My Mum Is 45 Years Older Than Me, and We Both Love This Affordable Skincare Line

As the title of this article would suggest, my beautiful mum is indeed 45 years older than me. Not surprisingly, we have completely different needs when it comes to our skin. From our product routines to formula preferences, we're almost polar opposites. If I even say the word pimple, my face immediately sprouts five in response, and because of that, I've leaned into an über-sleek and slimmed-down skincare routine both morning and night. Oil-free and anti-acne formulas are the name of my game—a far cry from the rich creams, face oils and age-pegged serums my mum favours. She's all about hydration, plumping, anything that will fade age spots or lift and zap fine lines and wrinkles. 

"I pretty much exclusively look for effective products specifically geared for older skin," she tells me. "So firming and moisturising products are particularly important to me. I also feel it's important to have very specific information about what’s in the product, when to use it, how to use it, whether it's effective for all skin types or just particular skin types and whether it can be layered with other products."

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

Unlike my zippy morning and evening skin prep, my mum's is more extensive. She loves to double-cleanse and also creates cocktails of her favourite serums and moisturisers to make sure she's covering all her bases. She looks for products that are clean, affordable, user-friendly and highly efficacious, so I knew she'd love Who What Wear's sister skincare line, Versed, but I needed to put my hypothesis to the test. A couple of weeks ago, I brought home a checked bag full of Versed formulas for her to try and review. Not surprisingly, my mum was just as (if not more) obsessed with the products than I thought, and even though we each have different formulas we favour, her general consensus speaks volumes of the brand's quality and lovability for all ages, not just younger generations:

"What really impressed me about these products was the ease of use. I thought it was truly brilliant to have concise, clear, and easy-to-read information on each product about what it's made for (e.g. problem skin, aging skin, etc.), how to use it, how much to use, where to use it, and when to use it," she explains. "You'd think this would be standard information on most skincare products, but this doesn't seem to be the case. And this information is not buried in small print along with a mile-long list of ingredients. The label literally has the words how, where, when and made for (and the answers, of course) in easy-to-read type on each product. For me, it seemed like a stroke of genius since so many skincare products leave you guessing about how much to apply and when to apply them.

"In addition, the price point really impressed me since it will make the products more generally accessible. I also greatly appreciate the focus on natural ingredients and the emphasis on non-toxic ingredients."

Curious to see which products my mum and I loved most and our honest reviews? Keep scrolling! We're diving in below.

My 71-Year-Old Mum's Favorites

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)

My Favourites as a 26-Year-Old

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(Image credit: @erin_jahns)
Beauty Director

Erin has been writing a mix of beauty and wellness content for Who What Wear for over four years. Prior to that, she spent two and half years writing for Byrdie. She now calls Santa Monica home but grew up in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and studied writing, rhetoric, and communication at University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She studied abroad in Galway, Ireland, and spent a summer in L.A. interning with the Byrdie and Who What Wear family. After graduating from UW, she spent one year in San Francisco, where she worked as a writer for Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen before moving down to L.A. to begin her career as a beauty editor. She considers her day-to-day beauty aesthetic very low-maintenance and relies on staples like clear brow serum (from Kimiko!), Lawless's Lip Plumping Mask in Cherry Vanilla, and an eyelash curler. For special occasions or days when she's taking more meetings or has an event, she'll wear anything and everything from Charlotte Tilbury (the foundations are game-changing), some shimmer on her lids (Stila and Róen do it best), and a few coats of the best mascara-type product on earth, Surratt's Noir Lash Tint.