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Memorial Day is on Monday, May 27th this year — it’s always the last Monday in May — but ahead of the holiday we’re noticing that some of our favorite expert-recommended skin care products are already marked down. The Neutrogena retinol moisturizer that one reviewer said makes their skin “feels and looks alive” is now just $24, while you can save over 40% on the CeraVe eye cream that another reviewer claimed is like “botox in a cream.”
We’ve even spotted a few products we’ve tested ourselves here at AOL, including the L’Oreal Glotion that both I and Martha Stewart swear by for a glowing complexion, as well as the Tula cooling under-eye balm that both of our shopping editors highly recommend for hot summer days.
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If you’re all set on skin care, however, we’ve also been diligently rounding up Memorial Day deals at Amazon, Walmart and beyond on everything from bedding and mattresses to kitchen accessories and tech gadgets so that you don’t miss a beat.
CeraVe’s Hydrating Facial Cleanser comes recommended by several experts we’ve spoken with over the years. Because skin undergoes many changes as you age, experts agree that the hyaluronic acid and ceramides found in this cleanser are essential for gently cleansing away impurities while leaving skin hydrated and plump while retaining its natural oils.
If your skin feels tight after cleansing, then your face wash is likely too aggressive and might be stripping too many of your skin’s precious oils. Consider cleansing your face only at night if your skin feels too dry in the morning for a second cleanse.
Niacinamide — the technical name for vitamin B3 — is a well-known ingredient that’s essential for improving skin elasticity, increasing barrier function and evening out skin tone. Ceramides are lipid molecules that increase hydration and prevent moisture loss. When combined, these two powerhouse ingredients target several aging skin concerns, according to experts.
As skin ages, experts recommend using a toner that both hydrates and gently exfoliates such as Son & Park Beauty Water. It’s a multipurpose toner that acts as the final line in your cleansing routine to hydrate, exfoliate, refresh and prepare skin for your serums, treatments and moisturizers. It’s made with naturally soothing ingredients like lavender and rose, a well as ingredients for gentle exfoliation like papaya fruit extract.
While you might not think that using a toner is an essential in your skin care routine, nearly every expert we spoke with in our guide to building a skin care routine in your 50s said that it’s an important step after cleansing, especially if you’re targeting different concerns with each product you use.
This serum has a fast-acting formula that delivers numerous skin-care benefits, including diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, lightening dark spots and hyperpigmentation, plumping and hydrating skin and making large pores appear smaller. It uses a time-released, stabilized form of pure RoC Retinol that works for up to 12 hours.
Along with retinol, this serum is packed with other potent ingredients like squalane and ashwagandha, which are gentle on the skin.
Ingredients found in RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Anti-Aging Night Cream, like retinoids and niacinamide are important for reducing inflammation, protecting the skin’s barrier and brighting the complexion.
That said, experts agree that you’ll want to stick to using intense retinol serums and creams at night when you’re out of the sun. Pairing a retinol with an ultra hydrating night cream, like in this formulation, is a good way to make sure that hydrating ingredients balance out the intense effects of the retinol.
This powerful anti-aging moisturizer is consistently recommended by dermatologists thanks to its ingredients and affordable price point. The rich, emollient formula uses hyaluronic acid to lock in hydrating molecules while the retinol works overtime to turn over dull, aging cells and lift up brighter, more youthful-looking cells to the skin’s surface. Remember to only wear a retinol at night and wear a sunscreen the morning after to protect fresh, sensitive skin.
Plus, it has a 4.4-star rating on Amazon among a whopping nearly 50,000 reviewers. One five-star reviewer had this to say: “I have been using this product for about 2 weeks. I have started to see a huge difference in my skin. It feels and looks alive. I’m only 53 but as we get older we lose the elasticity in our skin. This cream is amazing. Add a little vitamin C cream afterwards and your skin will glow.”
Another reviewer said the affordable price point is what drew them in. “I am very young and already noticeably wrinkling,” they said. “I started to use Neutrogena Retinol Face Moisturizer every night after a $100 competitor left me with limited improvement. This works just as well and is much cheaper.”
Last year, Jennifer Garner shared with InStyle that Hydro Boost is one of her favorite products.
“I can instantly tell the difference — it just looks fresh and plump and better. There are all these little micro-lines that once I put this on, they go away,” she said. “This is 48 hours of moisture that you’re locking in with one thing, and then I don’t have to worry about it. … I think it’s my favorite product we’ve ever put out.”
