Wake Up Beautiful—Best Overnight Creams for that Hollywood Glow

When reflecting on the golden age of old Hollywood, what immediately comes to mind is the allure of a naturally glowing, smooth complexion (often makeup-free!) shrouded by seemingly unattainable elegance and poise flaunted by movie stars, musicians, and socialites. Today, we are still seeking the best ways to achieve that same glowing, baby-soft perfection seen on screen and in the photos of our favorite stars. 

How to Get Beautiful Skin

Eat Well

Starting with the inside, starlets of old as well as today’s beauties maintain that a healthy diet full of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats, uplift their complexions and health. Avoid processed foods and sugar. And remember that drinking plenty of water is still one of the best ways to actualize your skin goals. 

Cleanse your Skin

A twice-daily, carefully curated skincare routine—including makeup removal before bedtime every night—really is key to keeping your skin clear and fresh. Throughout the day our skin takes in a lot of external pollutants, strain, and grime. Cleanse your skin every evening before bed to allow it the chance to recover and repair from the day.

Choose Authentic Skincare Brands

Be selective about the skincare you use and ensure maximized results by choosing authentic, FDA-approved skincare. Drugstore brands may claim to have effective ingredients, but the truth is that these ingredients are often in low concentration and cannot penetrate your skin deep enough to provide effective results. However, with an FDA-approved brand—such as Skinmedica, Neocutis, EltaMD, iS Clinical, and Obagi—you will receive a higher concentration of effective ingredients, as well as substantiated proof of efficacy.

Protect your Skin

Perhaps the most important step to beautiful skin is to protect it from one of the most damaging forces in our world—the sun. Always include quality SPF sun protection in your regimen daily and year-round to protect against the aging effects of the sun’s harmful rays.

Refresh your Skin

Exfoliation can come in many forms, and when performed regularly, helps to remove dead skin cells, revealing new skin and allowing it the chance to naturally regenerate. Quality scrubs and acid exfoliants can typically be used 1-2 times per week, as long as your skin doesn’t become irritated. Despite what many believe, exfoliants are meant to gently remove these dead cells, so scrubbing hard is not the proper application. Instead, just gently rub the exfoliant in small, circular motions.

Hydrate

Hydration is key to keeping your skin ageless, and moisturizing daily (or more often, depending on your skin type) is an essential step in a comprehensive routine. You may apply your moisturizer with your fingers, or utilize some at-home skincare tools that were formerly only accessible when used by your esthetician or other skincare professional, such as quartz and jade rollers and gua sha tools. They encourage lymphatic drainage and stimulate blood flow to promote a tight, smooth facial area, while also helping to prevent acne and tone/lift your skin.

Overnight Skincare

We’ve often read about the skincare tricks and secrets the beautiful women of old Hollywood used to achieve flawless-looking skin, and what stands out is the focus that was placed on evening skincare—especially hydration—and we couldn’t agree more. 

Your evening moisturizer should be applied to your neck and décolleté in addition to your face, for ageless skin all over.

Depending upon your skin concerns, serums after cleansing and toning are significant for treating the skin every night. There are serums for every skin concern, and many can be layered with your other skincare products.

Another evening moisturizer option is a face mask. There are some great masks available, but know that a thick, rich nighttime moisturizer can work just as well or even better than most hydrating masks. 

Best Anti-Aging Overnight Cream

We think the best overnight creams work in multiple ways by working to boost hydration while also performing anti-aging tasks. One of our favorites is Neocutis MICRO NIGHT Overnight Tightening Cream, which delivers an amazing combination of peptides and hydrating lipids to increase collagen production while you sleep, for greater skin elasticity and suppleness. It also makes skin look luminous in the morning by deeply penetrating the layers of your skin for a truly moisturized finish.

Another cream that does double-duty is Obagi-C Fx C-Therapy Night Cream. It’s a rich formula that uses Arbutin and vitamin C to brighten and even the skin tone overnight.

The Most Moisturizing Overnight Cream

There’s really nothing like applying a luxuriously rich cream to top off your bedtime ritual and make you feel ready for a deep sleep while knowing you’ve done the best possible for your skin. Obagi Hydrate Luxe is an incredible overnight treat. We love its balm-like texture that instantly hydrates. This powerful moisturizing cream is hypoallergenic and safe for use with most skin types, making it universally wonderful.

The Secret to Old Hollywood Skin

It’s clear from all the beauty secrets harbored by the women of old Hollywood that having naturally fresh, clear skin was key to looking the most beautiful. And we agree that you are most beautiful when you are natural and feel beautiful—great skin is the best beautifier. And to achieve that, you can invest in your skin with just a  few simple steps.

1. Eat well
2. Moisturize
3. Cleanse
4. Exfoliate
5. Protect
6. Choose authentic, quality skincare products