Drink it in.

When I was 15 I got my first job at the mall. With my first paycheck I went to the Lancome counter and traded in my few bucks for a jar of Lancome moisturizer. I remember the beautiful European packaging and the heavy jar - heavy on the jar and light on the cream. My love of moisturizer was born and has not left me in the 25 years since.

I have tried a lot of creams from Vaseline to Chantecaille. The best creams absorb quickly and leave your skin feeling plump and soft. Again, I have no loyalty but I am in love at the moment with Philosophy's Miracle Worker $55 for 2 ounces at QVC.com or Sephora.com. It sinks into my skin leaving it so soft to the touch.

Really cheap creams tend to have a lot of chemicals in it and really expensive creams tend to be a waste of money. I like the middle ground where the ingredients are a bit better, but not exorbitant. I go more for ingredient quality when I buy a cream than any other factor.
Consumer Reports recently named Olay's Regenerist line available at drugstores as giving better results than a $300 cream. Try Regenerist Deep Hydration Regenerating Cream $25.99 at RiteAid. The goal is to have soft supple skin that looks younger and firmer. Ingredients like CoQ Enzyme are supposed to boost collagen production, Vitamin C helps with discoloration, Vitamin E helps combat free radicals. These are all good things to look for in a cream. Retinol is a form of Vitamin A that helps combat wrinkles and other signs of aging. A cream with these ingredients is going to cover the basics in your anti-aging regimen. If you use retinols, don't forget to use sunscreen (which you should use anyway) as skin is more prone to sun damage with Vitamin A use.

Stay away from greasy petrochemical products which can clog pores and are just gross.

Moisturizer is the key to beautifully hydrated skin. So drink up.