Personally, I think a lot of what's out there is crap, especially if you're under 30. All you need is soap, glycerine, some kind of UV protection and exfoliating gloves when you're young.
I used to invest in different skin care lines when I was young and my skin was better when I didn't use them.
Now I'm 48 and I have flawless skin. My secret? I avoided the sun all my life and I drink 4 - 8 liters of water a day. That's it. Now I do use Night Repair by Estee Lauder, more like when I remember to use it. It does help hydrate. I also enjoy the Korean face masks, like once week or whenever I think about it. But the key to good skin is avoiding the sun and staying hydrated and good nutrition:
You are what you eat, if you're eating and drinking junk, your skin will show the world you're made of junk.What do you mean by "avoid the sun"? Did you just stay indoors all-day? Or did you apply sunscreen/sunblock often?
I always wear sunscreen. I don't go to the beach for a tan (sunbathing). When my partner wanted to go to the beach I rented one of those large umbrellas and sat under it. When there's a choice of walking in direct sunlight or shade, I reflexively chose the shade. That kind of thing.
Ah, gotcha. Opting not to get a tan in order to preserve skin health.