Skin Care Tips

The Ultimate Skin-Care Guide

Wish your complexion would make an about-face? Just rely on these essential creams and cleansers — tested by women like you and handpicked for your skin type

Photo: Getty Images

Best Skin-Care Products for Normal Skin

Your skin is neither too oily nor too dry, and you rarely break out or experience redness. Your pores are small (practically invisible), and though an occasional blemish may surface, it's usually tied to your period.

Best Regimen: Cleanse and moisturize daily with gentle, basic products. Look for those with antioxidants, which fight free-radical damage and stave off the signs of aging. You might also consider adding retinoids or vitamin C to your routine several times a week to boost collagen production, says Ava Shamban, a dermatologist in Santa Monica. Finally, don't forget moisturizer - one with sunscreen for the day and one without SPF at night.

Cleanser

Winner: Fresh Soy Face Cleanser, $38, www.fresh.com. A hit for its "creamy texture" and soy proteins, which keep skin tones even.
Runner-Up: Skyn Iceland Glacial Face Wash, $30.

Moisturizer with SPF

Winner: Lancôme Aqua Fusion Cream SPF 15, $37, www.lancome-usa.com. Airy in consistency, this lotion offers moisture without greasiness.
Runner-Up: Elizabeth Arden Daily Moisture Lotion SPF 15, $37.

Night Treatment

Winner: Origins High Potency Night-a-Mins Moisture Cream, $33, www.origins.com. A "thick but not greasy" blend of the antioxidant vitamins C, E, and A makes normal skin even more supple.
Runner-Up: Be Fine Food Skin Care Night Cream with Cocoa, Millet & Rice Bran, $20.

Best Skin-Care Products for Dry Skin

Blame the flakiness — along with redness and itchiness — on your skin’s barrier layer, which doesn’t retain natural oils or water as well as it should.

Best Regimen: To keep your complexion quenched and healthy, use cleansers and creams with emollient ingredients, like hyaluronic acid and ceramides. Skip foaming face washes, since they strip away lipids, and avoid anything containing harsh retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids, says Fran Cook-Bolden, a dermatologist in New York City. If your skin is very flaky or peeling, try a face oil under your moisturizer — it will smooth out your skin in a flash.

Cleanser

Winner: CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser, $11.50 at drugstores. It “moisturized beautifully,” thanks to hyaluronic acid and ceramides.
Runner-Up: YSL Softness Cleansing Silky Balm Radiance Revealer, $37.

Moisturizer with SPF

Winner: Hampton Sun Super Hydrating Face Cream SPF 15, $40, Vitamin-packed protection that left skin “soft and supple.”
Runner-Up: Skin Effects Preventing Effects Lightweight Moisturizing Soufflé SPF 30+, $16.

Night Treatment

Winner: Boots No. 7 Moisture Quench Night Cream, $13, So thick and emollient, it cleared up dry patches overnight.
Runner-Up: Shiseido Pureness Moisturizing Gel Cream, $31.

Best Skin-Care Products for Oily Skin

Soon after you wash your skin, it looks shiny. You may suffer from blackheads and breakouts that aren't tied to your monthly cycle, and your pores are medium to large.

Best Regimen: Help keep your pores unclogged by sloughing away dead skin cells daily with products that contain salicylic acid or alpha hydroxy acids. And, logic to the contrary, it's important to moisturize: If your skin's surface gets dehydrated, your sebaceous glands, which produce oil, will kick in to action (brace yourself!). Use oil-free lotions and sunscreens, which won't exacerbate acne, says Leslie Baumann, a professor of dermatology at the University of Miami, in Florida, and the author of The Skin Type Solution (Bantam, $12, www.amazon.com).

Cleanser

Winner: Bioré Blemish Fighting Ice Foaming Cleanser, $6 at drugstores. Made with salicylic acid, it sopped up oil without drying - and won kudos.
Runner-Up: N.V. Perricone Outpatient Therapy Pore Refining Cleanser, $35.

Moisturizer with SPF

Winner: Estée Lauder DayWear Plus SPF 15 for Oily Skin, $38, www.esteelauder.com. This lightweight mattifying lotion combats the aging process with antioxidant ingredients.
Runner-Up: Clean & Clear Morning Glow Moisturizer SPF 15, $6.

