I'm 51 and test skin care for a living — here are the best Labor Day beauty deals

Should we consider lip care to be skin care? I vote "yes!" This four-pack of super-emollient, ultra-pretty tinted lip balms from Nivea is not only nourishing for the tender lip skin, but the selection of punchy, sheer colors means there's something for all moods and occasions. 

I myself am partial to the "Strawberry" shade, which seems to me the ideal pop of sheer red, but the deeper berry tones are excellent as well. Even if I didn't want this for myself (I do!), the packaging is so cute and the price is so good I'd stock up on a handful or so of these sets now — they'd make a great stocking stuffer or holiday gift later in the year.

Despite what those 80s face wash ads told us, washing one's visage over the sink is not an ecstatic pleasure but more a splashy mess of water violence. As a lazy lady who hates outside-sink puddles, there are few things I love more than a facial towelette to gently remove the day's grime. However, as a person who cares about our burning planet, I always feel guilty creating more waste.

But lo! These No. 1 bestselling Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes have solved my lazy/guilt conflict. They are, as advertised, indeed ultra-soft and gentle while remaining highly effective at the cleansing job with zero water dripping down your arm. They are also plant-based, completely compostable and ophthalmologist-, dermatologist- and allergy-tested.

With this two-pack deal, you get 100 washes for less than $10 — more than three months of avoiding the tyranny of your sink. 

My basic philosophy with neck creams is the same as with life: There's no such thing as a magic cure-all, but good habits help. SimplyVital's beloved collagen, retinol and hyaluronic acid treatment has gone viral on TikTok several times and has passionate fans across the internet, including nearly 8,000 5-star Amazon reviews.

While no cream will physically lift sagging skin, with consistent use, this one will most likely improve the texture of your neck, reduce the appearance of fine lines, and make the area less crepey and just less old-looking overall. It's made with 3% medical-grade retinol, which is respectably potent but gentle enough for beginners. It's also scent-free and comes in an ample size with a no-mess pump. I'd say it's worth a try if you're not loving your neck right now — particularly at nearly 50% off. 

Laneige is perhaps most known for its best-selling, celebrity-favorite Lips Sleeping Mask. But the brand is equally excellent at creating high-quality, extra-hydrating, anti-aging skin care. Take Laneige's Water Bank. It's a little-known hyaluronic acid, squalane and ceramide-packed face cream that's I found to be nourishing, moisturizing and one of the best products I've ever tried to offer dull, flat-looking skin an instant glow. 

If you're in the market for a rich textured but not too heavy face cream to ward off winter scaliness and to wear under makeup, snatch this one up now while it's 45% off. 

There are myriad uses for this wildly well-reviewed, internet-famous skin-care oil, but I like it best for treating dry late-summer skin on the body, not the face. It's amazing on calves and thighs as an after-shave oil and as an emollient for cracked heels and dry elbows. It's too oily (for me) for my face or as a scalp treatment, but a little goes a long way to tame flyaways. Also, if it's good enough for future queen Kate Middleton, surely it's good enough for peasants like me?

I've yet to meet a beauty editor who's not completely smitten with Weleda Skin Food moisturizer. It's an extra-effective, all-natural, ultra-emollient, thick but not greasy all-purpose moisturizer that smells and feels expensive, especially given its actual cost. This kit includes a 2.5-ounce tube of the star product along with a set of organic cotton gloves. You're meant to apply an ample layer of the cream, slip into the gloves and let the moisturizer really sink in. After 5-10 minutes, your hands emerge soft, smooth and intensely hydrated — a spa-like experience that's deeply relaxing too. 

Incredible deal alert! These gilded, Jessica Alba-approved eye masks incorporate hyaluronic acid, amino acids and sea moss to hydrate the delicate under-eye area, reducing dark circles and puffy bags and blurring fine lines as they go — and right now they're nearly 40% off!

They're also paraben- and sulfate-free, vegan and gentle enough for most skin types. The luxe packaging makes them an excellent gift. 

While not a wrinkle cream per se, this beloved snail mucin from CosRx is excellent for evening skin tone and making your face look softer and brighter. It's also won multiple awards, has more than 50,000 five-star reviews and has impressed most every beauty editor I know.

After using it the first time (here's my full review), my face was noticeably dewier, and other users have boasted about its ability to soothe, hydrate, repair and improve dull skin — all of which helps wrinkles look less deep and crepey. 

When 86-year-old beauty Jane Fonda recommends a product, I pay attention: The actress recently revealed she uses this serum every night on a clean face: "It has a lot of antioxidants and good things to hydrate the skin."

