I can not tell a lie. For the LONGEST time I hated spending money on skincare. I always took the cheap way out when buying skincare products. I relied mainly on deluxe samples for eye creams and things of that nature; never mind what ingredients the product contained. Skincare is just not as fun to spend money on. So when it came down to the new navy blue liquid liner or a more expensive face cream, you know I was going for the liner. Well I’m trying to change that.

Skincare in your 20s is confusing. On one hand you may still be dealing with acne, and on the other you feel like you may need to start some wrinkle prevention. Like really, both at the same time? How is that fair mother nature? But it is what it is so it’s best to just deal with it and not dwell on how annoying that is.

I am no skincare expert by any means, but the point I want to drive home here is that if you are taking the easy way out it’s time to start really thinking about your skin. If you don’t have a routine that works for you, start working on it. If you have no idea where to start, consult a dermatologist and/or start reading skincare sites by experts like Caroline Hirons. Her routine cheat sheet is really helpful and she’s super funny too.

Your skin is literally the canvas for all other (more fun) makeup anyway. If it looks bad then your makeup won’t look as good either. Plus, I’m sure most of us wouldn’t mind being able to have a makeup free day here and there without feeling self conscious. It’s pretty important stuff, start taking an interest. It’s way easier to take care of it now than it will be to start trying to repair damage when you’re in your 30’s and you start freaking out about what your skin looks like.

I have found a few things in the last year or so that really work for my skin, so I’ll share with you what they are. Keep in mind that this doesn’t necessarily mean that these will work best for you. Everyones skin is different so you may need to play around and see what works best for your needs.

First things first, on the topic of the whole “Acne and wrinkles at the same time” thing. Retinol is your friend. You don’t need to get an expensive Rx for Retin A to use a retinol, actually in my experience Retin A is way way harsh anyway. I use the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night, which is a much lighter dose of retinol and it really seems to make a difference as far as keeping my pores clear, and hopefully into the future preventing my skin from wrinkling. I must say in the last year or so I have had more people than ever thinking I’m way younger than I really am so maybe it’s working already, who knows. Then again maybe I just look 15 without makeup on.

As much as I think retinol is very important I only use it sparingly because using it too often makes my skin very very dry. In the summer months I use it every other night, and in the winter I bring that down to once a week. You may not need to be quite as sparing with it, different people react differently to it, but for me that’s plenty. Lest I end up shedding like a snake.

Another product I have really taken a shine too is the body shop vitamin E serum in oil, which I did a quick review of a while back. It’s light and it absorbs in quickly and I wake up feeling plump and looking fresh. So that has been my go-to serum for almost a year now and I haven’t wavered from it.

For night I like to put another moisturizer over my serum, and on and off for almost two years I have been using the Michael Todd True Organics Citrus Cream Moisturizer. Originally I used it because all of those coupon codes were going around and I got a really good deal on a set of products. While all of the other products in that bunch sort of went by the wayside, I actually wound up coming back to the citrus cream again and again.

I have had a really sordid relationship with daytime moisturizers. I really likes Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentrate for a long time, because I found that it really prepped my skin and made my makeup go on smooth, but I also didn’t feel like it was really hydrating me enough. But then when I switched to more hydrating formulas it would make my makeup melt off throughout the day.

In the last few months though, I have started using Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cream and it is seriously the bomb dot com. It makes my skin feel so hydrated and smooth before makeup but it also absorbs into the skin quickly so my makeup doesn’t slide off like a horror film. Definitely the best day time cream I have found in quite a while.

I finally stopped relying on deluxe samples and bought a full sized eye cream. Out of all the samples I used Benefit “It’s Potent” eye cream seemed to make the most difference in tightening my eyes and making them look brighter and more awake, so that’s the one I went for. Right now I’m using this for both night and day, but I think I could use something a little more hydrating for night. I’m still on the lookout for one of those. I think the Khiel’s creamy under eye cream with avocado is next on my radar to try.

So if you’re struggling with skincare in your 20s , start reading about it, take advantage of samples but don’t rely on them as your main source of skincare, and get a good routine down. Not only will your current skin look and feel better for it, but future you is going to come back in time and give you a high five for taking such good care of your skin once they invent time travel.