Some are guilty of this: You look at a stranger’s face and try to guess her age. She’s about 35, give or take. Then your eyes move toward her neck, the skin thin and loose, creased almost like crepe paper, and … maybe she’s closer to 50?

Your gaze moves farther down and rests on her hands. Yes, she’s about 50, all right.

With the amount of attention and money we pour into the care of our faces, it’s becoming harder to guess people’s age, given the advances in technology. Makes perfect sense; it’s the face people see first, after all.

What many seem to neglect is the skin on the rest of the body. Thus, veiny, gnarly hands and a sagging neck often sabotage a youthful face.

The dermatologist brand Murad shifts its focus to body treatment in its new Youth Builder—only Murad’s second range of products for the body, and available exclusively at Rustan’s.

Youth Builder has four products that include the Detoxifying White Clay Body Cleanser, a detoxifying cleanser and exfoliant that contains kaolin clay and glycolic acid. It claims to be rich in Omega-6 essential fatty acids that help retain skin’s moisture.

The range has two moisturizers: the Collagen Support Body Cream, a shea butter and jojoba extract-rich concoction that delivers intense hydration, and also has an anti-aging Collagen Support Complex; and the Firming Peptide Body Treatment, which claims to have a Glyco Firming Complex that aids collagen production and improves skin’s firmness and tone.

There’s the Rejuvenating AHA Hand Cream that’s designed not only to deeply hydrate and smoothen dry skin, but also to reduce visible signs of skin aging.

‘Change your skin’

It takes only 28 days to change your skin for the better, claims American apothecary brand Kiehl’s.

Kiehl’s is inviting customers to take its “Change Your Skin” challenge, a campaign that stems from the brand’s tradition of giving out product samples to clients dating back to 1970.

One simply has to visit a Kiehl’s branch for a three-minute consultation with a Kiehl’s skin expert. You’re typically asked your skin type, skin conditions, skincare regimen and the like. Based on the assessment, you are given three free product samples to use for the next 28 days.

After the prescribed period, you’re encouraged to share your results online (tag @kiehlsphilippines, use hashtags #KiehlsPhilippines and #ChangeYourSkinPH).

Kiehl’s was founded in 1851 and is known today for its all-natural, state-of-the-art beauty formulations. Its cult products include the Ultra Facial Cream, a potent 24-hour moisturizer that has been tested in the harshest conditions; the iconic blue glass-encased Midnight Recovery Concentrate, a serum that repairs and replenishes skin’s natural lipids as you sleep; and the Dermatologist Solutions Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA+++.

Nutrition for Asian skin

Estée Lauder aims to deliver nutrients directly into the skin by fortifying its new Nutritious Rosy Prism range with potent antioxidants like pomegranate and superberries like blueberry, wolfberry and cranberry, as well as the peony flower, cherished in imperial China not only for its beauty but also for its medicinal benefits.

Nutritious is created to detoxify skin’s environmental irritants, and infuse the skin with moisture and vibrancy to restore its radiance and youthful glow. It claims to give the skin that postworkout glow after prolonged use.

The range was inspired by Asian women whose skin tends to look sallow with its “excess yellow skin tone,” a condition that the company’s researchers found to be caused by excessive melanin that absorbs blue light, which leaves the skin with a yellowish impression, and a lack of collagen structure.

Women with yellowish skin tone tend to look older than their real age. This biological condition, researchers found, is aggravated by environmental conditions.

Nutrition Rosy Prism was tested on 900 Chinese women.

The collection, to be available at Estée Lauder beauty counters beginning August, consists of a cleanser, a toner and a two-step treatment that you use at least twice a week.

There’s also the Nutritious Rosy Prism Radiant Gel Emulsion, a lightweight aqua gel moisturizer that delivers intense hydration without the heaviness and icky afterfeel of cream- or oil-formula moisturizers. It’s cool on the skin, and is ideal for warm and humid climates.

Completing the range is the Radiant Vitality Essence Oil, a quick-absorbing serum that delivers nourishing oils and skin protection against environmental pollutants.