Rihanna has obviously launched a Fenty Skin collection, which includes stuff like moisturizers and cleansers. I should be paying attention to that stuff and buying it, but I wash my face with soap (literal soap!!) and then I expect my night cream to do all of the heavy lifting. It’s… not working out completely. Like, I’m actually happy about my night cream, which I recently changed. I was using the basic-bitch Olay night cream for years and it was fine, nothing special. But in quarantine, I splurged on Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Cream and I really like it. It’s not too heavy and I feel like it’s giving me glowy skin. The problem is that I need a better eye cream though, because my dark circles are getting worse!
I have a point with all of this! Gwyneth Paltrow is more relatable to me than Rihanna in this particular instance. Rihanna is selling stuff for younger girls, Gwyneth is selling a new Goop skin line which seems to be for older gals. Gwyneth’s line is called GOOPGENES, which I suppose is supposed to be a play on “good genes,” but all it makes me think about is that she’s just selling this to rich, bored white women and I don’t want to think race and wealth and “genes” when I’m buying night creams. Anyway, here is Gwyneth’s somewhat relatable story:
Gwyneth Paltrow takes beauty tips from her mother. The 47-year-old actress and GOOP founder says she and her mom Blythe Danner, 77, both suffer from dry skin and Gwyneth has picked up Blythe’s tip of wearing night cream during the day as it is more nourishing.
‘I got this trick from my mom – using night cream during the day; we both have dry skin,’ she said as she talked up her new GOOPGENES skin range. ‘So I wanted a cream that was that nourishing, one that I could use night and day and my skin would just keep reaping the benefits.’
The Iron man star then said: ‘This one leaves my skin so soft that I just keep touching it all day. It helps with fine lines and wrinkles for sure. It’s actually really a challenge to get a clean formula that’s this rich and nourishing and with results like this. I love it so much.’
My skin changes so much depending on the season, so in winter, I definitely need some kind of recovery cream or something for day-wear. I am not above using my night cream for day-wear, but I never thought of that as a beauty hack or a trick, just a necessity. I do have an Olay day cream (Olay Regenerist Whip) which is super-light, almost too light for winter. But I don’t wear it most days! Ugh. I need to be better about all of this.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
I can’t stand GOOP, so I will look for areas to quibble: night creams don’t have SPFs, so if that is important to you, her hint isn’t that great. Also, I wonder if her line is cruelty free, and what the prices are. Not wondering too hard, since I would rather have wrinkles than give her one thin dime!
Came to say the same thing … what about sun screen?
Most day creams don’t have enough SPF, so you need to use separate sunscreen anyway
a few does, Estee lauder has /had a nice one, so was la mer. 40/50 spf
But most people don’t, and a lot of day creams now have SPF 20 and higher. So it helps at least. And with something like 90% of photoaging being caused by sun exposure, the night cream as day cream thing just doesn’t work for me. I wouldn’t do it.
If a moisturiser has SPF in, all it is is SPF – it will overwrite any other benefits, so it’s definitely worth having a separate cream and SPF.
I never understand the SPFs in face creams. You need a decent application of sunscreen to get the full SPF benefit and I can’t see how applying a small amount of face cream could possibly achieve that. (I worked for a company that made sun screens and the SPF numbers are based on quite heavy applications).
Came here to say this too! She clearly doesn’t use an SPF and it SHOWS.
Really.Whatever she does to her skin, I would do the opposite.
Yes, and some night creams have ingredients that react poorly to the sun.
Some ingredients in night creams are destabilized or made inactive by sunlight, so would be less efficacious during the day.
Hmm. I know many moisturizers now have SPF but many still don’t. I on’t think suggesting night cream means forgoing SPF. My day cream doesn’t have it and I layer SPF separately (thought I don’t wear SPF inside and I know that’s something I probably should do, ugh).
That said, as others have mentioned, some night creams are specifically for nighttime for a reason — they have ingredients that would cause irritation in sunlight or be ineffective.
