Argan oil has helped me the most as well as a Dead Sea salt and oil rub (Seacret). Drink lots of water to stay hydrated too.

I second the coconut oil. It also is a great makeup remover.

I use grape seed oil, just a few drops. Argan oil makes me break out eventually. Grape seed is a little lighter, and much cheaper. You can find charts online of the mix of fatty acid chain lengths in different oils. Dry or oily skin respond differently to different mixes, so it's worth trying a few different types if your first try doesn't work out.

I, too, am dramatically unimpressed with Clinique's Dramatically Different lotion. And I will add another endorsement to Cerave lotion. I use a bit on top of other moisturizers to fill in the wrinkles and laugh lines. It is great because it is not at all greasy or oily or even smelly. Jojoba oil is not really an oil; I think it's a wax ester and basically replaces oils the skin has lost. I think I would put on a drop or two of jojoba, then seal it in with Cerave or Eucerin. Angie had a blog post maybe two years ago on her skin care and she mentioned the Eucerin that comes in a tub. I got the stuff for DD who has bad eczema and I think it was effective. (She is away at college so I don't get to inspect her skin very often!)

I actually like Dramatically Different but I liked it a lot more a few years ago when my skin was less dry. Then I got the 30something skin change and also moved somewhere with extremely hard water, and now my skin is parched all the time.

I have finally, finally found a daily sunscreen moisturizer that doesn't make me feel sick at all and actually moisturizes pretty well, so I either just use that or put on a few drops of oil then later add the sunscreen. (The sunscreen is Devita, but it's probably annoying for anyone without my multiple chemical sensitivities - it's all zinc and it makes you look like a ghost at first until you rub it in really well.)

Ditto for the coconut oil. I use it occasionally and it really does plump up my skin. In winter I like to add Weleda Skin Food (available at Target) to Atopalm, which is a super year round moisturizer for dry skin. In the morning, my skin is still hydrated. People with oily skin should probably stay far away from this stuff. Also love Cerave. I mix it with Tazarac, a retin A cream, a few nights a week.

Another vote for Vanicream. Whatever you use, applying it to damp skin will make it more effective.

I recently got a tiny sample of Creme de la Mer:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/la.....am/3057002

VERY spendy, but my tiny sample actually lasted for two weeks. I used it only every other night and each time I did, I would wake up to lovely, hydrated skin! So I may budget in some money next month to get a jar for winter only. It is very stiff; you have to rub it between your fingers vigorously first and then press it into your skin.

jenava, according to many derms, women who use la mer tend to preserve their looks the longest. of course this is sampling bias, women who can afford la mer can also afford lots of other stuff to preserve their looks or just care more about their looks and go the extra effort to baby their skin/self.

My friend and I got "mini facials" at the la mer counter during an event and were chuckling at all the rich little old ladies coming by for the their re-fills. We followed our facials up with a cocktail at an old-school hotel bar (Oliver's in the Mayflower Park), to keep the theme going. LOL.

Back to skincare, though, my go-to affordable brand is Paula's Choice. So might want to check that out as well. They are online only; not sure if they ship international...but I've had pretty good experiences with their Resist line. My skin is dry, so if your is less so you might take a look at their skin recovery line, which I've tried and found to not be quite thick enough for me.

I slather on Egyptian Magic every night. It's really intense - almost like putting solid butter on your face, though it melts into an oil - but it really works and in the morning my skin is smooth and fresh. I also use it when I get on a plane flight with the same effect. I think I read about it when some celebrity recommended it for air travel - but for my superdry skin in a cold dry climate, it works wonders.

http://www.amazon.com/Egyptian.....tian+magic

Note: I posted the link to Amazon but I buy directly from the website for the product:

http://www.egyptianmagic.com/

AK girl, I just ordered some of that stuff from amazon. Thanks for the recommendation. This cold dry weather is doing a number on my skin, too, and I'm all out of my la mer sample. (-:

coconut oil - summer and winter - and in winter I add DHC olive oil Cleanser and soap - It keeps the cracking and flakes away

http://skincare.dhccare.com/se.....38;w=Olive