What Alice said. As a frequent patient of dermatology offices the ones that bear repeating are Aveeno, Cerave, and Cetaphil, plus Eucerin if you’re on the very dry end. I have combination skin (mild acne plus some dryness) so Aveeno is great for me. Positively Radiant, spf 15, but if you’re all white (I’m only 1/2) then go for the spf30. $15-16/bottle, on sale at my local target this week for $13.50.
If you have even the slightest bit of tan to your skin, don’t get anything with Zinc Oxide in it, because it’ll cast a white sheen on your face.
If you’re over 40 you should probably be using Regenerist at night.
Best stuff, ever! (Okay, not quite as good as the teeny jar of IDon’tKnowWhatique my kid gave me that costs $35 an ounce, …but almost.) I just got a new vat at Target, so I assume it’s still widely available.
For my face, I usually use Origins. Although I have to say, I’ve been super impressed with Bobbi Brown’s Moisturizing Balm. Rich and creamy but doesn’t sit on your skin like a lot of other creams do. It’s ridiculously expensive and I’ve only used samples, but next winter I think I’ll bite the bullet - a little goes a long way and one jar would probably last you half a year.
I used to use Oil of Olay (used to be called Oil of Ulay in Europe) but most of their new products have sunscreen in them that causes my skin to react. Sometimes I think everthing causes my skin to react.
Aveeno and Euracin work okay for me (the oatmeal stuff) but I’m not keen on using mineral oil on my face as it can block pores.
If you can’t use jojoba oil, olive oil, avocado oil or sweet almond oil work well too.
Nothing exciting, but I love using plain aloe vera gel. It works great with oily skin, is cheap and no worries about chemicals or adverse reactions. The only downside is no SPF, so best used with foundation with SPF if you’ll be out in the sun.
I’m converted to Dermalogica.
Yes, it is expensive, but it is really good stuff.
I have oily skin with occasional break outs, and few lines.
I use:
Dermal Clay Cleanser
Daily Microfoliant
Active Moist Moisturiser
Total Eye Care
A little goes a long way and I only need to get more every 6 months or so.
Over the years I tried everything- Neutrogena, L’Oreal, Garnier, Clearasil, Clinique, Lush- you name it, I tried it. The only thing that actually settled my skin down was Dermalogica Medibac, and now it stays clear nearly all the time.
Other brands I like tend to be French- Vichy and La Roche Posay are good.
I like Clinique Moisture Surge, but it’s a bit expensive, and I just use samples of it. Depends how dry your skin is. I like Cetaphil facial moisturizer, but my skin is really dry and it’s not always enough in the winter.
Let me tell you what NOT to use: Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture. I’ve never ever in my life had an acne problem, even as a teenager. But once I started using that, I did, nonstop! It didn’t seem like the kind of thing that could make me break out, since it’s just a basic moisturizer from a decent brand, so I tried changing other products first and it did no good, but as soon as I stopped that one, my acne was gone. Then I looked up the product on Drugstore.com and found that other people had the same problem.
I use Mary Kay Balancing Moisturizer 2 from the Classic Basic Skin Care line. Keeps my skin so soft I find myself touching my face all the time. I’ve had good luck with the Dove line too, but I always go back to the Mary Kay. It lasts forever, and I buy it on eBay, so I can usually find a decent price. But these days, Mary Kay isn’t as expensive as some people think it is, compared to the Regenerist stuff.
I am using a product containing glycolic acid right now to burn the shit out of my skin (and it does!) to remove brown spots caused by the sun. Owie owie, that stuff is strong, especially on sensitive skin.
Oil of Olay and Night of Olay - the basic, no frills stuff that my mom used to use. (Well, almost. I use Oil of Olay with SPF 15 - but not the Regenerist line)
10% AHA for a moisturizer?! Damn, I normally only see that level as a weekly treatment, I think. I use benzoyl peroxide and Clindamycin lotion (the latter prescription-only) for spot treatment of infrequent blemishes, and a BHA (salicylic acid) lotion for overall exfoliation.
Does AHA = glycolic acid? Then, yes. And I see from the comments that quite a few people with acne-prone skin also like it. I tried Olay Regenerist and it made me break out terribly. This is the only moisturizer I’ve found since Eucerin discontinued my favorite cheap one that had beta hydroxy in it, that doesn’t make me break out. But I do wear it sparingly and occasionally skip days if my skin starts to redden.
Yeah, sorry, glycolic acid is one of the alphahydroxy acids (AHA). AHA helps with smooth skin and exfoliation; exfoliation may help avoid acne. BHA reduces inflammation/irritation, exfoliates, and has antimicrobial effects, which is a big help with clogged pores and acne.
Ha! It’s crazy the things you can actually be carded buying, that many people don’t realize. Liquor, sure, I expect it. But I was also carded buying a guinea pig and a single bottle of children’s cough syrup (not the meth-making kind) when I had a clearly sick child with me (um, these were separate incidents; you can’t buy both rodents and cold medicine anywhere that I know of). I’ve never bought lighters though, and I never thought of that that you could be carded for that, either.
I’m 28 though, but I won’t stop being carded anytime soon. The checker at the liquor store the other day enthused that I look really young and asked me if I had any kids, I said yes I have a 10-year-old, and he said “good for you!” and told me that my husband would love to show me off when I was 60 and looked 40. So I guess I have that to look forward to.
