Problem: I’ve been following your advice and am using products from several different lines. My skin is doing great, but all the cosmetics salespeople say it is a mistake to mix brands. They say products are designed to work together, and that is what helps the skin best.
Solution: Stop listening to the cosmetics salespeople; they are wrong. If every line had SPF 15 sunscreens with the requisite UVA protection, gentle cleansers with nonirritating ingredients, foundations that aren’t peach-colored, and on and on, I would agree that you don’t need to mix and can be brand-loyal. But I have found good and bad products in every line (and I’ve reviewed hundreds of cosmetics lines and thousands of products). Many lines don’t have adequate sunscreens, have products that contain irritating ingredients, or offer rose, peach, and ashen foundation colors, though they may have superior mascara and blushes. Staying with the same line for all your skin-care or makeup needs almost always ensures that you end up with some bad products! Mixing and matching is the only way to go. You don’t wear clothes from one designer, buy furniture from one manufacturer, take medicine from one pharmaceutical company, or eat food from just one company. The only way to develop a successful skin-care or makeup routine is to select what works best for your skin type and needs, not what one line happens to be selling (or telling you).