From hydration to sun protection: All the definitive things your skincare routine needs in your 50s.

I turned 50 last year.     

Considering the significance of the milestone, turning half a century (and it sounding so profound and a little bit exhausting), I was more or less unphased by it.   

If anything, I was pretty darn thankful. 

Thankful because I know it’s a privilege to grow older. Thankful that despite a pandemic, I was still able to celebrate with a socially distanced themed cocktail party.

Growing up, the idea of being 50 was an age that didn’t bare thinking about. Parents and old people were 50. It was perceived as the age of decline, mind and body wilting in protest.

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And yet, here I am.

I remember when I was thirteen, mum had arrived home from the Saturday morning grocery shop and she handed me what was to be my first ever beauty product. 

A thick, white cold cream that made me feel womanly and special. 

Of course today, 13-year-olds would find this outrageous, no doubt raising their beautifully laminated eyebrows in disbelief, as they scroll through their social feeds, soy latte in one hand, ‘adding to the cart’ in other. So different to my reality at thirteen!

Nevertheless, when entering my teen years, I felt very grown up and worldly.

Mum instructed me to use it every day and suggested that I would one day thank her.

Err… thanks mum.

It was not until I was in my 30s and 40s that I really upped my skincare game; meticulously cleansing, toning and moisturising with the philosophy that going to bed with makeup on was a disservice to my diligence. 

My combination skin was nothing if not consistent and predictable. Once a month I had the obligatory hormone breakout which by that age felt a bit ironic.

Over the last couple of years I have definitely seen my skin go through its most significant change. 

As I have become older, wiser and more mature, my skin has also become, well, more... mature. 

Menopause may not have sucked the life out of me, but it has surely sucked the moisture out of my skin.

It has unapologetically decided to lose all interest in retaining any kind of hydration and so in defiance to this act, I have become obsessed with getting my glow back. 

Only last week someone was kind enough to comment that I was looking rather dewy. 

Alas, menopausing and glowing are not mutually exclusive.

I’m loyal to my current skincare regime but I don’t have a huge disposable amount of time, so it needs to be effective and working-mother friendly. 

In the morning, unless I’ve exercised (so um, that would be most days) I will skip the cleanse bit and start with a face mist, something with Vitamin E in it. 

It’s a two second job but I find it helps absorb my daily serum and I use one that has hyaluronic acid and then it’s on to sunscreen. 

Sunscreen is the essential worker of the group. As there are so many that double up as a beauty product with extra ingredients these days, I use one that functions as both a serum and a primer, and with a bit of shimmer it’s a perfect base for my makeup.

At night, the routine will include a double cleanse, first with a micellar water and then a cleansing oil. 

I’ve long overcome my fear of oils, I love how luxe they feel and how effective they are in removing my makeup. 

I’ll then lather myself in an anti-aging moisturiser that contains hyaluronic acid and ceramides. Three times a week my 50-year-old skin will politely request something active and more of an exfoliant. 

Hell hath no fury than a 50-year-old woman without retinol in her repertoire.

Because my skin is so dry I have needed to find something that is specifically designed for dry skin and I recently invited Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel along to my skincare party and oh my, she is a delightful and very welcomed guest on high rotation.

Image: Supplied.

Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel is specifically designed for dry skin. With the moisturising property of an oil, the gel format is easily absorbed so it’s like getting the best of both worlds.

Being that it's oil based, it feels super hydrating which my mature skin is ever so appreciative of. A little goes a long way and it absorbs really well, helping my skin feel moisturised throughout the day. 

Image: Supplied.

The clever people at Bio-Oil have long been revered for their original Bio-Oil Skincare Oil for scars and stretch marks, but I must say that this Dry Skin Gel is worthy of its own cult status. 

A bit of research around traditional creams, moisturisers and lotions tells me that most of these generally contain about 70% water, which explains why they feel a bit chilly when first applied, and also why they mostly evaporate on contact with the skin.

Though with Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel, it contains only 3% water, 13% humectants (water-loving ingredients that draw moisture into the stratum corneum, the top layer of skin) and 84% oil. Aside from being so hydrating, this also means that it helps to retain moisture in the skin.  

I’ve got a tub on my desk at work that I use as needed throughout the day because the office air-conditioning is ridiculously dehydrating (and I’m useless at drinking water unless it comes with caffeine).  

I also use it as soon as I get out of the shower when my skin is still a bit damp. My oh my, it feels glorious, and I’ve definitely noticed how soft my skin is after using it for just a few days.

I’ve been using it now for about 2 weeks and for a product that is so modest and affordable, I was happily surprised at how quick I saw a difference. 

It is by no means a splurge product, which makes me love it all the more! I certainly think it has a splurge kind of feel to it. This is a definite ‘add to cart’ product, but because you don’t need to apply much in the first place, it might take a while before I need to repurchase. 

As the millennials say, love this for me.

Image: Supplied.

Try out the moisturising benefits of an oil with the light and easy absorption of a gel with Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel, available here. Always read the label. Follow the instructions for use.

Feature: Supplied/@biooilaustralia