A good evening routine after 45 is short. The skin needs one thing that renews, one thing that supports, and nothing that fights them. Here is ours, in the order that makes each step work better.
1. Cleanse, gently
Use a mild cleanser and lukewarm water. Skin that has become drier does not tolerate foaming, stripping cleansers; you want the day's SPF and dirt off, not the barrier. Pat dry with a towel and wait a minute. Retinoids applied to damp skin absorb faster and sting more.
2. Serum
3A Renewal Serum goes on first because it is the lighter of the two. Three or four drops, pressed in with the fingertips over face and neck. Give it thirty seconds.
3. Cream
3A Renewal Cream last: a pea-sized amount for the face, another for the neck and jawline, applied with upward strokes. It seals in the serum and carries the three retinoids, peptides and hyaluronic acid through the night. Nothing goes on top unless your skin is very dry in winter, in which case a plain moisturiser is fine.
Morning
Rinse or cleanse, moisturise if you like, and always SPF 30 or higher. Vitamin C belongs here, in the morning, never in the same routine as the retinoids.
What to leave out
- Scrubs and strong peels. The retinoids already renew the surface.
- Acids (AHA/BHA) in the evening during the first two months.
- Ten-step routines. Every extra product is one more thing that can irritate.
Four minutes, every evening. Consistency is what the timeline is built on.
