I've tried everything out there and the ONLY thing that works for me (oily skin, contacts, tightlining) is Jordana felt tip eyeliner and it's $1.99 at walgreens. seriously, i was so happy to discover it and yet so mad that i've wasted so much money looking over the years (drugstore and high end ) and i have a whole drawer of old eyeliners that i'm now using for arts and crafts lol. also, my HG mascara is the loreal telescopic waterproof (in silver tube with blue writing). no smudging. of course to get all these no smudging products off is the neutrogena makeup remover (the one you have to shake before using), the generic brand of this works too.

I'm sure you can get fairly good retinol products at the drugstore these days, some better than others. However, I get mine via prescription, and the cost is covered via insurance. Yes, I have to be pre-approved every year, which takes a couple of days, but it's worth it in the long run since I pay maybe a couple of dollars for the name brand stuff. Tried the generic but didn't like it. Too greasy. It would likely depend on your insurance and what it covers whether you'd want to try that route with a dermatologist. There are varying strengths (.025, .05, etc) so most first-time users start with the lowest strength. If your skin is truly that sensitive, I'd probably go easy with the Clarisonic, and also take the advice of your skin care specialist first before investing in one. A lot of people assume they really need to scrub with it using pressure. Not true. It is a gentle rotating motion with the device doing the work. And maybe use it every few days to start, not every day. If the redness from the broken capillaries bothers you, why don't you consider having that addressed first and using it as an entry point to the skin care with your dermatologist for other advice? Most would probably give you a free or reduced-rate consult and demo of their products. And the good ones have samples they are more than happy to give you.

Pat I only have the CeraVe moisturizing cream..I don't have the healing ointment. I have been thinking abiut it though for my dry cracked heels. I had two very tiny samples of Aquaphor healing ointment that I've been using the past three nights. I smear it on my heels and wear old socks that I cut the toes out of I can't sleep with my toes covered...anyway this stuff is working so I figure an ointment instead of cream is what I need. I suppose I'll try the CeraVe ointment lol. I'm really happy hubs saved all of his old white cotton socks with holes thru the years because I'm not washing them lol...its wear and toss. Haha I bought a pumice stone today and ill soak later and scrub with it than apply ointment. Pat my mother swore by ointments instead of creams or lotion and if she ran out she used vaseline. Her skin including elbows, knees, and feet were as smooth as a child's when she passed at 73. Same with her sisters they all had beautiful skin. Someone told me to try Corn Huskers but though I've seen it in stores I haven't a clue what it is. Oh and while I'm here I mentioned Aldi night face cream in one of these posts..Lacura...well its all I've used besides Dove on my face for two weeks and I have developed 5 sores on my face...they are healing fine but it had to have been a reaction to the Lacura. I tossed it.

The conditioner if applied in the shower could be an issue. It tends to migrate to the face. I always wash my face last in the shower when I am putting anything on my hair. I rinse the hair completely, then wash my face and body so it doesn't have conditioner residue on it. Also check pillowcases and your laundry detergent. I need to use hypoallergenic laundry detergent to avoid breakouts. Make sure your diet is low in inflammatories - mostly veggies and low in sugar and starches. My skin is suffering now because I went on a sweets binge after getting my kitchen back. If you are not taking supplements for your hair and skin, you could look into that. I take a multivitamin, hair/skin/nails vitamin, alpha lipoic acid and a few others like fish oil, e, selenium. It sounds like a lot. My hair stylist got me started on supplements. Are you doing any remodeling or working with chemicals or doing yardwork? There are all kinds of things I am touching that are driving my hands crazy right now. Sawdust, joint compound, caulk, house dust, poly, mineral spirits, stain, grass and weeds, dirt - all that stuff can make it to your face. My face isn't suffering like my hands, possibly because it was covered with goggles and respirator much of the time. If you are not in a humid climate, I recommend looking at products like pur soak it up, clinique moisture surge (?) or neutrogena has a new product, I think. These are transparent gels that introduce moisture to your face without sealing it much. They are like giving your face a drink of water. I follow them up with some kind of moisturizer to seal. I feel like those moisture products are safer for my bare skin than a traditional moisturizer. They feel cleaner and they feel like you have applied only water to your face. I do think you need to put something on top of it to keep the moisture in, though. It is possible to develop allergies when you haven't had them before. Stress will also aggravate allergies. I think most of us are a little more stressed this summer. So take care of your mind. Also shower right after exercise or yardwork to remove sweat salt, minerals and allergens. And put on clean clothes laundered with hypoallergenic detergent, no fabric softener or additives. Take breaks from the makeup when you can.