Ten Cheap Thrills for My Grrrl Friends
December 27, 2005 at 12:22 Hey Grrrl Friends! Looking for cheap thrills and winter pick me ups? Here are a few of my favorite things, most of them available at your local discount store for way less than $10, the rest from Sephora:
1) Covergirl TruBlend Makeup. I’ve bought at least three different types of foundation in the last year, the most expensive leaving a $38 hole in my wallet. I was searching for that perfect combination of natural color, light coverage, sunscreen, and ease of application. I found it for less than $10 when I picked up some TruBlend powder foundation. Finally—the 2-minute all-in-one solution. The first foundation that seamlessly blends with my skin so I can spot apply it without fuss.
2) Cargo Bronzer. Being the fairest of them all and one who has had surgery for skin cancer, I avoid the sun and wear sunscreen year round. My life without tan lines means my face can get positively pasty looking, giving new meaning to the phrase “dead of winter.” Cargo bronzer is the gift of life for the sun deprived. It doesn’t have orange or yellow undertones, it won’t put glitter on your face or leave it shiny, nor will it make you look like you’ve been working in the mines. It imparts that rarest of all things—a perfect healthy wash of color, as if you’ve just dashed into a building through the rain, shared a good laugh with a friend, or spent a few moments remembering the great sex you had last night. Apply with a big, soft fluffy brush and feel the love, grrrl friends
3) Neutrogena Advanced Solutions Facial Peel. I’m a big fan of Neutrogena skin care products and this one is amazing. Twice a week you apply this to your face, let it sit for about five minutes, then gently massage your face with a light touch, and rinse everything off. The mild exfoliating AHAs and BHAs dissolve the dull outer layer of dead skin cells and let your best self shine through. Hey, I still have wrinkles but my skin has more of that peaches and cream look that ruled in my 20s.
4) L’Oreal Colour Juice Lip Gloss. I’ve always been a fan of lip gloss. It’s quick and easy and it adds a touch of color and shine with lots of moisture. I’ve used the type that comes with wand applicators and the stuff in pots you stick your finger into. Some are sticky, some are oily, some are gloppy, some taste or smell gross, but L’Oreal’s are just right. Perfect texture, sheer color, a bit of shine, and comes in an applicator tube—no need to use a mirror or your fingertips to blend. Go ahead and smile, Sweet Lips.
5) St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub. I’m a big fan of exfoliation. Some body scrubs are too tender to get the job done, and some are too rough. Others are just a hassle to use or leave my skin feeling oily, not moisturized. This is the perfect body scrub. Comes in a handy tube, costs less than $3. Even if you’re not a body scrubber this is great for winter weary hands and rough feet.
6) Jergens Natural Glow Moisturizer. Most self-tanners are awful. The irony is that the people who need self-tanners the most (the whitey whites) are the people that have the most problems with them. Most formulas develop tans that are too dark, dramatic, or orange and many formulas are tough to apply evenly. I don’t want to look like JLo, I just don’t want to look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Jergens Natural Glow doesn’t deliver an instant tan, it delivers a subtle bit of color in an emollient base that is easy to apply and spread evenly. Use it every day and you’ll gradually develop natural looking color a few shades darker than your own. Follow the directions on the label.
7) Tommy Girl Summer Cologne. I know it’s the middle of winter. You won’t be able to find this in stores, but as soon as it appears, give it a spritz and let it transport you to your teenage beach days. It’s light, fresh, summery and has a hint of that irresistible Coppertone lotion smell. I love the bottle too. So pretty.
8) Johnson’s Bedtime Lotion (for babies and those that need to be babied). The smell, the texture, the way it softens your skin—everything about this lotion is comforting. I even use it on my face sometimes.
9) Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage Cream with Apricot Extract. Ideal for those of us with natural nails, short or long, unpolished. This is a solid moisturizer that comes in a little pot, easy to keep in your handbag. Smells wonderful, leaves a subtle shine on your nails, no oily residue and keeps cuticles and nails from getting ragged.
10) Blistex Fruit Smoothie Lip Balm in Mango. The last thing I put on at night, the first thing I put on in the morning. Ah!
OK, enough about me--what’s your favorite cheap thrill?
Reader Comments (3)
My favorite thing in the whole world is Chanel Glossimer lip gloss (too many fun colors to choose!). It is a bit pricy, but lasts longer than any other lip gloss I've tried. And I've tried A LOT.
My cheap favorites:
Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Body Lotion - The best AHA lotion I've found without a prescription.
Carmex - I could not live without it
Revlon Waterproof eyeliner - it really does stay on all day
A cheap thrill I recently discovered: Dry baby oil. The kind that absorbs quickly and will not stain clothes.
My other cheap thrills are waterproof mascaras and lip-liners. I rarely use eyeshadow, but I feel "naked" without mascara. My eyes tend to squint a lot and I need the waterproof to avoid the raccoon-eye lookalike feature! I'm a bit sloppy with plain lipstick and lip liners are like coloring book outlines, they help me color inside.
:-D
However, with a teenage daughter in the house I rarely ever find my "cheap thrills" in their place!