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Skin Care on the Cheap: 5 Tips (and a Giveaway!)

by 136 Comments

Update: The contest is closed! I’ll be contacting the winner shortly. Thanks for entering. 🙂

Ballin’ on a budget? Yup, I hear ya. If you’re trying to think of ways to save money on your beauty and skin care routine, skin experts like Erin Welch, dermatologist at Denver Dermatology Consultants in Denver, Colorado, suggest hitting up the local drugstore.

“There is definitely a misconception that drugstore products can’t get the job done,” says Dr. Welch, “but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only are you saving lots of money by avoiding the department store for similar products, but you’ll find that some of the items are actually very impressive.”

Here are five drugstore skin care tips (and a giveaway) to keep that purty face lookin’ great!

1. Look for a gentle cleanser and avoid harsh soaps.

Skin produces a layer of natural protectant called the acid mantle, which contains a mixture of oils and other secretions that help it retain moisture and prevent the growth of unhealthy bacteria.

“If you wash your skin with a very harsh soap and strip off the mantle, it takes over 24 hours for the skin to regenerate it,” says Dr. Welch. And if you’re stripping off the acid mantle faster than your body can repair it, you’re leaving your skin vulnerable to drying and more prone to infection.

For sensitive skin, Dr. Welch recommends gentle pH balanced cleansers like pHisoderm Cream Cleanser ($5), pHisoderm Deep Cleaning Cream Cleanser ($5) and pHisoderm Unscented Facial Bar ($5). “All these cleansers will help maintain the skin’s protective acid mantle in order to retain the skin’s natural moisture and healthy balance.”

2. Opt for salicylic acid treatments if you have adult acne.

“Adult women’s skin is very different than teenage skin,” says Dr. Welch. “With time and with age our skin becomes drier, so if you’re experiencing acne, you want to be sure you’re using products that aren’t going to dry your adult skin.

“I tend to steer my adult patients to products that contain salicylic acid only and to use benzoyl peroxide in moderation (or to skip it altogether).” She likes Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash ($6), the Clean & Clear cleansers ($6) and pHisoderm Anti-Blemish Cleansing Pads ($5).

3. Incorporate an effective anti-aging product into your skin care routine.

With so many overpriced and overhyped anti-aging products on the market, how do you choose one that actually works? “I recommend Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum ($20) to my patients,” explains Dr. Welch. “Ranked number one in effectiveness for mass market anti-aging serums by Consumer Reports, this anti-aging serum contains pentapeptides shown to boost colagen prodution and stimulate cell row, helping to smooth out lines.”

4. Remember to apply sunscreen on your lips!

Yes, your face and neck need protection from the skin’s rays, but don’t forget to also protect your lips with a lip balm containing SPF. Dr. Welch recommends Softlips lip balm ($4). It contains SPF 20 and feels smooth upon application — perfect for layering beneath your favorite lipstick or lipgloss.

5. Find a nightime anti-aging treatment.

RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Night Cream ($22) is an intensive anti-wrinkle treatment that works while you sleep to reduce expression lines and deep wrinkles. “This exclusive combination of pure Retinol and an essential mineral complex is a great alternative for people who find prescription strength Retin-A too irritating,” she says.

New Year, New Skin: The pHisoderm and Softlips Giveaway!

I think it’s time for a giveaway. 🙂 Win $60 in skin care products from pHisoderm and Softlips!

Enter today’s Phisoderm and Softlips giveaway by signing up to receive my updates by email or by leaving a comment on this post (or both!). If you’re already signed up for the updates, you don’t have to do anything else to be entered to win — you’re already entered — but you can double your chances by also leaving a comment on this post (a comment about anything at all). 🙂

The Prize

One lucky winner will receive 13 items from the pHisoderm skin care and Softlips lip care lines ($60 value).

  • pHisoderm Cream Cleanser for Sensitive Skin ($5)
  • pHisoderm Anti-Blemish Cleansing Pads ($5)
  • pHisoderm Unscented Facial Cleansing Bar ($5)
  • pHisoderm Deep Cleansing Cream Cleanser for Normal to Dry Skin ($5)
  • pHisoderm Foaming Facial Wash ($7)
  • pHisoderm Anti-Blemish Gel Facial Wash ($5)
  • pHisoderm Anti-Blemish Body Wash ($6)
  • Softlips Raspberry with Green Tea Extract ($4)
  • Softlips Cherry ($4)
  • Softlips Strawberry ($4)
  • Softlips Vanilla ($4)
  • Softlips Tint in Rose ($3)
  • Softlips Tint in Bronze ($3)

How to Enter

Again, there are two ways to enter, and you can do both of them to double your chances.

  1. If you haven’t already signed up to receive Makeup and Beauty Blog daily email updates, then enter your email in the pink box below (or click this link).
  2. If you have already subscribed to the email updates but want to double your chances, add a brief comment at the bottom of this post (be sure to use a valid email address).