I find most night creams too heavy for me (even at night). My make up would be gone in an hour if I put on top of a night cream. If have really oily skin so I prefer watery serums and aloe vera / pure hyaluronic acid. I only use creams around my eyes and my neck. This advice might be good for someone with really dry skin
Aloe vera + coconut oil for the win! I like to slather on the aloe right after I get out of the shower. I also like using Na-PCA spray as a middle layer. When I make time to do all three I can really tell the difference. They all absorb really nicely.
I also use the coconut oil as hair treatment. Massage into scalp and comb through ends. Leave it on as long as possible. It washes out easily. Best of all: all of these things are cheap cheap cheap!
I’ve never found a night cream that doesn’t pill when layered with sunscreen, personally. Maybe it’s just my face. Sunblock is almost entirely moisturizer anyway, so I find the most emollient version of it that I can.
using night cream might be ok if you have dry skin, but for people with mixed skin, it can be too rich/thick
I have yet to find a night cream that doesn’t have me break out (@66). I admit my night routine is spotty (pun not intended, but there it is…), but I use day cream night and day…
I love the smell of Noxema, and would love to wash with it, but always get zits so I can’t….
Skin care can be such a hit and miss ‘routine’ in my life except in the mornings, wash my face, apply sunscreen mixed w/Oil of Olay or whichever face cream was on sale when I need to buy more in summer, in winter it’s just face cream and BB stuff…again, whichever is on sale when I need some….
I quite liked Origins night cream. My hubby used to work for an Estee Lauder affiliate so I had discounts and freebies.
The ones I liked:
Estee advanced time zone night
Origins high potency nightamins
the best is the Estee lauder ANR but it is expensive if you have to pay for it
The ANR eye serum is amazing
but to be fair, it is mostly about doing the steps every day, you dont have to use clinique 3 step products as long as you use similar and do the 3 step every day and night.
Agree with Vera, Origins is worth it for me. The plantscription line has everything you need.
@ PRAYER WARRIOR-I love the smell of Noxema too, and I’m lucky my skin is dry enough so I can use it.
My mom, aunt and grandma also used it, so it’s a sweet sentimental link 💕
Goop’s skin and hair look terrible. I’m two years older and my skin looks way better than hers. Why would anyone take her advice on skin care or pay ridiculous prices for her brand.
The only tip I have is stay out of the sun. If I don’t have on sunscreen then I am in a hat.
I….thought the same thing. She looks like she never wears sunscreen or didn’t for years. It could also be because she has dry skin, that may contribute to premature aging. I have pretty oily skin so this tip of wearing night cream during the day doesn’t work for me. During the summer I cant even always wear night cream at night. I have to use regular moisturizer.
Exactly! I would never trust Goop in general, but especially not for skin and hair! Just …no
AGREE AGREE AGREE!
That Instagram post of her and Apple twinsie-ing, I could not stop looking at the mess of fried batter that was the skin on her chest and forehead! I think she’d be better off moisturizing with Crisco!
You know who has GREAT skin? January Jones.
SHE’S the one is listen to for skincare advice bc she’s got the goods. Gwyneth is just a hack hawking unextraordinary product and packaging to a privileged and gullible demographic that she clearly understands the Achilles’s Heels of
You are so right re the overpriced part. Her toner costs like, $75.00 a bottle. The skincare clean beauty space is filled now with extraordinary founders who have fabulous super seed cremes and serums made with all kinds of goodies that blow anything Goop has out of the skincare space. She never even wore much makeup pre GOOP and did nothing with her skin except tan it she said in many pre GOOP interviews. Now she discovers things like Glycolic acids which I have been aware of and using for 20 years now, and she thinks she invented it, (just like she invented yoga)
I actually do this when I’m not going anywhere for the day. Will throw on some night cream and let it sit and hydrate me for the day!
I am 31 but I have really bad combination skin. I was browsing the Instagram of a doctor in the US and she said that using only serums was enough to have a good skin.
I followed her advice and my skin has drastically improved. In the mornings I wash my face with a vitamin C cleanser, and then just apply sunscreen that I reapply through the day. At night I wash my face with the same cleanser and then use a retinol serum.
Before that I would use a day cream and a night cream, but never found a formula that worked with my skin.
I’ve only used serums in the past (mostly because I can’t afford always afford a new moisturiser & serum at the same time). It’s comforting to know a professional approves.
