Time for another Just 5 Things post! The last one was so much fun and I absolutely loved learning about your favorite US travel destinations. Must visit list = officially expanded.
Today I’m sharing my 5 favorite drugstore beauty products because, believe it or not, one of the most popular posts on IGE for years, which still gets quite a few hits today, is the one I wrote on The Best Skincare Advice I’ve Ever Received. What can I say, people like healthy happy skin almost as much as they like crock pot recipes. I totally get it! ?
While I still religiously follow the advice I was given to achieve smooth skin, I’ve changed the products I use up just a bit. That said, I still buy all of them from the drugstore. I think there’s something to be said for $100 bottles of ancient melon-infused anti-aging serum, and there are a few higher end/department store products I use, but there’s also something to be said for a product I can pick up at CVS for $10 that works well too. Ya feel me?
I also thought it’d be fun to share a couple of my favorite makeup products if you’re up for trying something new. Oh and hair – can’t forget about hair! If you have impossible, won’t-hold-a-curl-for-anything hair like I do, definitely pick up a bottle of the style-holding spray I swear by.
Do us a huge favor and leave your favorite drugstore beauty picks in the comments below!
1. Neutrogena Makeup Remover Towelettes
One of my weird quirks is refusing to wash my face at the sink – the dripping, the splashing…I can’t. That said, Neutrogena’s Makeup Remover Towelettes are my saving grace at night. No water needed, soft and gentle on my skin, plus they remove everything, including waterproof eyeliner and mascara. And while I do follow up with face lotion, the towelettes leave my skin feeling nice and silky as if I’ve also applied a light moisturizer. MUST HAVE.
2. Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner
Maybe she’s born with it – oh wait, nope, it’s definitely makeup. ? Although I never wear eyeshadow I MUST wear eyeliner. I’ll never forget the time in college when I came to class with no eyeliner on and my friend said to me, “oh! You’re not wearing eyeliner!” Like, Kristin without eyeliner is not Kristin. Good story, but seriously, Maybelline’s Unstoppable Eyeliner has been a staple of mine for over a decade. It goes on super, super smooth and stays PUT. I don’t know what I’ll do if it’s ever discontinued!
3. Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Sensitive Skin
My facial skin is a huge PITA. It’s extremely sensitive, so no brushes, peels or masks, and also combination oily and dry. Major ?. That said, I’ve tried a ton of different moisturizers and they’re either too oily or too drying but, as Goldilocks would say, Neutrogena’s Oil-Free Moisture Sensitive Skin is juuuuust right. I use this every morning and while it’s very hydrating, it’s not too heavy. The bottle seems to last forever, too.
4. Physician’s Formula Light Bronzer
I’ve been using this very natural-looking bronzer for years and years. Target stopped carrying it at one point and I about lost my mind – luckily it’s still readily available at CVS and Ulta (and I think maybe Sephora?) At any rate, I love this bronzer because it’s shimmer and sparkle-free. There’s a time and a place for both but not as an everyday look, right? You only need the teeniest, tiniest amount too, so the palette lasts for months and months.
5. Redken Iron Shape 11 Finishing Thermal Spray
My hair is stick straight and refuses to hold a curl for longer than 10 minutes. The stylist who did my hair for the last wedding I was in used 5 – yes, FIVE – kinds of hairspray and my ‘do was still a stringy mess by the end of the night. This Redken Thermal Spray is the only product I’ve ever tried that keeps a curl in my hair, plus it smells SO good! I pair it with my curling wand and the waves stay overnight. So, so happy I found this product after searching for something like it all my life.
Honorable mention – Candy Cane Chapstick
Another weird quirk alert (I’m full of ’em!) I hate having lipstick, lip stain, lip gloss, etc on my lips. First of all I don’t like the way it looks on me but more importantly the feeling of anything sticky or glossy is just bleeeeech. Give me chapstick or give me…chapstick! I’m never without a tube nearby and the Candy Cane flavor is my everything. Love that tingly feeling after applying, and fresh, minty scent!
