Drugstore Faves

As much as I love a good Sephora haul, I always find myself going back to (and recommending) some drugstore makeup and skin care finds that work great and rival their pricier counterparts.  When taking clients shopping for makeup and skin care, we almost always start somewhere like Ulta or Target for some of these products before venturing into a department store.  Here are some of my favorite products, found at any local drugstore, that work amazingly well and create a look that dupes many pricier department store products.

Skin Care:

 

POND'S Deep Cleanser & Make-up Remover with Cucumber Extract, 10.1 oz

This cooling cleansing cream by Pond's has a higher water-to-oil ratio than its "classic" cold cream counterpart, meaning it rinses off clean without the need to tissue off.  Using the same idea as oil cleansers, this cold cream dissolves all makeup - even long-wearing/waterproof formulas - for a clean complexion that isn't left dried out.  I've been using this on and off for years, and always find myself reaching for it when nothing else is working.

Phisoderm Anti-Blemish Gel Facial Wash, 6 fl oz

I only wash my face with a foaming cleanser in the shower, with my Clarisonic (which there definitely is not a drugstore dupe for!).  This pH balanced face wash by Phisoderm is super gentle, and is formulated without sulfates or dyes, so it won't irritate even sensitive skins.  With the added benefit of salicylic and lactic acids, this cleanser helps keep pores clean and acne at bay, all without stripping the skin of natural oils or throwing off pH balance.  What else could you want in a cleanser?

 

Thayers Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel with Organic Aloe Vera Formula Toner, Rose Petal, 12 fl oz

I LOVE this toner.  I'm kind of a toner addict, having tried at least a hundred others from all kinds of brands, and I always come back to this one.  It contains so much goodness: vitamin e, witch hazel, aloe, glycerine, and rose water - and doesn't contain alcohol!  This toner always leaves skin soft, toned and never dry or stripped.  While many people don't consider toners a necessary step, I deem this a staple in my routine for removing anything my cleanser may have missed, and for adding an extra little dose of moisture to the skin.  Also, I may be addicted to the heavenly rose scent.

read on for my makeup faves!

Juara Skincare Review

Juara is a vegan skin care line based on historical Indonesian herbal and botanical treatments.  Using traditional Indonesian botanical remedies like healing teas, sandalwood, turmeric, tamarind and rice, combined with western science, these products have an east-meets-west attitude towards anti-aging and skin health.
Juara was kind enough to send me some samples of their daily skin care regimen of cleansing, toning and moisturizing.  Here's what I found:

Rice Facial Cleanser

This foaming, suflate-free cleanser leaves skin soft and hydrated, removing all traces of dirt, oil and makeup.  With rice starch as the active ingredient, known for its soothing and softening properties, as well as its ability to decrease moisture loss, this cleanser works great for all skin types.  

I found this cleanser to have an amazingly pleasant smell, almost like slipping into a tropical vacation - with sweet citrus and warm coconut scents, it's a great way to wake up the senses in the morning.

I especially liked using this cleanser with my Clarisonic - it left my skin feeling super clean and soft!  The only thing I didn't love is that it left my skin feeling a little too "squeaky clean," probably due to the foaming or fragrance ingredients, but after using the toner (reviewed next), my skin felt perfectly soft and supple.

Ingredients:
Water, Disodium Lauroamphodiacetate, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Rice (Oryza sativa) Starch, Peg-7 Glyceryl Cocoate, Glycol Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glycerin, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenypropanol, Fragrance.

Tamarind Tea Hydrating Toner

Juara describes this product as a "toner serum", and I completely get why.  This toner is super hydrating, just as the name implies, with a slightly thicker consistency than most toners.  It comes out of the bottle with a brownish tinge, which threw me off a bit, but it disappears perfectly into the skin, leaving it soft and glowing.  The oil-free liquid contains all kinds of skin-loving ingredients, like black, green and white teas for a super antioxidant boost, and tamarind extract to boost hydration and sooth skin.  It also contains rice bran extract to minimize irritation and de-stress skin, and hyaluronic acid to further hydrate and plump.
This product has the most impressive ingredient list of them all, with mostly actives in the list:


Water, Pentylene Glycol, Tamarind Seed (Tamarindus indica) Extract, White Tea, Green Tea, Black Tea (Camellia sinensis) Extract, Rice (Oryza sativa) Bran Extract, Honey Extract, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Potassium Sorbate.

I swiped this over my face and neck after cleansing and loved the way my skin felt afterwards!  It left me with a great glow and smooth, softened skin.  It also relieved any tightness or "squeakiness" I felt after cleansing. It definitely feels a bit more conditioning than most toners, which is probably why it is dubbed a "toner serum".  Whatever you call it, it's good stuff!


