Facial Issues - What's Yours?

So as I've gotten a little older, my skin has changed. Not in a "I look in the mirror and see a lot of wrinkles" kind of way, but a "well I guess my skin is kind of dry and hey, I'm breaking out on my cheeks now" sort of way. Last year, I spent a small fortune on facial care products trying to battle this new "acne" on my cheeks...the cystic kind that is painful, red, and below the skin. And then, when it has "gone away," it leaves a lovely mark where it once was. Since I thought I was fighting acne, I literally tried every ingredient known to clear it...benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, glycolic acid, etc. To my dismay, this seemed to make the issue worse. Finally I waved my little white flag and to a trip to the dermatologist, where he insisted that I was stressed out due to wedding planning and proceeded to recommend (surprise, surprise) benzoyl peroxide treatment and retinol. And...not finished...a chemical peel. I had such high hopes, but the chemical peel felt similar to pressing my face against...I don't know, maybe the sun? And then my skin proceeded to peel off for another 2 weeks. ATTRACTIVE!! Moral of the story - this stuff didn't work and FINALLY, I have figured out that my skin is stressed out by all the crap I've been doing to it. So..to the point...out of all the stuff I've tried, these have been the most effective.

1. Cetaphil - an old classic that I have been using for a few months now. It is super gentle, dissolves makeup well, doesn't dry out my skin, and makes it really soft. I love that I've tried some stupidly expensive brands and this is what I've settled on...
http://www.cetaphil.com/Products/cleansers.aspx - I use the gentle skin cleanser.

2. The All Calm line by Good Skin @ Kohl's - again, surprising find at an affordable price. I like the toner, which insures that you have removed all traces of dirt and makeup but is also calming and refreshing. I also use the moisture cream - which I have to say is heavenly. I feel like I can literally feel it sinking into my skin - I usually let it sink in before I put anything else on my face for a few minutes. I have definitely noticed less redness after using these products.
http://www.goodskindermcare.com/templates/products/skintype_landing.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY6771

3. At night, I have been using Olay Definity Night Restorative Sleep Cream (how good does just the name sound??). This product contains ingredients that help even skin tone, while also fighting multiple signs of aging. Retinol helps keep skin clear. A night cream is wonderful because it takes advantage of the restorative nature of sleep, therefore encouraging an increased cell turnover rate. What this means for us is that we wake up with skin that looks luminous and refreshed...yes please!!
http://www.olay.com/boutique/definity/products/de1008

4. The last product I'll recommend is not skin care related, but really has helped decrease the redness in my skin. Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer is pretty much the most amazing thing to happen to my makeup routine. This stuff feels like a heavenly souffle - it glides on your face and neutralizes the redness in your skin - and provides a great base for foundation or powder, whatever you wear. Everything blends so easily on your skin when you start with this product. If redness isn't your issue, they have a clear primer which is very popular, and also a couple other colors to help neutralize or brighten your skin tone.
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P78811&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=3990

If anyone has any questions, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer. I've tried A LOT of products and while I realize our skin types are all different, there's a good chance I can give advice at some capacity. Remember, I'm a product freak. :)

Happy Tuesday!

XOXO, Tiff.