Skin-Care Tool Kit

Now that you’ve mastered the techniques, here’s what you need to get started.

Cleanser: If your skin is dry or sensitive, pick a mild, moisturizing cream. If your skin is combination or oily, go for a gel or a foam. Or, for extra-deep cleaning on any skin type, try an oscillating cleansing brush.

Exfoliator: Options include scrubs of various grits and night creams with dead-cell–removing chemical ingredients, such as glycolic acid. What you use and how often you use it are a matter of personal preference and skin sensitivity. But all types will benefit from shedding dead cells to make way for newer, healthier ones.

Eye cream: Yes, it’s essential. The undereye area has fewer hydrating oil glands than elsewhere on the face, “so you have to compensate topically,” says Marcia Kilgore, a facialist and the founder of the skin-care line Soap & Glory. Try one with moisture-attracting hyaluronic acid and apply it morning or night.

Moisturizer: If your primary concern is aging, look for one with an antioxidant, like vitamin C or retinol. If dry skin is your problem, choose a richer formula with hyaluronic acid or glycerin. For oily skin, look for salicylic acid to minimize shine and acne.

Sunscreen: There’s one for everyone. Physical-sunscreen ingredients, like titanium dioxide and zinc, are better suited to sensitive skin. Chemical sunscreens, like Parsol 1789, may look less masky. The sunscreen-smell–phobic can use brush-on mineral products (like Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15, $36, sephora.com), which are odorless and can be swept over makeup.


Real Simple Picks for Your Skin-Care Tool Kit