OMG.
I've just found the perfect (for me anyways) combination for my skin.
Twice a day (once in the am, once before going to bed) I do:
Cleanse
Exfoliate
Apple cider toner*
Alpha hydroxy creme
I've gotten really, really good results. I saw my ex last week and he commented that my skin looked great. (Though, he could of done it in a place not filled with people. Thanks Andy, thanks.)
I found out that apple cider vinegar is really good to use on your skin. Apparently a lot of the creams and cleansers are alkaline which throws off the skins slightly acidic base. Accordingly to what I've read, apple cider vinegar helps your skin get back to it's normal pH.
Anyhoo,
I get my face wet, wash with cleanser, rinse, do my exfoliate and leave my face wet. My the cider vinegar is a big ole jug that I picked up at the grocery store (next to the regular vinegar). I put some on a cotton ball and wipe it gently on my face while it's still wet. (If your face is wet, the smell is less overpowering.) Once that's finished, I put on my cream (face still pretty wet) and wipe that in. Having my face wet through the process works well because most moisturizers tend to be very heavy, so it helps to have them watered down.
After that, I pat *gently* dry and either go about my day or go to bed. Your eyes might sting a bit from the fumes of the vinegar and there might be stingy patches on your face, but I found the next day neither bothered me at all.
I've also found that having an alpha hydroxy cream is really good for blemish prone skin. It may make your face a bit red, but it should only last about 30 minutes and after a while you shouldn't see any redness at all.
Just thought I'd share that as I've been really happy with my skin since doing the cider vinegar. :3
Oh, and I've also just found out (recently ha, ha) that exfoliating should always be done after using a cleanser. Since, well, ever, I've always done exfoliate and then cleanser. Oops.
(If anyone's curious, the products I am currently using are:
Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Cleanser (not super crazy about as it's a bit filmy, but the vinegar takes care of that)
Burt's Bees Peach & Willowbark ScrubApple cider vinegar from the grocery store
Kiss My Face 8% alpha hydroxy moisturizer