Cheap Beauty...A ? for those of the femme persuation.

[PinkieLee]

Hands down.... my favorite face wash! And you can't beat it for around $6 a bottle.



I have nonexistant eyelashes, and my favorite mascara find is about $5 a tube, too.

[cinnamongrrl]

I worked for a wonderful Italian lady while I was in SC...she had lovely skin and was in her 70s. She swore by Nivea in the blue jar. I have been using it ever since and I love it. I think I paid 4 something for the large jar at Walmart and its lasted me a long time. And I use it most every night.

I also use a daytime moisturizer (when I remember) with an SPF 15 at least. I get the store brand that is similar to Oil of Olay..same ingredients...much better price...

[lusciouskiwi]

Can't give anyone any feedback on good drugstore purchases, but Paula Begoun has some good info:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2...-drugstore-spf

http://www.paulaschoice.com/beautype...best-products/

[julieisafemme]

What a fun thread! I am very scent averse so I look for things that don't have perfume. I love Aveeno body wash and lotion. Kiehls makes the only body scrub that works for me. It is the soy one.

I recently tried some drug store mascara and still for me the only thing that works is Dior Show. My main gripe is sunscreen. I have tried every kind and they all make me greasy. I am in the market for a good foundation for oily skin. Right now I am using Laura Mercier Tinted Foundation. I like the Smashbox Primer.

[Sparkle]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

What a fun thread! I am very scent averse so I look for things that don't have perfume. I love Aveeno body wash and lotion. Kiehls makes the only body scrub that works for me. It is the soy one.

I recently tried some drug store mascara and still for me the only thing that works is Dior Show. My main gripe is sunscreen. I have tried every kind and they all make me greasy. I am in the market for a good foundation for oily skin. Right now I am using Laura Mercier Tinted Foundation. I like the Smashbox Primer.

I love Kiehls products!

I have very fair, oily and sensitive skin - I have the same problem with sunscreen, high-end or drugstore, they always feel heavy and leave my skin feeling greasy.

As to foundations, I don't use a standard liquid foundation because I find them too heavy, I use a shisheido powder foundation and put it on very lightly with a big round brush. I also use YSL touche eclat highlighter (#1) for under my eyes.

[Talon]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

What a fun thread! I am very scent averse so I look for things that don't have perfume. I love Aveeno body wash and lotion. Kiehls makes the only body scrub that works for me. It is the soy one.

>>I really like Kiehl's, also. I keep a ready stock of the lip balm #1...and the Silkgroom for hair styling. I like how they don't change their formulations..they're very consistent.

I recently tried some drug store mascara and still for me the only thing that works is Dior Show. My main gripe is sunscreen. I have tried every kind and they all make me greasy. I am in the market for a good foundation for oily skin. Right now I am using Laura Mercier Tinted Foundation. I like the Smashbox Primer.

>>You gotta do ultimately what works the best for you.
Have you thought about using a face-powder sunscreen? Don't quote me, but I believe that Phillip Thomas Roth has one that is a spf30, that you can get at Sephora. And Physicians Formula has a compact pressed powder as well as a bronzer, that's an spf50 at drugstores.

>>I use Laura Mercier wooden make-up brushes...expensive, but they last.
I also like her Secret Camoflauge concealer. I've also found that you can find really high-quality brushes at art-supply stores...for a fraction of the cost. They also carry small paint pallets for colour-mixing foundation, concealer, lip colour..ect.

[julieisafemme]

Originally Posted by Talon

>>You gotta do ultimately what works the best for you.
Have you thought about using a face-powder sunscreen? Don't quote me, but I believe that Phillip Thomas Roth has one that is a spf30, that you can get at Sephora. And Physicians Formula has a compact pressed powder as well as a bronzer, that's an spf50 at drugstores.

>>I use Laura Mercier wooden make-up brushes...expensive, but they last.
I also like her Secret Camoflauge concealer. I've also found that you can find really high-quality brushes at art-supply stores...for a fraction of the cost. They also carry small paint pallets for colour-mixing foundation, concealer, lip colour..ect.

