are your friend, the sun is not
6. Follow a simple protect, cleanse and moisturise skincare routine morning and night

 

The only one I struggle with is sleep – I often work late at night and I know it doesn’t do my skin any good, let alone the rest of me. It shows all over my face if I haven’t had enough sleep. It’s a luxury as a freelancer but as a human being it shouldn’t be, it’s SO important to your general health AS WELL as your skin health.

 

My anti-ageing skincare routine

Something that midlife women must remember is that ageing is not a bad thing. Getting lines and wrinkles is not a bad thing.

However, like most women I don’t really want to look tired and worn out, which is what can happen if we don’t take care of our skin. We can age naturally and look great – I just like to give it a leg up with the things I listed above. For that reason I prefer the term “optimum ageing” (rather than anti-ageing)… looking our very best at any age, in other words.

Now I don’t necessarily believe that the more you spend on your skincare, the more wrinkles you’ll prevent (no amount of anti-ageing products will stop them if you bake yourself in the sun and smoke, for example). That’s why I like the NIVEA Q10 range: it’s available everywhere, from drugstores to supermarkets, and it’s very affordable. It’s the perfect choice if you find the huge range of anti-ageing products available today confusing. Adverts often blind us with science.

My everyday skincare routine is very simple, what I do is I…

1. Cleanse my skin with micellar water to take off my makeup (in the evenings)
2. Wash my face with a foam or gel cleanser (double cleansing makes a HUGE difference to your skin)
3. Apply an anti-ageing serum before moisturising – I use NIVEA Q10 Replenishing Serum Pearls
4. Dot my eye cream (NIVEA Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream) gently around the eyes
5. Wait a few minutes for the serum and eye cream to soak in, then massage the NIVEA Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream or NIVEA Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Day Cream thoroughly into my skin, not forgetting my neck and chest

 

That’s it – five very basic steps. It’s a simple routine that anyone can follow: Cleanser, eye cream and serum, moisturise. These four products take the worry out of knowing what to use out of all the confusing anti-age products on the market, especially if you’ve not adopted an anti-ageing skincare routine as yet.

 

What I love about the NIVEA Q10 range

For me the best thing about the two creams is that neither sting my face after cleansing – this is a problem I’ve found with lots of other moisturisers I’ve tried, and it’s one of the main reasons I’ve stuck with NIVEA. My skin is quite sensitive so that’s a big plus point for me. If you have this same problem then I urge you to try Q10.

 

❝

I DON’T BELIEVE IN TRYING TO ROLL BACK THE CLOCK, BUT I DO BELIEVE IN LOOKING THE VERY BEST YOU CAN.

❞

 

I don’t think it’s ever too late to start really looking after your skin – and it’s never too early either. I’ve been using moisturisers and eye creams since I was about 15 after I read in a magazine that dry skin ages more quickly. I’ve slapped on a thick layer of eye cream and moisturiser ever since – so 30 years’ worth of looking after my skin has done it some good if people think I’m younger than I am!

So I’m very proud to be partnering with NIVEA this year – as a genuine fan I couldn’t have been happier to have been asked to tell you about their Q10 range.

I don’t believe in trying to roll back the clock, but I do believe in looking after your skin and looking the very best you can.

 

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ARE YOU A NIVEA FAN? AND WHAT’S YOUR BASIC SKINCARE ROUTINE (ANY GREAT TIPS FOR ME)? TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS OR TWEET ME @NOTLAMB!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by NIVEA (click here for my full disclosure). All content is original, however, and opinions are my own and 100% honest.