I'm currently on the hunt for a good moisturizer. I had a sample pot of It Cosmetics Confidence in a cream which was amazing but a full size jar of that mess is $50 so I'm looking for a good dupe.
For cleansers I love Glossier's Milk and Jelly cleanser. Its extremely gentle on the skin to the point where you can open your eyes with it still on your face and not find it irritating, plus it leaves the skin soft rather than dried out. Problem is you can only buy it from their online store and its $18. Target has a dupe for $10 which I'll probably switch to out of convenience, but the Glossier one is better not gonna lie.. I also like the Aveeno Positively Radiant cleanser and that one is around $6.
(this is the target dupe)
After breaking out from lack of sleep/poor diet I bought the heavily raved about Paula's Choice 2% BHA. Its pretty pricy ($30) but I noticed my pimple was shrunk down in a couple days and the discoloration around the area has lightened up a bit too. I hear that Stridex in the red container is a good dupe but you would actually be spending more if you break it down cost per oz.
As for sunscreen I would try my hardest to find a physical one rather than a chemical one. The chemicals used in U.S. sunscreens are extremely outdated and can be very irritating to the skin. Plus they aren't as effective. The problem with physical sunscreen is that you have to deal with that white cast, but there are a couple that go on relatively clear. If you can't find one that works you can try out Asian sunscreens. They use the top chemical sun blockers on the market and they have a cosmetic elegance that western sunscreens lack. I would have stuck with them but I'm paranoid about alcohol in skincare and they tend to use a lot so I'm back to physical sunscreens.
This is good as far as being easy to blend and not leaving you ashy. You just spray it on your hand and rub it into your face. It goes on oily but in 10 minutes your face is matte. Its $30 tho...
