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.