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Budget Beauty Bling — Top 5 Budget Beauty Favorites

 We have all been affected by the economy.  I have had to tailor my beauty budget to my actual budget.  They never seem to balance, but I really don’t care.  I’m an avowed beauty junkie and with that being said, I have made some adjustments.  So now I have budget beauty bling. 

nars-body-glow
I traded down from this lovely Tiare scented NARS Body Glow to Palmer's Leg Shine and saved $50!

 There are a few beauty items that I just can’t live without.  So I have just learned to trade this for that.  I’m sure you can do it too.  It’s all a matter of finding your favorite beauty necessity at Walgreens or Target or Walmart instead of Saks, Nordstrom or even my beloved Sephora.

Here are my top 5 beauty finds that are worth their weight in blings:

1.  Body Lotion

I used to use a pricey body lotion which shall remain nameless just in case I come into a windfall, then layer on

This all-in-one leg gloss for $8.50
This all-in-one leg gloss for $8.50

Michael Kors Leg Shine  $32 or NARS Body Glow to give my legs a beautiful sheen.  Now I just use Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Smoothing and Perfecting Leg Gloss Lotion, 13.5 fl. oz. for $8.50.  Granted the Palmer’s doesn’t have the wonderful scent of Michael Kors Leg Shine of NARS Body Glow, but I can smell like cocoa butter for 10 minutes for the price difference.  I made the trade and have saved over $50!

And look at what it does:

This revolutionary product is a tinted moisturizer that adds gloss and imparts a satiny smooth finish that masks imperfections to improve the appearance of your legs. It contains pure Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E and tiny light-refracting particles to illuminate the skin. This product also contains a hair-growth inhibitor, which minimizes the need for shaving, leaving the skin smoother longer. This fast-drying formula blends marks and blemishes, creating the appearance of flawless skin – virtually eliminating the need for pantyhose, stockings, etc.

2.  Mascara

Too much mascara?I love mascara.  I want big thick, trashy lashes.  I’m leaning towards Tammy Faye  on the lashes.  I used to be a die hard Lancome mascara girl.  But the choices kept growing – there was a mascara launch each season.  Good grief.   The problem is that you can get carried away with the mascara choices out there.  I mean, there are mascaras with fibers, primers, spinning wands, vibrating (ahem) wands that curl, lengthen, thicken, darken and help grow your lashes to boot.  Well, I just can’t pay $30 for a spinning mascara.  Maybelline now makes one for under $10 if that was my choice.  NOT!  I love, love, love my Loreal Voluminous mascara.  It’s $7.99 and works as well if not better than it’s $25 counterparts.  The good news is that drugstores often put Loreal Voluminous on sale for buy one get one free and then I stock up.  I even use this mascara in my professional kit.  It comes in Carbon, much like Dior Show and Voluminous also comes in waterproof forumlas.  I just stick with Blackest Black and it’s perfect for every occasion.

3.  Hair conditioner

 

I’m the poster child for dry, damaged, out-of-control hair.  Between going from Beyonce’ blonde to Elvira black and back again, I’m braiding, weaving or otherwise killing my hair.  So I have fallen in love with Phytospecific  hair products.  Formulated forcoarse, frizzy, curly or relaxed hair, this lovelyFrench plant-based line can bring your hair back from the dead.  I love it.  It’s on my top 10 list for desert island survival.  But, I don’t use them as quite as often.  Thanks to my daughter, the neighborhood beauty supply junkie, I have learned to love Olive Oil Root Stimulator, in particular the Hair Mayonnaise.  This is an organic product and priced under $10 for a big jar, it’s well worth it. 

Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise
Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Hair Mayonnaise

 

4.  Cuticle Cream

My cuticles are perpetually dry.  And I pick them.  I know, it’s really ugly.  But I used to splurge on cuticle creams, with L’Occitane Shea Butter Nail & Cuticle Cream at $18 for .52 oz being my favorite.  Not any more.  Now it’s my EVOO (extra virgin olive oil — and I can’t stand Rachel Ray) from the kitchen.  I’m sure it’s less than a cent per application and works best just after drying my hands from washing.

5.  Eye Makeup Remover

16 0z. of Cetaphil cleanser is around $11.
16 0z. of Cetaphil cleanser is around $11.

I’m really lazy, but since I’m such a mascara freak, I have to take it off at night.  Mascara that is.  I love eye makeup remover pads.  Not those greasy ones from the drugstore, but the full-cushioned over-priced ones from an upscale cosmetic line which shall remain nameless.  Now I just put a few cotton rounds in a sandwhich size ziplock bag and add Cetaphil cleanser.  And there you have it — eye makeup remover pads that work on waterproof makeup and are perfect for even the most sensitive eyes.  The cost is so insignificant I can’t even figure it out.  16 0z. of Cetaphil cleanser is around $11. 

So that’s it. My top 5 list of favorite blinging budget beauty buys. 

Do you have a favorite beauty buy you would like to share?  Please leave your suggestion in the comment section. 

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