My mom has always looked a decade younger than what her driver’s license suggests, which says a lot because she had me at 40, and was the oldest among my classmates’ moms. I used to chalk it up to genetics—a big factor, I’m sure—but as I’m getting closer to the age at which my mom had me, I’ve been wondering if she has another secret working in her favor. She went to cosmetology school back in the ‘70s. While she loves makeup and can’t go a day without a bold red lip, her skincare routine has always been pretty bare bones, with absolutely no fancy products over $50 to speak of. Is a pared-down beauty shelf the key? Is less really more when it comes to aging with plump, glowing skin?
When I asked her point-blank, she said, “I don’t know, mostly water.” Dissatisfied with that answer, I raided her vanity, and among all the drugstore makeup like Maybelline’s Super Stay Skin Tint and her new favorite, the Maybelline Firework Mascara, I discovered inexpensive skincare finds from Clinique, Cetaphil, Aquaphor, and La Roche-Posay. Prices start at just $6 at Amazon.
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Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Broad Spectrum with SPF 30
Amazon
Trusting Clinique above any other brand that may come and go from her routine, my mom loathes buying anything with “wrinkle” on the packaging, but admits that the peptides, provitamin D, and hyaluronic acid in this formula expertly repair and protect her skin without drying it out. Not only does it smooth, blur, and hydrate, but it also has broad spectrum SPF 30 built into the formula, which makes it easy for my mom—who basically grew up unaware of what sunscreen even was—to apply in one simple step. She was never a sun-tanning kind of girl, she says, but every bit of sun protection helps, even now.
La Roche-Posay Medicated Gel Cleanser
Amazon
A recently discovered favorite, my mom swears by this medicated gel cleanser and “just a teensy bit of water.” At first squeeze, the formula looks like a gel, but even the smallest dollop of product quickly foams up, covering your entire face with a white, matte mask. Salicylic acid helps to reduce swelling while exfoliating the skin of any dryness or flakiness, and niacinamide works to improve elasticity while stimulating collagen production for plumper, fresher-looking skin. And it’s not just working for my mom, either. 20,000 bottles were sold last month, and it has an overall 4.6-star rating.
The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 Multi-Depth Hydration Serum
Amazon
According to my mom, a skincare novice’s biggest mistake is overpaying for serum. Don’t be tempted, she warns, because you can absolutely find an inexpensive dupe for half the price. Her favorite swap comes from The Ordinary, in this hydrating, plumping, and smoothing serum with two percent hyaluronic acid and B5. It’s a fan-favorite among shoppers, too, as more than 100,000 have been purchased in the last month alone.
Clinique 3-Step Dramatically Different Daily Moisturizing Lotion+
Amazon
Hands down the best moisturizer for dry skin (according to my mom, anyway), this Clinique lotion is a daily moisturizer made with urea. Known for its hydrating qualities and ability to help maintain the overall health of the skin barrier, urea also exfoliates away buildup from the skin’s surface. Another customer-loved product with an overall rating of 4.7 stars and more than 12,000 five-star ratings total, my mom credits this as the reason she never considered Botox.
Clinique All About Eyes Serum
Amazon
Thanks to our Sicilian roots, dark undereye bags are the most pressing skincare concern my mom and I both face. I tend to gravitate toward the costly serums, thinking maybe you get what you pay for, but my mom calls my school of thinking “nonsense.” Clinique’s All About Eyes contains caffeine—the same star ingredient you’ll find in pricier undereye products. It brightens and depuffs by shrinking the vessel’s blood flow to that area. And like most Clinique products, there are no fragrances, oil, phthalates, alcohol, or any other fillers that take the attention away from what the product is actually made from and what it was made to do.
Clinique 3-Step Clarifying Lotion Face Exfoliator
Amazon
Not a fan of toner, my mom says she’ll occasionally reach for this Clinique 3-Step product if she feels like she needs it, but well out of her breakout phase, it’s not an everyday thing. This facial exfoliator absorbs excess oil, which, for my mom, isn’t a main concern, but for me, is something I need daily. On mornings when her skin is looking oilier than usual, she’ll swipe it on for extra help removing pollution, oil, and other impurities, and loves the way it leaves her skin glowing.
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
Amazon
When I asked my mom where she got most of her skin advice from, her response was a combination of what she learned about the skin barrier in cosmetology school and her dermatologist’s recommendations. Cetaphil’s Gentle Skin Cleanser is a skincare mainstay that she hasn’t strayed away from in years, always opting to reach for a sample (or three!) while exiting the derm’s office. Its formula is ripe with hydrating glycerin and essential B vitamins, panthenol and niacinamide. Its formula is hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and free of all fragrances, parabens, and sulfates which can cause breakouts or skin sensitivities. “No need to reinvent the wheel. The wheel works,” my mom says.
Aquaphor Healing Ointment
Amazon
Speaking of the wheel, the same goes for my mom’s passion for Aquaphor. She treats Aquaphor like the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding uses Windex—a magical salve for ailments both big and small. Hands, face, lips, or any other part of the body that’s even remotely dry or cracked gets the Aquaphor treatment at least once, if not twice, daily.
