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The question

Is it a good idea to vary the skin-care products I use or should I stick with ones that are tried and true?

The answer

Your question brings to mind the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Before you switch up your skin-care regimen, here are the questions you need to answer: Has your skin's texture changed? Are you noticing breakouts or flaky patches? Does your skin feel either tighter or oilier than it did before?

If so, this might, indeed, be the time to try some different products, because your skin's needs are changing. If your skin is drying out, add a moisturizing masque to your routine. If you're noticing more oil production than usual, consider shifting from a heavy cream to a lighter lotion.

However, if you haven't noticed any significant problems, why mess with what is working? The best regimen I've found, which seems to work for most people, includes the following products (formulated for the person's specific skin type): good facial cleanser, toner, exfoliator, serum, moisturizer and eye cream or gel.

If you aren't using sunscreen or some other cream with SPF, you should be. No matter how young or old you are, an SPF of at least 30 is essential to help prevent the sun's ultraviolet rays from causing wrinkles, discoloration or worse.

Over all, what's most important is to use products that give your skin what it needs and not necessarily hop on the bandwagon whenever a new product hits the market.

Bahar Niramwalla is a celebrity makeup artist and beauty expert who has appeared on CTV, Global TV and City. Follow her on Twitter: @baharniramwalla. Have a beauty question? E-mail style@globeandmail.com

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