Night Treatment

Winner: Lather AHA Facial Therapy with Copper & Borage Extract, $24, www.lather.com. This light moisturizer sloughs off dead skin cells with alpha hydroxy acids.
Runner-Up: Zia Treatments Alpha Hydroxy Citrus Night Time Reversal, $30.

Best Skin-Care Products for Sensitive Skin

Almost any new product, especially one that contains fragrance or preservatives, provokes a response - usually in the form of redness or stinging.

Best Regimen: A daily dose of gentle products is the way to go. Avoid anything with an added scent, says New York City dermatologist Doris Day, and pass up eye creams, which can irritate that delicate area. Calm itchiness and redness with products that contain anti-inflammatory ingredients, like green tea and licorice-root extract. And don't skimp on sun protection: Just choose products with gentle UVA-blocking ingredients, like zinc oxide and Mexoryl.

Cleanser

Winner: Clinique Redness Solutions Soothing Cleanser, $21, www.clinique.com. This cleanser delivers "dramatic improvement" in redness with oat and sea-whip extracts, and it doesn't foam, so it's not drying.
Runner-Up: Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash, $6.

Moisturizer with SPF

Winner: La Roche-Posay Anthelios SX Daily Moisturizing Cream with Sunscreen SPF 15, $29, www.laroche-posay.com. A returning champ (readers named it a favorite in last year's "Best Drugstore Beauty Buys"), the lotion contains Mexoryl, a gentle UVA filter.
Runner-Up: Aveeno Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF 15, $14.

Night Treatment

Winner: Eucerin Redness-Relief Soothing Night Cream, $15 at drugstores. Fragrance-free, nonclogging, and infused with licorice extract to reduce red blotches. Panelists loved it.
Runner-Up: Mario Badescu Control Cream, $26.

Best Skin-Care Products for Mature Skin

As you enter perimenopause and estrogen levels begin to drop, you experience a slowdown in both oil production and skin-cell renewal. The result: skin that lacks elasticity and looks dull. You may also start noticing fine lines, brown spots, and rough patches as past sun damage (oh, misguided youth!) manifests itself.

Best Regimen: Get your youthful glow back with products that contain antioxidants and retinoids. The former fight the free-radical damage that ages skin, and the latter boost collagen production to keep it firm. Since your skin is slow to slough off dead cells, dermatologists recommend using a weekly at-home peel to help it along.

Last Minute Fashion Style

Genius Style Shortcuts

When it comes to looking your best, you don’t always have time to go that extra mile. Lucky for you, these sneaky fashion and beauty tricks will allow you to skip steps without compromising your hotness

By Anna Gustafson, Cosmo.com

1. Stretch Out Your Too-Tight Jeans
We've all been there: Your date is set to arrive any minute, and your jeans won't zip! "Once they're on as far as they'll go, do some squats and lunges to stretch out the butt and crotch," says Robyn Moreno, author of Practically Posh. Denim gives more easily when it's wet, so if they still feel tight, take them off, dampen trouble spots with a spray bottle of warm water, and use your hands to stretch those areas even more.

2. Give Yourself a Facial
There's nothing better than a professional facial. But if you have a big night and no time, you can still get luminous skin without the royal treatment. Try this 10-minute routine, suggested by Elena Arboleda, head aesthetician at Mario Badescu Skin Care, in New York City. First, wash your face with a cleanser for your skin type. Next, massage on a gentle scrub for 30 seconds with your fingertips. Rinse and apply a thin layer of a mask containing fruit enzymes, such as papaya, which will help give your face a glow. After five minutes, rinse off, and blot your skin dry. Finish with moisturizer, eye cream, and lip balm.

. Send Wrinkles into Hiding
After moisturizing, dab a small amount of premakeup base containing silicone over smile lines, crow's-feet, and small creases. "It visibly blurs the lines and makes skin look much smoother," says makeup artist Nick Barose. Finish with a lightweight liquid foundation (heavy concealers make wrinkles appear deeper) and a dusting of light-reflecting loose powder.

