Q: Hi Trudie

I was looking through all the different skin care products today, and it occurred to me, I haven’t the slightest idea what I should be using, and I know I should have a good skin care regimen in place by now! What would you recommend for a 28 year old woman who still gets breakouts and has combination skin?

Thanks!!

Starving for Skin Care

A: Dear Starving,

You’re right, it is key to have a good skin care regimen—but there are so many products, how do you begin to choose what’s right for you?

Luckily, Avon has put together a skin-care quiz on their website, which is great if you’re looking at an anti-aging regimen (which you should be—now’s the time to start thinking about your skin!). I highly recommend taking a look.

But regardless of what the quiz tells you, you will need the following products:

1. A Good Cleanser. Cleansing is critical to keeping skin young and fresh, so your choice of cleanser is key (no body soap please! It will dry out your skin!). I like the ANEW REJUVENATE Revitalizing 2-in-1 Gel Cleanser, which is perfect for preventing aging in young skin (and it’s on sale right now! Neat!). This cleanser has the added bonus of a built-in toner, so it’ll speed up your routine in the AM!

2. A day cream with UVA & UVB protection. Did you know that the #1 cause of aging is sun damage? And most sunscreens do NOT protect from UVB rays, which are the rays that cause all those terrible wrinkles and age spots. So a good day cream is essential! All the ANEW day creams protect from both UVA and UVB rays and moisturize as well, so again, you’re getting 2 products for the price of 1. Again, based on the info you’ve given I’d recommend the Rejuvenate day cream.

3. A good night cream to protect/treat your skin while you sleep (and to prevent further signs of aging).

4. Eye care as the skin around your eyes is fragile, and needs special care.

A complete trial-size Rejuvenate set (designed for preventing signs of aging—perfect for late 20s skin!) is on sale now, and will give you a complete skin care regimen in one box!

Now that we’ve got your routine in place, what are we to do about those occasional breakouts? This is going to sound strange, but I find to prevent occasional breakouts, the Anew Clinical Advanced Wrinkle Corrector works wonders, and has the added bonus of plumping and filling any fine lines that may be starting to appear (and the reviews on Avon.com back me up). You’ll feel it tingle as you put it on (and don’t put it on when your pores are open directly after you cleanse, or it will burn!). You can use this instead of or with your night cream.

When the occasional blemish slips through your amazing new skincare routine, you can use the Clearskin Professional Invisible Blemish Treatment to target and treat those stubborn pimples.

I hope this helps–and let me know how this new routine is treating you!

—Trudie

Photo by striatic

Deenie Nast

A:Hello Deenie,

There’s nothing more humiliating than waking up next to your dear hubby with unsightly dark circles–we can’t have our menfolk thinking of us as anything but effortlessly beautiful creatures, of course! Luckily, Avon has a solution to this dilemma, Lighten Up Plus, which makes a big difference, especially with continued use (2 weeks usually makes a HUGE difference!). And, it’s on sale until Wednesday, 2 for $6.99 (usually $15.00 each), so I recommend ordering right away (use code FSWER for free shipping).

To cover up existing dark circles, until the Lighten Up kicks in, follow the following steps:

1. Moisturize!! Whether it’s the Lighten Up or another eye cream (I like the ANEW REJUVENATE 24 Hour Eye Moisturizer SPF 25), make sure the undereye area is moistened before applying concealer.

2. Choose a good, thick concealer (I like Avon’s Ideal Shade concealer stick) in a yellow/gold shade (to counteract the blue/purple of the circles) that is slightly lighter than your skin tone. Don’t go too light, or you’ll draw attention to the area and end up with dreaded Racoon Eyes!

3. Pat the concealer around the entire undereye area with your ring finger (so as not to apply too much pressure to the delicate eye area) or a brush. Blend well–don’t just focus on the circles, feather the concealer beyond the circles so there isn’t a clear line where the concealer stops and your skin begins.

4. Apply your normal foundation over the concealer, and then (important!) set with powder, to make sure it lasts. Circles gone!

Avon doesn’t make any products for hairy tongue, unfortunately, but I’d recommend getting in those electrolytes!

Trudie