Who do you trust for skincare advice?

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I am curious what sources people trust for skincare advice?

I'm in my late 30s and I'm still confused. Every time I need new cream (or cleanser or whatever) I find myself racked by uncertainty. Should I buy the overpriced but probably bogus cream, or should I go with a cheap classic? Do I need 52 different creams for different areas/purposes or just one decent one? Should all my products come from one vendor or can I mix & match? Do you really need toner? The list goes on....

I don't trust the magazines (they all just fawn over their advertisers) and I certainly don't trust the ads. Message boards have a lot of info but often conflicting ("for me it was great", "it ruined my face!") - probably because people have very different needs. I've been to a dermatologist but they seem more concerned with avoiding skin disease than looking good (and besides, I can't very well visit my dermatologist every time I need to buy cream...).

I just want nice skin.

What's a smart girl to do? Ladies, do tell.

well i do oil cleansing based on threads on mn about it. works for me

i wouldn't trust adverts, magazines, prices, whatever. i would trust a large number of other women though.

Thanks ruddynorah. I tried oil cleansing briefly this summer after years of using the same cleanser (Cetaphil). I read the mumsnet OCM thread and other threads and there were a lot of positive reviews. It had a nice effect on my pores, but it caused my eczema to flare. I think I used too much castor oil. I plan to try again sometime soon - right now I am trying something different with my hair and I don't like to make too many changes at once.