Mixing and Matching Face Care Products

Sarah

This is more of a cosmetics question, but it’s something I’ve been curious about for a while and thought it couldn’t hurt to ask. Somebody might know the answer. I personally use a strange variety of products on my face, and I know from some threads here that others do too. However cosmetic sales ladies always tell you to buy every product in the same brand because they are made to work together. Do any of you use a face wash, lotion, foundation, powder etc. all by the same brand? Do you think it really makes a big difference? Or do they say that mostly because they want to sell them all to you? My biggest difficulty with using any whole face system is that most of them have lotions with only SPF 15, and with my fair skin I need at least SPF 30. So can I keep on using all of my separate products and still have healthy skin?

17 years ago

General

5 replies

Latest reply was from Sarah

Ana

(website)

Veteran

I'm not sure why you should use the same brand for everything. It might make a difference, but I've never done it.

Anyway, if what you're doing now is working for you, then I'd say stick with it. Maybe reassess what you do when the seasons change (you might have different skin needs based on outside temperature or whether you'll be inside or outside more). And maybe once a year assess your overall regiment, since skin changes as it ages. My skin has gotten more sensitive and prone to redness as I've gotten older, so I need to be careful about what I put on it.

17 years ago

julijuli

Active Member

I think it's totally ok to mix and match and I'm pretty sure it won't hurt your skin. I too have pretty sensitive skin and all the expensive brands of cleanser give me bumps. I think you need to do a little experimenting and stick with whatever works in terms of making your skin look good. I tried using the Lancome cleansers for a while because I liked the moisturizers and then I realized I was getting bumps. Turned out that Cetaphil worked much better for me, but the moisturizer was still fine.

17 years ago

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

The salespeople want you to buy all of their products because they want to sell them all to you. You can mix and match and it won't affect your skin.
I love Aveeno gentle facial foam cleanser, but my moisturizer and makeup come from all over.

17 years ago

Amanda

Active Member

With product lines, they are usually formulated to work together (e.g., you use the toner and apply the moisturizer over it and they coordinate). However, it's not absolutely necessary to use a single line for cleanser, toner and moisturizer (and less so with make-up). It does mean that some combinations might not work well together -- one toner and another moisturizer could potentially irritate your skin. You have to just try different combinations and see what works for you. I've been told that you should use cleansing products for 4-5 weeks to know how it will work for your skin because skin has a 28 day renewal cycle and you want to go through a complete on to see how well the products work. I've never researched that to confirm it.

17 years ago

Sarah

Active Member

Thanks for the advice and confirmation ladies. I have actually only been using products on my face for the past year or so, and I am always experimenting with different products. My skin is very sensitive, oily in the summer, and dry in the winter. I used to wear Mary Kay makeup, so I tried their Timewise lotion but I find it watery and sticky and am not happy with it. And the cleanser that goes with it takes far to much work to get off my face once it’s on. During the winter I love Olay’s “complete plus ultra-rich” night and day cream, but the day cream only has SPF 15, so I have to use sunscreen on my face and hands also. That’s not too band though, because my skin is dry that time of year. For the part of the year that my skin is oily I use Aveeno’s “positively radiant daily moisturizer” with SPF 30. I love how it feels and smells. I’m not sure that I’ve found a perfect face wash, but I like both Olay’s “gentle foaming face wash” for sensitive skin and Aveeno’s “skin brightening daily scrub.” As you can tell, I shop at the drug store. Makeup is another matter, and I’m also still searching for the perfect makeup for me, but it’s a fun experiment.

17 years ago

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