Drugstore Beauty Finds

Heya, ladies. 🙂 Greetings on this fine but BUSY Thursday afternoon. I’ve been away from the computer a little more than usual today working on a side project (more details soon), but I wanted to touch base and share some of my favorite budget skin care products.

Here are seven of mine, and each one costs less than $10 (well, one is $9.99…but that still counts, right?).

Do you have a beloved budget skin care gem? How low can you go?

VASELINE SHEER INFUSION
BODY LOTION

Be warned: When your cat swipes at your shins, he may be trying to warn you about dry skin.

We’re talking ashy ORANGE ALERT, and in my case it was looking exceptionally bad (think alligators, or the aliens from V). Luckily, I think I may have found something to help.

Vaseline’s Sheer Infusion Body Lotion ($8) contains a complex Vaseline calls Stratys-3, which they claim gets down and dirty to moisturize the deeper layers of skin. Read more…

CLEAN & CLEAR ADVANTAGE
ACNE SPOT TREATMENT

Clean & Clear makes a pretty bold statement on each and every $7 tube of Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment. They say, “100% of people showed clearer skin in just one day.”

Even though I have to disagree with them, because for me it took a little longer than one day to see results, I gotta give credit where it’s due. Clean & Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment works, and it works without benzoyl peroxide. This stuff’s got some serious anti-acne game.

The active ingredient is salicylic acid, 2%. The instructions suggest applying the milky, non-stick formula up to three times per day. Because it dries quickly and completely vanishes once massaged into the skin, it can be used as an on-the-go spot treatment when time’s of the essence. I’ve been using it for about a month now, once in the morning before applying sunscreen, and then once again at night before moisturizing. Read more…

BAND-AID
FRICTION BLOCK

Locals in Hawaii wear flip-flops everywhere, even to work! It may be written into the State Constitution 🙂 — that all citizens of Hawaii are legally required to wear flip-flops.

But wearing them comfortably can take some getting used to…

After a few days hauling my cookies around the island in flip-flops, my dogs started to bark. The pair of striped blue and green Roxy slippers I’d brought along for the trip may have been cute, but they weren’t substitutes for a comfy pair of walking shoes.

I started developing blisters and raw skin wherever the flip-flop straps rubbed against my toes and feet.

With shoes and sandals, I usually apply a Band-Aid or Moleskin to cover the sore spots, but I wanted a less obvious alternative to use with flip-flops. Who wants to see a ratty Band-Aid hanging on by a thread, ya know? Read more…

BANANA BOAT ULTRA DEFENSE
SPF 30 SPRAY SUNBLOCK

OOH! I have to tell you about Banana Boat Ultra Defense Continuous Spray Sunblock ($9.99).

It’s probably the best waterproof aerosol sunblock I’ve ever used and has only a couple little downsides.

First, the good stuff — it’s a broad-spectrum sun protectant offering both UVA/UVB protection and comes in three potencies, SPF 30, 50 and the uber-powerful 85.

SPF is all well and good, but why I really love it is because it works like a lotion and not a flighty spray. Most of the spray sunscreens I’ve used before are too light and watery, requiring hella frequent reapplication, almost like they evaporate away even when I’m not playing around in the water, but Banana Boat didn’t just stamp “waterproof” on the bottle and call it good; this stuff is WATERPROOF INCARNATE and lasts for hours and hours. Read more…

BURT’S BEES
COCONUT FOOT CREME

To all my ladies with naturally smooth, gorgeous feet footprints, this post is NOT for you. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still got mad love (and envy) for your photogenic tootsies, but the rest of us living in cracked heel hell, well, we’re the ones who need help.

After spending the winter ignoring everything around my ankles, I’ve ended up with two very cracked heels and a few square feet of scaly skin. My feet, as my eighth-grade self might describe them, look “hella gross.” I’ve started testing Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme ($9 for a 4.34 oz. tube). I sure hope it helps me turn my tootsies around in time for sandal season. Read more…

NEUTROGENA AGE SHIELD
HAND CREAM SPF 30

I’d fight a hungry runway model for my tube of $6 Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream.

Lightly scented (like flowers and soap), this drugstore steal-of-a-deal will sure come in handy this fall and winter when my paws are crazy dry.

Despite how rich it feels, it doesn’t leave a greasy film, for which it earns big props from me — there are few things I hate more than hand creams that leave a slippery residue.

Neutrogena also outfitted Age Shield Hand Cream with full-spectrum SPF 30 sun protection.

A dime-sized dollop thoroughly treats both of my hands and cuticles. The cream absorbs quickly, too, perfect for quick applications when you’re out and about. This isn’t one of those creams you’ll have to spend 10 minutes massaging into your hands, looking like a criminal mastermind plotting world domination! Read more…

OLAY IN-SHOWER
BODY LOTION

Thank you, Olay In-Shower Age Defying Body Lotion ($7), for turning me into a well-oiled, lotion-applying machine.

First, a little backstory: I have alligator skin. Consequently, I spend copious amounts of time applying body lotion. Once, I tried to figure out how much time I’ve spent at it over the course of my life, and it worked out to something like 52 days.

52 DAYS! That’s time I could’ve spent learning how to play the lute or drooling over Ry-Ry (Ryan Reynolds).

Depending on how long I stick with creamy Olay In-Shower Body Lotion (I’m fickle when it comes to lotions), I could save hours over the rest of my life because it basically eliminates the five minutes I’d otherwise spend applying lotion after every shower. Read more…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen