The best beauty products to give for Mother's Day, according to a dermatologist
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Choosing the right gift for Mother's Day can be tricky. Flowers are an obvious choice, but it's nice to give Mom something she can use, time and again. That's where beauty products come in.
From anti-aging creams to facial serums and nail polishes, beauty products are gifts that keep on giving. Of course, you don't want to give your mom any old beauty product — you want to gift something that's high quality and that she'll actually use.
"As we age, we have additional skin concerns to tackle. When buying beauty products for our moms, we have to keep these in mind," board-certified dermatologist Dr. Ife J. Rodney, M.D., founding director of Eternal Dermatology + Aesthetics, tells Yahoo Life. Some top concerns? Drier skin that produces less oil, fine lines, wrinkles and sunspots.
"Products that help keep skin looking fresh, firm and even reverse the signs of aging are great options," Rodney says.
Want to give mom the gift of beauty this year? Grab one —or several — of these dermatologist-approved products.
A high-end sunscreen for $30
There's regular sunscreen and then there's La Roche-Posay Anthelios Light Fluid Face Sunscreen, which is basically in a category all its own. La Roche-Posay's suncreen is "an excellent, fragrance-free sunscreen that goes on well under makeup," Rodney says, adding that the SPF 60 is "ideal" for older skin."This product also contains antioxidant compounds that help protect and heal aging skin," she adds. The Anthelios sunscreen is also free of oxybenzone and oil, so Mom won't have to stress about breakouts or harmful chemicals.
"This is everything a sunblock should be," one happy customer said in the reviews. "Light as air, dries to a reasonable sheerness and never feels gluey or heavy. No suffocating white mask of grease and zinc oxide." Basically, when you gift this, you show your mom you care about her skin — and her overall health.
A vegan serum that evens skin tone
Give mom more hydrated, even skin with Biossance Squalane + Phyto-Retinol Serum. This vegan serum "works to reduce fine lines and helps create an even skin tone with products like niacinamide," Rodney says. "It also contains bakuchiol, a plant-based retinol derivative that’s great for all skin types, especially sensitive skin," she adds. Worth noting: This serum is a retinol alternative that gives users the benefits of retinol without the potentially skin-irritating side effects.
"Y’all I literally NEVER write reviews but in just a week of use I’ve noticed such a difference that I had to share. This is the real deal, must have, holy grail, actually worked stuff," one five-star fan said. "My forehead lines are much less prominent and the rest of my face is happier too. Not sure if it’s just the extra moisture but even my rosacea is taking a seat."
A hydrating overnight mask
A good face mask can make you feel pampered, and Paula's Choice Super Hydrate Overnight Mask doesn't disappoint. This overnight mask is specially designed to infuse moisture while evening skin tone. "It contains shea butter and antioxidants like elderberry and rhodiola rosea to hydrate your skin and prevent redness," Rodney says.
"This mask helped my skin feel less dry and tight, and appear less dull," a happy user said. "A great addition to an existing skincare regime, as both an overnight treatment and a rinse-off face mask."
An anti-aging eye cream to banish dark circles
The Olay Regenerist Retinol Eye Cream is packed with ingredients to give your mom more youthful-looking eyes. "It contains a retinoid, niacinamide and vitamin E to firm up, remove dark spots and add volume to the skin around the eyes," Rodney says. Retinol can be irritating for some skin types, but this cream is especially designed to work for people with sensitive skin.
"I used on the lines around my eyes, especially at the sides.Within a week they were barely visible. This cream worked better and faster than ANY cream for ANY. part of my face.
Non-toxic nail polish that goes with everything
Neutral nails are having a serious moment, and this Zoya All Snuggled Up Quad has muted tones that'll look amazing on every skin type. Rodney likes Zoya nail polishes for their overall quality, calling them "a popular, non-toxic vegan brand that has minimal chipping." They're also 10-free polish, so Mom won't have to stress about harmful chemicals in her nail polish.
"I am so happy with this polish," a fan said. "I've been waiting to replace all my old polish with a great chemical free, or 'cleaner' polish and here it is! The coverage is great, dries quickly and has great durability. Love these neutral/pink colors."
A quality hand cream for just $10
CeraVe Healing Ointment hand cream has a solid reputation for taking out dry skin and with good reason — this stuff really works. "It contains hyaluronic acid and ceramides to help restore dry, cracked skin," Rodney says. The cream is also fragrance free, so it won't mess with sensitive skin.
"I love this stuff," said a five-star fan. "I use it mostly on my face and neck because I have eczema and this works like a charm! My husband used this on his knuckles and it helped him just in three days. I recommend this to everyone I know!"
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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