I did try the powdered sunscreen and it was a bust. It was too drying. I have melasma leftover from pregnancy on my driving side of my cheek and so bronzer sometimes looks funny. What I really need are laser treatments but there is no budget for that!

[Talon]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

I did try the powdered sunscreen and it was a bust. It was too drying. I have melasma leftover from pregnancy on my driving side of my cheek and so bronzer sometimes looks funny. What I really need are laser treatments but there is no budget for that!

Now I'm curious. Let me see if I can do a little research on this, and come up with some other viable options for you.

[Words]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

I did try the powdered sunscreen and it was a bust. It was too drying. I have melasma leftover from pregnancy on my driving side of my cheek and so bronzer sometimes looks funny. What I really need are laser treatments but there is no budget for that!

Julie,

I'd think twice about the laser treatments if I were you. I recently had IPL treatment on some red veins on my upper chest (cheap and very effective) but whilst chatting to the beautician, she happened to mention that IPL is not recommended for melasma. In fact, according to what she said and what I've read since, it can actually make it worse.

If, on the other hand, you (or anyone else) are suffering from those horrible little red veins - in my case, due to sun exposure - then I throughly recommend IPL. I had just one treatment at a cost of around $60 and poof, they were gone. I'd also recommend IPL for permanent hair removal - that was far more costly, took far more treatments, and hurt like hell (especially in the - *ahem* - more delicate areas), but when you think that it means that you'll never again have to bother with shaving/waxing/whatever, it's definitely, in my opinion, worthwhile. (Bear in mind though that it works best with darker shades of hair.)

Words

[blush]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

I recently tried some drug store mascara and still for me the only thing that works is Dior Show. My main gripe is sunscreen. I have tried every kind and they all make me greasy. I am in the market for a good foundation for oily skin. Right now I am using Laura Mercier Tinted Foundation. I like the Smashbox Primer.

Me too. I used Maybelline Professional for years, but Dior doesn't get lumpy or weird.

[LaneyDoll]

My fave drugstore find is...

Andrea ModLash eyelashes!



Being a contact lenses wearer, I hate to use mascara. So, I learned how to apply the fabulous fakes, blend them correctly and my eyes always look great. And at the end of the night, they are sooooo much easier to remove than mascara is.

In all of my pics here, I have on fake eyelashes. The vampire pic has Halloween lashes but I swear by the Andrea adhesive. I refuse to use anything else.

[Talon]

Originally Posted by LaneyDoll

My fave drugstore find is...

Andrea ModLash eyelashes!



Being a contact lenses wearer, I hate to use mascara. So, I learned how to apply the fabulous fakes, blend them correctly and my eyes always look great. And at the end of the night, they are sooooo much easier to remove than mascara is.

In all of my pics here, I have on fake eyelashes. The vampire pic has Halloween lashes but I swear by the Andrea adhesive. I refuse to use anything else.

>>>Do you use the adhesive remover?

>>>They look great Laney!>>>

[Sparkle]

I don't buy much in the way of cosmetics or hair products in the drug stores because I find their mark up ridiculous, as ridiculous as the mark up in department stores.

I do most of my shopping for high quality beauty and hair products on ebay and usually save 50-70% buying them there... my Pureology shampoo and conditioner will cost me $90 for two 33oz bottles which will last for at least 10months (that amounts to less than $10/mo on shampoo and conditioner).

Buying on ebay isn't convenient for a quick, easy fix - it requires patience and searching out the best deals but I've found it saves me a ton of money while still allowing me the indulgence of high-end products.

Similarly the Redken volumizing hair products I would pay $15-20 for in the salon or the drugstore, I can get for $10 or less on ebay...
YSL Touche Eclat, the best highlighter pen on the market costs over $40 in the department store, but I can find for $12-16 on ebay...
Urban Decay palettes that run $50+ I can find for $25, on average....
Benefit lipsticks cost $22 per tube, I can find them on ebay for $10 or less...

And if I do enough deal searching, I can buy most of these products with no shipping charges.

One drugstore item I LOVE is: Witch hazel, an all-natural astringent/toner. A bottle of Clinique's toner/clarifying lotion costs $35 or more, and contains mostly witch hazel. Thayers all natural remedies witch hazel costs $8 and IMO works better, and it can be found in most drug stores, grocery stores or places like walmart/target.