Enter your email address:

I’ll choose the winners at random from among the people who enter by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 8. The contest is open to all US and international readers. Good luck, my budget-loving beauties!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Oh yay! International readers too! I’d love to try Phisoderm – we don’t get it here and I love drugstore stuff – sometimes you find hidden (cheap) gems!

    Reply

  5. Oh, I just love the pHisoderm skin care line!
    I really hope luck will be with me this time and I win the goodies!
    Yay! Awesome giveaway

    Reply

  44. Been watching your blog for quite long, when ever I read it I feel refreshed and crazy to try something new. I which I werent so lazy to buy stuff and find them in Iceland. ANYWAYS cheers, and I hope I win too.

    Happy New Year

    Reply

  49. Good Morning Karen!
    Good tips, I didn’t even think about sunscreen for my lips, I’ll have to get some new chapstick 🙂
    Happy Wednesday, closer to the weekend!

    Reply

  50. I used to use Phisoderm in high school and college, but switched to Clinique after getting my first “real” job. Our drugstores don’t seem to carry it anymore, and I was wondering if it was even still around! Good to know it’s available–it was great back in the day! Hope to win and try it again 🙂

    Reply

  58. awwww we don’t have phisoderm in my part of canada. my face feels like an aligator at the moment 🙁 sooo dry

    Reply

  63. Thanks for another opportunity to throw our names in! I’ve just discovered your blog a few weeks ago, and am really enjoying it – catching up w/your old posts at lunch!

    Reply

  66. I never trusted drugstore skincare until I worked at a drugstore and realized there are actually great products available. Love your blog!

    Reply

  67. Awesome giveaway but I do have to say that I’ve heard that Softlips are some of the worst lipbalms you can use chemically.

    Reply

  68. Ooo baby I love me some softlips. Except I always leave them in the pockets of my jeans and then.. you know it… they go through the washer and dryer and I’m crying over another empty tube of softlips.

    Reply

  72. I’ve been using the Clean & Clear in shower Facial and Cetaphyl cleanser, both drugstore brands. I love them!

    I also just bought the Mini-Peel pads from Philosophy, which cost more than my cleansers combined. But what can I say, I love trying new things.

    Now if I could only find a moisturizer that really worked on my dry, flaky skin!

    p. potter´s last blog post..Modern Inconvenience

    Reply

  85. Awesome giveaway! I’d really love to try the pHisoderm body wash, I have tons of pimples in my back, ick! Love the blog Karen, keep up the great work!

    Reply

  88. I’m in. So sorry I’ve been MIA lately…I feel like I have been travelling for the past month…you know how that goes. My family is driving me nuts too. Too many problems for sure.

    How is your mom (IL) doing? I know you, el hub and tabs are getting the year off to a happy start.

    Reply

  90. Ooh, love all the drugstore skincare tips! Will definitely have to look for something with salicylic acid next time I’m there.
    Love all your contests! 🙂

    Reply

  98. I would love to try this line…Its difficult for me to find a good cleanser because of my combo skin…. An d plus i get a couple pimples that pop up once in a while…

    Reply

  103. I love cosmetics from the drugstore…usually when on vacation, I will head to an all night Walgreens or CVS to get a new lipstick or eyeliner (because I have usually forgotten to put it in my makeup bag!)I have found lots of neat shades, and I blend them with the high end products I also purchase from time to time.

    Reply

  107. I love certain drugstore skincare products, cetaphil cleanser, alpha hydrox souffle moisturizer, burt’s bees products, would love to win this prixze!!

    Reply

  111. Want. <3 I used to use a Phisoderm cleanser that was really nice. 😀 And I still use and love the Phisoderm body wash. I think it’s a lot better than the Neutrogena anti-acne one.

    Reply

  113. I want this really bad for my mom. She really wants pretty skin and maybe this’d finally work. But the softlips? All of them? I’m taking them. Especially the tinted one. Oh. Okay. I guess she can have one. Even if I don’t win, I may buy her this stuff. 🙂 Thanks for the suggestions.

    Reply

  123. I’ve been wanting to start with the anti-aging stuff, but there’s so many products out there, it makes my head spin. Plus, not many (not me at least) can afford to keep buying different things to try. This a great way to try out some stuff without breaking the bank. This contest is full of win!

    Reply

  127. I’m always down for drugstore skincare products! In my experience, the topical meds my doctors have prescribed for acne are way too harsh for my skin – I’ve had better results with OTC products (from Walgreens, natch!).

    Reply

  129. OMG – I just came upon this website by accident – how lucky am I?! I used to constantly check Sephora.com for updates on new makeup, etc but I am now sold on the Makeup and Beauty Blog!!!!

    Reply

  130. OOO i want in! I need a skin care regimen–i have to admit that i usually don’t even wash my face before bed :-O

    Reply

  133. I’ve always had these wrinkles on the bottom of my eyes…since I was 15! I’d love to find a way to get rid of them, and I think I might have to start some anti wrinkle cream 🙁

    Reply

  136. I just found your blog today, and was totally hypnotized by all the pretty eye shadow makeup tips! Good thing I scrolled to the bottom. Please enter me in the contest too! 🙂

    Reply

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