I'm in My Spending Era, But These 30 Beauty Products Are Kind to My Wallet
Most Wanted is a weekly series in which one editor, staffer, or influencer shares their top 30 must-haves or current wish-list items.
I've gone through many phases over the years: some good, some seriously questionable, and others I'd like to fully erase from time—like when I was in a committed relationship with my self-tanner. Actually, I was more like a stage-five clinger. I became completely attached to my orange-tinted skin and couldn't be stopped. I eventually snapped out of it, went through some other head-scratching times, and ended up here, in what I've coined as my "spending era."
Sure, I've always been a shopper, but I've never felt this constant urge to buy things. I swear it's like my credit card is hypnotizing me, begging me to use it, so now my laptop has a minimum of 20 tabs open at all times, and my online carts are always full. The upside is I've become a master curator, especially in the beauty department. I might be spending more often, but I'm also finding truly great deals. As proof, I've put together a list of 30 seriously affordable (and honestly underrated) beauty finds that I've either bought or have big plans to buy.
I haven't been using this long enough to see any dramatic results, but I have to say I love applying it to my "problem areas" before bed. It's an overnight treatment that's meant to help reduce the appearance of aging and crepey skin. It's made with a 1% retinol blend, which helps restore skin elasticity and collagen; 10% AHA to visibly smooth skin; and sea buckthorn oil, glycerin, and HA for a soft, soothing base.
I'm constantly looking for products to help reduce my keratosis pilaris, and I'm impressed with this duo. I use the scrub twice a week on dry skin before hopping in the shower. It helps buff away rough, dry, dead skin cells, and the smoothing body cream gently exfoliates.
I'm a die-hard fan of the Radiance Dark Spot Serum ($82) and currently have this eye cream in my cart because of it. With the help of viniferine, caffeine, and niacinamide, it can help reduce the look of all types of dark circles.
I love this stuff because you can use it anywhere: your face, hands, feet, and elbows. If you have stubborn dryness, you can use this on it. Essential fatty acids and vitamin E moisturize and soften while organic pansy calms irritation and calendula flower extract gently helps repair and restore.
Next: I'm Shopping for My First Summer in NYC—30 Must-Haves on My Wish List
Caitie Schlisserman is an L.A.-based executive director with over a decade of branded content and editorial experience. She joinedBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing in 2014 as the first branded content editor and has worked her way up to overseeing a team of talented branded content editors and the beauty department of the media revenue team. BeforeBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing , Caitie helped launch FabFitFun's first subscription box and worked at a beauty startup where she assisted in successfully launching the editorial department.
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