Last weekend, I was doing a bit of decluttering of my skincare and makeup stash and I found a number of old products that I kept from years back that I had loved but don’t use anymore. The beauty products I favour these days are very different from what I used to use. I wouldn’t have thought I’d be using what I’m using on my skin now. It’s funny how the old beauty products we have represent a sort of timeline of how much skin changes as the years go by.
It got me thinking, how have your skin changed over time?
Growing up, I’ve always thought I had oily skin. My nose was particularly oily and my forehead was a minefield for grease and spots. As such, I’ve always figured that since my T-zone was oily, the rest of my skin was oily and I would only use products meant for oily/acne-prone skin. My teenage skin was crying out bloody murder at the time with angry pimples most of the time and I would combat it with heavy astringents and pimple cream. Never mind the fact that even though my T-zone was an oil-slick, my cheeks were clear of any spots and my chin was slightly dry.
When I entered my 20s, I finally learned that my skin isn’t actually oily but it was a combination of oiliness and normal, er, ness. My skin started to settle down and I was getting less breakouts as the years went on. I would still reach for skincare that are meant for acne-prone/oily skin as I found that while my skin wasn’t all-round oily as I thought, I still had a very oily T-zone I had to control. Products meant for acne-prone/oily skin are typically lighter than skincare for normal/dry skin. Even though, in hindsight, my skin could have used slightly richer skincare on my cheeks and chin, overall, it had no complaints. My makeup of choice would be matte foundations, the more mattifying, the better. It didn’t even occur to me at the time how flat all those matte foundations made my skin look. I was determined not to have a shiny T-zone.
My skin started to change again when I entered my 30s. While my T-zone is still oily, it’s not as oily as it was in my 20s. I started to favour skincare with plenty of hydrating properties. Hyaluronic acid became one of my must-have ingredients in skincare. While I’m still not terribly keen on thick moisturisers, I’m using richer creams that I would in my 20s.
Even my choice of makeup has changed. Gone are the days when I’d go for foundations with matte finish. These days, I much prefer foundations with a satin finish. Sometimes, I’d go for dewy yet radiant foundations. My skin can’t take so much mattifying anymore as it develops more and more fine lines (these mattifying foundations tend to accentuate those lines). I’ve even stopped using so much setting powder on my face. Ten years ago, I’d be sweeping layers of loose powder on my skin to set the foundation, in hopes that it would keep the oily T-zone at bay. These days, one light layer of setting powder would do. Heck, there are even days when I don’t use any powder at all.
It would be very interesting to see how my skin changes again when I hit my 40s, 50s, 60s and so on. Do all the changes and aging scare me? I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t. My heart skips a beat whenever I see a newly-developed line on my skin, whether it’s on my face or body. But that’s part of life, isn’t it? Who knows what those changes will bring? 🙂
Similar to you .. my skin was quite oily in my 20’s, but more acne prone. In my 30’s my skin continued to be oily and in my 40’s I started to notice less oil, more hyper-pigmentation + wrinkles (sigh). No one wants the sands of time trampling across our face, but I’ll try to take care of my skin as best I can 🙂
Monica.
MonicaP recently posted..ThredUp – The pay out
Sigh me too. Hyperpigmentation has increased significantly compared to my 20s, even though I use so much sunscreen. Genes and age, can’t beat either of those. Good on you for taking care of your skin! I’ve lost count of the number of women who, in their 60s and onwards, don’t care about it at all. It’s sad because our skin shouldn’t be something to let go especially as we age.
Boy howdy has it! Although I must admit, I’m not entirely sure if its age or location? In the warm tropical bosom of the homeland the ol’ epidermis is leaning towards normal-combo whereas anytime I’ve moved to colder climes it swings over to dry-sensitive. Much fun!
I’d say it’s both. Location definitely plays a strong role. My skin, while oilier back in Malaysia, looked plump and not so line-y compared to here. Here, I have old lady hands. In tropical countries, I have young hands. Sigh.
Oh yes, my skin has most definitely changed over the years, although if I’m to be honest, I never really paid a lot of attention to it in my teens and 20’s. I was absorbed with skincare back then, but I never paid enough attention to address needs, so I’d be all spotty but never think about why it was so. But paying attention has certainly helped me because now, I have better skin than I did when I was in my 20’s or early 30’s! Sure, it’s more lined, probably, and more saggy, but texture-wise, it’s far better, thanks to a better understanding of products and what my skin needs 🙂 The thing also, is that I’ve realised that stuff I thought were HG back then, and hoarded, aren’t doing anything for me now, because I won’t use them! e.g. some foaming washes like the Vichy Normaderm I loved up to 3 years back, dries out my skin now… and i have a brand new back up bottle. Sigh… folly of youth indeed!
Paris B recently posted..A little lifestyle change that I hope will do me good
Hahah without those lessons, how else do we learn? 😛 My idea of good skincare back in the day was good ol’ Biore cleanser and moisturiser. The latter if I’m not feeling lazy. Sunscreen, what sunscreen? Coppertone? Hate it. I only started to pay more attention to my skin when I entered my 20s and only became more diligent in taking care of it in my late 20s. Like you said, sure it’s more lined now and saggy, but texture-wise, it’s also much better than before. I now know what my skin needs and doesn’t need. 🙂