by Rachel Howells

Created on: July 14, 2009   Last Updated: November 18, 2010

The sheer volume of skin care advice and products on the market is enough to make any woman want to throw her hands up in the air, grab a bar of soap, splash on some cold water, and call it a night. Interestingly enough, paring down the supplies in your skin care artillery to not much more than sunscreen, a mild cleanser and water is actually sound advice.

Indeed, there is a minimalist movement afoot in the skin care realm, which is good news for the overtaxed, over-extended beauty conscious consumer. Forget those expensive facials, trips to the spa and $400 jars of lotion, and stock your bathroom cabinet with these must-have skin care tools:

Sunscreen

The sun's harmful ultraviolet rays are associated with premature aging and an increased risk for skin cancer. Experts recommend using a sun block every day on all your exposed body parts, even on overcast days.

Sunscreen technology is constantly improving with many different brands, prices, and formulations to choose from. You can find sunscreens with a self-tanner and moisturizer, or ones suited to your specific skin type. There are also water proof varieties. Helioplex is a new sunscreen technology on the market, which can be found in Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen. This advanced technology provides superior broad-spectrum protection against both UVA and UVB rays.

Mild Cleanser

Use a mild cleanser every day before bed to wash away pore-clogging dirt, grime, oil and makeup without irritating your skin. Jergens makes a nice, mild soap using natural ingredients that will clean even sensitive skin. Dove is also known for being a mild and inexpensive soap. Organic soaps, particularly ones made with goat's milk, should also be tried.

Soap-free alternatives that are less likely to make your skin feel dry are products such as Cetaphil, Noxzema, Nivea and Aveeno foaming cleanser. The point is to find a cleanser that works well with your unique skin type and does not irritate or dry out your skin.

Moisturizer

Next to sunscreen, a good moisturizer that does what it is supposed to do - namely, keep your skin soft by retaining moisture - is very important for beautiful complexion. In addition, look for moisturizers that contain clinically shown anti-aging ingredients like alpha-hydroxy acids, liposomes, green tea, and antioxidants such as vitamins C, E and A.

Retinol is one of the few things that has been clinically proven to actually prevent and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. However, it

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