Anti aging skin care sometimes seems like the early days of motor car manufacture.

Only instead of the Ford Model T being offered in - 'any color as long as it's black' - anti aging creams are sold for 'any price as long as it's expensive'.

To be fair - top of the line skin care usually means the latest research and high levels of expensive active ingredients that penetrate the under layers of your skin. All these things cost money and carry prices to match.

But what if you don't want to pay high prices for an anti aging cream or serum but you do want younger looking skin? 

Well the good news is that there are some excellent anti aging skin care products available at very reasonable prices. The trick is finding ones that work. After all - paying less for something that's doesn't do anything to improve your wrinkles or skin tone is only false economy.

So - here's my tips for an affordable anti aging skin care regimen that works:

Combine your products- buy a cleanser that tones and a daily moisturizer that doubles as a night cream

Limit yourself to four products for your basic skin care routine - a combined cleanser/toner, an all purpose anti aging moisturizer, an eye cream and an exfoliator

Buy online so you can get special offers and guaranteed prices plus the advantage of returns if needed. Buy all the items at once and take advantage of free delivery.

Double up and save - once you know a product works - many online stores offer better prices for 2 or even 3 products at a time.

Stick to affordable skin care brands with excellent reputations - Philosophy, TYK and the hot brand currently - Boots No7 - come to mind but there are others.

All very well you might say - but where's the proof?  Well - I gave myself $125 total spend and here's what I came up with:

Step One - Cleanser-Toner: I chose Philosophy Purity Made Simple. Dissolves dirt and make up debris (including eye make up) and leaves your skin ultra soft and deeply clean with minimum fuss. The product gets rave reviews on all the forums I've looked at.  At $20 it won't break the bank and the size up gives you double the quantity for $32.

Step Two - Moisturizer: Philosophy Hope in a Jar hits the mark in this category.   Coming in at $35 this world-famous, high spec anti aging cream is great value. Beta glucan is the chief active ingredient - a powerful antioxidant, which works with the lactic acid (fruit acids) to give you greater radiance and softness. Ecstatic reviews report younger looking, glowing skin.

For an extra $5 you can get a day cream and a separate night cream from the Boots No7 line.  Boots No7 Time-Resist Day Cream is a velvety smooth cream with a broad spectrum SPF 15 and you can partner it with Boots No7 Time-Resist Night Cream for maximum anti aging effect.  

Step Three - Anti aging Eye Cream: a must-have for the delicate skin around the eyes. My top choice here has to be Boots No7 Time Resist Day and Night Eye Care  which is two separate products in a double dispenser for a fantastic price.  The day gel cools and soothes puffiness while the nourishing night cream uses pro-retinol to reduce wrinkling around your eyes.  Both are fragrance free.

As an alternative I've chosen an Oprah favorite - Dremu Airbrush Eyecream. Combines emu oil, collagen, ceramides and elastin to firm and rehydrate plus green tea extract to reduce puffiness.   Can be worn day and night.  More expensive at $38 but a best seller and highly rated.

Step Four - Exfoliate: an essential step at least twice a week to slough off dead skin cells and allow key anti aging ingredients to get to work quickly. Philosophy Greatest Love at only $25 is an excellent microdermabrasion cream which leaves skin clear, radiant and as soft as a baby. Restores glow, helps erase sun damage and - most importantly for 40+ skin - hydrates. 

Mind you - the product I have on my bathroom shelves is Boots No7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator and I find it better than many high-end microdermabrasion products. Evens out skin tone and gradually fades darker sun spots whilst giving you a lovely radiant glow and it beats just about everything - including the Philosopy product - on price. Coming soon at Amazon and you can order now if you want.

There you have it. You can get all the products you need for a complete four step regimen for under $100 and even if you choose the most expensive products in the list - you'll still come in at under $125.  And don't forget that all these products will last around a couple of months at least so the daily or weekly cost is really good value.

If you want an extra anti aging boost and don't mind spending a little more - then I would definitely add a good anti wrinkle/lifting serum to your list. Remember to apply the serum after you cleanse/tone and before you moisturize every day.

Try TYK reveleation - one of the best value botox alternatives around. On special offer currently at $49 at Skinstore, the product consistently gets fantastic reviews in all the forums.  

So it can be done - you can have excellent anti aging skin care at an affordable price and be well on the way to younger looking skin without breaking the bank!

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