5 Beauty & Style Finds For Holiday Gifts

Today's 5 beauty and style gift ideas are finds I bought for myself at various times and love so much I have no doubt others will love them too:

1) Anne Klein Women's Rose Gold-Tone Bracelet Watch↑ - I own this gorgeous watch. The rose gold is so pretty, and the watch looks ultra expensive, but it's not. It has Japanese quartz movement, and after over 2 years, it still wears shiny and new! Since the watch has been around for a while, the price has dropped, making it a sweet deal as well!

2) Pro Beauty Tools Professional Gold 1" Curling Iron - A find from T.J. Maxx, where I discover lots of stellar brands, I would otherise not know about. Reduced to a bargain price of $12! The curling iron heats up in 30 seconds flat; and the 1" barrel is the perfect size for most hair lengths. Finally, the curling iron is easy to hold and compact to tuck away. 

3) SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Shampoo - Usually comes in 13 oz (but look for a special 19.5 oz size) - The beauty brand began in 1912 making personal care products like shampoos and conditions with nothing but clean, botanical ingredients. There is none better on the market! Plus this top-notch brand is sold in drugstores at drugstore prices! 

4) SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Condition - Like the shampoo, this usually contains 13 oz (but luck into a special 19.5 oz size with 50% more free if you see it). SheaMoisture works beautifully on all hair types; and there are tons of different formulas to address individual needs. Every single one is terrific. (The 2 featured in today's blog are the latest formulas I'm trying over the winter.) Each leaves my hair feeling super soft and smelling terrific!

5)  Tinted Lip treatments - Any of the following are intensely moisturzing with a pop of flattering color:

a. Laura Merier Lip Balm - A pricey splurge, but it's a super thoughtful gift because it hydrates, prevents and smooths chapped winter tramatized lips.

b. Fresh - The retailer has special edition balm collections for a festive presentation.

c. Bite Beauty - Ditto, 
also available in special balm holiday editions.

d. Smith's Rosebud Salve - A personal favorite. I may buy a friend a $22 lip balm for Christmas, but I use a $6 - $8 salve for myself that has been around since the year 1892. Gladly would I make the introduction to others by gifting it to them! The lip salve comes in an assortment of flavors from the original to vanilla, strawberry, rose & mandarin and  minted rose. Housed in a practical tin container and sold at drugstores, Walmart, Target and Sephora. You can't go wrong! 

The friends and family on your holiday list will absolutely love their gifts and thank you for opening their eyes to such wonderful tried and true products.


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The Beauty Products I Use Right Now

 

Once a month I notice YouTubers post their empties to recommend beauty products they enjoy using. Today I'm doing likewise ... but fortunately, my bottles are filled... and they are in my bathroom being used by me right now. As it turns out, I reviewed nearly all of them on THE SAVVY SHOPPER in previous blogs. Still, loving them and for sure, I'd buy each again, as well as, grab them whenever I see them for less:

Skincare - Daytime Routine:

1) Noxema Cleansing Cream - My old tried and true.

2) Art Naturals Vitamin C Advanced Moisture & Brightening Serum - I have the set and use the retinol at night on nights I don't use the Neutrogena retinol oil.

3) Olay Complete All Day Moisturizer with SPF 15 

4) Cooking grade coconut oil - As an after-shower body moisturizer. It's cooking grade to simplify gathering -- no need to buy 2 coconut oils. Once gone, I'll switch over to extra virgin olive oil for even more simplicity.

Skincare - Nighttime Routine:

1) Noxema Cleansing Cream - used again before bed.

2) and 3) - Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Oil followed by Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream - They came full-sized as a kit found in the beauty aisle at T.J. Maxx for $16 bucks ... how could I not grab 2 kits -- to use one immediately and put one on deck? Before finding the set, I was already using the retinol cream and after I finish the retinol oil ... do I need both? I'll decide later after I run out.

Hair Care

1) Shea Moisture Peace Rose Oil Shampoo - A stellar overall brand, I buy any formula I see with the Shea Moisture label on it. I've never had a failure with any of the retailer's formulas despite mixing and mismatching the varieties of formulas of their shampoos with their conditioners. I enjoy trying the entire line, but the peace rose smells so AMAZING, I  love it especially!

2) Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo - I don't yet have the matching condition, but if I see it at T.J. Maxx, it's my next beauty buy. After you try Shea Moisture's many hair products, you can find them at drugstores, Walmart, Target, and Amazon, so you'll never go broke using this none-better, excellent brand!

3) Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydrating Shampoo

4) Shea Moisture Superfruit Complex 10 in 1 Multi-benefit Hair Mosque - As fantastic as the other formulas, I grabbed the mosque as another hair conditioner. It leaves your hair clean, not greasy. Again ... 3rd time saying it, you simply can't go wrong with a Shea Moisture formula!

So these are the beauty products I'm now using, folks, my not-so-empties that I'll buy again and again as needed. In recent years I've tried to switch over to as many organics as I can afford, as well as, to simplify my personal care regime, plus find everything needed in the aisles of a drugstore for less! 

It looks like I have lots of hair shampoos and conditions, doesn't it? My goal is to reduce: I keep 1 shampoo and 2 conditioners in the bathroom open and using ... with one extra shampoo and condition in stock waiting in the wings to replace an empty. I'm nearly at my one + one quantity aspiration. #WorkingThroughMyStash.

Drugstores have stepped up their offerings of quality and clean beauty making it unnecessary to shop anywhere else. So convenient and cost-effective for products that truly work!

You may also enjoy:

Aveda Wellness Beauty

Planet Eden Organic Skin Care

Weleda Offers A Century of Skin Care

Going Organic: Face, Body And Hair Essentials

Personal Care Products: Get Stellar Results For Less

What's In A Name?

Once you pay for a product and walk out the store, it's nobody's business how you use it.  Recently I discovered that diaper rash rub makes an awesome hand, cuticle and eye cream.  The active ingredient is zinc oxide, making it highly effective in treating dry skin.  So far, I love it.  It's richness will protect hands all winter long.  A good one, available at drugstores, is called Boudreaux's Butt Paste, so you know the inventor has a sense of humor.

The idea of consolidating toiletries by finding new uses for old products is appealing.  So is saving time and money by finding drugstore counterparts that work as well as their high-end-cousins.  Why buy three different products if one gets all the jobs done?  Or, overpay to achieve identical results?  On occasion I may want an expensive cosmetic.  But if I choose to spend twenty times more for a luxury brand, I have to like it twenty times more than the cheaper version.  I like products with more than one use to reduce clutter.  And whenever possible I want to keep life simple with one-step shopping at the corner drugstore.

You don't have to change your personal care items all at once, but as a savvy shopper, ask yourself why you use them and what you expect them to do for you.  Consider: (1) does a product work; (2) what are its active ingredients; (3) and, can you get similar results for less?

Below are a few items to compare:

If you like:	Try:
Kiehl's Lip Balm – $15 for .5 oz.  It's 91% petroleum jelly.	Eucerin Aquaphor – $2.19 for a pocket size .35 oz tube, or Vaseline, $3.49 for a 14 oz jar.
Frederic Fekkai Shampoos and Conditioners, .08 oz at $24 and up.	Pentente's Shampoos and Conditioners in several formulas to treat your specific hair type. 25.4 oz at $7 and under.
Chanel Inimitable Intense Mascara, $30.  It's a great mascara, but so are drugstore options.	Maybelline – $7.  There are mutiple formulas to choose from, in waterproof or washable.
Lancome Huile Douceur Remove All Deep Cleansing Oil – $35 for 6.8 oz.	Noxema Original Deep Cleansing Cream – $3.99 for 14 oz.  It contains Eucalyptus oil and camphor to soothe skin.
Go Smile Go Whiter Whitening System – $89 for a kit.  I'm afraid of most home whitening treatments.  It's better to go to a dentist if you need extensive whitening.	Dr. George's Dental White –  $10 for 5.2 oz.  This is a hydrogen peroxide gel that's safe on enamel.  You can buy a kit with a tray for about $15, or use a dab of gel as a toothpaste booster when needed.

When you travel, you quickly learn that many cosmetics can be used for several purposes.  Lipsticks easily double as check color.  Bronzers too make excellent blush and eyeshadows.  Talcum power keeps the shine off your forehead and your feet dry and comfortable.  Doesn't it make you wonder why we accumulate so many personal care products?  As I've stated elsewhere, these days I try to put a little more thought into why I buy things ... learn about products and make better choices.  Plus, lessen my carbon footprint whenever possible.

Sorry Madison Avenue.  But.  Have you found a cheaper brand that works as well as a designer one?  Or, have you found a new use for an old standby you'd like to share? 