What are your drugstore beauty product must-haves?!
We have long, fine hair with SUPER-static in winter. I love Garnier (it is gluten free) Butter Cream leave-in treatment. It is a yellow tub with a squirt-top. Basically it is lotion for your static-hair and works great weighing it down, smelling great, and not being greasy! (Avoid your roots, of course). Also, in a pinch, a little of your favorite hand lotion does the same job, but may be more greasy.
Also an important and fun discovery recently for us GF girls in my house is that all Wet & Wild products are GF. Cheap and safe is a winning combo!
Not to scare you, but my twin daughters have Celiac and we have not been able to confirm that Chapstick is GF. So, after years of using it on their sensitive skin (the old black tube is GREAT for eczema spots overnight!) I have had to switch to EOS, which I appreciate for being labeled GF and readily available, but am annoyed that it just doesn’t work like Chapstick. If you have heard otherwise, please let me know!! :-)
LOVE to hear that Wet n Wild is GF – my childhood staple!!! I have only read that Chapstick IS gluten-free but I’m heading right now to do a little more research…
Thanks for the Physician’ Formula bronzer recommendation. I have super pale skin, and this is just enough color to make me look “normal”! I have tried other more expensive bronzers and they have made my skin look weird. I always enjoy your recipes, too!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Cetaphil face wash and moisturizer. Totally agree with the Neutrogena cloths and I hate washing my face in the sink. I am the biggest fan of Loreal Voluminous Mascara in Black and may be buried with a tube of it! Surprisingly, my favorite gloss is from the Dollar Store LA Colors and my daughter, Brynn, and I have a tube stashed EVERYWHERE!
Your family is beautiful and keep up the great blogging!
My products are different than most of those listed because I’m older (61) and Canadian. As well, my son-in-law is from India so I try Indian beauty products as well.
My favourites are:
1. Real Henna (not compound henna, real henna contains only henna, nothing else and is red only. Compound henna contains chemicals and is bad for hair.) I’m a brunette who is about 1/2 grey naturally. I used to use hair dye but hated the way it dried out and damaged my hair (which has been oily most of my life). I mix the powdered henna with orange juice (the acid helps the colour develop), let sit for 1/2 hour to activate the colour, apply it to my hair in the bathtub with gloves and a henna brush (messy), cover it with a shower cap and then a toque (what you Americans call a beanie) and let it stay in 4 hours to completely cover the grey. I then rinse it out with lots of conditioner. It gives me a wonderful depth of colour with reddish highlights. As well, it makes my hair soft and shiny! I love it, FAR BETTER than commercial hair dye. The brand I like best is Jamila, it’s finely ground & sifted, available in south Asian groceries and is cheaper than hair dye (about $3 Canadian a box). Worth the mess and time. (I do it about every 6 weeks.)
2. Haman soap (Indian). I found this green soap is the best facial cleanser I’ve used. I have sensitive/oily skin (yes, it is possible to have oily skin as an older woman!) and a patch of eczema on my neck. I do not wash more than once a day. (When I was young, I washed frequently and used harsh products for oily skin. It got better when I stopped that treatment). If I have on makeup, I will use a makeup removal wipe for sensitive skin first.
3. Vatika (Indian) shampoos, conditioners and oils. (I only use a tiny bit of oil on the ends. As I’ve gotten older, my hair has gotten drier.) I also like coconut oil in the summer but it goes solid in colder temperatures so cannot be used in cool/cold weather.
4. I use Nivea Hydrocare lip balm for no colour (smoother than Chapstick IHMO.) If I want a bit of colour, I use L’Oreal Lip Balm – It provides a bit of colour and it is not sticky
5. I don’t wear makeup every day (too much bother but I do look better with a light application). When I do, I use the following products: -Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser (foundation). I love the roller applicator this foundation has, it makes it so easy to apply, roll and blend after applying (As I’ve gotten older, my skin tone has gotten more uneven although I avoid the sun as much as possible.) I also like the primer (helps prevent the foundation from settling into wrinkles and the concealer (I’ve always had dark under eye circles – hereditary). If I really want to cover those circles, I might add Revlon Colorstay Undereye concealer and/or L’Oreal True Match Touche Concealer.
