Bellas on a budget! I hear your cry. Your wallet is thin and your product stashes are running low. What can you get that’s new, amazingly effective, awesome, and AFFORDABLE?
Afrobella’s got your back! Here are some of the latest, greatest products I have been lucky enough to review, all available on the cheap at your neighborhood drugstore.
First stop — Palmer’s. The company known best for making delicious cocoa butter-based body creams has expanded their product line. So if you don’t know, now you know — Palmer’s is making coconut oil hair products! And olive oil hair products too!
The coconut oil formula products smell INCREDIBLE. Just recently I was getting off a bus two steps ahead of my Twitter-buddy Luvvie, and she was raving over how great my hair smelled! It’s sweet coconut deliciousness. For my ingredient-conscious bellas, this may not be the best product ever…but if you’re watching your wallet and need a product with great slip for your twice-or-thrice weekly detangling, the repairing conditioner is wonderful.
If you’re more comfortable and accustomed to Palmer’s body care products, then add their lip butter to your list of gotta-have-it products. $1.99 and it’ll leave your lips tasting and smelling like York Peppermint Patties. (double score if your significant other loves that candy!)
Next up, Sally Hansen! I love their nail polishes (HELLO, HD!) but long before I even used Hard As Nails, I was on the Sally Hansen hair remover train. Woo woo, bare legs here we come! Even as we slip from fall towards winter, I’m staving off Chewbacca legs with their personal care items. Want easy breezy depilatory action? Skip the spray on, shower off. It’s slippery in the tub, sprays places you don’t want it to, runs out quickly, and only stays on your legs. Don’t even TRY to use this on your armpits, unless you want lots of stragglers. If you want a Sally Hansen product that WORKS, I recommend the Naturally Bare Creme Hair Remover for fine to medium hair.
In 3 minutes, your armpits will be silky smooth (the way nature never intended them to be, alas). Equipped with mini “moisture-lift” jojoba beads, this product might feel oddly textured, but it’s effective and that’s all that matters to me. I’ve even used it on other embarrassing-hair-removal areas (hello, sideburns) and it’s worked well.
Speaking of silky soft armpits, what’s your deodorant situation these days? I’m on team Dove! The Visibly Smooth line really has helped to soften the feel of my underarms over time. I’m not yet entirely convinced about it “lessening the look” of my underarm hair, but for sure my pits feel softer than they did when I used more harsh deodorant solids. And the Wild Rose scent is fresh, floral, pretty, and soft enough not to clash with my perfume du jour.
It’s getting cold here in the Chi, so I’m having to learn some tough lessons about my skin. Lesson #1 – ashiness is REAL! And it’s EVERYWHERE! Seriously, I am not accustomed to seeing every last scritch-scratch on my skin appear like chalk on a blackboard. To up the moisture ante to my personal hygiene routine, I’ve been using Softsoap NutriSerums. AKA, the only body wash my husband’s actually admitted that he LIKES. Is it the little gold-and-pink “softening serum pearls”? Is it the moisture-retaining Omegas 3 and 6? Is it the clean, subtly-floral scent? I don’t know, but both of us are loving this stuff (and battling to see who can finish the bottle first, apparently).
I’ve been slathering on the Softsoap with my new favorite bath accessory, the Essence of Beauty faux sea sponge, only available at CVS (and $2.79 at the moment, on sale!). I don’t know what it is about this sponge, but it absorbs and lathers like no other. Plus, it’s super soft! I might be totally spoiled for life (and not going back to the net-body wash sponges again)!
To complete my tour-de-drugstore, I’ve gotta mention my latest favorite decorative item for the dresser. Q-Tips Vanity Packs. So chic! So essential! Finally the beauty must-have that I use every day is packaged so prettily I can display it alongside my jewelry boxes. In fact…stay tuned, bellas. I got a giveaway to kick off your Monday!
Even MORE drugstore beauty finds are in store. Keep reading! And tell me – what’s your latest drugstore beauty buy? You know I always need to know!
I’ll definitely be trying the hair remover cream as well as the coconut oil hair conditioning products. That sponge looks great as well but ’tis the season for exfoliation for me. I’m all about exfoliating gloves…
One of my favorite subjects! I LOVE finding a great drugstore product — it makes me feel like such a winner.
First of all, you can get some GREAT makeup brushes from Sonia Kashuk (love her white-handled large crease, which I use as a fluffy blender for shadow… or concealer… or highlight. And her white-handled skunk brush). Studio Tools is great, too — they make an Eye Contour brush that’s just amazing, and it’s $1.99. Both at Target. If Ms. Makeup brushes are sold near you, her angled liner brush is my absolute favorite for the job.
You also can’t beat Prestige’s eyeliner pencils. I personally love the non-mechanical waterproof ones and Total Intensity. Really soft, really budgeproof.
And one of the most moisturizing lipsticks I know is also one of the cheapest: CoverGirl TruShine, in like 18 different colors, with shade recommendations by skintone (I break the rules though).
I love this post! So witty and choc full of great info. :O)
Thanks for the info! You are so on point about that Sally Hansen hair removal spray! Almost busted my tailbone from slipping in the tub, lol…I’ll have to check out that Palmer’s lip butter (I love lip balms!) and Softsoap NutriSerums (saw the commercial for it and thought it would be a good one to try). Illinois is no joke in the winter!
I’ve been waiting for this and it delivered! As always!
Now off to find out if Palmer’s hair products are available here in Canada.
Thanks again.
Thanks for the info Afrobella. Fun times ahead at my local CVS!
A heads up to eco-conscious bellas though: you might want to steer clear of Palmer’s coconut products, since their palm oil isn’t sustainably produced (olive oil production doesn’t have the same environmental impact, so you should be in the clear for those hair products).
palmer’s is a big disappoinment. they have no qualms about using parabens in their products. i’m not getting my hopes up about their hair line. :/
Bella, you’ve got to try St. Ives body lotion to keep the dryness away. I live in the midwest so I know lol
I’ll have to give that repairing conditioner a go.
St. Ives lotion is my go to summer lotion but if I use it in the winter, I look like a snake. Not sexy. So in the winter, I stick Gold Bond. Trust me it works!
I rarely buy products in the Dept. Stores.
i did go out n get the sponge sea thingy and yeesss it felt so good all over! no mo of those harsh net sponges! however, u dnt need much bath gel becuz the sponge soaks up so much to lather on you!