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My mom had the best skin ever. I kid you not. It was clear, porcelain skin that looked striking with her nearly black hair. And it was smooth and soft until her early 70's. She never indulged in fads and potions. She washed with soap and then applied a mixture of witch hazel and glycerin that she stored in a bottle on her bathroom counter. That was her daily beauty regimen. Practical and frugal.

I'm adopted. Unfortunately, I did not inherit my mom's gorgeous skin genes. I know I'm going to need to do more than she did. But who knows where to start in wading through the mass of available products?

Advances in skin care products are pretty amazing. There seems to be a new product to try every month or so. And they all make grand claims and show amazing before and after photos. New formulas include exotic ingredients like chrysin and copper peptides. Nothing like mom's home brew. Some are worth the cost and some are not.

The skin care products that will stay around are the ones that give results. Ask your friends (preferably your young looking friends!) what they use. Check clinical research. One of my favorite resources is Consumer Reports. Hopefully they'll do an updated report on facial creams soon.

Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.