1. Squeezing a pimple will never make it better, faster.

Stop touching your face. Your hands are covered in bacteria most of the time. If you’re touching an already-inflamed zit or infection, you’re only adding debris to the pimple and delaying its demise.

2. More product does not equal better skin.

More product isn’t a good thing. Too much product can clog pores (especially if the moisturizers aren’t noncomedogenic). Plus, certain ingredients don’t play well together.

3. You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a skin-care product for it to be really good.

Listen, we’ve all heard about the miraculous powers of ultra-expensive potions and lotions, but there’s just zero reason you’d ever need to spend your rent money on a little hydration boost.

4. SPF is key—and you can make it even better with some mix-ins, too.

If you needed to have a skin-care desert island pick, it’s gotta be SPF. Any dermatologist will tell you that sunscreen is the most-important skin-care step because it protects from free radical damage that can cause skin cancer and early signs of aging.

5. Your neck and décolletage deserve as much TLC as your face.

Just because your neck and décolletage—you know, the fancy French term for the delicate area around your clavicle and above the breasts—aren’t technically on your face doesn’t mean they don’t need the same kind of TLC. In fact, dermatologists consider the face and neck as a part of one skin unit because your décolletage is susceptible to the same signs of skin damage. There are many products designed specifically for the area below the chin. Some of them advertise lifting and firming properties.