Many beauty-lovers swear by the advice of now-famous "Cosmetics Cop" Paula Begoun. Back by popular demand is this post, with tips from Paula about how to stretch your beauty dollars a bit further. Please note that the Raging Rouge Beauty Blog is republishing this as information only, and do not necessarily agree with the findings of Ms. Begoun.
The Absolute Best Products for Your Money:
Smart Beauty Shopping in any Economy
Part 2 of 3: The Best Inexpensive Moisturizers, Sunscreens, foundations, and powders
A special report by Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron
Cleansers
Regardless of skin type cleansers were held to the same standard of excellence: they had to be gentle, not irritate or burn the eye area, and clean the face well without leaving it feeling greasy or dry. These products listed, along with many others are, at the very least, as good, if not better then cleansers priced 10 to 20 times as much.
Best Inexpensive Cleansers for Normal to Dry Skin
- Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash, for Sensitive Skin ($5.99 for 7 ounces)
- Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser ($6.99 for 8 ounces)
- Neutrogena One Step Gentle Cleanser ($6.49 for 5.2 ounces)
- Best Inexpensive Cleansers for Normal to Oily Skin
- Dove Cool Moisture Foaming Facial Cleanser ($5.99 for 6.76 ounces)
- pHisoderm Deep Cleaning Cleanser, for Normal to Oily Skin ($4.49 for 6 ounces)
- Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Cleanser, Sensitive Skin ($4.39 for 8 ounces)
Toners
I wish I had better news about toners but this is the one area where the skin care industry fails miserably. The good news is that it really doesn’t matter the price category, with very few exceptions they are either boring, ordinary, dated formulas or they are an irritating concoction with ingredients that are damaging on skin. For some unknown reason this category of product has not progressed to a level of excellence as many other areas of the cosmetics industry.
The expectation is that toners should be loaded with the great ingredients skin needs to function at its best, make healthier cells, and feel and look beautifully smooth. Even a small amount of antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and skin-identical ingredients would have been enough to get a good rating but that wasn’t the case overall. The one toner from Clinique listed below is the best in the bunch for the price, and given the number of products available in this category that is just pathetic. I also included my toners because, for reasons unknown (and surprising) to me, I am the only cosmetics company offering affordable toners with state-of-the-art formulas.
Best Inexpensive Toners for All Skin Types·
- Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion ($11 for 6.7 ounces) (This is the only inexpensive toner from Clinique I recommend; their other Clarifying Lotions are alcohol laden and absolutely not recommended while their Moisture Surge spray-on toner is good but pricey)
- Paula’s Choice Healthy Skin Refreshing Toner for Normal to Oily/Combination Skin ($14.95 for 6 ounces)
- Paula’s Choice Moisture Boost Hydrating Toner for Normal to Dry Skin ($14.95 for 6 ounces)
- Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Toner for Normal to Very Dry Skin ($14.95 for 6 ounces)
Exfoliants
Exfoliating skin on a regular basis can make a huge difference in its appearance. Whether you have oily, dry, sun-damaged or blemish-prone skin, it will absolutely benefit from the use of an exfoliant. Removing built-up, unhealthy dead skin cells can reduce wrinkles, unclog pores, reduce blemishes, and make skin look and feel noticeably smoother and more even.
Based on published research effective exfoliants were rated excellent when they contained glycolic, lactic, or salicylic acid in a base that had a pH of 3 -4. Gel or liquids were considered best for normal to oily skin and lotions and creams preferred for normal to dry skin. Use of an AHA or BHA product requires daily use of a sunscreen rated SPF 15 or greater to protect the new skin from sun damage and further encourage healthy skin cell formation.
Best Inexpensive AHA Products (best for normal to dry/sun-damaged skin) ·
- Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion, Night ($12.59 for 2.5 ounces)
- Alpha Hydrox Enhanced Lotion ($10.89 for 6 ounces)
- Alpha Hydroxy Enhance Creme ($10.89 for 2 ounces)
- Paula’s Choice 8% Alpha Hydroxy Acid Gel ($17.95 for 4 ounces)
- Best Inexpensive BHA Products (best for normal to oily/blemish-prone skin)
- Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control 3-In-1 Hydrating Acne Treatment ($7.99 for 2 ounces)
- Neutrogena Rapid Clear Acne Defense Face Lotion ($8.49 for 2.7 ounces)
· Note: Neutrogena is the only company besides mine that is offering effective BHA products at an affordable price. All of the other BHA products I recommend are effective but also expensive for what you get. Subscribers to www.Beautypedia.comcan access my complete list of Best BHA products on this site.
