Okay so here's where we share our favorite bargains. Yes the Makeup Forever's amazing and the MAC's flawless, and NARS does have the best names but...
If you can look darned good for less than $100 shouldn't you at least try?
I'll make a video at some point with my faves and raves, where I can be more specific. Anyway, these are my Can't Live Without 'Em Bargains:
Walgreens brand gentle cleanser - It's just Cetaphil in a different bottle from a different lab, with the ingredients and order exactly the same. I treat it as a cleansing milk instead of a lathering/sudsing cleanser(which it really isn't) and the results are great. Clearer, smoother skin, who could ask for more?
Big Bird baby hair brush - Don't laugh. It even has a little rattle and only costed a buck. But the bristles are finer and shorter than complexion brush bristles and it provides the gentlest deep clean I can find.
Sea Breeze for Sensitive Skin - I actually have to dampen the pad because my skin's a little too sensitive for it, but it feels and works great, and the bottle's enormous.
All Terain Aloe Gel Skin Relief - I'll put it this way. It's an oil free moisturizing gel that contains 5oz of what some brands put 1oz of in a pretty jar, claim it's anti aging, and then charge 4x or more what this enormous plastic tube costs + it smells yummy from botanicals.
Freeman Pineapple Enzyme Mask - This stuff's great. Less than $5 for a huge tube, and with regular use helps to get rid of hyperpigmentation marks and keeps my skin generally smooth and even(as someone who has occasional breakouts and had moderate acne as a kid, that's a very big deal).
Wet N' Wild - I'm not proud. I don't need fancy, and to be honest, I have paid a lot to get very little in the past. This isn't the same product line I used at 13. The packaging's still hit or miss, but the products are a lot better on average. I just can't live without the primer and foundation in one(it's not really what it claims to be. More of a primer with a sheer tint, or an incredibly sheer foundation that acts like a primer). Anyway, two sheer coats with damp sponge(one all over + one on t-zone for visible pores). Basically it fills in the imperfections and makes everything else stick better. Mineral foundation(not nearly as shimmery as the expensive stuff but with plenty of coverage/nice texture). And the mineral anti-shine powder that acts like a mattifying veil, it's a nice finishing touch.
Burt's Bees Lip Balm(everything else irritates my lips or makes me ill, but this stuff actually works w/o making me sick and isn't very expensive at all).
So what are your favorite bargains? They dont' have to be perfect, some of mine contain parabens and sulfates(but I've been using parabens and sulfates since baby-hood, at least there's a lot less now).