I’m a big fan of chemical exfoliation and using oils. (Jojoba oil suits most skin types. Marula is good for blemish prone skin. My skin is dry so I love using heavier ones like argan).
I’m kinda not a fan of cheaper emollient creams. They don’t have the best ingredients. You can get more bang for your buck with a well formulated oil or serum.
I also make my own body butter from scratch and it does wonders for the softness of my skin.
I use my own recipe oil to add to my face at night – I use apricot oil as a base and mix it up with ginger oil (to help reduce puffiness and brighten the skin) and a little frankincense (its really good for reducing wrinkles and skin tone). Sometimes I use Myrrh oil as its good for whenever i get eczema breakouts.
For daytime I use a vitamin C lotion and then put some sunscreen on top – you should always use a sunscreen even when raining or in cold climates. I have also just discovered CeraVe – its great.
I’m not taking skincare tips from a come-to-life straw broom. Sorry Gwyneth.
Exactly. I laughed at the title of this article because I have thought her skin was awful for years.
If anyone is looking for advice on regimens or sunscreen, let me suggest you visit the r/skincareaddiction sub on Reddit. Their suggestions have really helped me find high quality, but inexpensive, products. I use Neutrogena’s Hydro-Gel for my day and night moisturizer, and add a sunscreen on top. Sunscreen tends to trigger my eczema, and it was hard to find one that didn’t break me out in itchy patches or leave a white cast. Usually it’s one or the other. I tried a few different ones based on their suggestions, and found a Japanese brand that works for me. All that to say… it’s a great and supportive sub, and it saved me time and money from trying all kinds of various products until I found what works for me.
Yes! Skincareaddiction is one of the best things on the internet. I’ve learned a lot there, the biggest takeaway is that the best skincare routine is the one you’ll stick to so keep it simple. At night, I use Cerave for dry skin, Curology mix with tretinoin and two other meds for inflammation and breakouts (this is one step), and just the regular old Oil of Olay $7 moisturizer. Day time I use the same cleanser and Eucerin SPF. I’ve been doing this for four months now and my skin looks so much better.
I think some night creams have ingredients that would make your skin especially sensitive to the sun, like exfoliants or wrinkle fighters, which is why they put them in night creams, not day creams. This seems like potentially unsafe advice.
That would be retinol and it’s a common mistake to think it’s unsafe during the day but if you wear sunscreen or at least Spf 30 on top, it’s fine.
It’s not just retinol. Many have different acids that should not be exposed to the sun. And retinol is safe but loses it’s effect with sun exposure so it would be a waste of money.
Retinol loses its effectiveness when exposed to the sun with the exception of adapalene (Differin), so it should be used at night. AHAs can heighten the risk of sun exposure, too, especially in high concentrations, though that kind of concentration is unlikely to exist in a night cream. Most night creams are safe to use as day creams, especially if they don’t have those ingredients. If they’re just a richer texture but aren’t that ‘active’ it doesn’t matter. I’ve been doing this for years because I like to use a separate SPF.
I recently started using Weleda skin food at night. It’s really thick and heavy, but at my age (43) I’m finding that my skin really is losing moisture and elasticity. When I wake up, my skin feels great and my fine lines in the eye area have disappeared.
I wash with a really gentle cleanser (just Aveeno), then use either vitamin c serum or niacinamide serum, let it soak in for a minute, and then rub the Weleda in all over my face.
For daytime I use Neutrogena rapid wrinkle repair retinol with SPF and then add CeraVe zinc 50spf sunscreen on top.
Nothing I use is $$$$. The Neutrogena is the most expensive and it’s usually around $27.
I just can’t stand spending like $60 for cream that gets used up in a month.
I love that brand! It is very nourishing and gentle.
I used to blow so much money on skincare, and my skin only really started behaving when I switched to drugstore brands. I love RoC and Olay, and CeraVe makes a terrific eye cream. That Neutrogena retinol is great.
Somewhere (probably Allure??) I saw a dermatologist saying that the L’Oreal Revitalift vitamin c serum is the best, most stable vitamin c serum money can buy.
I use the Olay regenerist at night and play with spf during the day.
