With warmer weather now here, many of us are preparing for outdoor activities and less coverage of our skin. And while that’s generally welcome news, some of us have skin that’s taken a beating from the dry, cold winter and we may look a little battle worn as a result. For some general advice about skin irritations and prepping for public exposure in the warmer weather, peel off that sweater and read here.

Specifically, when it comes to our faces, there’s always value in reviewing and relearning the basics of good skin care. Over at Women’s Voices For Change, dermatologist Anetta Reszko has advice for spring cleaning both your skin and your cosmetic bag. But dumping old products and purchasing new items often raises the specter of serious money and how much you need to spend to take good care of your skin. A recent study out of Massachusetts General Hospital underscores how women, in particular, are easy targets for cosmetics marketers. The study found that women were charged on average $3.00 more per product than men for products with virtually the same ingredients. The unfortunate truth is that many of us are easy prey for the (often empty) promises of the latest cosmetics.

So how to get good skincare without breaking the bank? Writer Dana Smith recently published a piece on Medium that describes the essential ingredients chemists agree are valuable for aging skin, including retinoids and Vitamin C. And perhaps more bluntly, but with an eye toward truthfulness and cost-savings, New York dermatologist Fayne Frey has created a website called FryFace which allows you to simplify your selections of moisturizer, sunscreen, and cleansers with just a few clicks of information, and with the likely result of a few more cents in your pocket.