DAMN! Drugstores rock… Imagine how much damage you could do with $150 at a CVS, Rite-Aid or Walgreens. You could get all 15 of these drugstore beauty gems and still have a little left over for candy.

Here are 15 of my favorite drugstore beauties. Each of these gets an A+ from me.

Yes to Carrots Lip Tints

“They cost a mere $4.50 each (that’s my mid-morning latte, yo!) but have a super smooth, buttery texture that makes ‘em feel a lot more expensive than that. Texture-wise they remind me of the $22 Guava lipsticks by Korres. That’s how slick and creamy they feel.”

Full Review | $4.50

Johnson’s Body Care 24-Hour Moisturing Body Wash and Lotion

“Moisturizing Body Wash … rinses clean and doesn’t leave a noticeable residue. Now, the humungo 20.3 fl-oz. bottle is bigger than Ernest Hemingway’s ego, but because it’s so big I feel like I’m getting a good deal. I even tried to see how it would work as an emergency shave cream, and it worked great.”

Full Review | $6

EcoTools Bamboo Bronzer Brush

“Compared to department store brushes costing $20 and up, it’s a bargain superhero — affordable, with dense, super-soft bristles that deposit just the right amount of color on my skin. Not only that, but it’s quite the multitasker, too…”

Full Review | $12

Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Blusher Brush

“BOW DOWN before the mighty Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Top Blusher Brush. Marvel at its multi-tasking prowess and how it applies blushes and foundations with ease. And don’t be surprised if you find yourself trembling — with glee! — at the cash register. Not only is this brush amazing, but it’s also cheap — $14.99. Holla!”

Full Review | $15

Soap and Glory Off Your Face Cleansing Cloths

“These wipes work overtime! You know how after you use some wipes you feel like you have to rinse? Like they’ve left a residue? I don’t feel that way after using Off Your Face. After wiping down with one of these … my face and neck feel squeaky clean.”

Full Review | $7

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Bargain hunting brush fanatics, lend me your ear. A $12 brush swept me off my feet today, and they call it the Ecotools Bamboo Bronzer Brush.

Compared to department store brushes costing $20 and up, it’s a bargain superhero — affordable, with dense, super-soft bristles that deposit just the right amount of color on my skin.

Not only that, but it’s quite the multitasker, too, moonlighting as a face powder/blush brush. All told, it’s like getting three brushes for the price of one.

WARNING: The following videos featuring Ecotools brushes (my favorite’s the cat eye tutorial) are like potato chips… You can’t stop after just one.

• Create a cunning cat eye
• Flawless face tips
• Get sultry smoky eyes
• Day-to-night makeup 101

If your brushes take a beating like mine do, you’ll appreciate how solid the bamboo handle feels in your hand. Really, the brush feels sturdy from head to handle; even the synthetic taklon bristles feel tough. I’ve washed the brush head several times already, and the bristles haven’t shed one iota.

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Written by Stef

Today Stef of the fantastical We Heart This (a little bit of everything, a whole lot of love) shares five of her favorite exfoliators.

When my face flakes
When my skin’s dull
When I’m feeling sad….

Gather ’round, children. I’d like to tell you about a few of my favorite scrubs (and I promise not to make your play clothes out of curtains!). That’s right — a good exfoliator can send me spinning on a mountaintop like a modern day Julie Andrews.

But first, why should you exfoliate? Because your skin is constantly shedding dead cells to make way for new ones. The old cells dull your skin, making it uneven and sometimes even dry. So you want them gone, pronto. Exfoliating moves this process along faster. With a good product, your skin will look fresher, you’ll have a smoother surface for makeup application and you’ll get more out of your other skin care products because they will penetrate the skin’s surface better.

Here are my current top five favorites:

1. Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains ($40)

Multi-taskers, listen up. This little time saver cuts two-product facial cleansing/exfoliating down to a single easy step. Bobbi Brown’s Buffing Grains are made of Japanese Adzuki bean powder, gentle yet powerful little granules that you can mix into your favorite cleanser to make it an exfoliator too.

And for bargain hunters, Angel Face Botanicals makes a version with 4 times as much product at half the price.

TIP: You can buy the bean powder from many health food stores for practically free. DIYers can even buy Adzuki beans whole and grind them at home!

2. Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub ($7.50)

Want another time saver? Check out Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub, my drugstore scrub of choice. I really consider this to be more of a cleanser with a kick, as it’s not quite the exfoliating powerhouse as some of my other favorites. But here’s why I like it…

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Since my haircut a few weeks ago, I’ve been on a kick to try new hair products and different styles, like the messy, sexy hair look (controlled chaos) common on Victoria’s Secret runways.

Hoping for hot-mama hair of my own, I started using the shampoo, conditioner and spray gel from the new Clairol Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Line ($4 each).

The answer, Ry-Ry, would be “yes.”

I honestly didn’t think anyone would notice, but you gals have such a good eye! After I put up this face of the day, a few of you asked in the comments what I’d done differently with my ‘do.

The Tousle Me Softly shampoo, conditioner and spray gel are part of a six-piece line of cleansers, conditioners and styling products made to work together for soft, sexy, mussed-up hair.

A fine line…

But here’s the thing about the messy hair look: there’s a fine line between “just messy enough to be socially acceptable,” and “plain ol’ jacked-up, busted bed hair.”

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Roadblock.

I hit a bad one this afternoon, ladies, with lots of crying, a debilitating panic attack, hyperventilating, cold sweats and stomach clutching — the whole shebang!

Today started out well. I felt fine this morning, but then I started to think about everything on my to-do list and what I want to finish by Monday (when we head out of town for the holidays), and I death spiraled out of control.

It was NOT one of my better days.

Makeup to the rescue!

I do feel a little better now that I’ve distracted myself with drugstore beauty…

CoverGirl Outlast Lipstains, $8 each

CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain swatches from left to right: Everbloom Kiss, Berry Smooch, Bit of Blossom, Teasing Blush, Flirty Nude ($8 each)

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