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POP Beauty

Nowadays you never have to venture beyond a drugstore to find quality beauty products. The aisles of many drugstores are starting to look like one big, expansive cosmetic counter because so much is there. At CVS recently I discovered a "new" to me fantastic UK beauty brand for less.

POP Beauty has the highest standards in skincare with rich pigmented makeup that is 100% vegan and cruelty-free made from responsibly sourced ingredients. The beauty brand offers the highest quality natural ingredients in uncomplicated products with simple packaging for less ~~~ a lot less, so why would you pay more?

Although the packaging is simple, it's fun and colorful, so practical items can liven up your bathroom, as well as, make attractive gifts! I think the best part of gifting beauty is the eye-opening introduction of a winning affordable brand to somebody else who can then start buying a new love for themselves. Over time, it saves them tons of money without compromise ... a great gift in and of itself!

Golly! Does this look like a CVS pharmacy to you?

POP Beauty is conveniently sold at drugstores, Walmart, some Targets, and Amazon.

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Anti-aging Skincare Update

Choices help Savvy Shoppers save money, and it's fun to try new products. I love finding drugstore skincare for less with effective anti-aging ingredients that science says really works! Like a drugstore, Ulta offers a wide selection, convenience and reasonable prices, so lump the beauty retailer together with drugstores, as places to find good skincare on a budget. The following anti-aging elixirs should be on your list to try:

For day -
1) The Ordinary Buffet - The exciting ingredient in it is Matrixyl™ 3000 peptide complex. It firms, hydrates, brightens and smooths the texture of the skin. Price: $14.80.

2) The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% - This is a high concentration of vitamin C with squalane (a moisturizer) - Some customers complain of a burning sensation, but I don't find it too intense perhaps because I apply it after The Ordinary Buffet mentioned. You get used to the slight sting which lessons over time with use. Vitamin C Suspension brightens, hydrates and smooths the skin's surface. It reduces fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. This combo from The Ordinary is half the price of my usual serums adding up to a lot of savings per year. Cost: $5.75.

3) Sunscreen - Right now I use a Wallgreens (drugstore generic brand) with SPF 50 made for babies. Best anti-aging product you can buy! Cost: 2 for $5.

For night-
4) CeraVe Skin Resurfacing Retinol - Has .03% Retinol, 3 effective ceramides, licorice root (a skin brighter), and niacinamide, as well as, moisturizing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and shea butter. Retinol speeds up cell turnover. Ceramides are fatty acids that act as barriers to the skin to keep moisture in and microorganisms out. Price: $16.95.

5) Azure Hemp & Retinol Sleep Mask - A Korean beauty night cream that is ultra-moisturizing containing rich omega fatty acids, vitamin E and antioxidants. It is not greasy and rivals the quality of its competitors L'Orèal, Olay and Neutrogena yet costs far less. Cost: $14; or $5.99 when T.J. Maxx carries it. The ointment is my T.J. Maxx dreamy-creamy discovery!

6) CeraVe Healing Ointment - A must-have to protect and soothe dry skin all over your body all-year-around. It has hyaluronic acid and ceramides 1, 3, and 6-Li. $17 - $25 at Target, Walmart and drugstores.

Have you ever watched Vloggers on YouTube go on and on with their skincare routines? Sometimes layering more products on their face than dermatologists recommend ... so money down the drain. These 5 products are all you really need for day and night ... letting you save and simplify your skincare simultaneously. I mean, really I just want to get out of my bathroom!🙂

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Cetaphil Launches Purified Peptides Anti-aging Skincare For Sensitive Skin

If you're a skincare enthusiast you know retin-A and its over-the-counter derivative retinol is the gold standard of anti-aging skincare. We hear it over and over. But they can be brutal on virgin or sensitive skin, leaving it red and raw. What gives this most medically studied anti-aging ingredient its effectiveness is how often you apply it to your face over how strong the dose is. The reason non-prescription retinol is more beneficial to virgin skin than jumping to prescription strength Retin-A is mainly because if you don't slowly build up a tolerance for the prescription strength, you'll have to stop using it after your skin quickly becomes red and raw.