I forgot to mention that I ordered that pack of sheet masks that was recommended here, plus the niacinamide serum also recommended here!
Bit late with your advice, darls. I’ve been doing that for years.
I found out this morning (Aus time) that we might just have our very own answer to Goop. I was waiting for a news update for our corona crisis, when a repeat of some weekday him-and-her hosted tabloid show came on. My daughter said, “I cannot stand that woman.” I looked up to see the former wife of Australian Olympics swimmer, Michael Klim. She’s apparent a Balinese princess, and ex started a skin care company, cleverly named Milk. It seems to be doing well. She’s spouted as a fashion and style icon as well as an influencer these days. What was she hawking on this show, you ask. Masks. (Isn’t everyone? They’re compulsory in Melbourne, after all.) Not protective face masks. No, not even beauty face masks/masques. She was promoting masks for the discerning lady who wishes to keep her peachie[, well, peachy. She treats her pinky, minge, kitty, or whatever you call a vulva, to a designer minge-mask. So it doesn’t get wrinkles. She spends $75 per week on this little essential. I haven’t “heard it all now”, but not far off.
https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/lindy-klim-fig-femme-vulva-sheet-mask-causes-stir-reactions-070433244.html
Has anyone with aging skin never done this? It’s common sense if you’re staying in. It’s all about your personal skin. I can’t do it every single day, but every other day or two works for me. And if I’m heading outside, no way I could stand it plus I need a sunscreen combo. This woman is exhausting.
One, she doesn’t have good skin or hair which isn’t a criticism, just not really a place to be giving advice from. Two, everyone has different skin so that wouldn’t work for a lot of people. The best skincare advice she could give that would apply to everyone would be to WEAR SPF. If it were any other celebrity I’d say, “eh, she’s talking about what works FOR HER.” But, it’s Goop, so….. 🙄
The Olay Regenerist Whip day lotion with spf and night cream is great for my skin. I use a vitamin c serum every other day. I love CeraVe’s daytime face lotion too. I have oily acne-prone skin so finding the right balance for aging skin has been hard.
I’m allergic to anything that contains fragrance/parfum and benzyl alcohol, so finding skin care that doesn’t make my face look like I’ve had a chemical peel is tough. I made the switch to 100% Drunk Elephant about a year ago and my skin is finally behaving! It’s pricey, but my choices are so limited that if it works I’ll be a customer for life.
I love DE! Have you also tried Paula’s choice? it’s fragrance free but some products might have benzyl alcohol but they are very transparent about ingredients.
You have sensitive skin.. Use La Roche Posay. Its probably on par with DE, price wise, but so much better for your skin.
La Rosche Posay is soooo good. Their moisturizer is the best thing I have tried and I go through skincare like it’s my job.
I’ve been using DE for several years, and am so happy with how my skin is now. I really love being able to mix the products according to what my skin needs at the time.
Kaiser, I recently started using the It’s Skin Li Extract serum that is made with licorice extract. It’s supposed to be great for brightening the skin(especially under eye circles) and moisturizing. Early days yet, but I like it so far. It’s going to have a lot of work to do as my dark, Asian under eye circles pose a challenge. I also started using the Aspen Kay glow oil (made with tsubaki oil and turmeric) – supposed to be a great dupe for the Sunday Riley Glow oil. Gives me a really lovely glow and helps my skin stay healthy.
Few months ago I’ve won a gift basket with a few Goop skin care products.
I was pleasantly surprised by the great quality.
I especially LOVE the GoopGlow 15% glycolic peels, 12 pads in pouches per box.
It’s very easy to use and the results are great.
I just apply to my face 1 pad after my evening shower, let it sit for 4 hours and go to bed.
I wash my face in the morning and apply my serum, moisturizer and sunscreen as I do every single morning.
The glycolic peel pad makes me glow for days and I only use it once a week.
I also really love the GoopGlow Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator that I use twice a week and my most favourite is the Exfoliating Instant Facial.
I can’t believe I love Goopy’s products, I find her to be a pretentious elitist fool.
But I can’t deny that I love few of her products.
I will certainly not try out this cream she is promoting.
