We've all been there: found a wrinkle in the mirror that seemed to have appeared overnight. Here are tips on how to slow down the aging process, and help you maintain your George Clooney looks.

Commit this to memory: The best habits to promote healthy skin are healthy habits. Your skin reflects all of the things you consume and the vices in which you indulge. That means drinking enough water and eating unprocessed foods (proteins, antioxidants, and healthy fats are a good cornerstone of a skin-friendly diet). Pair that with an active lifestyle, even if it means walking more every day. Wear SPF 30 or greater every day. And get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, since this is when your body (and more specifically for this instance, your skin cells) repair and rejuvenate. A good night’s rest is often the fastest way to having healthy looking skin, though you’ll want to retain this habit for the long haul.

We recommend reducing vices like smoking, excessive alcohol, processed sugars, overexposure to blue-light screens, inactivity, and excessive caffeine. We know these are easier said than done, so try your best, and couple healthy habits with a proactive daytime and nighttime skincare regimen. And on that topic...

These are the types of products you should use in order to practice an anti-aging skincare regimen for the morning and at night:

Morning Anti-Aging Regimen for Men:

Cleanse: You need to flush away any sweat and grime that has accumulated overnight (especially since your pillow is a big culprit behind pore-clogging and breakouts). The other products in your regimen won’t absorb or work properly if you don’t wipe everything clean. Choose a gentle wash, though, with highly effective cleansing powers, like clay (which is the most effective ingredient while remaining gentle on skin).

Read: Find the Right Face Wash for Your Skin

Hydrating Serum (Optional): A serum is an easy way to keep your skin firm and nourished, since it can soak into all layers of the skin (whereas moisturizers hydrate the top layers and act as a shield to keep moisture locked in, and to keep toxins out). Look for primarily for hyaluronic acid, which holds up to 1000x its weight in water. And any vitamins and antioxidants on top of that are a welcomed bonus.

Eye Cream: Choose a caffeine- and peptide-packed eye cream like Cardon's Dark Circle Eye Rescue to help the delicate skin around your eyes l. This will stimulate collagen production and circulation, which helps disappear dark circles and under-eye bags, as well as fine lines and crow’s feet.

Moisturize:You can get this with or without SPF, so long as you apply SPF after the fact. Moisturizer shields the skin against toxins and drying elements, and it traps moisture inside the skin to prevent dehydration—all while delivering nourishing vitamins and ingredients into the skin to keep it bright, firm, and youthful. Cardon’s non-SPF moisturizer uses gel to effectively preserve moisture levels and protect skin from outside threats.

Broad-spectrum SPF 30+: The sun is perhaps your biggest foe in the quest for healthy, firm skin. Make sure to wear SPF every day of the year, whether you get it through an SPF-packed moisturizer or through a sunscreen formulated specifically for the face. (And in the latter’s case, apply it as the final step, after your moisturizer.) It should always be a broad-spectrum SPF of 30 or more, to provide thorough defense against both kinds of UV rays.

Nighttime Anti-Aging Regimen for Men:

Cleanse: Wash, rinse, repeat. Use the same cleanser from your morning regimen (again, we love clay cleansers for a gentle but thorough wash.)

Cleansing Mask (Once Weekly): A cleansing mask is a great way to double-down on pore unclogging. This prevents acne, and also pulls away skin-aging toxins that have burrowed deep into your skin. Use a soothing ingredient (again, clay is a terrific option) that won’t irritate or dry out the skin.

Exfoliate (Once or Twice Weekly): Whether you use a scrub or a gentle chemical exfoliant (like salicylic acid), it’s important to use an exfoliator once or twice a week, in order to remove dead skin cells and keep pores clear. It’s an easy way to help expedite the disappearance of dark spots, and to steadily slow or smooth fine lines. This also keeps the surface of the skin looking firm, bright, and healthy.

Corrective Serum (Optional): Now is another good time to use serum for your eyes and face, since it can sync with your body’s cellular turnover while you sleep, and in turn accelerate the product’s corrective benefits. General hydrating ingredients are also great for evening serums (like the hyaluronic acid one you use in the daytime), but it’s also a great time to deploy ingredients like ferulic acid, which helps boost the antioxidant properties in the skin, to further prevent photo aging.

Retinol (Optional, Highly Recommended): You should absolutely speak with your board-certified dermatologist about the best retinol plan for your skin. Retinol is a Vitamin A derivative that is available in small doses (in over-the-counter products) as well as higher prescription doses. It’s the singular best ingredient that actually reverses signs of aging, and in turn prevents acne as well as dramatically slowing other photo aging effects. However, your doctor will be able to explain how to incorporate it into your regimen (and what level of potency is right for you), as retinol can sometime prove difficult for sensitive skin types, and can make your skin more sensitive to the sun. But there is always a solution. However, know that it takes about 90 days to start seeing the major impact that retinol provides, and it is recommended that you continue using it forever, each night.

Night Moisturizer: You don’t need SPF at bedtime, but you do need a highly protective and nourishing bedtime hydrator that helps contain the other products you’ve applied, as well as to box-out any skin-aging and pore-clogging threats (yes, they’re ever present in the air, even if you aren’t standing in direct sunlight or shrouded in smog). These vitamin- and nutrient-packed nighttime moisturizers also work with the body’s overnight regenerative cycle to magnify the benefits of each ingredient. So you’re crazy not to use something highly nourishing and defensive while you slumber.