The rich formula is paraben- and mineral oil-free, dermatologist-tested and suitable for all skin types. Plus, right now, it's over 40% off. 

Exfoliants are essential for turning over dead skin cells and promoting skin health and collagen production no matter your age. However, they're particularly important in your 40s, 50s and beyond to keep your face from looking dull and tired.

This Bliss serum is an excellent entry point — it's gentle yet effective and good for all but the most sensitive skin types. It smells good too.

If you're new to the retinol game or have dry skin, CeraVe's formula is an excellent place to start. It contains just a .3% concentration, which means it will be gentler and less drying than higher-potency products. 

It's also filled with skin-calming agents like niacinamide and moisturizing hyaluronic acid. Best of all, it's inexpensive enough to try without the guilt of making a major skin-care investment. 

Trust me when I say that outside of ice cream, there are few things better in summer than an ice roller. You may think you don't need another gadget for your face, but I'm telling you: You want this one. These simple devices wake up your skin in a way almost nothing else does. They're good for de-puffing eyes, reducing redness and improving circulation in the face and neck. But more than anything, an ice roller just feels good, like a refreshing popsicle for your visage.

Of all the skin-care categories, night creams always seem the most dated to me, like the kind of product you'd see on a sitcom from 1955 where the parents slept in separate twin beds. Every time I see one — especially in the summer — I think: Move along, old-timey cream, I have fancy modern serums to try.

However, CeraVe's Skin Renewing Night Cream is not your grandma's night cream. For starters, it's lightweight and absorbs easily, with zero pore-clogging gloppiness. It's nonirritating to even the most sensitive skin and it doesn't pill (the thing I despise most in any product, but especially a moisturizer).

What it does instead: heals dry areas while lending skin a pleasant softness and suppleness. As if that wasn't enough, it manages to achieve all of this for under $20.

I love Garnier's micellar water in general, but I especially love this iteration, which is perfect for aging faces in summer. The no-rinse face cleanser works like a magnet to lift dirt and grime off your face while still conditioning and being extra gentle. 

This version also removes waterproof makeup — like no-smear mascara, a warm-weather staple — without dragging or damaging your delicate under-eye skin (and, potentially, causing more wrinkles). Stock up now with this truly good deal on two ample 13.5-ounce bottles.  

CosRx has helped popularize snail mucin as a skin-care ingredient, but you shouldn't sleep on its other products. Case in point: this moisturizer. A favorite among the K-beauty crowd, this face cream packs and seals moisture into dry, dehydrated skin to prevent further hydration loss. I love it for its lightweight, fast-absorbing formula and antioxidant ingredients, all reasons why we named it one of the best anti-aging products of the year.

Bonus points: In addition to hyaluronic acid, this cream contains vitamin tree water (also known as sea buckthorn), which is filled with vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids that help strengthen the skin barrier and increase hydration even more. The midrange price point is the cherry on top.

If you're looking for a low-cost retinol eye cream to help with crow's feet and dark circles, this is for you. The wrinkle-smoothing lotion also reduces puffiness but is gentle enough for sensitive skin.

It's among the most highly rated eye creams, with more than 19,000 five-star Amazon reviews. It's dermatologist-recommended too. Give this effective cream a try while it's nearly 30% off.

Ask any dermatologist for the most important step in an anti-aging skin-care routine and they'll undoubtedly say high-quality sun protection. And this sunscreen by EltaMD is truly among the best.  

Of all the sunscreens I've tested, this is the most consistently top-rated. The tinted mineral formula provides broad-spectrum physical coverage and hydration, and gives your skin an even tone in the process. It's made of natural ingredients including zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and leaves a smooth finish, even on dry or sensitive skin. 

There's a reason I named this Peter Thomas Roth formula the best retinol serum of the year: At 1.5% retinal concentration, it's just potent enough to really work on reducing wrinkles and fine lines, while not so strong that your face will start molting within the first week. Plus, it contains eight-hour slow-release micro-encapsulated retinol, which tends to be less irritating and is packed with brighteners like vitamin C and soothing emollients such as vitamin E and squalane to keep your face hydrated and reduce redness.

The texture particularly stands out: It's silky and smooth, not tacky and viscous. When I used this product last year for three months, I saw an almost immediate skin-tightening effect. Over the weeks, there was more clarity in my skin tone, and the lines in my forehead appeared less deep. 

It's difficult to choose a retinol serum that will work best for all skin types, but with its high-quality ingredients and thoughtful formulation, this one comes closest to being a one-size-fits-most skin-care star.