Treat your skin on Valentine's Day with these luxury skincare buys

Let’s be honest: Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to mean a thing. Ignore it, celebrate it, eat a lot of chocolate. You do you! But we’d be remiss if we failed to suggest you use it as a chance to show your skin some extra love.

Your skin is the one life partner you can guarantee will never leave. And chances are that right now, it’s struggling a bit. The environmental stress of UV light, air pollution, lack of sleep, and stress that we deal with year-round is made worse by dry winter air.

And even if you’re perfectly hydrated, you’re not immune to environmental stressors. It’s important to start fighting back now because the earlier you start, the less premature aging you’ll see later on.

Smart skincare doesn’t depend on your relationship status. So no matter what you’re doing on Feb. 14, treat your skin right with a combo of this simple skincare routine and treat-yo’-self-worthy luxury skincare products.

First, follow this simple skincare routine

Whether you’re dedicated to fighting signs of aging or just want clearer skin, start with a simple skincare routine (hint: we detailed our favorite strategies even more in our post Anti-aging strategies to start right now).

Why start with simple skincare? Because investing in luxury skincare without taking care of basics is like throwing a fur coat on over sweaty workout clothes.

Our simple skincare routine goes like this:

Cleanse

...to wash off particle pollution and prevent environmental stress, which can damage and age our skin. We like Youth to the People’s Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser.

Exfoliate

...to encourage skin cells to turn over for that new-new glow. We like to skip abrasive exfoliators in favor of gentle hydroxy acid exfoliators, and Juice Beauty’s Stem Cellular Exfoliating Peel Spray is a gentle place to start.

Moisturize

...and include an SPF for sun protection while you’re at it. Derma e’s Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 ticks all our boxes. See How hydration helps dry winter skin for more.

Protect

...skin from within with Sundaily gummies. Combine The Base Layer for protection from free radical damage and The Back Up to help minimize existing wrinkles and discoloration.

Got that nailed down? With a strong foundation of smart skincare, you can explore pricier products to help your skin really thrive.

Our favorite luxury skincare buys to treat yo’ self.

We like to think of these pricier products as targeted treatments for the things we’d really like to improve.

Whether you’re dealing with redness, dryness, or dullness, are frustrated by acne or annoyed by smog in the city, pick an indulgence that will tackle your biggest problem. If you’re too stumped to start, take a look at our post 3 key questions for your dermatologist.

For extra-dry winter skin, turn to Dermalogica’s Super Rich Repair. This heavyweight cream is a rich solution to chronically dry skin and includes antioxidants to prevent environmental damage, too.

For a brightening boost of Vitamin C, Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma™ contains an intensive combination of antioxidants, plus fruit enzymes to keep skin looking exfoliated and fresh. See How does Vitamin C work, anyway? for more.

To plump and firm (and maybe show your joints and gut some love, too) grab a collagen supplement. La Sirene Marine Beauty Collagen relies on the marine collagen we love, is derived from the scales of wild Japanese fish, and comes in a convenient stick pack. Read our post How does collagen work, anyway? for more.

For a daily exfoliant that still packs a punch, try Dermalogica’s Daily Resurfacer. It relies on our favorite alpha and beta hydroxy acids, plus ingredients we love like Hyaluronic acid and green tea, but is gentle enough to use every day.

For a boost of some of our favorite powerful antioxidants, grab Marie Veronique: Vitamin C, E & Ferulic Acid or Sunday Rily C.E.O. C + E antiOXIDANT Protect + Repair Moisturizer. Both combine Vitamins C & E for a powerful antioxidant boost, and ferulic acid helps to stabilize the vitamins, making them even more active and effective for skin. Read our posts How do antioxidants work, anyway? and How does Vitamin E work, anyway? for more.

For the best in anti-aging over-the-counter, retinoid creams are absolutely your best bet. Dr. Murad’s line of retinol products covers just about any specific issue you could possibly wantto address, but the Anti-Aging Retinol Face Cream is a good place to start. Read our post How do retinol creams work, anyway? for more.

For under-eye circles that won’t leave you alone, ask your dermatologist about SkinMedica’s TNS Illuminating Eye Cream®. It’s a powerful treatment that includes peptides to help ward off circles, darkness, wrinkles, and more. Since it’s sold in your dermatologist’s office, ask about it during your yearly checkup!