Oooh and Loreal does a wonderful line of eyeshadows called "HIP" High Intensity Pigments. I prefer the loose eyeshadow called "HIP Shocking Shadow Pigments" that comes in a small pot. This is "going out/dressing up" eyeshadow it has an intense bold concentration of colour. I love the two shades I have. I've found it on ebay and amazon for about $5, I think that is about half of what I've paid in a drug store. *great product and lasts forever!!!

[Talon]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

I don't buy much in the way of cosmetics or hair products in the drug stores because I find their mark up ridiculous, as ridiculous as the mark up in department stores.

I do most of my shopping for high quality beauty and hair products on ebay and usually save 50-70% buying them there... my Pureology shampoo and conditioner will cost me $90 for two 33oz bottles which will last for at least 10months (that amounts to less than $10/mo on shampoo and conditioner).

>>Ebay is great for finding hard-to-find, or not-available- in-your-area products...and it's much less expensive.

Buying on ebay isn't convenient for a quick, easy fix - it requires patience and searching out the best deals but I've found it saves me a ton of money while still allowing me the indulgence of high-end products.

>>I actually find it faster than other forms of shopping...but it's not always a better deal on ebay, I've found. So, you want to do your research locally, first.

Similarly the Redken volumizing hair products I would pay $15-20 for in the salon or the drugstore, I can get for $10 or less on ebay...
YSL Touche Eclat, the best highlighter pen on the market costs over $40 in the department store, but I can find for $12-16 on ebay...
Urban Decay palettes that run $50+ I can find for $25, on average....
Benefit lipsticks cost $22 per tube, I can find them on ebay for $10 or less...

And if I do enough deal searching, I can buy most of these products with no shipping charges.

One drugstore item I LOVE is: Witch hazel, an all-natural astringent/toner. A bottle of Clinique's toner/clarifying lotion costs $35 or more, and contains mostly witch hazel. Thayers all natural remedies witch hazel costs $8 and IMO works better, and it can be found in most drug stores, grocery stores or places like walmart/target.

Oooh and Loreal does a wonderful line of eyeshadows called "HIP" High Intensity Pigments. I prefer the loose eyeshadow called "HIP Shocking Shadow Pigments" that comes in a small pot. This is "going out/dressing up" eyeshadow it has an intense bold concentration of colour. I love the two shades I have. I've found it on ebay and amazon for about $5, I think that is about half of what I've paid in a drug store. *great product and lasts forever!!!

>>I love the Loreal HIP products. They were the first "drugstore brand" to offer densely pigmented eyecolour...that was similar to MAC, but at a much lower price.

[MsM]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

Urban Decay palettes that run $50+ I can find for $25, on average....

Seriously? That's amazing! I'm a slut for Urban Decay makeup, but always bemoan the costs. My gf got me the vice palette for xmas (YAYAYAYAY) and I just restocked on my base colors, but I'm gonna check ebay for the next buy.

[VintageFemme]

Originally Posted by cinnamongrrl563

I worked for a wonderful Italian lady while I was in SC...she had lovely skin and was in her 70s. She swore by Nivea in the blue jar. I have been using it ever since and I love it. I think I paid 4 something for the large jar at Walmart and its lasted me a long time. And I use it most every night.

I also use a daytime moisturizer (when I remember) with an SPF 15 at least. I get the store brand that is similar to Oil of Olay..same ingredients...much better price...

I love Nivea for all over everything! In the blue jar of course =) They have a tiny little blue tin too that's perfect for your handbag, it's like .99 or something and lasts forever also.

[Talon]

Originally Posted by cinnamongrrl563

I worked for a wonderful Italian lady while I was in SC...she had lovely skin and was in her 70s. She swore by Nivea in the blue jar. I have been using it ever since and I love it. I think I paid 4 something for the large jar at Walmart and its lasted me a long time. And I use it most every night.

>>Europeans still use Nivea. It's one of Europe's best selling lines.

I also use a daytime moisturizer (when I remember) with an SPF 15 at least. I get the store brand that is similar to Oil of Olay..same ingredients...much better price...

>>I love when stores do that.