(also answer to your Clinique 3 step question)
I would start cheap and keep an eye out for point perks or promo code or get samples of more expensive skincare and if you like them, then invest/buy it. Even if you have oily skin, over cleansing or exfoliating (scrubbing) can dry out the deeper layer of your skin, thus make it produce more oil but is dry and flaky on top.
- Look for a scrub with round beads or very fine grain to exfoliate but not scratch your skin (I'm big fan of Clinique 7 day scrub cream for winter and Clinique exfoliating scrub for summer).
- Look for cleansers that leave your skin feel clean but NOT super tight or dry. Since cleansers don't stay on your skin that long, there's no need to invest in expensive ones as long as it feels right. I have Clinique liquid soap for oily skin, Clarin gentle foamy cleanser, Origins Checks and Balance cleanser, and have tried many others on Sephora. I use Clinique after I take off make up or wore no make up. When I'm too lazy to use make up remover or skin feel particularly greasy, I use L'oreal 360 Go Clean in the green bottle. Each cleanser might make your skin feel slightly different, but it doesn't matter after you use the toner.....
- a toner is optional but recommended. It cleans up remaining dirt, oil, cleanser on your face so the moisturizer can better sink into your skin and do its job. I like the kind that goes on cotton ball instead of the sprays so it's a bit exfoliating, too (since you shouldn't use a scrub every day). I had oily combo but Clinique Toner 3 stings my skin so I change to Clinique Toner 2 and have been using it for 5 yrs. Origins, Boscia and Ole Henriksen are good Sephora brands to try. Boots Botanica, Neutrogena, Clean&Clear, and Burts Bee are good drugstore brands to try.
- moisturizer (and eye cream and serums). This is where you splurge. Night is when your body repairs itself, so any extra benefits of the moisturizer, serum, and eye cream are maximized and absorbed (which is also why I recommend doing the regimen at night. Since overcleansing is bad, try just wash with water and towel in the morning or use a gentle cleanser if you have to use something). During the day is when you get UV rays (even when indoor or cloudy) to accumulate damage/stress/aging stuff, so a moisturizer with SPF 15-30 is a must and most important. It's good to incorporate an eye cream into your skincare in your 20s and incorporate serum into your skincare in your 30s. You can use serums in your 20s but they are generally super expensive and you don't really reap the benefit until older. I suggest starting with a Clinique moisturizer then explore other options so if the others doesn't work, you have something basic, nonirritating to go back to. No particular recommendations since there's tons of good ones and this is very specific and individual based on the season, weather, and your skin. I had oily skin in Texas, then oily combination after moving to New England, then dry combination after working in dry heated office. Cleanser and toner stayed the same, but moisturizers changed. If you live somewhere with distinct seasons, I suggest getting 2 moisturizer (light one for summer, cream for winter. But buy in season, so you know if it works). Read the reviews and try a few, report/post back about what you like/didn't like about them, then we can point you in a better direction.
Lastly, let each product dry/sinks in before applying next (don't apply toner when you have water on your face, don't apply moisturizer when your toner haven't dried). And that's about as much as I can write in one breathe. I'm a skincare nut and got more info, but I suggest starting there first and when you get more comfortable with good daily skincare, the basics, then start looking for or doing more stuff.