I’m very happy and I love the great results I get
from my Juice Beauty products and the amazing certified organic face oils I buy from the local health good store: Organic Rose Hip Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Apricot Oil and so on.
Health Food Stores are a great place for me to find effective skin care products and make up without the huge price tag like there is at Sephora for all the marketing.
Eh. Too generic of advice to be useful. If your night cream has ingredients like retinols that degrade in sunlight, why mess with it during the day?
I layer stuff like crazy both day and night. If I’m not planning on make-up, my protein Mario Badescu goes on during the day too with a sunscreen over it.
But I like to layer a Hyralonic Serum with eye cream, moisturizer the Glossier Future Dew on top. I’ve been very happy with this sort of regiment, during the day.
I refuse to try anything this pretentious fool flogs. She is not attractive whatsoever and the straw yellow hair does not help. So it’s ironic for her to push beauty products. My 83 year old mother looks 20 years younger with few wrinkles. She is soap and water and light moisturizer. It comes down to genetics and lifestyle. There is no one-size-fits-all with diets or skincare. Years ago, my dermatologist turned me on to Roche Posay (made in France) and targets all skin types. Great price point as well. I use the rosacea line and it’s great. People need to stop being such sheep. Now, if it was Sharon Stone suggesting an anti-aging product, I may pay attention.
Sunscreen is a must, and the best skincare aging preventative there is. No amount of botox and fillers and dermabrasion can save you if you spent your 20s and 30s getting scalded every summer. As a Native kid, we were just freaking B.R.O.W.N. in the summers, but today, I never walk out the door without it and people often think I’m 10 years younger than I really am. The higher the SPF, the better. That said, I use a lot of oils with retinol and vitamins A and C and I pile it on all over. During the day, I just put on a few drops underneath my sunscreen – which I wear top to bottom and even my arms, because there’s nothing worse than sun spots on your hands and arms as you get older.
Like, I get what she’s saying. I think as long as you have sunscreen under or over your moisturizer, or at least a hat if you can’t wear sunscreen for whatever reason, you’d be fine.
But I can’t stress enough that even POC need sunscreen, I don’t care how much melanin you have, because you can still get skin cancer. #rantover
Not here to shill for a partic product, but I’ve been buying everything face related from “makeup artist’s choice” for about a decade and their products are amazing. They hack the expensive stuff and their facial peels/acids are bomb. http://Www.makeupartistschoice.com
Mystery solved! that’s why her skin looks so greasy.
I’m pretty sure most night creams (especially those with even the slightest anti-aging component) carry a warning that they shouldn’t be worn during the day because some of the ingredients don’t react well to UV (which is why they come in darker glass jars). Anyway, I’ve tried lots of fancy stuff but ultimately settled on the highly affordable The Ordinary out of Toronto because it was the only thing that wasn’t making my aging skin angry. Don’t think I’ll be trying Goop’s stuff. I don’t trust her.
That’s not really true about “most” night creams carrying warnings. I’ve been using skincare religiously since I was twelve and I’ve only encountered that with retinol and AHA products because of the risk of sun exposure. Not all night creams have those ingredients. In fact, most of the ones I’ve used aren’t more ‘active’ necessarily, they’re just richer than a day cream and don’t have SPF. As far as I’m concerned the moisturizer’s job is just that–to moisturize. Also a lot of times companies put warnings there as marketing, to make you think that thing is so effective that you have to treat it super carefully, or they put warnings there concerning pregnancy to avoid litigation (even if the risk to a pregnant woman from absorbing a minuscule amount of retinol in her skin early in her pregnancy is very very very small). I’ve used Rx retin-A and Accutane (which really *can* have devastating effects on a pregnancy, as well as your own kidneys) so I take warnings seriously, but in OTC products they’re kind of over-dramatic much of the time.
