3 Tips and Tricks That Will Make Your Skin Oh-So-Happy

The one place where it usually pays to spend a little extra is high-quality skin care. If you aren’t already investing in the health of your skin now is the time to start.

We spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars on clothes, shoes and makeup to enhance our appearance. But if the skin underneath it all isn’t healthy you’re not getting the full effect of your beauty efforts or the money spent on them.

If you want to start taking better care of your skin, consider the tips below:

Your Skin Needs and Deserves High Quality Products

Your skin shields your delicate insides from the harsh outside world. In the process it takes a real beating over time, especially on the face and around the eyes. It’s penetrated by UV rays, bombarded by free radicals, irritated by allergens and chemicals, scratched, scraped and bruised on a daily basis.

It’s time to show your skin a little love and appreciation. You can cut corners on some beauty products, but when it comes to protecting your skin and improving its appearance, all options should be on the table. It’s more than a matter of beauty. It’s also about keeping your body’s largest organ healthy.

The sooner you start nourishing it with ingredients that actually work the healthier your skin will be now and in the future.

High Quality Does Not Necessarily Mean High Priced . . . But Results Usually Aren’t Cheap

Oftentimes skincare products are expensive because the manufacturer has already spent millions of dollars developing the product, testing the product for effectiveness and getting consumer feedback to prove what results can be expected. That said, some high quality products are designed to save you money and/or don’t cause heart palpitations when you see the price tag.

The new Dermaclara Youth Science skincare line is one example of a brand that is specifically designed to offer value. Their five-product skincare line was created so that each product works together more effectively using proven ingredients. The simplicity of the regimen is also by design so that there’s no costly confusion with how to use the products, some of which are unlike anything currently on the market. You can buy Dermaclara on Lustercare.com, and we’d love to hear what users think of the Clarafuse Dermapads. These adhesive pads deliver ingredients in a revolutionary way and are worn overnight for an intense treatment.

Sunscreen is another good example of how high quality can also mean high value. There are thousands of sunscreen products that range from super cheap to super expensive. Some on the more expensive end have ingredients that can provide additional benefits. But at the end of the day sunscreen just needs to have one of 17 FDA-approved sunscreen ingredients that provide UVA and UVB protection. A $5 tube of generic brand sunscreen can provide just as much protection as a $30 luxury product.

Bargain Buys Can Cost More in the Long Run

Let’s be brutally honest. Many skincare products, particularly the low-end bargain buys, rarely deliver the results that are promised. Countless products end up sitting unused in the medicine cabinet until they are ultimately thrown out. It’s essentially paying for disappointment.

At Broke & Chic we love low-cost beauty finds that work. But if a product doesn’t deliver, it’s a waste of money no matter how cheap it is. It’s a much better investment to spend a few extra dollars on skincare products that are backed by science and proven to do what their marketing team promises.

You wouldn’t buy stock that hasn’t performed well and your financial advisor thinks will potentially lose value. Those same rules should to any skin care product you invest in.

At the end of the day, focus has to be kept on how well a skincare product works. Instead of reading the ads, take a look at customer reviews and the ingredients list. If the ingredients are backed by science and proven to be effective, a skincare product is usually worth the investment.

*This article was contributed.