In need of a good daily skincare routine that doesn’t cost a fortune.

The Ordinary! Most of their skincare items are less than 8 bucks, and it has worked wonders for my skin!

I don't have a recommendation but please stay away from this product/brand. It burned my face so badly in just 10 minutes and the bottle said to put it on for 20. It said all natural... I highly doubt it is. It was supposed to moisturize my face. Whatever you get try in in a small area first. Lesson learned on my end.

Depending on your insurance, it can be cheaper to get a prescription than anything from the drugstore. I ended up paying about half of my old routine this way. My doctor put me on some serious stuff to clear up my face before the wedding. We aren't sure yet if it will be a permanent fix, but she says it's safe to rely on until the wedding and then we can reassess.

Philosophy has really good products. It's not drug store cheap but not super high end either, and they will last you a while.

I second Philosophy! I’m a big believer. Changed over to it a few years ago, and while I never had breakouts, my skin changed dramatically! Soft, smoother, better color, felt clean and overall fresh.

I use Mary Kay cleanser, and then have a benzoyl peroxide 3 step process I use (target generic brand, is supposed to be similar to proactive). I also use Mary Kay moisturizer every morning as part of my makeup routine. I’d try experimenting with elimination diets too as I know that dairy gives me breakouts all over my skin, and gluten doesn’t do me any favors either.

I use Kiehls! It completely changed my facial skin and I love their products. They aren’t super cheap but last for several months.

For drugstore products, I love aveeno and cetaphil

I use Purity by Philosophy daily as my face wash and I moisturize with Philosophy’s Take a Deep Breath. I also love Murad’s Hydrating Toner. I spray a few pumps of the mist on my face post wash but pre moisturizer. Once a week I make a mask with the clay in the picture. Mix equal parts water and clay powder to make the mask. Depending on how sensitive your skin is leave it on 5-10 minutes. It might leave you a tiny bit red but that goes away within a half hour. I use it at night so it doesn’t bother me.

I have been using Nozema cream and it leaves me feeling so clean, along with a coco butter cream for preexisting acne scars. Just started this routine but already feel fresher than before.

Change your diet. Cut out processed sugar, bread and dairy. Drink more water. It does wonders for your skin and you would feel better too.

You could also consider using your standard skin care regime, then budget yourself for a couple of really good facials maybe 6 weeks before your wedding and 2 weeks before.

I started regular facials about 8 months out, and the esthetician helped me get something on track... I have dry skin so an oil based cleanser and a serum, eye cream, and a dry oil to moisturize. Twice a week I exfoliate with a scrub and then on Sunday nights I give myself a mini facial with a good cleaning, mask, eye pads, toner, eye cream, and moisturizer. I bought all the products at Ulta as a result of recommendations from my spa and I tested things before I bought them. Many of these products last a decent period of time since you don’t need a lot of most face products. So it might be an up front investment but over the long term it might not be that expensive.

I also started a retinol product, but with 4 months to go I would not advise since your skin will probably purge and you’ll possibly end up with breakouts so close to your wedding- which is happening to me right now with 17 days to go. Also since it’s winter, it might be too dry and cold to do anything too aggressive until it’s warmer.

As a professional, I'll only use Aveda's Botanical Kinetics skincare line. I use their gel face wash and their regular moisturizer, and when I feel like it, the toner. The entire regimen is under $100--and I realize that might be making you choke right now, but hear me out. I only have to buy it once a year. I mean ONCE a year. That means that the around-$100 suddenly becomes VERY affordable in terms of not having to worry about buying product for the other 11 months.

I also have an eye cream of a different brand that I use, but that is a much more expensive and specialized item that I personally need for my specific eye area issues. For basic and really nice skincare, I highly recommend the Botanical Kinetics. I've recommended it to several people and only one person (who I think actually has skin issues due to an unidentified allergen) said they didn't like what it did for them.

Good luck!

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Also this.

I’d recommend toning your face after you wash it with something that’s alcohol-free (I personally use thayers witch hazel ($10)), and then moisturize with Clinique Moisture Surge ($50ish for the big jar... look for coupons at younkers and Ulta). I seriously can’t get enough of that stuff! Magic in a jar. I used to break out and have dry patches too but my skin has been the best it’s been since using that.

use a hydrating mask twice a week (freeman’s “feeling beautiful” line has a bunch to choose from and they’re all $5)
exfoliate once a week (alba botanica enzyme scrub $7)

i also use a retinol cream but those take time to work up to using daily. (Use the 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 trick to help prevent your face from falling off 😅)

oh! Also slash cold water on your face once you’re done washing it to close your pores and prevent gunk from getting in them right away.