I turn 40 this month, so consider this your warning that I'll be writing about that a lot. In a good way! Truly, I'm happy and grateful to enter this new decade.
And despite a longstanding aversion to being the centre of attention (close friends, lower your eyebrows please), I've decided a proper knees-up is required. So, a few weeks ahead of my birthday bash, I'm paying very close attention to my skincare routine.
This means a pause on trialling new and previously-untested products (even though that's literally my full-time job), diligent nightly sessions with my best LED Mask, and using one old-faithful exfoliator that I'd be genuinely upset to party prep without.
Why this glow-boosting exfoliator is my beauty buy of the week
This might be impending fifth-decade nostalgia talking, but thinking back to my early days at woman&home, so many of the products I fell in love with in my 20s still hold up in my routine today.
That list of agelessly excellent buys includes Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Phillip Kingsley Elasticiser, and a 25-year-old acid exfoliator called Alpha H Liquid Gold.
It can be tricky to convey how groundbreaking things were at the time, years after the fact (try showing the Single Ladies music video to your unmoved teenage niece). Luckily, Liquid Gold suffers no such issue because, had it launched yesterday, it'd still be considered an absolute belter.
Quite simply, this makes me glow like nothing else. 5% glycolic acid nibbles dull, dead skin cells so fresher ones emerge then revs up your collagen and hyaluronic acid stores for a juicy, bouncy texture.
As a retexturising acid, it's particularly satisfying on dry, rough skin, but it suits my combo complexion nicely, and that cell-shedding can fade pigmentation over time, too.
It's also supremely easy. Clean your face before bed, drop it onto a cotton pad, swipe it on, and enjoy the tingle. If you're sensitive follow with moisturiser; otherwise, leave it as-is for max exfoliation bang for your buck.
Even one go with this makes my skin smoother and more light-reflecting, but the real trick is using it every second night for a few weeks, which is my current game plan.
I'm skeptical about beauty writers who claim they tried product A and suddenly strangers were stopping them in the street to fawn over their glow. It certainly doesn't happen to me. But - swear down - I do get compliments from people I know when I use this, and most importantly, I can see the difference it makes myself.
Give it a swipe for your next big birthday, or another celebration day, or just a Friday, and I think you'll see what I mean. Sounds good? Great! Let's chat next Sunday.
