This is a Sponsored post. Opinions are my own. 

As you get older, your skin care needs change. With so many products vying for our attention, it's easy to get overwhelmed. So how do you narrow it down? I recently was given the opportunity to have a 30 minute skin care consultation with Jan Marini. Jan Marini is a leading educator, innovator, and skincare product researcher. I've never actually prioritized my skin care issues, so having the ability to chat with Jan really helped me to understand how to be selective when choosing the right products for my needs.

Skin Concerns

Mature skin (40+) Sun damage with Melasma-like patches and dark spots Deep and fine wrinkles Some areas of skin redness Sagging skin, especially under the eyes and jowls and neck Large pores on and around my nose Honestly, I could've totally picked apart my skin and gave her even more things I wish would change, but decided to stick to the primary concerns.

Skin Care Product Recommendations

Based on the above, Jan recommended her Skin Care Management System in addition to two extra products. (All pictured above.) These products included: BIOGLYCOLIC® FACE CLEANSER, C-ESTA® SERUM, BIOCLEAR® LOTION, TRANSFORMATION FACE CREAM, ANTIOXIDANT DAILY FACE PROTECTANT SPF 33, Hyla3D, and Marini Luminate® Face Lotion.

In talking with Jan, she's not a fan of manually scrubbing your face to exfoliate, as it creates other issues like inflammation and micro-tears and scarring. Jan recommends resurfacing. Resurfacing goes after superficial imperfections – fine lines, acne, tackles roscea, skin texture issues; it gives that glow to skin.

Resurfacing uses an acid, like glycolic acid (the smallest alpha hydroxy acid), which stimulates collagen. You may know resurfacing by another term, chemical exfoliation. Chemical, what the what? It doesn't mean it's bad. All things are chemical after all, like dihydrogen monoxide... or as us common folks know it - water.

But back to chemical exfoliants. So I've already mentioned glycolic acid, which is my fave because it melts away the build up in your pores, however, Jan Marini's Bioclear Lotion does a hat trick with a combination of glycolic, salicylic and azelaic acid. I have combination to oily skin, so this is perfect for my skin type and tackles a multitude of sins (fine lines, wrinkles, redness, acne scarring, large pores and uneven texture.)

Jan told me that it is for this very reason, that her Bioclear Lotion is her hero product. It is can used by many different skin types while covering a large majority of skin concerns. Something to note about the Bioclear Lotion - it's more of a serum consistency than a lotion (see photo above.) You only need 2 drops to cover your face and neck, so a little goes a long way. The Hyla3D and Marini Luminate® Face Lotion are must-haves for aging skin. Pro-active skin care should begin in your early 20's, as that is when you begin to lose hyaluronic acid. So by the time you're in your 40's, you're really feeling and seeing it by way of volume loss and fine lines and wrinkles. 

Hyla3D restores moisture back to the skin and reduces the appearance of those lines. Her Face Lotion contains non-staining tumeric to lighten pigmentation and retinol. Just for the record, at this age there is no reversal of lines and wrinkles. Even Botox is just a temporary fix. So finding the right skin care products that help minimize are important, just as much as avoiding the ones that contribute to exacerbating your skin issues.

Jan Marini Skin Research has been around for 23 years. Constantly researching, developing innovative and transformative products from the beginning – technologies that have medical validations - are how Jan and her team create products that are truly effective.

Jan told me that she reads medical journals because there is a lot that relates to how we age, such as diabetes. She has a dedication to marketplace, education, and wanting to provide technologies that truly address skin care issues, not just cover them up.

We were both on the same page that you should see your skin as an investment and as such, really do the research on the products that would benefit you most. I explained that I would much rather use a $100 product that gets it right the first time than to buy five $20 products that are ineffective, waste my time and end up collecting dust in my cabinet.
I learned quite a bit during this consultation, such as that you need to use a separate sunscreen from your moisturizer and that they should not be in the same product. Sunscreen in moisturizer would have to be the majority of the product, which means you are doing more protecting than moisturizing and as such, you may then think a product doesn't work because it hasn't addressed your skin's lack of moisture and abandon it.

