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Bryn Seltzer provides her top 5 skin products to keep you feeling youthful.

Noticed that your smile lines looked slightly more pronounced in the mirror this morning? Maybe even some crows feet around your eyes? Don’t panic. Yes, you may be halfway to forty and yes, you may now be contemplating the new meaning of ‘youth is fleeting’. BUT, it’s normal. It’s what happens after a few too many late nights at Unit 1, combined with furrowing over your massive textbooks, and maybe even a few too many summer days roasting in the sun. It’s what happens when you live. Even so, if your goal is to age as gracefully as possible, it’s never too early to get in the habit of taking care of your skin. Sixty year old you will thank you for it.

Hold Off On The Retinol

Adverts of brands promoting anti-wrinkle products may be looming over you at Boots while you’re looking for that 1 pound body wash, but resist the temptation. In your early 20s, highly concentrated products like retinol (a type of Vitamin A hailed as a miracle wrinkle remover) can do more harm than good. If you have acne-prone skin, retinol can irritate your skin and cause breakouts. So, return that retinol product you impulsively bought and trade it in for a daily SPF.

it’s never too early to get in the habit of taking care of your skin

Always Use A Daily SPF

Sun damage may not be rearing its ugly head quite yet, but daily application of an SPF is the most effective thing you can do right now. Even in the rainy Exeter weather, the sun’s rays can still slowly damage your skin and accelerate the signs of ageing. If you have oily or combination skin, stick to light SPF face creams such as Nivea Sun Q10 Anti-Age & Anti-Pigments SPF 50.

Embrace Eye Cream Day & Night

Keeping the delicate skin around your eyes constantly hydrated will help hold off crows feet from developing. CeraVe’s Eye Repair Cream hydrates the skin and reduces eye puffiness and dark circles, while also being non-greasy. Avoid tugging on the skin by instead lightly patting it on.

Utilise Shea Butter

Extracted from nuts of African shea trees, shea butter is an all around ideal product to add to your skincare regime. It reduces pre-existing fine lines and helps prevent the development of new ones, while also hydrating your skin. Shea butter can either be refined, or unrefined, with refined being a bit easier to work with for first time users.

Try Out Argan Oil

Argan oil isn’t too heavy or too light, can decrease breakouts, AND help protect your skin against environmental stressors. Alcohol, cigarette smoke, and pollution don’t do much to protect your skin from aging, and antioxidants in argan oil help protect and repair the skin, leaving you with a healthy, youthful glow. Try a few drops of an organic argan oil, and you won’t have to wait long to see the benefits.

Relax With A Collagen Mask

Collagen is a wrinkle-destroying protein in your skin that starts to deplete once you hit your twenties. Big yikes. Mario Badescu’s Super Collagen Mask is formulated with collagen, reducing any pre-existing fine lines and preventing the start of others. Swipe on a thin layer while preparing for your next lecture (or while watching Netflix, no judgement here) and you’ll be wondering how you’ve gone this long without it.

your smile lines…are just showing the world the evidence of your smile

In the end, if you again wake up tomorrow morning and see that your smile lines have gotten a bit deeper, try not to think of it as a bad thing. Those lines are just showing the world the evidence of your smile, which doesn’t quite seem to sound like a bad thing at all.