I think you'd get as many answers to this as people on this forum. Chinacat is right, what are your goals? Is it to make your skin feel good or improve it?

I was an esthatician for a few years and I dont' know that I even agree with much of what I was taught. There are some good products but they won't compete with what a doctor can prescribe. Some of the spa treatments work well but they are not permanant and need to be maintained. They do improve the texture of the skin though.

Botox can get rid of forehead frown lines and crows feet and you will still have facial expression. It too has to be redone, but with maintance perhaps as little as one or two times a year.

Yesterday I had a visit with my dermatologist. I am using Renova (which will eliminate some fine lines, smooth the texture of the skin). The skin get worse before it gets better in my experience. It is interesting that her recommendation for my skin feeling dry was to USE vasaline. I also use chap stick all the time and my lips are never dry or chapped. I spend a lot of time outdoors too.

It is my feeling that moisturizers do nothing more than seal the skin, or some MIGHT attract moisture. I think one of the best things you can do is spray with water to hydrate the skin and then moisturize it. Vitamins and antioxidants are good for you and may help your skin as well.

If it is a matter of making your skin feel better try different moisturizers. You might go to a skin specialist and have a facial in a salon and ask them about products so you can learn about the various ones...then do your research and see where your best buys are. You don't necessarily need to spend big money on products to get good ones. You need to remember that the percentages on various products are different even though they may contain the same ingredients.

You're getting good advice, so I'll just add a couple of things. As already pointed out, skin care can be such an individual issue.

I never use soap on my face. I clean it twice a day with CVS Pharmacy's version of Cetaphil lotion, with occasional use of Nivea's Visage tube of cleansing cream for dry skin. I do use a washcloth, which makes a good exfoliant.
I never allow my face to dry completely without using moisturizer. When I come out of the shower there's a pump bottle of Kiss My Face moisturizer right there so I can apply some before my skin dries. It's always best to use moisturizer after the skin has been wet with water, so the cream seals the moisture in.

Then I use either Jason's Ester-C cream or Avon's Anew Ultimate, or both.

Susan

Someone told me that Niveau Visage products are made by the same chemists who make Laprairie products and that they are an excellent product for the price.

Cetaphil....it's the best I've used.

Cetaphil, I second that. The cleanser is wonderfully mild and the moisturizing cream is very good.

The MAry Kay skin care products are very good in my experience, but cost more than I'm generally willing to spend.

Another vote for Cetaphil here !

Nivea Visage...

I use that. I use the face wash with the little pink "moisture beads" in it. I got a small vial as a free sample when I bought another Nivea product and have been hooked since.

I have "smiling lines" like Meg Ryan (I'm 31, and I smile A LOT!)

=-)

Another great product is Oil of Olay... I forget the name but it is an anti-aging cream for the face, comes in a black tube? They also have one for the body which I use on my neck and shoulder area.

Also along with all that water you drink... another great internal source of beautiful skin is taking Vitamin E. I take those along with Vitamin C which is also very skin-nourishing and great for your immune system!

If you have serious wrinkles I would recommend a dermatologist who will sell you their stronger formulations to correct problems. If you're happy with the condition of your skin, the above seem like excellent recommendations. I've tried most of them. Notice how your face and neck are less crepey when you step out of the shower so it's wise to seal that moisture in ASAP. Most moisturizers with E, C, grapeseed oil, aloe vera, retinol are usually good. No real need to spend a lot of money on them.

I think most all lotions are ok, but get your skin wet before you apply what you use. It is moisture your skin lacks not oils and lotions...the lotion will lock in the moisture. Lotions can make the dryness worse without the moisture applied first. You should avoid fragrances, urea, lactic acid and ammonium lactate in your lotions. My SIL's allergist said "women would have less skin problems if they used Moisterlle". Not sure of the spelling on that. My sis's doc recommended Aveeno products. Also if you use oils in your bath get wet first then put the oil in the tub.

I forgot to add, I used expensive lotions for awhile then switched to Vaseline Intestive Care and can't tell a bit of difference.

Another vote for Cetaphil here. I have dry, late 40's skin with Rosacea and it works better than any face cream I've ever used. Been using it about a year now and wish I knew about it sooner. It is cheap too.

Water really works well. Add as many colorful vegetables you can to your diet too. And as for cream I have tried Neutrogena products. Especially their night cream works wonder for me to keep my face hydrated and that takes care of maximum of the problems. Best of luck :)

My wife olive oil after hair removal treatment and the glow in her skin is amazing.

Last year I got into AsianBeauty products after a lifetime of western beauty products.

I still use Biotherm AquaSource. There is large community AsianBeauty at Reddit with a recent thread on older ladies you might like to see that perhaps. I also used to use Clarins.

I used to buy some of the memeboxes but they stopped shipping to Europe. To browse Korean asian beauty products see www.en.koreadepart.com/

there are many good face whitening cream that actually work. A whitening cream can begin to work in days, but it usually takes weeks to see an appreciable reduction in pigment. If you see no difference in three or four weeks, it's probably not going to work.

Rosehip oil works wonders too.

I really want to achieve perfect skin

Cetaphil works best for me!