Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Budget Beauty Products

In these days of budget concerns many fashion fanatics are having to tighten their Zac Posen belts. There are essentials that we shouldn't live without. A good moisturizer is one. Make-up and skin care products need to be replenished. Here are some of my favorites products available at my local drugstore or online.
  1. I love Fiberwig mascara. At $24 it's a purchase I have to think twice about. Now there is L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes. The price of $9 makes it my new favorite mascara. If you are unfamiliar with tubing mascaras the idea is simple. Your lashes are coated in a flexible polymer that stays and stays. I have the bad habit of rubbing my eyes during the day. I used to end up with raccoon eyes. Not now. This mascara is also really, truly waterproof. I can watch a marathon of Lassie and The Waltons without a smudge. It cleans off easily with regular facial cleanser.
  2. Go pro on EBay. Not as a seller but as a wise shopper. When replenishing my daytime moisturizer or facial cleanser I put in the names of my favorites and add the word "pro" or "professional." This gives me salon size products. I pay the same for a 6 ounce size tube of moisturizer as I would for the 3 ounce size in a store. Only buy products that are brand new.
  3. I'm often frustrated with foundations that seem to look great in the store, but when I wear them in the real world they look fake. I have been a fan of Almay Smart Shade foundation for a while now. It is my wear-to-work foundation. You choose from one of three shades, light, light/medium, or medium. It comes out of the tube white and transforms into the shade you need for your skin. I can use the same shade in the middle of summer as I do in the dead of winter. This foundation is a sheer coverage. It's very natural looking. Smart Shade has a SPF 15 included. There is a new Smart Shade Anti-Aging that I haven't tried yet with a SPF of 20.
  4. If you have heart palpitations over the cost of eye cream don't worry, there are more affordable choices. When I travel my eyes will become puffy. I discovered Biore Enliven Cooling Eye Gel and it's now my travel buddy. It has a blend of golden root, yeast, and sugar beet extracts which de-puff my eyes. Enliven Cooling Eye Gel also has cucumber extract which is soothing. At a reasonable $10 you can keep one in your suitcase and one in your bathroom.