Thanks for getting back to me.....

You mention 'natural products'.and that opens up a lot of possibiities....

I am a retired makeup artist, and believe that skin care does NOT have to cost a lot of money..there are many fine products out there, but you don't need to have the really expensive ones....They are all fine products in their own right but you will want to experiment a little with the things I'm going to recommend for you..

You should, as I said, not spend lots of money on basic skincare, but instead on the color cosmetics; lipcolor, blush, makeup base, etc...in color cosmetics, you are paying for the amount of pigment in the product,which means it will last longer..so pay a little extra for a GOOD lipstick, good blush, good eyeshadow, etc.,,,,and you will be able to, with the money I'm going to save you!!!!

First off, go to your local drug or variety store and look for any of the following:

Pears soap - this has been around for over 200 years; in the old days, they used to bathe newborn babies in it!! nice and gentle cleanser!!

.....Cetaphil, (recommended by dermatologists!!)   Actually, you want the store brand; it's right next to the Cetaphil, same ingredients lower cost; you're already on your way to saving money!!...

Kirk's Cocoa Hardwater Castile Soap........again, any soap that says it's made with a vegetable oil (many brands out there besides this one!!) will be GENTLE and cleanse thoroughly.........

DO NOT use deodorant soaps on your face and neck/throat...your face does not need bacteria-killing cleansers!!

Oil of Olay also makes a nice, gentle, thorough cleanser, one for sensitive skin, and one for regular.. comes in a tube...

Dove and Caress soaps are also excellent; my dermatologist told me that both his clients with oily and dry skin did well with Dove/Caress; they both clean, then rinse off quickly.......

If you have a favorite product line, look in to using their cleansers, but try to stay away from anything with mineral oil in it.......if a cleanser has vegetable/botanical (flower) oils, so much the better....

Remember, the first 4 or 5 ingredients of any cleansing product are what it has the most of.......

Try to get used to using your hands to wash your face....and wash your hands BEFORE you wash your face....lather up and then use gentle circular motions, starting at the forehead, then nose, etc., and on down...Rinse very thoroughly with WARM NOT COLD water.......NEVER NEVER use extremes of water temperatures on your face....

So NO facial steaming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  EVER.....

You must also exfoliate.......heaven knows there are hundreds of exfoliating products out there - again, no need to spend big bucks on this stuff!!!!

The simplest & easiest exfoliator is............(drum roll)

YOUR WASHCLOTH!!!!!!  Fold the damp washcloth around your 3 fingers (index/middle/ring) after you have lathered up with your cleanser...

Run the cloth over the soap, or if you are using a liquid cleanser, put a few drops on the wet cloth...then go over your face again, FIRMLY BUT GENTLY< no scrubbing!!!....as you did, with your hands, when you washed your face.....do this 2 or 3 times a week.

HOWEVER you can use another low-cost item, instead of those expensive 'toners' which are the biggest waste of money women ever encountered!

Get yourself a bottle of - again, store brand WITCH HAZEL....

Dry your face then apply the With Hazel all over your face...you can use a small 3 oz. spray bottle if you like, spraying it on your fingertips then applying, or just in the palm of your hand & then apply...your face should be 'wet' with it........then let it air dry.

This is necessary to restore the acid balance of the skin.......

again, you saved more bucks by using witch hazel!!

Now let your face dry, and apply your moisturizer.. AGAIN no big bucks needed here;

Try these two, for starters; Cocoa Butter CREME not lotion (why pay for water, always the 1st ingredient listed?? you want the CREME form!! OF ANY MOISTURIZER!!)........also you can try generic/store brand BABY LOTION....

Now you have cleansed, exfoliated, and restored your skin's acid balance, and moisturized, all at a nice thrifty price!!!!!

I know I've thrown a lot at you, but do try it, and remember;

Whenever you change cleansing products, your skin needs a few days to get used to it!!!!! usually 7 to 10 days.....so if your skin gets a little oilier, etc., just bear with it...

I hope this helps you.........as I said, you can go ahead and spend a little more on the name brand products, if you have a favorite brand..I am not condemning these fine products!!!!  I just feel the money spent could be used elsewhere, esp. in times like we are in right now!!

Please let me know what you think......if you have any other questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me!!!!!!!

Glad to be of help!!

As for 'night cremes'........you really don't need a special creme for nighttime, basically....

I always suggest starting with the least expensive items....you can try, for a night creme,

Baby Lotion!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cocoa Butter creme; in general, try for the creme; in the case of baby lotion, it's not a creme, but still does the job!!

You don't want to make the mistake of buying the LEAST expensive cremes, as they are loaded with mineral oil, which can be a little too heavy....

Aim for the moderate-priced cremes; like the ones I mention above.....then you can go from there......if you have a favorite brand, say, Oil of Olay, then check out their MID-PRICE range cremes........I am not endorsing Olay, just using that as an example.......there are websites that deal in ingredients in cosmetics, can't think of the names right now, but just Google 'cosmetic ingredients" and tons will come up......then you can look and see exactly what the heck all those chemicals are supposed to do for your skin!

of course your general, overall health's important, too.....eating right, (or at least, like me, trying to!! (haha) is very important.

Get your rest!!!!!!!! we are the most under-rested nation on earth!!

Make sure you exfoliate!!!!!! very important.... and of course I have a low-cost method for that too; when you have your facial cleanser or soap on your face, take your damp washcloth and starting at the forehead, use circular motions all over the face, 3 times,  with the washcloth.......do this 2 times a week.......your skin will glow......and your moisturizer and makeup base will go on like a dream!!

There.......I just saved you $$$$$$$ on those 'fancy exfoliators' that really do just the same thing...............think of the bucks I'm saving you!!!!! haha

NOW what I want you to do, after you've saved all this money and are taking good care of your skin, is to spend that money you saved on really GOOD, QUALITY color cosmetics;

BUY a good eye shadow

Buy good lip colors

Buy good mascaras

You are paying for the color pigments in slightly higher-priced color cosmetics, which as the old saying goes, 'you get what you pay for'.....

You're gonna be so stunning the paparazzi will be following you around!! haha

Seriously, though, the American Woman needs to get her skincare priorities straight and quit spending so much money on stuff she doesn't need to!!!

Well, enough of the lecture!!!!!

Hope you enjoyed this and that you are learning...and keep the questions coming....I enjoy sharing my knowledge & experience!!