Bargain Beauty: how to get the best from your drugstore
My friends know I am all about finding the best products at the best prices. While I can afford to shop at the department/specialty/boutique store level, I also know that the price tag doesn’t always mean I am getting the best product for me. I hit my local drugstore and came homoe with a slew of products that I thought were worth trying– including a couple for other people to try too.
Olay is known for great skincare at reasonable prices. You have probably tried at least one product and I bet your mama has at least one in her beauty stash as well. Perhaps you saw the Olay commercial during the February Oscar broadcast featuring actress Shari Headley (Bold and the Beautiful; Veronica Mars; Coming to America–opposite Eddie Murphy– and currently on All My Children in a return to her original role on the show as Mimi.) Headley was featured in this commercial because she is a religious Olay user–always has been. This 40+ actress looks phenomenal and it’s not because of camera trickery. Shari and I have been hanging out a bit since the first of the year and up close her skin is flawless.
One of the products that I am sure is on her counter is the Olay Regenerist Night which features pentapeptide technology, a slew of botanical extracts to soothe, smooth and relieve dark spots and circles along with vitamins and minerals to enhance skin radiance. I guess if it works for Shari, it was worth giving it a try!
If acne still plagues you, the try out the Olay Clarity line with its 2% salicylic acid which will help wipe out blackheads and break outs. Definitely serious medicine but at an affordable price, my tester liked this one since besides wiping out the acne-causing bacteria, it also left her skin soft and smooth thanks to the botanical extracts.
While Memorial Day weekend is at hand, I find that the more time I spend in shorts, swimsuits and short sleeves, the more I need to moisturize my skin. My entire body needs the attention so that it doesn’t get all flaky and itchy. One product that I have already used a couple times is the Olay Quench Radiance Reviver. Not quite a self-tanner, this rich, luxurious lotion feels silky going on and doesn’t leave you greasy. What it does leave behind is the lovely color-enhancing technology that makes my skin tone even out and get a lovely light color that is more a result of my own natural coloring being enhanced rather than a self tanner with orange-y tendencies. Use this product daily for 5 days to see the maximum color you can achieve and voila’ you will be dark enough to at least go out in a bathing suit. I certainly am happy with the results since it will help extend whatever self-tanner I use and enhance the color and the softness of my skin
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Summer means time to pay extra attention to my hair because the blonde tends to change color in the sun and the curls get dry. I skipped my pricy products and hit the
Pantene Pro-V Expressions series for blonde, brunette, and red headed hair. These products provide the healthy treatment of the Pro-V Vitamin B6 along with other great color enhancers to leave hair silky and shiny–something I love and I need.
I tried the Platinum to Sand Dune range for the lighter streaks in my hair though during the rest of the year I would choose the Butternut to Honey tone. I also picked up the Brunette series of Toffee to Almond for someone else to test-drive for me. She loves Pantene so she had no problem with either product and liked how it picked up the lighter tones. She would have preferred the Nutmeg to Dark Chocolate to prevent any red tones from emerging in her hair.
Considering each of these product lines is available at larger drugstores, mass market stores and larger supermarkets and the price points are pretty reasonable, it’s definitely worth giving one– or more– a spin.
If you have tried any of these products, I would love to have some feedback.
See you at the beauty counter!
Stevie
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