You don't always have to go high-end to get a good beauty product. Here are my 5 favorite drugstore beauty products! | iowagirleats.com

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?!