Saving Money v. Saving Face

I was really hoping to find a face washing regiment that would save me as much money as my hair washing one. It seems, however, that the oils in my skin do not share the same balancing properties as those in my hair. My decision is that skin care is probably something worth investing in and given my ability to make a container of expensive face wash last a very long time, I won't be spending much overall. For example, I believe the last time that I purchased a complete Clinique 3-Step package was in April:

Liquid face soap: $14.50
Clarifying lotion: $11.00
Moisturizing gel: $23.00
Total: $48.50

If I can make it last at least three months, that breaks down to about $16 each month. Of course, I often add the rinsing foaming cleanser (which I love) and an exfoliating scrub, which adds $17.50 and $16.50 respectively, bringing the total to $82.50. I can generally make these last longer since I use them less. Although I would use that foaming cleanser every night if I could. Indeed, part of the reason I have chosen to switch from Clinique is because I believe I have found a daily cleanser that is comparable.

A long time ago I used products from Origins. I remember being satisfied with them and I believe I stopped in graduate school when I no longer could get to the mall. This was before I was comfortable order anything on-line other than books. I used a lot of St. Ives then and in Atlanta, I proceeded to try everything from the co-op and Whole Foods. At one point, I switched back to Clinique because that was the last thing I remembered working well. In any case, it is time to switch again. I am trying to eliminate all beauty products that have been tested on animals and support more companies whose values are close to mine. Origins is one. Aveda and the Body Shop are others, but I haven't ever been completely happy with their skin care products. The exception to this is the Body Shop's blue corn scrub/mask, which is amazing. Also, I am fairly certain that the Checks and Balances frothy face wash will work as well, if not better, than the aforementioned Clinique product. I am going to buy that and the Mint Wash, which I have used before. Before I commit to an $18 toner, I am going to see how well my witch hazel works with this new regiment.