Neutrogena Hydro Boost Facial Cleansing Gel

To be honest, I was always the type of person who didn't put any thought into "skincare" during my younger years (even though I have had a lifelong addiction to cosmetics). In my mid-30s I finally started developing a skincare routine with various serums, moisturizers, masks, etc but still didn't think too much of cleansers...in my mind, something that just sat on top of wet skin for a few seconds only to be washed off again just didn't seem like it was an important part of my skincare routine because the cleanser isn't kept on the skin for very long. I basically lived on makeup removal wipes for my entire 20s and 30s, which I now know aren't so great for skin. Hindsight is 20/20. About 6 months ago, shortly before I turned 39, my lifelong "very oily" skin suddenly turned dry. Like, almost overnight. I have always had a "grease pit" for a face, with large pores and very oily t-zone as well as horrendously oily cheeks - I never used a moisturizer previously because my skin was so oily all the time. Now, my skin suddenly was parched and tight feeling and had flakey patches that just wouldn't go away, it looked horribly embarrassing and made my foundation look gross. Looking back, I think I may have used too many facial masks or treatments (in an attempt to fade some dark spots and even out my skintone) and damaged my skin barrier and turned my skin "sensitive". I began to realize that the makeup removal wipes probably were drying my skin up even worse, and started to use actual cleansers instead of wipes. I have an Ipsy subscription so I had a few brand new sample/travel sized cleansers sitting around under my bathroom cabinets. A few of them dried my skin up even worse, but 2 of them seemed to actually hydrate my skin after use...so at that point I realized that cleansers really DO make a difference in a skincare routine. The travel sized cleansers didn't last too long before running out and the full sized versions of those cleansers were pretty expensive and I'm on a tight budget, so I ventured out to find a less expensive hydrating (and sensitive skin friendly) cleanser. I have used several Hydro Boost products in the past and had a good experience - and I'm a sucker for the particular color of blue used for the Hydro Boost line - so I chose the hydrating cleanser to try. To my surprise, it hydrated my skin even better than the 2 more expensive brands I had previously used in travel size! After using the Hydro Boost cleanser, my skin does not feel "tight" and dry (which is a problem I've had with many other cleansers). I still moisturize almost immediately but I do appreciate my skin not feeling uncomfortable between cleansing and moisturizing. After adding this cleanser to my new routine (which includes a few other skincare items from more expensive brands) my skin feels almost as good as new, my flakes have all vanished. The other new skincare items were starting to repair my skin, but it wasn't until I added the Hydro Boost cleanser to the routine that my skin fully seemed to be fully repaired. I skipped the Hydro Boost cleanser for a few days to see if it really made a difference and my skin became slightly dry again with a few flakes, so I knew at that point that this cleanser was really making a difference - it takes the tightness away, hydrates, and also seems to make my skin more smooth. I also love the scent! The fragrance is a little strong so if you are very sensitive to such things you should probably get the fragrance free version of Hydro Boost, but I just love the scent personally, although it does seem to disappear immediately after the cleanser is washed off. I am going to stock up on this cleanser, and I really hope it is never discontinued.