The Anti-Ageing Skincare Guide For The Completely Clueless

The name of the game here is anti-ageing.

Sure, it doesn’t hurt to have access to beauty apps such as MakeupPlus that are equipped with airbrush tools to smoothen wrinkles and firm up the contours of the skin that does your flawless self justice, but your real life complexion takes no prisoners.

Ageing skin and its distinctive markers are inevitable. Ruthless in its pursuit — either its fine lines, hyperpigmentation or dry patchy skin — it gives mercy to none, leaving behind nothing but your abused epidermis from your not-so-secret transgressions.

Jokes aside. Before you and your skin freak out post haste, we are here to serve an anti-ageing skincare guide that might just be your saving grace for your visage. For the love of collagen, we’re talking the pièce de résistance for skincare slackers everywhere.

Of course, we’re not saying you need to follow this skincare routine to a T (although you really should), but this guide will inspire you to make smarter decisions and up the ante on your anti-ageing game. 

Here are some of the NYLON’s team tried-and-true favourites. Take notes.

STEP 1: CLEANSE

First up, beauty sleep is real. The idea is to be well-rested, not… undead. This crop of cleansers lay down the foundation for the rest of your skincare regime. From grand rose extracts to avocado oil and chamomile, they’re chock-full of ingredients that do some major purifying — starting each day with a revitalised, bright complexion.

“When you’re closer to 30 though, things change. The biggest one I’ve noticed is that my skin takes longer to ‘bounce back’ to its ideal state, and any unfortunate blemishes take a while to heal, while sleep deprivation from the night before just shows up on my face more obviously in the form of dull skin mostly. So you can imagine how much I guilt-trip myself to take care of it!” — Amelia, Deputy Editor

1. SUNDAY RILEY CERAMIC SLIP CLAY CLEANSER, $65
2. KORA ORGANICS GENTLE CLEANSER, $43
3. LANCOME ABSOLUE GEL CLEANSER, $120

STEP 2: EXFOLIATE

With names like Super Scrub, these exfoliation cleansers really live up to its moniker. Not only do they promise to slough off pore-clogging impurities, but they also boast a silky-smooth, luminous complexion. The folks over at DrGL asked customers what they wanted from anti-ageing exfoliator — and delivered just that. We’re talking reduced wrinkle depth and pore size!

1. ST IVES COCONUT & COFFEE SCRUB, $9.90
2. DRGL CLEANSER SCRUB, $108
3. ALPHA-H MICRO CLEANSE SUPER SCRUB, $55

STEP 3: TONER

A life raft in a hydrating toner that promises to make it seem you’ve had eight hours of sleep every night when you’ve really been ruining your money maker. Hello, dull and sagging skin. Within this range, they are designed to repair ageing marks and help the skin regain firmness and elasticity. The gold standard in boosting the production of collagen, Hada Labo’s lifting +firming lotion is a cult classic for good reason: it is formulated to improve skin’s youthfulness and fight against environmental aggressors.

1. DIOR CAPTURE YOUTH SKIN EFFECT ENZYME SOLUTION, $100
2. LOREAL REVITALIFT CENTELLA MICRO-ESSENCE WATER, $29.90
3. HADA LABO RETINOL LIFTING + FIRMING LOTION, $25.90

STEP 4: SERUM

Dry skin? Consider these the drink of moisture your skin needs. Dropping a month’s worth of morning coffee orders on a skincare serum may seem frivolous, but these are designed with Hyaluronic Acid (nature’s “moisture magnet”) to provide daily anti-pollution protection and lock in hydration. Ergo, help prevent premature signs of skin ageing.

“It’s safe to say that I spend most of my time behind the screen — whether it’s on my phone or on my desktop. Knowing this, I have my own worries about the effects that it has on my skin; being exposed to blue light, infra-red light, as well as other environmental pollutants — which can accelerate skin ageing. For maximum protection, I use IDS Skincare’s DermaShield Serum. Apart from protecting my skin from external aggressors, I realised that this serum also makes my skin really soft and supple. Not to mention, it’s amazing if you have dry and sensitive skin. Totally recommend it.” — Shazrina, Writer 

1. IDS SKINCARE DERMASHIELD SERUM, $99
2. PORCELAIN SPA INTENSIVE HA+ HYDRATING SERUM, $198
3. BELIF YOUTH CREATOR-AGE KNOCKDOWN BOMB, $90

STEP 5: MOISTURISE

Rough, lacklustre dry patches? Bane of our existence. These moisturisers are formulated to visibly tighten the look of skin while shaping the appearance of firmer facial definition and boasting a supple, radiant complexion. This winner of a cream (Aqua Collagen Gel) elevates your face’s natural contours, profoundly improving elasticity and skin detox.

1. DR CI:LABO AQUA COLLAGEN GEl, $78
2. DRUNK ELEPHANT PROTINI POLYPEPTIDE CREAM, $96

STEP 6: EYE CREAM

These eye creams do double duty — they improve the resilience of wrinkles around the eyes and protect the skin from sagging with a powerful hit of moisture. So you don’t end up with scaring yourself to death in your bathroom mirror after a night of debauchery, these are the closest thing to a “delete” button there is where dark circles are concerned. Youthful eyes, here we come.

“I think eye wrinkles are the scariest part about ageing. You either smile and show these fine lines or keep a straight face and hide them. Tough decisions.” — Michelle, Intern

1. SULWHASOO CONCENTRATED GINSENG RENEWING EYE CREAM, $228
2. SK-II R.N.A POWER EYE CREAM, $149
3. INNISFREE GREEN TEA SEED EYE & FACE BALL, $29

STEP 7: SUNSCREEN

Anti-ageing 101: apply sunscreen. Applying sunscreen is the gold standard for shielding your skin from fine lines and sunspot-causing UV rays.

“I caught the anti-ageing bug during my 1st internship as a writer, where lunchtime gossip’s centred around which of them were considering botox, and all the editors had a stock full of skincare products on their desk. I just turned 24 — and, yes, I’m heavily invested into repairing the damage I’ve unconsciously inflicted over the years and obsessed with preventing fine lines… especially on my forehead. While I continue to stare in the mirror and wonder if my complexion is playing a cruel game of mindf—k, I find it’s always important to remind myself to separate my appearance from my sense of self.” — Sinead, Writer

1. ANESSA PERFECTING UV SUNSCREEN SKINCARE MILK, $39.90
2. SHISEIDO GLOBAL SUNCARE PERFECT UV PROTECTOR, $59

Written by Sinead Lee.