Afternoon beauty fix: Say goodbye to premature fine lines with some Vitamin C

I realize I shouldn’t compare myself to others, but I’ve noticed that my skin is showing more signs of aging than my girlfriends’. We’re the same age! Why do I have crow’s feet when they don’t, and what do I need to do differently? Your slightly different skin could be due to a whole slew of thing—including genetics, more time spent in the sun when you were a kid, less SPF usage during your entire life, or more exposure to environmental stressors and chemicals. Instead of fixating on the past, focus on your future—cells slow their regeneration as we get older, making it more difficult for our skin to look youthful and bright. Nip your premature aging in the bud by exfoliating frequently and being extremely indulgent with moisturizer and anti-oxidants. Instead of scrubbing your face with a coarse cream, use something that’s heavily loaded in Vitamin C—it’s a natural exfoliant and way less grating on sensitive skin types, but also permeates skin easily to reduce damage that’s been done. We like Le Mieux Vita-C Clear Skin Pads ($25, lemieuxcosmetics.com). The tiny, individual pads come pre-soaked in a jar of the good stuff and combat fine lines, oily skin, and feelings of friendly rivalry.

In need of an afternoon beauty pick-me-up? Email us at beautyfix@fashionmagazine.com.