What's wrong with my skin?

This is the fourth time this has happened to me, but by far the worst episode. The skin on my face is red, swollen, itchy and SUPER dry. I put on moisturizer and then ten seconds later it's gone and my skin is dry and flaky again. The itchiness is more like a burning and the only relief is a cold compress. Last time I had it, my chin and nose erupted in red itchy bumps and then went away after about a week. But now, it's around my eyes and cheeks. My eyes are so swollen It's hard to open them, they're painfully dry and the skin around it is red and inflamed. My cheeks are scaly and flaky. It is allergy season for me and a dry throat and sniffles accompanies the other symptoms. Right now, I'm just using a gentle soap-free, fragrance-free cleanser and slathering Vaseline ALL OVER for moisture. I'm using the Differin cream for acne, but only on my chin and around my nose because that's where the clogged pores are, so it couldn't be that. Any idea what it could be?