Sweet Black Tea and Rice Facial Moisturizer
This lightweight moisturizer contains fermented black tea (aka Kombucha) to soften and brighten, and Rice Bran Oil to hydrate as its active ingredients.  Rice Brain Oil is an excellent source of natural fatty acids and Vitamin E, both of which are really important for softening, hydrating and protecting skin.
I found this moisturizer to have a great consistency that soaks right into the skin and leaves it with a hydrated glow.  My skin didn't feel oily or dry all day - it was comfortable and soft, which is a big feat because my skin is pretty bipolar when it comes to its dry and oily zones.
Ingredients:
Water/Eau, Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana) Oil, Emulsifying Wax NF, Avocado (Persea gratissima) Oil Unsaponifiables, Rice Bran (Oryza sativa) Oil, Cyclomethicone, Stearyl Alcohol, Illipe (Shorea stenoptera) Seed Butter, Glycerin, Dimethicone, Squalane, Saccharomyces/Xylinum Black Tea Ferment, Hydroxyethylacrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Phenypropanol, Fragrance/Parfum. 






Bottom Line: REALLY LIKE!  The products are really unique in their use of Indonesian botanicals and herbs to soften and hydrate skin.  While I don't love the addition of fragrance in the cleanser and moisturizer, and found the cleanser a bit too... cleansing, I did appreciate the texture and feel of all the products, especially the toner.  If you're looking for a good, hydrating line with strong natural antioxidants, this is a great line for you!

Devita Skin Care Review

Devita is a natural cosmeceutical skin care company based out of Arizona. They make all-natural, vegan, paraben-free and PETA certified products for face and body. From my experience, it's hard to find a natural line of skin care that is also effective. Devita, being a cosmeceutical brand, has found the perfect balance between efficacy and remaining natural! They use cutting edge peptide technology and combine it with well-researched vitamins, minerals and botanical extracts for powerful results.

The DeVita product line uses organic Aloe Vera as a natural and dynamic delivery system - allowing their active Vitamins, Botanicals and Peptides to penetrate and get to work within the skin. You'll find Aloe Vera as the first or second ingredient in almost every one of their products. What you won't find in any products are preservatives. I asked DeVita how this was possible, and here's what they said:

Aquafina Hydrating Facial Spray - Two Best-sellers in One

About two years ago, I was out at a local WalMart picking up some household essentials and, of course, ventured into the makeup/skin care section to see what goodies I could find. In a random sale bin, I spotted a bottle of Aquafina Hydrating Facial Spray and thought, "Whatwhatwhat?!?!?" (I get excited easily). I had used Evian's Mineral Water Spray before, but hadn't heard of other drinking water companies dabbling in skin care. The bottle of Aquafina was marked down to $2.50, so I tossed it in my cart, figuring I had nothing to lose. I am SO glad I did! This is now a staple of my kit and of my daily routine, and has been since the first time I used it. This affordable wonder-product combines the best of two industry favorite facial mists in one, and is a superior version of both!

What industry faves am I about to dupe? Evian's Mineral Water Spray and MAC's Fix +. Here's a quick rundown of both:

Evian Mineral Water Spray

Product Description: This is a cooling hydrating mist comprised simply of Evian mineral water that is propelled by nitrogen for a cooling, soothing effect. It's great for refreshing the skin throughout the day, and for adding hydration before applying skin care or makeup. It comes in a metal cylinder and sprays in a fine, cool mist. It is available in a 5 oz size for $10, and in a 1.7 oz size for $6 (both at sephora.com).
The simple ingredient list means it won't irritate even the most sensitive skins, but because it's just water, it can dehydrate the skin once it evaporates.
MAC Fix +

Product Description: A hydrating, vitamin and mineral infused spritz that calms the skin with green tea, chamomile, and cucumber, with a light refreshing scent. It is also great for hydrating the skin and setting/refreshing makeup, and is ideal for spritzing on brushes before any loose pigment application to increase pigmentation and allow the makeup to adhere to the skin. It is available in a 3.4 oz size for $19.

Ingredients: Water, glycerin, butylene glycol, Cucumis Sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf extract, tocopheryl acetate, caffeine, panthenol, arginine, ethylhexylglycerin, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, fragrance, disodium Edta, dehydroacetic acid, phenoxyethanol, benzoic acid
Fix + has a lot more going on than the Evian - it contains humectants and soothing vitamins and botanicals, but it also contains potential irritants like fragrance and preservatives. The scent isn't overpowering though, and it does feel refreshing on the skin when used sparingly. If too much is used, it can leave a kind of sticky residue from the high level of glycerin.

And now for the dupe. Prepare to meet your new best friend: