I'm...well, well past the carding stage of life, but I still get frequently carded. It's HUGE compliment, even though I know it's for the "if you look under 30 we card" rule and not the "you don't look 21" rule.

Though last week, one lady not only carded me buying a bottle of wine, but scanned it to make sure it wasn't fake, so maybe....:)

Sun is not your friend. If you didn't know that when you were younger, IPL photofacials can be your friend now.

If you paint up your face like a rodeo clown you do need to wash your face every night. Unfortunately this is a common southern tradition.

I love prescription strength Retin A, BHAs and AHAs. I think they're one of the few scientifically proven skin care products, while the rest is mumbo jumbo.

A good BHA is $5 or $25 for high end, AHA is $40, and Retin A cream is usually covered by insurance, if it isn't for you it's $40. They last months and months for me.

Koreans are obsessed with skin. Americans spend more on makeup while Asians more on skincare. Personally aside from Asian sunblock I haven't really found their skincare to be "better" but a lot of people swear by it.

I'll stick to my chemicals thnx. Oh and Trader Joes has some surprisingly good face washes and serums.

I think Rebecca Schuman is so isolated in her little safe-space academic world that she doesn't even understand that she comes across as an idiot. This is someone who thinks it's cute to take selfies where she's flipping off her infant. This is someone whose self-identity as an academic and a feminist dictates everything she writes. She's a walking stereotype of a female academic: bad hair, no makeup, obsessed with shit that only matters inside the university. Feminism says you can't look good for a man, or just for the sake of looking good- it has to be "radical," it has to be an act of rebellion. So stupid.

I hate the current overuse of the term "self care." It's such a stupid smug liberal bullshit term.

momof4: sorry to burst your bubble, but lots of places card everyone so they don't get in trouble with people who look older than they are etc.
I've seen them card people with totally white hair.

I like Paula Begoun aka cosmetics cop She has her own products but also reviews many products based on science not the mumbo-jumbo that usually passes for science in the beauty industry. She'd agree on the sunscreen, retin-a (or retinol for nonprescription strength), AHA, and BHA. Plus she'd add vitamin c. What I found most interesting was how poorly packaged some of these products are which ruins the effectiveness of it.

My recent discovery is that conditioner that has silicone seems to muck up hair.

I get the generic for the pricier Biolage stuff from Sally's. Just $5.99 with the Sally's discount card for a big-ass bottle.

http://www.sallybeauty.com/gvp-conditioning-balm/SBS-264074,default,pd.html

I like some of the K-beauty stuff (and it's only pricey at Sephora, because it's Sephora). I've never felt a need to justify it as a feminist indulgence though.

Ppen is right: a good retinol and a chemical exfoliant are miracle workers.

Those of you who use Retin-A, is there some horrible peeling period you go through when you start using it?

I haven't (when I used it), but know plenty who have. It's certainly not unusual.

(Whispering: Ah, you ladies know us guys will jump your bones regardless of what you do to your skin, right? I mean, to us you are HOT!))

There is some peeling w/ Retin-a but it doesn't last that long, and it's worth it. You can minimize the peeling by starting w/a lower concentration of the product and also only applying it a couple days a week. Also, you really do have to wait until your face is completely dry (like 20 minutes after you wash it) to apply.

I get carded a decent amount still, and my husband almost never does. He only gets carded when they card everyone. We are over 40.

I always say thank you.

I was 34-ish and got carded to buy a video game at Toys-R-Us. I was caught completely off guard and said, "What, really?"

I always say thank you now when it happens.

I'm very low maintenance...but I'm pale so I've been pretty good at avoiding sun.

Though I may try some of the above suggestions to keep it that way.

I wash my face twice a day (with regular drugstore products) otherwise I get acne.

Does anyone have effective suggestions for rosacea?

My cheeks are always red. I'm trying a moisturizer with a green tint and Eucerin Redness Relief Soothing Night Creme. Doesn't help much.

Have you tried Dermarest? (Don't know what its current reputation is.)

No.

Not sure I want to put hydrocortisone creme on my face.

It isn't horribly bad. I mentioned to a friend at work...and she said she hasn't consciously noticed. Though it was clear when I pointed it out.

I think years ago a doc gave tetracycline which did clear it up (or maybe I'm remembering wrong and it only cleared up the acne at the time). But I do not want to be on antibiotics more than necessary. Risk/reward ratio didn't seem to be in my favor.

"Feminism says you can't look good for a man, or just for the sake of looking good- it has to be "radical," it has to be an act of rebellion."

By this measure, Goth chicks are feminists. Win!

Some products help a little, but in general, healthy skin comes from within.
It's a lifestyle thing.

No amount of skin care, can reverse the effects of poor diet, starting in childhood, heavy drinking, smoking, massive sun damage.... And a sedentary life style.

The bad news is, a lot of women have been so obsessed about their skin, and their weight, that they are also horribly vitamin D and other micro nutrient deficient which leads to a number of debilitating, and fatal diseases.

The older I get, the less makeup I wear. I see these old biddies, with the permed up hair, tattooed eyebrows, and caked on powder base. Frankly, I would rather look old, than look desperate.

I gauge my health by how many things, I am still able to do, that most women my age, cannot.