- Paula’s Choice 1% Beta Hydroxy Acid Lotion or Gel ($17.95 for 4 ounces)
- Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Gel ($17.95 for 4 ounces)
- Paula’s Choice 2% Beta Hydroxy Acid Liquid ($17.95 for 4ounces)
Acne
A study appearing in both The Lancet and the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology established that benzoyl peroxide is the first line of defense to eliminate the bacteria that causes blemishes. To make sure these products could achieve the best results only the ones not containing extraneous irritating or drying ingredients were included (irritating skin hurts the skin’s healing process, causes bacteria to proliferate, and can add dry, inflamed skin to the list of your skin care woes).
Best Inexpensive Topical Disinfectant Products for Acne-Prone Skin
Note: All of the products on the list below contain benzoyl peroxide as the active ingredient
- Mary Kay Acne Treatment Gel ($7 for 1 ounce)
- Oxy Lotion, Vanishing Acne Medication ($5.69 for 1 ounce)
- Stridex Power Pads ($6.99 for 28 pads)
- Clean & Clear Persa-Gel 10 Maximum Strength ($4.99 for 1 ounce)
- Clearasil Vanishing Acne Treatment Cream ($5.99 for 1 ounce)
- Blotting Papers
This category speaks for itself. Dab these papers on the face and they absorb oil quickly while minimally effecting makeup. That’s all it took to get a big happy face and the ones included in this list were as good as any with a higher price tag.
Best Inexpensive Oil-Blotting Papers
- e.l.f. Professional Shine Eraser ($1 for 50 sheets)
- Sonia Kashuk Oil-Blotting Papers ($6.99 for 100 sheets)
- Sephora Roll-Up Blotting Papers ($8 per roll)
- Paula’s Choice Oil-Blotting Papers ($6.95 for 100 sheets)
Facial Masks
Facial masks are an extra, optional step in any skin-care routine. What you do to your face on a regular basis is far more important then what you do once a week or once a month. Think of it like your diet, if you only ate healthy food once a week it would not be anywhere near as beneficial if you ate healthy every day. Skin care is the same way. Still some women enjoy the relaxing experience of using a mask and the temporary improvement they often see in their skin therefore makes them worthwhile.
Masks for normal to dry skin that contained emollients, antioxidants and skin identical were rated the highest. Masks for normal to oily skin needed to have absorbent properties in order to receive a big happy face. All masks with irritating ingredients or in jar packaging received a poor rating.
Best Inexpensive Facial Masks for Normal to Dry Skin
- Sephora FACE Exfoliator & Mask, for Normal Skin ($12 for 1.69 ounces)
- American Beauty Spare Moment Moisture Mask ($14 for 3.4 ounces)
- Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Hydrating Treatment Mask ($12.95 for 4 ounces)
- Best Inexpensive Facial Masks for Normal to Oily Skin
- Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask ($8.99 for 4.2 ounces)
- Biore Self-Heating Mask ($5.99 for 2 ounces)
- Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Carbon Mask ($12.95 for 4 ounces)
Body Washes
Just like the face, skin from the neck down needs to be treated gently and thoroughly cleansed without feeling greasy or dry. These body washes work beautifully and are a great start to keeping skin from ever being dry and flaky again. Those dealing with dry to very dry body skin should consider the washes from Olay, Eucerin, and Dove; they’re a bit more expensive, but do an excellent job of cleansing and conditioning dry, itchy skin.
Best Inexpensive Body Washes
- Ivory Simplement Body Wash, Fresh Snow ($4.49 for 24 ounces)
- St. Ives Body Wash, Collagen Elastin ($4.49 for 18 ounces)
- Lever 2000 Body Wash Energize ($5.99 for 18 ounces)
- Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash ($8.99 for 23.6 ounces)
- Dove Sensitive Skin Beauty Body Wash ($8.69 for 24 ounces)
- Eucerin Calming Body Wash Daily Shower Oil ($6.29 for 8.4 ounces)
Body Moisturizers
Skin from the neck up or neck down need the same ingredients to keep it healthy: antioxidants, skin-identical ingredients, anti-irritants, and cell-communicating ingredients. Body products are generally not as elegantly formulated as those for the face, but some come close and those are the ones included in this list (and there aren’t any expensive body products that were better formulated then these).
Best Inexpensive Body Moisturizers
- CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion ($12.99 for 12 ounces)
- Olay Quench Body Lotion Normal to Dry Skin with Green Tea ($9.99 for 20.2 ounces)
- Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Body Butter ($6.99 for 8 ounces)
- Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion Original ($10.99 for 12 ounces)
- Paula’s Choice Slip Into Silk Body Lotion ($15.95 for 8 ounces)
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