I’m 27 and Just Started Using Night Cream, and I’m Never Going Back

I aspire to be a “skincare routine” person. You know the type: that girl you follow on Insta who posts the most gorgeous vanity shots—pretty jars and tubs all lined up in colorful rows. But, often, after a long day (or more than one glass of wine), the most I can muster is a quick swipe of a makeup wipe and a splash of water on my face before collapsing into bed like a rock sinking into a river.

Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I really should be doing more: breakouts during that time of the month, stress pimples on my chin and around my mouth, sunburns and peeling skin and nose pores the size of a freckle. I also realize that, at 27, I’m no longer the college kid who bounces back after a night of heavy drinking to do it all over again on Saturday. The hangovers hit hard, and they hit my skin harder. The wipe-and-water routine just isn’t cutting it.

So, I decided to take my mom’s (and every beauty magazine’s) advice and start some sort of skin regimen. (FWIW: My mom has radiant, porcelain-smooth skin and she’s been using creams and serums since her 20s.) The most important thing to me was that it had to be low-key (read: a single step) and therefore needed to do double- or triple-duty. I opted for Olay’s new Regenerist Retinol24 MAX—a night cream with Retinoid Complex and vitamin B3 (niacinamide) that hydrates to visibly smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

The stuff the stuff smooths on easily, so I quickly dabbed a little on my forehead, cheeks, chin, T-zone, neck and the rest I rubbed into my décolletage. Off to sink into the river of sleep.

The next day, I looked in the mirror excitedly, and was not disappointed. My face looked brighter, felt softer and firmer and my pores were just tiny little pinpricks, a side effect of the Retinol24 Hydrating Complex, which is 20-percent stronger now with the MAX formula (versus the previous Retinol24 Facial Moisturizer). 

Now, after 30 days, I’m a sworn skincare believer. I actually enjoy throwing on my PJs and hurrying into the bathroom to smooth the refreshingly cold cream into my skin, then waking up to see the difference eight hours makes. I’m obviously a novice, but I know there’s plenty like me who are looking for a single solution to a multitude of skincare woes, and I seem to have stumbled on it. Just don’t expect me to post a “so a lot of you have been asking about my skincare routine lately” video any time soon.