-Blush: After 50, I found the creme blush looked better than powder. My favourite is NYX creme stick.
– Eye Shadow- As I’ve gotten older, I find cream ones also are better than powders. (They don’t flake into my sensitive eyes either.) My favourite is Annabelle Eyecolor Creme Quartet. The only powder eyeshadow I still use is L’Oreal Color Infallible. I only use neutral colours.
– Eye Brow pencil- Although I henna my brows too, I sometimes get white/grey hairs there. I have a stockpile of old Revlon Colorstay Eyebrow Wax Pencils I use. (They are less harsh looking than regular eyebrow pencils and don’t need sharpening.)
– Mascara & Eye Liner. I don’t use this products for 2 reasons. My eyes are small, deep set, hooded and sensitive so I’ve never used eye liner. I stopped using mascara many years ago after I caught pink eye from my son twice. I find I can’t tolerate mascara and it makes my eyes run.
I have a confession some of you may find surprising – I don’t ever use facial moisturizer. I’ve had sensitive skin all of my life and most of my life, it’s been oily (gotten some less oily with age). If I use any facial moisturizer, I get blackheads, whiteheads and break out. I tried many, many brands over the years (including light moisturizers for sensitive skin) but the end result is the same – so I stopped using them. I do use Flexitol Naturals Eczema and Psoriasis Cream on my eczema patch (although with the Haman soap, it is better.)
I wear a hat during the summer (I’m fair with some freckles and moles and have a family history of sun cancer) and I try to wear sunscreen with a high SPF (even though I hate it). I usually pick one by Neutrogena as they don’t make me break out. I also apply it to my arms and hands when driving as I’ve noticed I have more on the left side due to sun exposure when driving.
I love the sharing! Mine are:
1. Almay Eye Makeup Remover Pads
2. Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisture Sensitive Skin
3. Neutrogena Mineral Sheers Powder Foundation
4. CoverGirl LastBlast Volume Mascara
5. Frizz Ease Beyond Smooth Frizz Immunity Primer
The Frizz Ease product, in particular, has been such a great discovery in the last year. I have fine, wavy hair, and I live in Georgia, so…frizz. I’ve tried all kinds of stuff over the years, including other Frizz Ease products, but nothing has worked as well as this one. I’m wearing my hair natural much more than straightening it now because it looks so good! All I do is wash, comb this through, air dry, and I have perfect beachy waves. No crunch. LOVE.
I wish I had read your original skincare post earlier. Ever since having a baby – and maybe because I’m in my late-30’s and hormones are shifting too – I’ve been frustrated by stubborn breakouts, mostly around my jawline. I had success with Proactiv Gentle Formula years ago and finally decided to go back. But I hate how expensive it is! We’ll see if it works again this time. I guess it will be worth it if it works. But, if not, I may give your regime a try!
Great post. I wish there was a good makeup remover that did not leave a wipe, cotton ball or anything behind…. If there is, I haven’t found it. Hate all that waste, but gotta remove the makeup somehow. Definitely my essential product is a moisturizer with sunscreen. Over the years, the one I tend to come back to over and over is Eucerin Daily Protection. I have sun spots from tanning when I was younger, and I regret it so much. My other essential (for the past 2 decades, and I’m only 35) is Mary Kay liquid foundation. Having found my perfect match, I’m not gonna change it!
Have you tried oil cleansing? My favorite oil to use is jojoba. I just massage it onto my dry skin, then rinse with warm water and follow up with a foaming cleanser. It’s super gentle and breaks down my makeup with minimal rubbing. No wipes or cotton balls needed :)