She’s been a devout Neutrogena fan over the years. So much so that she became an ambassador for the brand.
Hydro Boost’s main ingredient is hyaluronic acid, which binds water to the skin’s surface to help give you smoother, hydrated, more supple skin. The fast-acting gel moisturizer is also lightweight, oil-free and non-comedogenic, so it’s designed not to clog your pores.
This thick and hydrating cream from Olay is formulated with niacinamide and B3 vitamins, which work to brighten the skin and improve a dull complexion. Hyaluronic acid draws in moisture molecules to keep skin soft, supple and hydrated throughout the day or night. It’s also fragrance free, making it a good option for those with sensitive skin and noses.
It has an astounding almost nearly 27,000 reviews on Walmart and a 4-star rating. One five-star reviewer had this to say: “I am approaching a milestone birthday soon and have been improving my skincare regimen for several years now. In doing so, I have added several Olay moisturizers into the mix. This one is one of my favorites and it keeps my face feeling smooth and hydrated. Additionally, I can proudly say that I don’t have any wrinkles and am turning 50 soon. I say this moisturizer plays a huge role in that, and I’ll continue to use it for years to come.”
Elizabeth Arden is a premier name in skin care, and this highly emollient moisturizing cream is a particular standout. It’s clinically and dermatologically tested, safe for most skin types and, when used nightly as recommended, helps keep skin supple and soft.
While it’s not exactly meant as a face cream, this ultra-rich moisturizer is used as one by many seasoned beauty experts. It’s extremely hydrating, packed with nourishing plant-derived ingredients and especially good as a nighttime treatment for the face, hands, feet, neck and even décolleté.
CeraVe makes one of the most popular expert-recommended under eye brightening treatment on the market. Not only does it feel good on your skin (it absorbs quickly, with no gross pilling), it’s also fragrance-free, hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic. Olivia Wilde also loves it. So do thousands of reviewers, who say it’s like “Botox in a cream.” We’re not sure about that claim, but we do know this is a quality skin-care staple and a must-try for anyone with an under eye situation they don’t love.
Eye creams are necessary for hydrating the thin, delicate skin around your eyes, especially as you age. They can also help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, under eye bags, dark circles, puffiness and more. You can find eye creams with and without retinol.
Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Eye Cream is a good entry point into retinols, especially if you’re concerned with crow’s feet, fine lines, wrinkles and dark circles. It’s also loaded with hyaluronic acid so it’ll keep skin hydrated and plump while turning over newer, younger-looking cells.
This hydrating under-eye balm goes on with a cooling sensation and is formulated with skin-loving probiotics to help brighten and refresh tired skin over time. It’s formulated with probiotic extracts, firming peptides and probiotic superfoods to plump and revitalize skin from the inside out, while ingredients like caffeine, rosewater and blueberry infuse hydration and valuable antioxidants while reducing the appearance of dark circles.
As a devout user of this eye balm, I also recommend using it like a highlighter, putting just a dab on cheekbones and brows for some extra brightening power. On hot summer days I like to keep it with me to add a quick cooling swipe when I feel overheated.
The product’s unique creamy texture is what makes it stand out, according to the more than 13,000 reviewers on Amazon who’ve given it a 4.4-star rating. One reviewer put it best when they said, “It creates the slightest glimmer and the texture it creates when it touches your skin is delicious.”
Perricone’s MD Smoothing & Brightening Under-Eye Cream has a potent mix of antioxidants, plumping amino acids and fatty acids to support your under-eye skin’s barrier and improve radiance and glow. It’s also recommended by dermatologists.
Martha Stewart’s makeup artist of 10 years said she uses this L’Oreal “glotion” on Stewart after SPF “for dewiness and a smooth canvas for makeup.”
I tested out this L’Oreal Glow Enhancer as part of my beauty routine for several months and found it to be well worth the price, even when not on sale. It’s a lightweight, slightly runny cream lotion that is best applied with a small brush for a smooth, even finish. The lotion has a very gentle illuminating effect in the light.
I found it to be a good option for brightening my skin especially when I didn’t want to wear a full face of makeup. I also used it in place of a stick or powder highlighter, instead applying just a few dots of this lotion to my cheekbones and brow line for a boost of brightness.
Whether you’re hoping for a hint of color before a vacation, or you just want a touch of color for an upcoming wedding, this firming self-tanning lotion is the secret weapon you need in your beauty cabinet.