Nowadays science has tested and also given its seal of approval to other less harsh products better tolerated by sensitive and virgin skin which can give you similar anti-aging benefits like retinol and retin-A, such as softening fine lines and wrinkles and stimulating the production of collagen. We're talking about immediate anti-aging improvements without the side effects of peeling and pain! {Bakuckiol is one such retinol alternative milder for sensitive skin. I've covered it in a prior blog.}

Cetaphil is launching new anti-aging skincare for all skin types including sensitive skin. The new line goes by the name Cetaphil Healthy Renew which aims to improve skin's firmness, texture, and tone, 3 benefits you also get by using retinols. The Cetaphil new product line is great for treating dry skin too. It keeps the skin barrier balanced with up to 24 hours of hydration.

The 4 beauty anti-aging elixirs in the launch are (1) a face serum, (2) an eye cream, (3) a day cream (with sunscreen), and (4) a night cream.

The key ingredients in the new products are anti-aging peptides (the brand calls them purified peptides, obviously, a marketing term😊) to help minimize fine lines and wrinkles; vitamins B3 (niacinamide) and B5 (panthenol) to hydrate, soothe, and repair the skin barrier; plus Rice Lees and Edelweiss (botanicals) to target dullness and uneven skin tone.

Cetaphil is developed by dermatologists and sold at drugstores. Universally, skin doctors do recognize the role of peptides in fighting some of the signs of aging. They endorse using peptides to erase fine lines and wrinkles as not a waste of money.

Note that you can improve your skin, taking years off your appearance, simply by hydrating and nourishing your skin barrier ... so moisturize your face with a good brand like Cetaphil (or CeraVe, both) available at drugstores! What's more, getting rid of old dead skin cells with botanicals like Rice Lees and Edelweiss encourages new skin cells to rise to the surface. Your skin will be more supple, elastic, and radiant in about 2 weeks. BTW, Retin-A takes about a year before you can tolerate using it every night.

The more brand and ingredient choices the better! For sensitive skin, I'll also link several blogs that detail other science-based, anti-aging ingredients below.👇

You may also enjoy:

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The Barebones Anti-Aging Skincare Products You Need

Kind Science By Ellen DeGeneres

Kind Science By Ellen DeGeneres is a skincare line we often see advertised on television. Two questions come to mind: (1) Are the products effective, and (2) Are they good value for the money? Here are my thoughts ...

It depends on how much you know about anti-aging skincare. If you know nothing or very little about skincare ingredients the $49 introductory kit is worth buying. The products are effective, based on science, and are paired to be used together so you won't cancel out the benefits of one elixir with another. The price isn't outlandish for the kit of 4 products. Yes, I know 6 products are offered, but I wouldn't buy a kit to get a free brush or skin oil. It's nice for the company to include them, however, consumers should focus on the 4 essential potions to determine the value of the kit. Those are the ones you'll need to keep buying as they do the anti-aging heavy lifting.

Also keep in mind that when buying the kit, you won't get full sized products, but are paying less then you will to rebuy them in bigger sizes.

So what are we getting for our $49? Reduced sizes of:

1) Gentle Cleanser - 1.5 fl oz/44 ml - Enriched with skin-brightening vitamin C from Kakadu plum, soothing chamomile and green tea (green tea is one source of antioxidants).

2) Micro Exfoliant+ - 0.75 fl oz/22 ml - A face mask that contains volcanic sand and bamboo silk to polish and soften the skin. Its alpha-hydroxy acids brighten the skin and remove dead skin cells.

3) Firming Serum - 0.34 fl oz/10 ml - The main ingredients are bakuchiol (a retinol alternative) and peptides (short chains of amino acids) to smooth the skin.

4) Hydration Cream - 0.5 fl oz014 ml - Has snow mushroom to hydrate, omega-rich sea buckthorn (a source of antioxidants; doesn't grow in the sea) and our retinol alternative bakuchiol.

5) Free Gift: FacialCleansing Brush

6) Free Gift: Radiance Oil 05 fl oz/14 ml - It's mainly sunflower, apricot and jojoba oils with bakuchiol as one of its very last ingredients.

So now I'll find you alternative full sized skincare for less which may source cheaper ingredients that still give you the same anti-aging benefits as the more expensive components. Budget friendly skincare that is based on science can be just as effective as their costly cousins with fancy rarer ingredients that do essentially the same things. 

My skincare picks are:

For Gentle Cleanser:

1) Vanicream Sensitive Skin Cleanser; or Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser; or CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser; or Equate Gentle Skin Cleanser.

To Micro Exfoliate:

3) Cetaphil Extra Gentle Daily Scrub; Alaparte Green Tangerine Vitamin C Face Scrub; Trilogy Vitamin C Microdermabrasion with AHAs (aka Alpha-hydroxy acids).

