I used to love interviewing this brilliant product development exec: Don Frey, who has worked with brands like Avon and Method, is now CIO at the Honest Company. What I loved about talking to him is he had no problem giving me straight talk when I was spending way too much on beauty products.

Don knows exactly what goes into making a luxury beauty product. TBH, the high prices of those products have a lot to do with packaging, marketing and department store placement. To that end, Don gave me full permission to buy super-affordable face wash. (The products worth spending money on, he says, are the ones that you apply last in your routine.)

Challenge accepted, Don. CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser, $12.99, is one of the most economical cleansers I’ve ever bought and, frankly, it’s fabulous. It’s creamy, moisturizing and gentle as an angel kiss but gets rid of makeup. And I never break out now! I have one in my shower, one at my boyfriend’s house and one in my medicine cabinet — all in the 16-ounce value size, because this is what adulting looks like. Go get yours ASAP. —Katie McCarthy

Image via Instagram @cerave

I've long been a liquid foundation girl. That is, until I met It Cosmetics Confidence in a Compact Foundation, $38. It's so good! The case and built-in sponge make it incredible for travel (no spills in your bag!) and the formula itself is amazing. It has a ton of coverage and hides everything you need to hide, all without feeling heavy or looking cakey. (I'd describe it as medium coverage, but you can easily build it up to full coverage if you've got a lot you'd prefer to keep hidden or sheer out if you if you're having a good skin day!)

I also love that it's packed with top notch anti-aging ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalane, collagen and ceramides. And the best part: SPF 50! To be safe, I still always wear regular sunscreen underneath but I love that it adds another layer of protection. (And makes my skin look pretty darn amazing at the same time!) —Alyssa Hertzig

Do you have a go-to lazy makeup look? Where the situation calls for some measure of effort but you don't really have the time? Well, the cornerstone of my easy makeup look is ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Mooning, $5.

You see, I'm not the best with cat eyes, so I love using this to blend out my liquid liner, while also adding in a bit of depth and definition. All I have to do is apply the user-friendly cream-to-powder formula with my ring finger, smudge a bit, and I'm good to rock 'n' roll. It's dark and pigmented enough to hide a multitude of sins eyeliner-wise and I love everything about the shade: it's a wearable dark brown with just a smidge of plum mixed in and the shimmer adds a nice touch. Plus, it doesn't crease or fade.

I stumbled upon Mooning almost by accident when putting together one of my very first ColourPop hauls almost two years ago and it's been a staple ever since. So, all my fellow lazy beauty enthusiasts out there? You might want to give this little shadow a try.

To see more of my skin care and beauty faves, follow me on Instagram @rosienarasaki

Cover Image via @colourpopcosmetics

Having combination skin can be a bit of a blessing and a curse. While parts of my face are dry, other parts produce enough oil to (hopefully) help stave off the aging process. This makes finding the right moisturizer a bit of a challenge. I want to add just the right amount of hydration to the dry zones without creating an oil slick (or worse, causing pimples) in the more saturated spots. A few years ago, a friend introduced me to Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb, $38, and it's been my go-to ever since.

Aqua Bomb is one of the OG's of gel-creams with its light-as-air consistency and a gorgeous, sky blue hue. Immediately upon application, your skin is cooled and refreshed. You'll notice the light, herbal fragrance, which is very spa-like but diffuses over time. The moisturizer sinks right in and leaves my combo skin in a perfect state of homeostasis — neither dry nor oily. I especially love the cooling sensation when it's warm outside, though I reach for this moisturizer pretty much all times of the year. It packs enough moisture for bedtime but is also light enough to wear under makeup.

Sephora recently released a limited-edition 100ml value size (double the amount) so, if you're like me, run, don't walk to stock up on this gem as it will quickly become your new favorite moisturizer.

To see more of my beauty favorites, follow me on Instagram @hannah_savin

I can’t believe I’ve been writing about beauty for over four years and I only just started following the Skincare Addiction subreddit. Recently, on a boring weekday evening, I started clicking around some of the threads. Before I knew it, I was poring over crowd-sourced spreadsheets of cleansers, organized in ascending order by their pH, and trying to figure out which lactic acid product I absolutely needed immediately. Because a six-step skin care routine wasn’t enough for me, I guess. 

The product I absolutely needed immediately turned out to be Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Framboos Glycolic Night Serum. At $90, it was the most expensive serum I’ve ever bought — but if you’ve tried and loved Drunk Elephant's T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial, like I have, you probably get it. This. Brand. Does. Not. Play. We’re talking serious actives (that’s short for active ingredients, noobs).

It’s just as great as I wanted it to be. It made my dark spots look lighter overnight and my skin feel smooth and soft. It also doesn’t have any perfumes, dyes or fragrant essential oils, which is great for my sensitive skin, because skin care companies need to stop trying to make fragrance happen already. Don't sleep on this one. —Katie McCarthy