Gorgeous skin isn’t just for the young! These days, it’s easier than ever to keep your skin looking amazing no matter how old you are.  I’ve always considered myself lucky to have my grandmother’s good genes. She never looked her age. Thanks to her, I was still getting carded into my 30s. While good genes did play a role, I’ve always taken care of my skin and I think that helped. Today, I’m sharing a few of my secrets for healthy, glowing skin at any age.

Secrets to Keeping Your Skin Looking Great at Any Age

*A portion of this post is brought to you by philosophy. I received complimentary products. All opinions are my own.

So here’s the thing: a lot of people will tell you how to eat right for your skin, to sleep a million hours a night and establish a beauty routine that takes half the day to complete. I won’t. Honestly, I’m the pickiest eater on the planet and won’t touch half the things that go into all those “detox your skin” drinks. I try to get 8 hours of sleep a night, but sometimes I’m lucky to clock in 6, and I definitely don’t have time for a complicated beauty routine. Bottom line, these tips are for those of us who live average, realistic lives. I’ve taken some of the most popular tips and made them “real.”

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

The best thing you can do for your skin is to hydrate it from the inside out. In theory, this means drinking a boatload of water every day. How many of us actually manage to chug half our body weight in water, though? I can’t stand plain water most of the time (except the middle of the night). There are plenty of other ways to stay hydrated. Some of them are even better than water for your skin. Watermelon, for example, is 90% water and contains vitamins that nourish your skin and hair. Oranges and grapefruit are other great alternatives.

Even some non-fruit foods will help keep you hydrated! Soup, oatmeal and yogurt count towards your daily intake. Here’s another great one (for me, anyway): coffee! Yep, coffee counts. That old myth about how it dehydrates you has been debunked. While it does have some diuretic activity, it’s not enough to rob you of the hydrating properties. Same goes for caffeinated tea. So even if you can’t stand water, you can still hydrate your skin from the inside out.

Make the most of your beauty sleep

While many of us don’t get nearly as much sleep as we should, we can still get the most out of the sleep we get. Just choosing a silk or satin pillowcase can go a long way to keeping your skin prettier. They can help prevent fine lines and wrinkles because they’re smoother and offer less friction. Make sure you change them regularly to avoid bacteria buildup.

If you can, sleep on your back instead of your side. I’m a side-sleeper, but I alternate back and forth. That way, I’m not putting continuous pressure on one side of my face. Another great way to make the most of your beauty sleep: keep a humidifier on at night (unless it’s super humid during the summer).

Protect yourself from the sun

This is one tip that you can’t compromise on. You MUST protect your skin from the sun by using a good sunscreen, avoiding direct sunlight and even wearing a hat. I’m not a hat person, so I slather on the sunscreen and stay inside in the morning and early afternoon. I have super fair skin and skin cancer runs in my family. The sun is one of the worst things for your skin!

Don’t overwash your face!

Washing your face twice a day with cleansers can do far more harm than good. Unless you have super oily skin, stick to washing it once a day. Even then, I alternate between a good cleanser and just plain water. Back in high school, I ONLY used water to wash my face every day. I’d use a mask once a week. I can count on one hand the number of pimples I had during those years.

Another word of advice: unless you have severe acne or an active breakout, skip the acne-related products. They are not designed for people with clear skin. They’ll dry your face out like crazy and can actually lead to breakouts because your skin over-produces oil to compensate for the drying effect.

Use the best moisturizer that you can afford

I am pretty frugal in most skin care departments, but I splurge on the best moisturizer that I can afford. My current favorite is philosophy uplifting miracle worker. I’ve always loved philosophy but usually went for their fun scented body products.  I was excited to try their moisturizer and eye cream. This stuff is awesome! It’s so incredibly cooling, which is perfect for these hot summer days. How cooling is it? So much so that they trademarked the method that they use. It’s called cool-liftTM, because it lifts as it cools. It includes fancy things like provitamin p, biomimetic yeast, rye seed and marine plankton extracts. Check out this video to learn more:

Along with a good face moisturizer, I also use the philosophy uplifting miracle worker eye cream. It’s easy to apply right from the tube and has special ingredients like Persian silk tree complex to brighten the skin under your eyes. While I got great genes from my grandmother, I also got her proneness to dark circles. The philosophy eye cream will help get rid of those, along with puffiness and other signs of aging. I’ve been using it for a few weeks and already notice the difference. I can actually leave the house without concealer under my eyes now.

Want to check out either or both of these fab products? Head to the philosophy website. When you’re ready to check out, save 25% on philosophy skincare products with promo code smiley25. Follow philosophy on Twitter to keep up with news and other deals.

You don’t have to go crazy to keep your skin looking gorgeous at any age. I spend less than ten minutes a day on my beauty routine (not including showering).

Do you have any favorite secrets to keeping your skin looking great? Share in the comments!