I am looking for a good pore reducer/minimizing product for under $20.
Suggestions?

Do you have a Lush store nearby? Their fresh Brazened Honey face mask for about $9 will give you a very thorough cleansing...when I used it the first time, my pores were instantly reduced in appearance, quite significantly so. But it's pretty harsh...not good for daily cleansing. So, beyond that you probably need to find a good daily cleanser and moisturizer combo that is right for your skin type.

There is a Lush about half an hr from me. I will look into it.

J&J made a moisturizer that was amazing a few years ago, then the formula changed and it was total crap. Haven't found anything as good since.

If you're near a Sephora I'd recommend seeing what they might suggest. Just went last week asking tons of questions about foundation and cleansers. So far love the cleanser they suggested and it was only $20 but will last me almost all year.

There is one half an hour in a diff. direction from me! :p

I will check there too.

I am looking more for lotions or cleansers, and not makeup. (I wear small amounts of makeup and am not looking to wear much more.)

I was surprised at how much skin care and lotions they've added to Sephora stores. Guess they're not just make up anymore,lol. If you find a good lotion lmk as i'm looking for for a new one as well.

Yeah, Sephora can give you some good ideas and maybe some samples, too. I have tried a lot of moisturizers over the years, and I always keep coming back to First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair cream and I've gotten sooooo many of my friends hooked on the stuff,too. It's around $38/tub, but it lasts about a year even if you use it every day. It's really good for sensitive, dry and/or uneven skin....but it may be a bit heavy if your skin tends towards oily. Anyways, they have it at Sephora, so you can check it out there if it sounds good.

Sounds good I'll have to check it out next time I'm there. Think it's time for my entire skin care routine to get re vamped.

I got zero help at Sephora. Everything I was able to find was a concealer type of makeup. I want a pore cleansing and toning (without as much alcohol as most brands) kind of product.
Lush also had bored/rude employees. Didn't see the honey scrub. They had an interesting looking charcoal scrub. Decided to skip on buying it b/c of the staff and their poor attitudes.
Heading to Trader Joes today. I will check there...

have you tried just plain ol' witch hazel? i have super sensitive skin, and have tried all of the high end stuff..nothing works as good as that! and it's like $1 a bottle at any drug store!

I tried witch hazel years ago. My skin just dries with no other results. TJs didn't have much for skin care when I checked yesterday.

well that sucks! sounds like your skin is even more finicky than mine! hopefully you can find something good soon!

What type of skin do you have? And what skincare are you using currently?

This may sound strange, but try an oil cleanse. It's about 1/3 (or less) castor oil, to 2/3 (or more) olive oil (or safflower, sunflower, jojoba, etc). Wet your face, mix the oils together, massage them into your skin for a couple minutes, then wipe it off with a hot wash cloth, rinsing the cloth off and repeating as needed. The castor oil pulls out impurities, the olive oil removes make-up/dirt, and will leave your skin feeling super soft. I do it once a week or so, but I know a lot of people who only wash their face this way.

Word of warning though, if anyone tries this method as a daily wash, around the two week mark you may find some breakouts, even some nasty cystic ones. It's your skin purging, and if you can make it over that hump, apparently it's magical.

I've just rejigged my whole skincare process with pretty much all Mario Badescu products! You may benefit from their Silver Powder to unclog & tighten pores, i have a friend who swears by it: http://www.mariobadescu.com/silver-powder

I'll second that, Vampress! OCM (Oil Cleansing Method) can work really well for ALL skin types, even oily. You can read more about which oils to use for each skin type at The Oil Cleansing Method.com. There's also loads of blog posts about it, just google it.

I switch back & forth depending on the season, first using olive oil to remove my makeup, then a mix of castor oil, avocado oil, and apricot kernel oilfor the cleansing. Although my skin is used to it now, I did go through a breakout period, but it was quick and worth it in the end. I think my pores DO look smaller too!

All the oils I use I buy at the supermarket. The avocado oil was a bit pricey but a small bottle lasts forever.

Good site!

I stress the importance of the castor oil. Don't think you just do it with straight olive oil, the addition of castor oil is what pulls the dirt out. And you'll need to find your perfect mix of castor to carrier. I just eyeball it 1/3 to 2/3. Too much castor will dry you out though, so I wouldn't go beyond 1/3.

And oil cleasning is AWESOME for oily skin. HUGE misconceptions about oily skin out there. Most oily skin is caused by dry skin (wrap your head around that) causing your oil glands to produce MORE oil to try to keep the skin hydrated.

WOW! Awesome tips Vampress and Cin!
Thanks.

Team Make-Up! We got your back! :p

Indeed! My sisters have been having the same trouble with their skin. I am going to pass along the info.