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5 FOR 5: TOP 5 PRODUCTS FOR UNDER 5 BUCKS

It’s nice to have some fancy shmancy beauty products, but when it comes to certain items that we use day to day, it’s important to find brands that are not only affordable but are trust worthy. Being that it’s the holidays and we all have a million gifts to buy, I figured now would be the best time to share my favorite five beauty products that you can get for under 5 dollars. Here they are:

1. FACIAL SKINCARE: St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub ($3.03): I LOVE the St. Ives apricot scrub. What’s great is that all the different scrubs in the product line have different levels of intensity. For those of you who want to get a gentle day to day cleanse, they have a product for you. For those of you who are looking for more coarse Apricot beads to get a deep down cleanse, they have a product for you as well! My personal favorite for my specific skin type is the Invigorating Apricot Scrub, but you may find that the Renew and Firm Apricot Scrub works best for you (my sister loves this one!). Every beauty magazine raves about this product with good reason. You will definitely get the most bang for your buck with ANY St. Ives Apricot Scrub you pick. 

2. HAIRCARE: Garnier Fructis Curl Shaping Spray Gel ($3.19): If you’re not a fan ofhairspray but are looking for a product to reduce frizz and maintain hold, this is the product for you. I tried it for the first time a few weeks ago and fell in love. The product feels very light on your head and works perfect for the days that I want to leave my hair naturally wavy. I am able to control my hair’s natural frizz and increase shine with a few sprays of this affordable product. 

3. COSMETICS: Maybelline Line Express Eyeliner Soft Black 902 ($4.79): I am always on the hunt for affordable makeup. What I love about this Maybelline eyeliner is that it works great for smokey eyes, believe it or not. The sponge on the other end of the liner allows for blending in the corners of your eye so the liner doesn’t look so harsh. Sometimes I like using a pencil liner because the smudge sponge at the end makes blending really easy. If you’re not a fan of the pencil liners and are looking for an affordable stick liner, I recommend my favorite liner of all time L’Oreal Paris Pencil Perfect Ebony ($8.49). If you’re a loyal Maybelline girl, they have a great stick liner for under 5 bucks as well called Maybelline Define-A-Lash Eyeliner ($4.79).

4. BODY SKINCARE: St. Ives Body Moisturizer ($3.99): I have extremely dry skin, so it is important for me to find a moisturizer than keeps my skin hydrated. What I love about the St.Ives brand is the results it gives for the price you’re paying. This lotion in specific is great because instantly after you put it in your hands, you can feel the moisture. I know that my skin is getting a quality product and a moisturizer that lasts longer than most. If you’re okay spending a little more money, the Aveeno Natural Daily Moisturizing Lotion ($8.79) is a favorite of mine as well. The Aveeno brand carries great natural products that don’t feel harsh against skin. I recommend trying both to see which works best for your unique skin type. 

5. BODY SKINCARE: Caress Daily Silk Body Wash ($3.59): I have a million different body washes, but to be honest, the scent of the Caress body washes are unbeatable! Every time I’m in a drug store and see Caress line of body washes, I never know which one to pick, but I’ve finally narrowed it down. My two favorites are the Daily Silk and the Tahitian Renewel. The Daily Silk is nice because for someone like me with dry skin, it makes my skin feel rejuvenated. The Tahitian Renewel is great because of the beads in it. Both will make you come out of the shower feeling refreshed and smelling radiant!

To all the drug store product haters, try them before dismissing them. I truly believe that half of the stigma against drug store products are in everyone’s head. We are trained to believe that pretty packaging, higher prices, and fancy department stores carry the best of the best. Don’t get me wrong, I have to have my Sephora fix everyone once in awhile, but we are in a recession people! You can get all the products above and more at your local CVS right now on sale for the prices listed above. Click on the links above to see my top 5 for 5, and look around their website to learn about more great products you can get for under 5 bucks!

What’s YOUR top 5 for 5? 

FABO EYES: THE “CAT-EYE” LINER LOOK

I’m a huge liner girl. I think eyeliner is a great way to make your eyes pop. What’s great about liner is that you can use it to make your makeup look dramatic OR light depending on the occasion. I personally think eye liner is one of those products you DON’T have to splurge money on. I love my pencil and liquid liners and they are from drug stores. To read what my favorite pencil liner is, check out my post on how to get my smoky eye look!  For most occasions, I use liquid liner for the top of my eyes and pencil for the bottom. I like using liquid for the top because you can shape the corner of your eye better with it. My favorite is the “cat-eye” look you can get with liquid liner. This is a great way to make your eyes pop without doing over kill with eye shadows. My favorite star to do this look is none other than Lauren Conrad:

So how do you know how far out to go with the liner? I found the best technique is using the end of your eyebrow and the far corner of your eye. Imagine a line connecting them and that’s the direction the liner should be pointing. I don’t recommend going too far out, but you can dramatize the length depending on the event.

This is a great way to change up the way you do your eye makeup. I feel like when people think of “cat-eye” they automatically assume heavy eye shadow. Sometimes you DON’T have to wear heavy shadow and can just use liner to give the look (once again depending on the occasion of course). The BEST eye makeup to compliment a simple cat eye look is as follows:

• Heavy mascara: Make those lashes pop with several coats of mascara to your top lashes and a light coat to the bottom lashes.
• Bottom liner: I start mine at the very corner, but once I reach mid eye, I begin to darken the amount of liner I use. **BEAUTY TIP** I like using black eye shadow as bottom eye liner with this look! I recommend trying it out. It gives a smolder look to the eyes.
• Bottom shadow (OPTIONAL): Sometimes I line my bottom liner with a MAC White Frost eye shadow to add a pop since the liner on the bottom isn’t applied heavily. This still keeps the cat eye look simple. Keep in mind, the top lid SHOULD contain the heavier makeup for this look!

What YOUR favorite liner technique?