A lot of people pick up a skincare regimen later in life. It’s never too late to start, so don’t be discouraged if you're coming into this a decade or two after your peers. What is important, though, is that you commit yourself to the regimen moving forward. It’s not likely that you’ll notice a major difference from using SPF moisturizer after a single day or two (unless, of course, you’re shielding your skin from sunburn). Rather, avoiding a decade of UV rays every single day will ensure your skin looks much smoother, firmer, and clearer those 10 years later, as opposed to any lack of sun coverage. The same can be said of a decade of sleeps with night moisturizer protecting skin from drying out, and of using highly concentrated eye cream around those most delicate parts of your face.

Now, that’s not saying that you won’t experience any immediate results. Yes, it feels instantly refreshing to wash your face with a gentle cleanser. And eye cream can quickly brighten and tighten the eye area, to prevent dark circles and puffy under eyes. But there is a long game at play, and the only way to enjoy those major benefits is to stick with it every day. And if you’re worried about breaking the habit, just keep things simple with cleanser and moisturizer. Doing those baseline things will do the majority of the work for you.

We always say to think of a skincare regimen like a life lived healthily: It’s your daily fitness, and in the long run, can do you significant favors.

We would certainly classify eye creams as “advanced-level” skincare, but only because the baseline regimen consists of cleansers and full-face moisturizers. But that doesn’t negate the importance of eye creams, which many people mistake for tiny versions of moisturizer (which, if you look at the cost per volume, might feel like a joke—why pay just as much for your eye cream as for your entire moisturizer? However, remember that eye creams are targeting the thinnest, most delicate, most easily “aged” part of your face. This is why we get dark circles (the thin skin is translucent), crow’s feet (from decades of expression), and puffy bags (due to loss of resilience which causes fat deposits under the eyes to sink below the sockets).

The same way your wellness regimen doesn’t solely pertain to your gym time, your skincare wellness doesn’t solely refer to the time spent in the shower and in front of your mirror. Rather, it can be easily undone by other daily habits. If you routinely go on late-night benders, getting far less sleep than is advised (and ingesting far more “bad for you” things like alcohol, sugary and processed foods, drugs and cigarettes, etc… well, then you’re going to have to taper your skincare expectations accordingly. We’re not here to shame anyone for their decisions, but we do want to remind you that a daily application of moisturizer can’t keep you looking youthful if you aren’t making other decisions to support the effort. Nor can an eye cream undo those five shots of tequila on a Tuesday night, nor a cleanser preventing acne if you regular take hormone-altering steroids, or even non-vegan whey. (Both are known to cause breakouts.)

Again, no preaching here. Just an awareness effort, if anything. Be consistent, stay realistic about what to expect, and never give up on your regimen—because doing it at all will make a difference in the long haul.