Amber: the post is specifically talking about creams for “older” women, not the creams we wore when we were young. If it’s targeting older women, then it more likely than not has retinol or some other ingredient that helps with fine lines and other signs of aging. And obviously your skin is not going to burst into flames if you’re using over the counter stuff, but those ingredients do get deactivated by UV. Those creams carry premium price because of those ingredients, so it seems like a bit of a waste if they lose their effectiveness. Leave it to Goop to waste money 😂
Eye cream is a scam! It’s just moisturizer repackaged and price jacked in a tiny container. Read the ingredients, eye cream is typically the same base ingredients as the matching moisturizing in the line. You just need a good moisturizer and a good SPF and you’re set. If you don’t want to bother with day/night difference, Pacifca has a great day/night moisturizer from their rose line. As for the dark circles, one of the chief things that makes them worse is dehydration, so make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day and eating moisture-rich foods like apples, oranges, cucumber, and bell peppers. You can also chill tea bags in ice water and put them under your eyes like a mask, they will help reduce blood vessels which cause hyperpigmentation. Blue light, like from cell phones and computer screens, can make eye circles worse and tea bags can help.
True. I worked at a skincare company… let’s not forget these ppl know this is a 6B industry. They say anything. I photoshopped before and after pics for skin trials, and those marketing groups will take an eye blink as a “yes” when you ask “is your skin noticably younger looking?” It’s all very unscientific.
GWYNETH NEEDS CASH TO PAY BACK INVESTORS SO SHE’LL CLEARLY SAY ANYTHING TO SELL SOMETHING
Spf across the board, esp starting young, good genes, diet, exercise, and rest help more than anything in a jar. If you have a good moisturizer and serum, drink a lot of water, good nutrition and self care (especially emotional, bc our face shows every muscle it works) help a lot!
I have really reactive, temperamental skin, and it took me forever to realize that anti-aging AHAs and BHAs are NOT for everyone. While I was recovering from perioral dermatitis my routine was a super-gentle cleansing scrub (i.e. a physical exfoliant), CosRX Green Hero pads (a gentle PHA!), Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum, and then a healing Manuka-honey moisturizer to soothe. (A good chemical exfoliant for supersensitive skin is Dr.G Brightening Peel!!)
Now that fine lines have become an issue I’m trying out a serum called Atolla. Have y’all heard of this? It’s a service that builds your ostensibly-perfect serum based on a quiz, then re-checks your skin’s pH and moisture every month, reformulating the serum accordingly. It seems really promising! But I haven’t been using it long enough to report any results yet.
For me it’s Avon for everything – Cleanser, vitamin C serum; SPF 50 daytime moisturizer, night cream, eye cream. Better than any other line I’ve used and really reasonable. I have been using it for 3 years and have found it comparable (actually better than) Rodan and Fields that I used before (at an exponentially higher cost). People routinely think I am younger than my 49 years.
I use Hyaluronic acid, plus Weleda Skin Food under my eyes and on dry patches. Then I finish with Neutrogena Hydro Boost sunscreen (50+) before applying my makeup. I’m 44 and frequently get compliments on my skin, so will be keeping up with this routine. I’ve also worn sunscreen religiously since I was 25 and it’s definitely paid off 👍🏻
Best skin care line and blog with amazing skincare information is Renee Rouleau. Her stuff is no frills along with the information she provides. It’s her own company, woman-owned, and based out of Austin, TX. She also posted some really powerful, moving stuff on IG chronicling her husband’s decline and eventual death from cancer and her grief journey. She’s an amazing woman with a fantastic product line. (No, I do not work for her lol.)
Kaiser, I care about you, please STOP using soap on your face!! The surfactants in soap and in most foamy face cleansers are stripping your skin’s acid mantle which forms a protective barrier. If you use a gentler face cleanser like a balm, cream, or oil cleanser, you will end up needing *less* of your moisturizer because your skin won’t be as dehydrated/dry. I like Lumene Valo balm cleanser, it’s $9 from target, emulsifies with water, and doesn’t leave a residue. The Body Shop also has a camomile range with a cleansing balm that I think is best for oily skin but it’s pleasant to use and really does dissolve makeup, SPF, and dirt.
I use the Lumene vitamin c night cream during the day because I use a separate SPF. Most of the time people don’t apply *enough* of their SPF-laden day cream for it to actually be effective, and SPF needs to be reapplied if you’re outside. If I’m staying indoors, as I have for most of the past six months, I’m not going to need SPF so the night cream makes more sense.