Your Skin's Cues about Moisturizer

Can you run a finger across your cheek and pick up oil on it, hours after applying moisturizer? Or does your face feel thirsty when you get to work, despite being moisturized when you did your makeup?

• One of three things is happening: You're using the wrong moisturizer for your skin; you're using too much moisturizer for your skin; or you're not using enough. Here, some basic facts about moisturizers and getting the right one and the right amount.
  

• Moisturizers protect skin by preventing dry air from wicking water from it, and by helping to hold water in the skin via a layer of protective oil.
  

• Oil-in-water formulations are light and easy to use. They contain more water --- best for hydration --- than oil and work on a broad range of skin types.

• Oil-free moisturizer is another option. These formulations trap skin's moisture without adding oiliness. Check a product's ingredient list; the most abundant ingredient is listed first. Oil-free is usually labeled as such.

Think you might be using too much moisturizer?

• Skin has an oily feel long after moisturizing. Re-examine your skin type; you may benefit from a regimen specifically for oily skins, like the Skin Care line cleanser, toner and moisturizer for normal-to-oily skin.
  

Or not enough?

• If your skin feels dry all over after you bathe, you have dry skin and need maximum moisturizing, more than once a day. Use a moisture-booster like Hydro-firming Cream at night, a daily cream in the morning, and a lighter, lotion formulation for re -application during the day.