Looking for suggestions for facial moisturizers. I’ve never really used one before and don’t want to spend an arm and leg. Any suggestions?
The cheap brands are watery and pretty much useless, but I’d say the name-brand ones are pretty much interchangeable. Just pick the qualities you want, say with SPF, non-comedogenic, or whatever, and you really can’t go wrong. Aveeno, Cerave, and Cetaphil are some of the ones I like, and, working for dermatologists for years, I’ve sampled all of them by now.
P.S. - The real secret to effectiveness of any moisturizer is to apply it to wet skin. Lotion doesn’t create moisture, it only traps it in.
P.P.S. - I, personally, like for my facial moisturizer to have alpha- or beta-hydroxy acid. They exfoliate the skin, making your makeup go on a lot smoother. I’m frequently complimented on my skin, and this is why.
Thanks Alice!
I’ve used Mary Kay moisturizer since i was 12 (my mom was a MK lady!) and although I have fallen away from just about all of the other MK products (pricey!), I do believe that the moisturizer is the best I’ve ever tried. And yes, I love the feeling of massaging moisturizer into my freshly washed and damp skin- it feels like my face is taking a huge drink of water!
It may make a big difference as to what your skin type is. Some that are great for dry skin are way overkill for oily/combination. Getting one with a sunscreen is one of the better things you can do for your skin, too.
This is so very true ATG.
I have dry skin, allergies and rosacea. Alpha-hydroxy and sunblocks make my skin itch like crazy. Target store brand night cream is a good moisturizer for me. When my skin gets really bad and I am spending the day at home, I’ll slap on jojoba oil or petrolatum and let it sit on my skin all day. I can almost hear my skin sigh with relief when I do it.
Might as well list my faves while I’m at it. Combination (oily T-zone, normal rest) skin, not sensitive, 40 but pretty much no wrinkling/aging yet.
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Trader Joe’s Enrich Moisturizing Facial Lotion, SPF 15 - A little thick/sticky, but great, and very cheap - around $4-$5 in the store for a 4 oz bottle. You can afford to use it as a daily facial sunscreen and not worry about skimping on application.
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Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Moisture Gel - More expensive, but excellent stuff. Smooth, feels very light on the skin, no stickiness. No sunscreen in this one.
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Clinique Super City Block Oil-Free Daily Face Protector, SPF 40 - Light tint to smooth out color (and avoid whitening the face with the sunscreen ingredients, like zinc oxide), goes on nicely.
Boots (available at Target in the US) has some nice options in their line as well. I tend to buy stuff that isn’t tested on animals, so I haven’t tried some other reliable product lines for a while, but Olay and some others have good products. To save some money, check out the store-brand equivalents to those products at stores like Target, Walmart, and Walgreens.
I use Oil of Old Lady (Oil of O’lay). 
I’ve used it since they used whale blubber as an ingredient. Now they don’t but it still works for me.
I use Dove Sensitive Skin Day Lotion. I have sensitive skin, too, and this is a very light, very neutral lotion. For what it’s worth, I’m 44 and I just started getting a little wrinkly this year. 
Cetaphil with SPF 15. (I think that’s the only way they make it.) My dermatologist recommended it. I have sort of sensitive skin, and it’s been wonderful for me.
Same as Yola, I use Oil of Olay, and it seems to be the most agreeable for my pale, dry skin. I use it whenever I wash my face, so twice a day. I have tried others, liked a few (Arbonne, Clinique Moisture but both quite expensive) and others that made my skin break out. I finally quit trying other brands and came back to original formula Oil of Olay for good.
Not to brag (wellll, maybe a teeny bit) but I get lots of compliments on my skin. I’m in my mid 60’s and have no wrinkles or leathery areas. I attribute it to 40 years of Oil of Olay.
I use a separate sunscreen when I’m going to be out and about, usually a mist-on type that sort of lays on top of the Oil of Olay. The heavier sunscreen creams manage to creep into my eyes and irritate them, no matter how much I try to avoid the eye area.
I’m a person of extremes.
I like vaseline. Yep. Vaseline.
I also like the Olay lines.
I splurge on the l’Occtaine stuff. I don’t think its a better moisterizer, but it smells wonderful. I really dislike the smell of Cetaphil and some of the other good dermatologists recommended moisterizers (which don’t have a scent, but still smell like hospital to me).
L’Oreal Active Daily Moisture Lotion. It has an SPF 15 ingredient and it smells wonderful, like lily of the valley. But it comes in a bottle, with a wide opening (no pump!) and you either have to pour a bit out onto the palm of your hand or stick your finger in. I fill up a little squirt bottle meant for perfume, that I found in the dollar store.
I have oily skin and I’m allergic to jojoba oil. I use Alba Botanica Aloe & Green Tea moisturizer and I’m really happy with it. I used Oil of Olay growing up and through my 20s and I liked that, too.
I use their Night of Olay when I bother to use a night cream. It’s awesome - super cheap and smells nostalgically like my grandma. (You have to really hunt for their old stuff, though - the prime shelf space is all that Regenerist crap in the bottles with the double helixes and all. What you want is the “Now With Less Spermaceti” formula stuff. No sexy packaging on that bad boy.)
Another thumbs up for Oil of Old Lady (and I’m only thirty!) Dove has good stuff, too, and as mentioned, the store-brand equivalent of whatever’s right next to it on the shelf is usually fine, just fine. I use thicker, heavier moisturizers in the winter - and usually wind up applying it a couple or four times a day - and the lightest most non-greasy stuff for the summer, so I don’t immediately sweat it off. For example, I splurged on some Aveeno and didn’t like it - felt like it left a film on my skin. Set it aside somewhere - found it earlier this winter when the heater was running nonstop. Now, I like it!
I’ve lamented before, but St. Ives had a collagen and elastin moisturizer (in a tub) that I can’t find anymore on store shelves. 
I use it but I thought it was called “Oil of Old Age” I read an article recently, written by a dermatologist comparing discount products and she rated Dove’s ProAge very highly. I haven’t run out of anything yet but might try that when I do.
I use Aveeno Radiance whatever moisturizer. They have a day moisturizer, night moisturizer and eye cream. The night stuff is nice and thick, so I usually stick with that, especially in the winter. Also during the winter, I use Aveeno non-foaming sensitive skin cream cleanser. In the summer, I switch to the exfoliating cleanser.
I use Ahava. It’s awesome.