Hellobee Boards

I am obsessed with the Drunk Elephant line. It's a little pricey, but not as crazy as some, and most of the stuff I've used lasts a long time. I use their Beste jelly cleanser in the morning and at night. And I use the Protini moisturizer in the morning. At night, I use the C-Tango eye cream and then rotate between the retinol cream, glycolic night serum, and the intense moisturizing serum. Everything except the retinol came in a pack of mini products that you buy to try things out.
I'm about to turn 41, and my skin is a combination of somewhat oily and dry/tight in some places.

I’ve been using products from the cocokind line for about 6 months and really love it so far! I have combination skin with an oily T zone with occasional breakouts. They have a great IG with tips to customize your routine that I have found very helpful. I was basically doing nothing before and I have seen a dramatic improvement in my skin texture, evenness and brightness as well as less breakouts
Morning:
-cleanse with facial oil cleanser and wipe with a moist reusable cotton round
-apply raspberry vinegar toner
-apply sea grape glow essence
-apply turmeric tonic for my breakout prone areas
-apply texture smoothing moisturizer
-my matcha stick for under eyes and lips
-sunscreen

Night:
-cleanse with oil to milk cleanser in the shower
-Repeat all above steps
-use their sleep mask a few times per week

I really just got into a skincare routine. I love The Ordinary products - they are awesome quality but so inexpensive ! The cost of skincare always scared me off. I have super dry skin but this has completely fixed that and made my skin feel so nice. This is my current routine, all The Ordinary products:

AM
A couple drops of Hyaluronic + B5 Acid
Natural Moisturizer

PM
Squalane Cleanser (I use the forea mini also thanks to @erinbedarin’s rec!)
A few drops of “Buffet”
Natural Moisturizer

If my skin is extra dry (like after a shower or spending a lot of time outdoors) I do a few drops of the plant-derived squalane .

If I have any blemishes or acne (which is happening more often thanks to having to teach in a mask all day ), I use a few drops of Niaciamide.

I got all these products for like... less than $50? It’s outrageous how cheap it is compared to other lines.

I've had lots of input from a skincare guru I know and have been following her "7 essentials" for over a year now, with some extra stuff added in at this point. It seems like a lot, but it only takes about 5 minutes and well worth it.
I put an * next to those extras that I've added in over time.
Vitamin C is where to spend the money (Skinceuticals is top of the line), and everyone over 30 should be using Differin. Need to ramp up to it, start with every 3rd night and work your way toward every night.

Don't wash your face in the shower. And use a wet washcloth to wipe/rinse your face to get the balm and/or cleanser off.

AM:
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser (green & white bottle)
P50 Original "1970" (toner - another decent one is Pixi Glow)
Obagi (Vitamin C)
*Perricone MD Cold Plasma +
*Hada Labo (hydration layer)
CeraVe PM Face Moisturizing Lotion
SPF Sunscreen (mineral free)

PM:
Clinique take the day off (balm cleanser)
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser
P50 1970
Differin
*Hada Labo (Hydrating)
*Dr. Jart Ceramidin Liquid (Hydrating)
CeraVe PM Moisturizing Lotion
Egyptian Magic, on my nightstand, right before I go to bed

I love skincare stuff! For the simplest possible routine, Cerave products are great and affordable. The easiest way to upgrade from your current routine:

AM
--Cleanse with Cerave hydrating cleanser (they have several cleansers, but that would be best if you skin's more dry)
--Moisturize with SPF -- I like the Cerave ultralight moisturizer. If your skin is very dry, you could do a richer moisturizer, then top with the SPF one.

Night:
--Cleanse
--Moisturize with Cerave PM moisturizer

If you want to incorporate any kind of anti-aging products, you could add a retinoid/retinol a few nights a week. You can buy Differin over the counter at CVS or Walgreens, or The Ordinary has some good retinol products. You can also get stronger ones with a dermatologist prescription. You'd apply it between cleansing and moisturizing.

If you want to get even fancier (lol) a couple of my other top products are The Ordinary niacinamide serum, which can be used morning and night and helps with hyperpigmentation/evening out your skin tone, and my personal favorite, Farmacy's Honeymoon Glow. It's the priciest item I use, but one bottle lasts forever. I put it on every other night.

I also wanted to be lazy but I've found that layering products is key; for me anyway. I'm also 36, and do a serum, and layer on a face oil during the winter, and sunscreen every single day. At night I love those leave-on mask so it's not something you need to wash off (extra steps), but not sticky/thick that it will smear on pillow, etc.

Find a line with cleanse, tone, moisturizer that you like.

These are things I like to add into my routine:
Eye cream - 2x daily
Vitamin c+e serum - 2x daily
Microderm abrasion - 2x per week
Masks - 2x per week. My favourite is a charcoal mask

Another vote for Drunk Elephant! I also love Indie Lee and Youth to the People.

@chuckles I also find Drunk Elephant’s Vitamin C serum to be a bit sticky but I mix it with their B-Hydra serum in the mornings, which helps neutralize some of the stickiness if that makes sense.