Life’s not fair, or so the old saying goes. For me, nothing demonstrates that better than the fact that my 34-year-old brother has better skin than me. And I don’t say that lightly. Here are the facts: I’m six years younger than him, I’ve been using skincare products consistently since I was a teenager, and I’m diligent about sunscreen. Eric, on the other hand, didn’t have a skincare routine until I encouraged him to start one in his mid-to-late 20s. At the time, we were both living in Los Angeles, and I became acutely aware that he wasn’t caring for his skin consistently. As a beauty editor, I basically thought that was sacrilege, so I took it upon myself to change it. He was receptive to it and started out with a basic routine curated by yours truly. Cut to today, and he has a well-tuned routine made up of a few effective products (he’s a self-professed skincare minimalist). As for his skin, it great. It’s smooth, bright, and even, and I am very proud and only slightly jealous. Ahead, see every product he currently uses, plus a few extra recommendations from me, his little sister.
“My goal with my skincare routine is to reverse the aging process à la Benjamin Button,” Eric says. All jokes aside, he’s concerned with preventing premature signs of aging and keeping his skin calm, clear, and bright. “It’s nice to have a routine, and it’s nice to look good feel good,” he says. “I can’t wait to get to be a #skinfluencer.”(Cue me rolling my eyes.)
Eric starts his skincare routine with cleanser. This is one I recommended to him because it’s a great, basic cleanser that I’ve used for years. It effectively removes excess oil, sweat, and sunscreen without stripping the skin. It’s all thanks to ingredients like apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, and squalane, which moisturize the skin and support its natural barrier.
Another Kiehl’s product, Eric uses this toner for extra hydration before the serum step in his routine. “I use this every day and night because it makes my skin feel good and it’s not oily at all,” he says.
Quality serums don’t have to be expensive. This one contains multi-molecular 2% hyaluronic acid and peptides to deeply hydrate and visibly plump the skin. Eric uses this in each morning. Maybe this is why he barely has any fine lines or wrinkles.
Another serum I recommended to him, this one is a cult classic. It combines retinol and AHAs to target dullness, fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness and elasticity. Since his main goal is to prevent premature signs of aging from appearing, retinol is a must. He only uses this at night though, since retinol makes the skin extra sensitive to UV light.
For moisturizer, Eric uses this iconic drugstore product that has ceramides and hyaluronic acid for extra hydration. “It’s nice,” he says, “It doesn’t have SPF so I just throw a little on at night.”
He even uses eye cream (again, I’m so proud). This one is formulated with peptides, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and cactus extract. It promises to minimize the appearance of dark circles, puffiness, and eye wrinkles. “It’s good stuff,” Eric says. “It’s a little pick me up and gives me a little pep in my step in the morning.”
Since Eric lives in Southern California, proper sun protection is critical. He likes this drugstore classic. “I like this one because I got it from my fiancé and it doesn’t leave residue on your face and it doesn’t really smell like sunscreen. It goes on pretty smooth.”
As an extra step in his skincare routine, Eric uses this at-home chemical peel every so often. It uses six AHAs, a hydrating PHA, and an azelaic acid derivative to resurface the skin, fade hyperpigmentation, and dial up brightness. It also contains a blend of berries (which is why it looks like a compote) for a dose of free radical-fighting antioxidants.
Eric’s routine is perfect as-is, but if I have some recommendations if he ever wants to jazz it up a little bit. The first one is a skincare device. This one uses red light, galvanic current, and warming massage to target signs of aging. I have one, and I use it almost every night for a couple of minutes to boost results from my other products. I love it.
Here’s another skincare tool I use and love. An ice roller de-puffs and calms the skin when it gets too hot from a workout or high summer heat. Eric is a hockey player, so I assume this would be a nice post-game treat.
Eric’s friend once joked that his face looked sweaty, to which he replied “it’s called a glow.” His friend then turned to me and asked, “well, why don’t I have a glow?” It’s always nice to have glowing skin, and a vitamin C serum is a good start to get it.
The same goes for a sheet mask. If my skin looks a little dull or dehydrated before an event, I’ll use a sheet mask to infuse hydration deep into my skin for a plump, hydrated glow.
Since Eric doesn’t have breakout-prone skin and he likes products that provide a lot of moisture, I recommend adding a face oil into his routine. He wouldn’t have to use it every day—just whenever his skin is feeling extra dry (like when he goes back to visit our hometown in Northern Michigan in the middle of the winter). This one is packed with antioxidants and sinks into the skin without leaving a greasy residue behind.