For Firming Cream:

3) IMAGINE Dermatology Beyond Retinol which is bakuchiol. Since the main ingredient in the Kind Science Firming Serum is bakuchiol, you could buy either a bakuchiol serum or cream. I recommend the IMAGINE brand’s full range of products! (See my review here.) Its Anti Wrinkle Renewal Cream is a close match for the Kind Science Firming Cream for a lot less moola! 

For Hydrating Cream:

4) Neutrogena Hydro Boost; Olay Age Defying Renewal Cream is only one formula choice of many in the Olay line of moisturizers. e.l.f. Holy Hydration Face Cream;  Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer; Cetaphil Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Cream. There are so many excellent hydrating/anti-aging creams at the drugstore they are too numerous to list. You can't go wrong with CereVe, L'Oreal, No7, Curology, Get-Dreamy, or ROC either! Choice galore at wayyyy under $20 a jar! The first ingredient of most if not all hydrating creams is hyaluronic acid (HA). It’s a naturally occurring substance in the body, found in the skin, eyes and joints. It’s main job is to bind with water, holding up to 1,000 times its weight in water. As we age, HA production lessens leading to dryer less elastic skin and joint issues. A good moisturizing cream will have HA as one of its 1st ingredients. Moisturize your face to look 5 years younger! Instantly, boom!

For a Cleansing Brush

5) Washcloths are never abrasive and easier to sanitize than cleansing brushes because they can be machine washed and dried after each use! Scrubbing the skin with a brush is totally unnecessary, often even damaging to the skin.

For Radiant Oil:

6) Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Rosehip Scented Therapy Oil for Face (Rosehip is a source of vitamin C which is an antioxidant). Good Molecules Niacinamide Face Serum (Niacinamide is vitamin B3. It calms the skin and increases hydration). Sky Organics Jojoba Oil to Balance and Hydrate Face and Body.

Conclusion: Kind Science is effective skincare backed by science. It's pricey if used daily, but if you need more budget-friendly skincare you'll find equally effective skincare sold in drugstores. These brands employ scientists and dermatologists to formulate their skincare and can go toe to toe with designer and celebrity higher priced skincare.

Lastly, Korean Beauty is also great quality and quantity for the money. Nowadays drugstores, Walmart and Target carry it. (Next week, I’ll highlight an anti-aging Korean Beauty serum to put on your radar ... for its stellar ingredients, quantity and price! Watch for it to be published!)

Great skincare need not break the bank, but can be found at every price point! I’ll leave you some links below to learn more about what ingredients to look for in effective skincare.

You may also enjoy:

IMGN By IMAGINE Dermatology

Jaclyn Smith’s Anti-aging Skincare

Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum

The Barebones Anti-aging Skincare Products You Need

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Hemp Calming Relief Body Oil And Lotion

Palmer's, under the umbrella of E.T. Browne Drug Company, was founded over 175 years ago as one of America's 1st skincare companies. The brand specializes in treatment beauty products selling at affordable prices. The retailer has a worldwide distribution, with a commitment to sustainably sourced ingredients and ethical practices for the farmers who harvest the herbal extracts contained within its preparations.

At my local Walgreens, I picked up a sample of Palmer's new Cocoa Butter Formula Hemp Calming Relief Body Oil and Lotion. There was a week's worth of sample in the packages. On my next trip, I'll definitely buy bottles of each to slather all over my skin after a shower this winter. Both the oil and lotion are rich and super moisturizing, sharing a pleasant botanical scent I love. I called the company to find out what the amazing, clean and subtle smell is. The answer is Tagetes patula (French marigold) and eucalyptus. Hemp seed oil calms inflammation and irritation; and cocoa butter moisturizes and softens skin. They are hypoallergenic and dermatologists approved.

Palmer's is a name I knew of forever, yet surprisingly, overlooked at the drugstore. Now I'm hooked! The clean botanical scent, top-notch ingredients, and nourishing feel on the skin are fabulous and addicting! You want to use it every day!

Palmer's makes a slew of different skin cleansers, creams and treatments to address individual concerns for everybody in the family.

The emollients are an excellent value for real coconut oil, cocoa butter, hemp oil, olive oil, shea butter, and vitamin E. The formulas are developed from years of experience and tested by time and science.

Sold at drugstores, Target, Walmart, and Amazon at unbeatable prices ranging from $6 - $10. 

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