Design me a skincare routine??

[Lavender14]

After having ds almost a year and a half ago I feel like my current skincare really isn't cutting it. Initially I put it down to hormones but now I'm thinking I just need to alter my routine but I'm unsure what I should change to!

I'm currently using:

Simple facewash (morning and night)
Reservatol and freulic acid serum (morning)
Hyaluronic acid (morning)
Olay regenerist night cream (morning and night)

Plus multipeptide serum (night)
Cold pressed rose hip oil (night)

Despite all this my skin is just so dry and flakey and my makeup never feels nice on my skin anymore. I'm getting spots of redness and irritation and wrinkles are becoming more prominent.

Any advice on what I should use instead that's reasonably cheap?

I think you might be piling too much on your skin OP, it would be hard for all of that to absorb in.

The Olay regenerist cream is quite thick, no? So maybe just use that at night and switch to something lighter for during the day. Also I would recommend using and specific SPF instead. Also, I used Simple cleanser years ago and it really irritated my skin. Perhaps try switching to another brand and see if that helps.

This is what I use, if it helps -

Morning -
I cleanse with Neutrogena hydroboost cleanser - some days I don't use a cleanser, just splash my face with warm water.
Then I use a Vitamin C serum and let it soak in for a few minutes.
Then I use La Roche Posay SPF 50+ (Ambre Solaire do a dupe of this which is cheaper), mixed with a small amount of CeraVe moisturising lotion to help spread it properly over my face, as the SPF is very runny.

Evening -
I cleanse with Neutrogena, as above.
Then I either use my retinol product (I use tretinoin) a few night a week.
Or alternatively, I will once a week use a glycolic acid, or just a nice rich moisturiser some nights.

None of these are expensive brands. If you are looking for cheap and effective actives then Geek and Gorgeous is a really great brand, but you can only order it online.

It's tricky because it sounds like a chemical exfoliator would really help you but since you seem to be suffering with red and irritated skin it's probably not a good idea until you figure out what's aggravating it so much.

I'd start with switching out the cleanser first, cerave hydrating cleanser would probably be gentler.

Agree with @botemp that an exfoliator might help with the dullness and flakiness, but for now I'd be looking to simplify your routine and help your skin recover. I'd start by swapping your cleanser for something gentler, e.g. the Cerave hydrating cleanser or Aveeno calm and restore, a gentle moisturiser (e.g. Aveeno or Geek & Gorgeous happier barrier), followed by an SPF.

Then in a couple of weeks once your skin's adjusted, I'd add in a vitamin C serum in the morning, and a glycolic toner in the evening a couple of times a week.

https://skinsider.co.uk/round-lab-birch-juice-moisturizing-serum-50ml/
Swap out the hyalauronic acid for this. Don’t know I consider it cheap, but it will sort out the irritation and dryness. Drop all the other stuff. If you are looking for a cheap but effective cream, CeraVe cream as your day and night moisturiser.
When your skin settles, think about using a glycolic acid three times a week to exfoliate, and just one other serum under your moisturiser. You don’t have to nuke your face.

Personally, I would cut out the hyaluronic acid (I thought that too much could dry the skin out over time).

A pared back routine might be:

AM
Cerave hydrating cleanser
Byoma moisturiser (I use the gel one as I have combination skin but there is a cream option)
Spf (I'm using Hero at the moment)

PM
Cerave hydrating cleanser (with a flannel if using spf)
moisturiser
rosehip oil

A few times a week, perhaps use an exfoliating acid at night - I like Cos De Baha BHA liquid. I sometimes use this as a first cleanse before using the Cerave.