4. Slim Your Legs
For trimmer-looking stems almost instantly, "rub a subtle self- steamer that has bronzing pigments into your skin to give it an immediate glow that will deepen in a few hours," says Linda Hay, a makeup artist for Victoria's Secret. "Let it dry for a couple of minutes, then use a fat blush brush to draw just a line of iridescent shimmer powder down the front and back of your legs, from thigh to toe - it will reflect light down the center, giving a longer, slimmer illusion."

5. Fix a Mani Smudge
Hey, you've got places to go - which is why you inevitably end up bolting from the nail salon before your polish has dried completely. You know what comes next - an ugly smudge. Try this quick fix: "As soon as you get home, carefully pour nail enamel remover into the cap," says Ji Baek, owner of New York City's Rescue Beauty Lounges and author of Rescue Your Nails. "Dip the pad of another finger into the liquid and lightly tap and smooth the smudged nail. Then apply a high-shine topcoat." This time, sit tight!

6. Cut Your Blow-Drying Time
Towel-blot hair well, then do what we call a faux-out. Normally, you'd clip up the top and start drying the bottom layer of hair. But to save time, "Put your dryer on high heat and finger-tousle the underside of your hair to zap out the moisture," says hairstylist Jimmy Paul of Bumble and Bumble. Then focus your attention on the top layer. "Use a round brush to blow out sections that are the same width as the brush, applying lots of tension from roots to ends," he adds. The smooth, shiny top layers will conceal what's underneath.

7. Switch Purses in Seconds
Unless you're somehow immune to handbag obsessionitis, you likely own a number of purses. But showing all of them off can be a process, since it takes forever to transfer all your stuff from one bag to the next. To speed it up, accessory designer Anya Hindmarch suggests stashing your belongings in zippered leather or mesh satchels. "They act as a filing system and make it a cinch to transfer your stuff," she says. "One holds money, one makeup, and another has receipts."

8. Freshen Up After the Gym
First, use a disposable face wipe on various body parts - face, arms, and pits, advises Grace Lazenby, personal trainer and founder of iTrain.com. Then rub on a scented body water, which will do double duty by mopping up excess moisture and making you smell great. Since you'll already have natural color in your cheeks, just swipe on lip gloss and a coat of mascara.

9. Touch Up Your Roots in a Pinch
To cover peekaboo roots between salon appointments, colorist Rita Hazan of the Rita Hazan Salon, in New York City, suggests trying a touch-up stick. "Choose the shade that matches your hair color best, moisten the tip, and paint it onto your roots like a lipstick," she explains. Or if you're really crunched for time, "put your hair up in a ponytail with a gorgeous headband to hide regrowth," Hazan says.

10. Beautify on the Fly
It's every woman's worst nightmare: You're schlepping through the produce aisle in sweatpants when you spot your ex with a hot new chick. First, move safely out of his line of sight. Next, "Pinch your cheeks for an instantly flushed look, then bite your lips and lick them to make them look really juicy," says makeup artist Mally Roncal. "If you're wearing eyeliner, smudge it with your finger for a quick smoky eye." Finally, flip your head over and shake out your hair to get that sexy, bedhead look. Now, take a deep breath, walk right up to them, and say hi.

11. Sex Up Your Makeup
Concelear and lipstick workday makeup staples. But for happy-hour drinks or a date, that bare-bones look won't do. Kick it up with this two-minute routine: "Line the outside rims of your eyes with black liner and apply a couple of coats of black mascara to the top and bottom lashes," says Roncal. "Dab on a shimmery lip gloss and add a bit of hightlighter to the upper cheekbones to brighten up your skin."

12. Spruce Up Your Pad Fast
Don't you just love it when friends decide to "pop by"? To make sure your place looks put together, Getorganizednow.com owner Maria Gracia suggests whisking through your kitchen, living room, and bathroom and throwing any clutter into a big bag. Then stash it in a closet. To create a little olfactory ambience, light a scented candle or spritz a room spray.

13. Make Dirty Hair Look Chic
There are times when your unwashed hair screams, "For the love of God, shampoo me!" But when you don't have time to lather and rinse, create a messy bun. "Mist your hair with a little bit of hair spray, which will absorb oil and add texture," says Paul. "Tease at the crown, then twist back individual sections one by one, away from your face, securing each with a bobby pin." Finally, gather the length into a loose bun.

Reprinted with permission from Hearst Communications, Inc.