We live in a want it now world and have high standards for our skin care products. Must fade discoloration, clear out blackheads, hydrate where necessary, mattify in the T-zone, reverse wrinkles, prevent sun damage and bake us a cake.

While some of the products Jan Marini has does address a lot of issues, she was very firm that sunscreen has to be worn on its own to help protect the skin from future damage.

Which, by the way, if you have a lot of hyperpigmentation and dark spots like I do, you will want to try her C-ESTA Face Serum. It has Vitamin C and DMAE. It's very liquidy in texture (so not really what you are used to for serum), but its thin consistency makes it great to be able to use a little and spread out across your face/neck.

So far I really like her products. I've only been using them twice per day for a month now. Having been around the block and knowing that addressing skin care issues, especially hyperpigmentation, takes a good 10-12 weeks. Give it a try for yourself.

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by L’Oreal and Conde Nast, but all opinions expressed are my own.

If you're tired of reading reviews and trying to educate yourself about anti-wrinkle creams and serums from those barely in their 20s, then you've landed in the right place. While including anti-aging products into your skin care regimen should begin in your 20s, collagen loss and those ghastly deep set wrinkles and fine lines are more prominent in mature skin. So to be completely transparent - I'm 41 years old, didn't really begin to use anti-aging products until I was in my 30s and have watched gravity make itself known on my face (and other areas, too, but that's an entirely separate blog post.) When you're dealing with loss of volume, Hyaluronic Acid is the best ingredient in your skin care products that can make the most noticeable difference. Revitalift™ Volume Filler Daily Volumizing Moisturizer and Revitalift™ Volume Filler Daily Volumizing Concentrated Serum both contain Hyaluronic Acid, which is a water-binding molecule - that means it helps skin retain moisture - an ability that skin loses as we age. If you are 40+ you may have already begun to notice a change in your skin, not only the loss of elasticity resulting in a bit more sag to your skin, but in an increase in dryness as well. For the longest time I've had combination skin that tended to be more oily. But in recent years that has made a definitive change and it tends to be more dry than oily. As you know, dry skin makes just about every flaw on your face more visible. While most people believe the myth that drinking more water will hydrate and plump the skin, it's really a topical application working from the outside in that has the most dramatic effect in restoring skin's natural fullness for a more youthful look. When skin is properly hydrated, especially in combination with Hyaluronic Acid, it gives skin a visible lift by replenishing skin's volume, thus giving you a younger looking appearance. It's really that simple. When using both Revitalift™ Volume Filler Daily Volumizing Moisturizer and Revitalift™ Volume Filler Daily Volumizing Concentrated Serum, you're dealing skin a one-two punch. Apply the serum first, which helps deliver the moisturizer deeper into the skin. While I used the moisturizer over my entire face and neck, I only applied the serum under my eyes, along my cheek bones and across my forehead. With Volume Filler™, in just 4 weeks you will begin to see an increased fullness in cheeks, a less hollowed look under your eyes and fine lines and wrinkles will be less pronounced. All good things take time after all. The Revitalift™ Volume Filler Daily Volumizing Moisturizer has a slightly thick, creamy texture and a perfume fragrance. The fragrance does disappear once applied to your skin. While the consistency of the moisturizer is thick in the jar, it is definitely weightless on your skin. Revitalift™ Volume Filler Daily Volumizing Concentrated Serum has the same fragrance as the moisturizer, it also contains dimethicone, so it has a very silky texture that makes it glide across your skin. (Which means it also works great in lieu of a makeup primer.) L’Oréal Paris is introducing a new skin care website built around the insight that everyone’s skin tells a story and no two stories are the same. With this new destination, www.lorealskinexpert.com, L’Oréal wants to help everyone find the right solution for their unique skin concern. With a personalized online skin consultation, you will be given a customized Revitalift™ skin care regimen along with easy-to-understand content from L’Oréal’s team of skin care experts to help decode ingredients, usage instructions and lifestyle tips for your skin. Have you tried L’Oréal Revitalift™? Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! beauty blog. Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram and G+. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!