When My 73-Year-Old Mom Asks for Beauty Tips, I Tell Her About These Products
Here's what I spoil her with.
Although my mom isn’t much of a traditional beauty fan (I didn’t see her wear makeup until I was 14, and even then it felt so weird) she did bestow me with excellent skincare habits from a very young age. She’s a bona fide horse girl through and through, which means she’s constantly out in the sun and exposed to the elements, so she knows a thing or two about taking care of your skin. I credit her not only for good skin genes, but also for instilling in me a sense of care and thoughtfulness around my skincare routine. Even if that just means cleansing, moisturizing, and applying sunscreen in the morning (rinse and repeat at night) every single day, she is the foundation from which I’ve built my own healthy skin habits. So, obviously, I need to spoil her with some skincare goodies for Mother’s Day.
Since she’s 73 and spent her life enjoying the outdoors, antioxidants, dark spot correctors, and moisture boosters are new staples in her regimen. I also love to introduce her to new, high-tech modalities like LED to help maintain her otherworldly glow. Plus, a few refills on her favorite essentials are a must, because taking care of your complexion doesn’t have an age limit, y’all! If you’re also looking for a few beauty gifts to spoil the moms in your life this Mother’s Day, keep scrolling for everything I’m adding to my cart.
Keep It Clean
The best habit I’ve learned courtesy of Momma Bear is to always cleanse your face with a gentle cleanser in the morning and at night. When you’re running around the city, or putting in hours in the barn tending to horses, it’s a must to remove debris and dirt.
For her nighttime routine, I’m starting to introduce my mom to double cleansing with an oil to start. It’s ideal for a relaxing face massage and to remove both makeup and debris without stripping the skin dry. This formula is one of my forever go-tos.
If you want a cleanser backed by every esthetician and dermatologist known to man, reach for this formula. It has the most elegant feel on the skin, and is definitely an upgrade from drugstore formulas if you’re looking for a more luxe option.
Accomplished Actives
Serums are the active-ingredient powerhouses of your skincare routine, and mature skin can benefit from an extra boost of hydration, firming, and toning. If there’s only one item you want to splurge on for Mother’s Day, I highly recommend one of these.
For the moms who love the outdoors, this vitamin C serum is a must. Fine lines and dark spots are no match for its brightening and firming powers, and the addition of peptides gives mature skin a nice, healthy bounce.
I am deeply obsessed with this potent hydrating serum. Dry, mature skin is doused in hydro-fixing active ingredients to maintain skin’s moisture levels throughout the day and deliver an unparalleled glow. Your mom deserves a little French skincare, don’t you think?
Mega Moisture
Mature skin leans dry on average, but no matter your mom’s skin type, a daily moisturizer is a must. I like to treat my mom with a luxe, more active formula to really pamper her skin.
Another derm-beloved brand, this cream helps to boost skin’s ability to hang onto collagen (the molecule that gives skin that yummy bounce) with clinical studies to back it up. Deep-set wrinkles? Never knew ‘em.
Another French pharmacy staple, this cream is no nonsense, all moisture. I reach for this on a daily basis to treat my skin to a cloud of hydration, and I know my mom will enjoy the gentle hydration in her routine as well.
Sublime Sunscreen
Sun care is non-negotiable, especially for a complexion that already has decades of UV exposure. I love treating my mom to one of the incredible new formulas for an elegant finish that actually leaves her skin looking and feeling better than ever.
I adore this SPF formula, and I love getting to spoil my mom with a refill. It’s creamy yet lightweight on the skin, and there’s zero white cast, despite being a mineral formula, which is quite the feat.
My mom is a die-hard Kiehl’s fan, so I can’t wait to surprise her with the brand’s newest SPF launch. This cream is divine, melting into the skin with zero white cast (again, a mineral formula for anyone struggling with melasma is key) and it leaves an insane glow once it dries.
Scalp & Hair Saviors
Hair thins as you get older, so creating a healthy microbiome for growth is essential (your scalp is an extension of your skin, remember!). To ensure my mom’s gorgeous silver hair stays thick and full, I’m treating her to a few tried-and-true products to promote growth and strength.
This supplement is ideal for the mature women in your life, especially those who don’t want to mess around with ingestibles that lack clinical testing (Nutrafol has impressive stats, don’t worry). With regular use, I know my mom will see improved hair density and overall less breakage.
Adding in a topical serum is like a one-two punch to improve hair health and strength directly from the scalp. This is an ideal, easy-to-use addition to my mom’s daily hair routine.
High-Tech Treats
My mom doesn’t always splurge on the beauty tools in her skincare routine, so what better time to shower her with goodies than Mother’s Day?
I use this LED mask nightly and I can see the difference in my skin in terms of tone, texture, and luminosity. My mom deserves the same benefits, and a reason to pamper herself at home.
For a true tech immersion, this PEMF mat is a must. It helps with total body relaxation and can ease chronic pain, improve sleep quality, and boost your mood. I know my mom deserves all of that and more for Mother’s Day.
Why Trust Marie Claire
For more than 30 years, Marie Claire has been an internationally recognized destination for news, fashion and beauty trends, investigative packages, and more. When it comes to the products Marie Claire recommends, we take your faith in us seriously. Every product that we feature comes personally recommended by a Marie Claire writer or editor, or by an expert we’ve spoken to firsthand.
Don't gatekeep our newsletters from your friends. Subscribe to Face Forward here.
