20 Beauty Essentials for Women Over 50

If you're a woman over (or approaching) 50, you're likely noticing that the changes that have been happening to your skin, hair and body since you were 30-35 have suddenly become more insidious.

As we age, our skin loses its elasticity, causing it to droop (other things droop too — and I'll get to that!). We have less overall moisture in our bodies, so even those of us who had oily skin when we were younger have much dryer skin now. Our eyes can get puffy or dark, making us look tired even when we are not, our laugh lines no longer go away when we are not smiling, spider veins start to creep around our legs, age spots appear on our faces and hands and our hair, which was once shiny and healthy-looking, looks lifeless and thin.

We all know that these changes are part of the natural course of our lives. But that doesn't mean we have to roll over and play dead. We can fight aging every step of the way, and a big part of that battle is to take care of our skin and hair. Keep reading to for my list of 20+ beauty essentials for women over 50.

Cleanser

It's very important to cleanse our faces daily to remove makeup and daily residue from our skin. Without it, your skin's surface can accumulate debris, excess oil and bacteria, which can lead to clogged pores and lifeless-looking skin. As we age, however, we must make sure that we also cleanse our faces gently. I like Boots No 7 Age Defence Cleansing Balm. The Cleansing Balm is enriched with fruit acids to purify, revive, exfoliate and brighten skin. It also contains an antioxidant complex to support your anti-aging skin care regimen. Regular use should improve skin texture and reveal radiant, healthy-looking skin.

If you are not yet familiar with the Boots brand, be sure to check it out. It's a British beauty brand now available in the U.S.!

$8.99 at Target.com

Day Creme with SPF

Prolonged sun exposure is the primary cause of premature aging, therefore, it's very important to protect our skin from the sun if we want to keep it looking young. There are many face creams out there that contain SPFs but many of them also feel thick and sticky under makeup. I'll recommend two here, because I really like them both.

Neutrogena Tone Correcting Daily Moisturizer (SPF 30) contains stabilized vitamin C and Retinol SA, which work to continuously renew the look of skin, helping smooth wrinkles and diminish the look of age spots. The Helioplex stabilized broad spectrum UVA/UVB SPF technology provides superior protection against skin-aging UVA rays and helps prevent future discoloration. The product is rich, but absorbs fast for use with other makeup.

$19.99 at Ulta.com