My Skin Care Routine

My skin has had its ups and downs. Growing up, all the way until adulthood, I had virtually perfect skin. I never had any problems at all as a teenager - no acne flareups, no nothing. Due to this, I didn't really have to develop a skin routine out of necessity, to the point of where I didn't really do anything. Then, in my 20's, all hell broke loose. I started getting terrible hormonal breakouts around my forehead and chin every month, and every time it would happen I'd be left with a ton of awful looking acne scars. I tried all sorts of (cheap, I was broke) acne medications and skin products, but nothing really worked - or it would work for a while and then its effectiveness would plateau off. Luckily, the worst of my skin problems just seemed to go away on their own around my mid twenties, and I've had pretty average skin ever since. I still get some acne right before the time I get my period each month, usually around my chin/mouth area, but nothing terrible, usually. I have combination skin -my skin tends to get patchy and dry around my mouth and my forehead, and oily around my t-zone. I've been waffling around with my skin routine for the past few years, tying both drugstore and high end skin products and face washes, but in the past several months I've settled into a pretty consistent routine that's left me with solidly clear, smooth skin. Here are the products I use on a weekly basis, if you're interested:

1. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash - this is a classic, and it just works. I cleanse with this twice, daily. I've been toying with the idea of ditching the acne products for something more aimed towards maintaining youthful appearance, but I'm not quite comfortable enough to do so yet. I've tried tons of products, including several that are much more expensive, and I always go back to Neutrogena. Plus, the ultra-refreshing scent doesn't hurt. I used to use the regular formula, but switched to the exfoliating scrub because my skin was a little flaky from the winter.
2. Eucerin Daily Protection - another drug store wonder. I use this as my daily moisturizer (both in the morning and at night), and it's the perfect balance between light and quenching. It also provides my daily sunscreen.
3. Serious Serum - this got, like, life-changing reviews on Amazon. And while I haven't found it to be life-changing, per se, it's pretty solid. I use this as a nightly spot treatment, and I've actually noticed that if I dab it on a spot I can feel a pimple coming on, it often never surfaces or disappears in about a day. And I'm still pretty prone to acne scars, and this stuff does one of the better jobs I've seen at making them fade.
4. Aquaphor - if you don't use Aquaphor, it's time to get in the know. It's a miracle worker for anything that's dry - I use it on patchy spots, but I know lots of people who also use it on dry, cracked lips and hands.
5. Murad Clarifying Mask - I actually don't use this weekly, more like when I remember to, but it's pretty great. After I rinse it off my face feels baby smooth and nice and tight in the best way possible.
6. Mitchell and Peach Fine Radiance Face Oil (in Flora No. 1) - this came in my beauty subscription box one month, and I'm still getting used to it, but it's very effective. Every few nights I'll switch my nightly moisturizer out and apply this oil to my face with a cotton swab. I really feel like it quickly balances the oil production in my face and restores moisture while zapping extra oil, as odd as that seems (I've read that when your skin is dehydrated it produces more oil, so moisturizing regularly will keep oil at bay). I REALLY hate feeling greasy/oily though, so the sensation takes some adjusting for me, and the scent is almost kind of patchouly-like, which isn't really my jam. If I ever bought this, I'd probably try a different scent.