4 Common Skin-Care Goals and How to Achieve Each One This Year

We’ve all got skin goals; some are loftier than others but, like they always say, it’s better to aim high than to never try at all, right? Ahead, we’re sharing four skin goals and the steps needed to help make them a reality, along with our product recommendations to get the job done.

Skin Goal: Smaller-Looking Pores

Wish you could achieve a poreless-looking complexion once and for all? Us, too. While we unfortunately can’t make our pores disappear entirely, we can blur and shrink their appearance with the right skin-care routine.  

How to Achieve Smaller-Looking Pores

Step #1 Cleanse: When pores become clogged with excess oil, dead skin cells and impurities, they can appear larger than usual. These clogs, when mixed with bacteria, can also eventually cause breakouts. By cleansing regularly, you can help remove pore-clogging impurities from the surface of your skin and make your pores appear smaller. Try SkinCeuticals Glycolic Renewal Cleansing Gel. This particular cleanser contains potent agents to help exfoliate skin while lifting grime from your face.

Step #2 Tone: To make sure that you’re doing everything you can to decongest your pores, it’s a good idea to swipe a gentle toner, like the AcneFree Mattifying Witch Hazel Toner, across your face. This will help you remove any leftover makeup, dirt or grime that could be lingering on your skin’s surface.

Step #3 Apply an Oil-Free Moisturizer: Oversized pores are often associated with shiny, oily skin. But just because your skin looks a tad oilier than you’d like doesn’t mean you should skip out on moisturizer. Reach for a pore-refining moisturizer, like Kiehl’s Rare Earth Pore Minimizing Lotion.

Step #4 Add Retinol to Your Routine: As our skin ages, its ability to produce collagen and elastin — two necessary components of youthful-looking skin — slows down. As a result, our pores can begin to appear larger. To help minimize these effects, consider using products formulated with retinol as part of your daily skin care routine. We like the CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum.

Skin Goal: Clear-Looking Skin

If we could only have one skin-care goal come true, I think we can all agree that clearer-looking skin would top our list. Even for people who already have flawless-looking skin, the idea of maintaining it can seem daunting. It doesn’t have to be, though. You just need to follow good habits and a targeted routine. 

How to Achieve Clearer-Looking Skin

Step #1 Cleanse: The biggest enemy of clear skin is a dirty complexion. Without cleansing each and every day (morning and night, to be exact), achieving clear skin is almost impossible. So, since the last thing you want is for all of the dirt and grime that you came into contact with throughout the day to ruin your complexion, try cleansing with the Vichy Normaderm Gel Cleanser. The formula combines salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and micro-exfoliating LHA to gently cleanse the skin and leave it soft.

Step #2 Moisturize: You know the drill — after cleansing comes moisturizer. Considering you’re most likely worried about how a moisturizer will play into your already shiny-looking, acne-prone skin, take solace in a moisturizer formulated specially for your skin type. We recommend the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mattifying Moisturizer.

Step #3 Spot-Treat: Reach for a powerful spot treatment, like the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Adapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment. It can help clear up existing breakouts faster and prevent new blemishes from forming. 

Skin Goal: Dewy-Looking Skin

Take one scroll through Instagram and it’s clear that dewy-looking skin reigns supreme. While many people think it’s achieved solely through expert makeup application, you’d be surprised to know it’s what lies beneath that matters most. With a tailored skin-care routine, you can help promote the appearance of a dewy — not oily — complexion without a single ounce of makeup.

How to Achieve Dewy-Looking Skin

Step #1 Cleanse: At this point you should understand that if you want healthy and flawless-looking skin, cleansing is non-negotiable. That said, to promote a dewy-looking complexion, be sure to cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser morning and night. We recommend the IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cleanser.

Step #2 Exfoliate: After cleansing, it’s time to slough away dead skin cells from the surface of your skin. When left, the dead cells can cause your skin to appear dull. We like the Monat Refined Scrub to get the job done. 

Step #3 Moisturize: You can’t achieve dewy-looking skin without hydration, so be sure to boost your complexion with a creamy, hydrating moisturizer that suits your specific skin type. We especially love the Garnier SkinActive Water Rose 24H Moisture Cream.

Step #4 Use an Illuminating Oil: Ready for next-level dewy-looking skin? If you want to really rock the dewy look without any makeup, immediately after moisturizing, blend a drop of the Kiehl’s Daily Reviving Concentrate into your skin.

Step #5 Face Mist: In addition to a refreshing cool-down, facial mists, like the La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water, can also help boost hydration and that dewiness you’re aiming for.

Skin Goal: Radiant, Youthful-Looking Skin

As we age, our skin loses its ability to retain radiance. But just because it doesn’t come naturally doesn’t mean it’s impossible to achieve. Instead, you just need to implement the right products into your routine to help promote younger-looking skin. 

How to Achieve Radiant, Youthful-Looking Skin

Step #1 Cleanse: Start your anti-aging skin-care routine with a gentle cleanser that both helps remove traces of makeup and moisturizes, too. We love the Lancôme Absolue Nurturing & Brightening Oil-in-Gel Cleanser with Grand Rose Extracts for the way it cleanses without over-drying.

Step #2 Chemical Exfoliation: After cleansing, use a chemical exfoliator to help dissolve dead skin cells and reveal radiance. Before you know it, your skin will appear brighter and more even. One of our favorites is the L’Oréal Paris Revitalift 10% Pure Glycolic Acid Serum.

Step #3 Moisturize: Follow up your exfoliation with an anti-aging moisturizer, like the Lancôme Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Ultra Face Cream With SPF 30, which lifts, firms and helps correct dark spots.

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