Like most self-tanning lotions, it’s formulated to give you a gradual glow over time. Apply after showering and thoroughly exfoliating away dead and dry skin, taking special care around areas like elbows, knees and ankles. Thoroughly wash your hands after applying, and let the lotion begin to do its work!
What makes this self-tanner unique is that it’s made with collagen, elastin and green tea infusions for an “anti-cellulite formula” that will reduce the appearance of cellulite and make skin appear tighter and firmer in a week.
As time goes by, your skin will become lax and start to wrinkle. Aging might be a privilege, but aging skin doesn’t have to be part of the deal. A healthy, hydrated lifestyle — combined with the right products that bring anti-aging action — can help you grow older gracefully.
This powerhouse formulation contains seven moisturizers, three vitamins, omega fatty acids, antioxidants and botanicals that go to town on thin, dry skin, infusing it with moisture that lasts a full 24 hours.
I.E. the body oil that Cindy Crawford said in an interview with The Cut “that totally reminds me of being 25 years old in New York,” she said.
To use the oil, smooth on a few drops after a bath or shower and massage it into your skin while it’s still damp. You can also add a few drops of the oil to bath water to soften your skin while you soak.
It’s the old-school oil that’s beloved by celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Kate Middleton, Kim Kardashian and Meghan Markle. This versatile formula isn’t just for stretch marks and pregnancy scars — though it is good for those! — but can also be used as a face oil, after a manicure, in a bath and even as a makeup remover.
Experts agree that most people don’t apply enough sunblock — 1.5 ounces for most adults — so a high SPF option can act “like an insurance policy to give you the best level of protection possible,” said to Dr. Joshua Zeichner of Zeichner Dermatology when interviewed about the best sunscreens.
“This sunscreen has been clinically tested and shown to give better sunburn protection compared to sunscreens with lower SPFs,” Zeichner continued. Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen is lightweight, fast-absorbing and has a non-greasy, matte finish that can be used all over the body.
Sometimes spray sunscreen is the most convenient option, especially if you’re in a hurry and need something that’s easy to apply. Experts recommend this sunscreen in our guide to the best dermatologist-approved sunscreens because of its water resistance, easy of application and proven chemical ingredients for blocking UVA and UVB rays.
This tinted sunscreen is recommended by dermatologists because it can triple as sunscreen, skin care and a skin tint, which makes it a particularly smart choice for those who want an easy skin care routine that doesn’t require much thought or effort. Plus, it’s an easy way to ensure you wear sunscreen each and every day.
No skin care routine is complete without sunscreen, and EltaMD is the No. 1 dermatologist-recommended sunscreen brand.
Several derms we’ve spoken with recommend this sunscreen in particular, and all dermatologists ecommend a sunscreen with an SPF minimum of 30, even on cloudy days, that’s reapplied every two hours when outdoors, especially on exposed skin.
EltaMD’s UV Clear Sunscreen SPF 46 can be used by those with sensitive skin, as well as those with oily, acne-prone skin and those with rosacea.
CeraVe’s AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion is an easy way to incorporate SPF into your skincare routine without having to think about it. And because it’s formulated with hydrating and plumping ingredients to maintain supple, dewy skin — hyaluronic acid, ceramides, B3, niacinamide — it’s a powerhouse product that deserves a spot in your beauty cabinet.
For those who want pain-free alternatives to invasive clinical treatments, several experts we’ve spoken with over the years recommend the NuFACE Trinity, a microcurrent device that’s like getting an at-home face lift.
The NuFACE Trinity created what’s been dubbed the “five minute face lift” thanks to the microcurrents within the tiny device that mimic the body’s natural electrical charge and strengthen facial muscles over time. When used five times a week for over a couple of months, the devices can improve your facial contour, elasticity, skin tone and lead to wrinkle reduction.
More Memorial Day Deals We Recommend:
Get your bathroom and kitchen cabinets organized once and for all with a two-tiered organizer storage cabinet. This set of two means you can use one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. Or, use both in a particularly disorganized space.
These unassuming 1,800 thread count sheets are perfect for spare beds when you just want to have an extra couple of sheets on hand for overnight guests. They’re OEKO-TEX certified and contain no harmful substances or chemicals. You can choose from over 15 colors. Get them in Twin to California King sizing.
This rechargeable electric candle lighter on Amazon is a smoke-free, odorless and windproof way of creating a flame — not to mention it’s really satisfying to use! The lighter works by using “plasma flameless arc technology,” which works by using targeted energy to light candles, stoves and more without harmful fuels and chemicals. And because it doesn’t run on butane, there’s no need to refill the lighter.
