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Budget Beauty Junkie

Even if you're a budget beauty junkie, money can get a bit tight around the holidays. I love giving scented presents as gifts because they're a little bit of luxury and sensory delight, yet are perfectly useful and won't add to the clutter on your mantle or bookshelves. And yet, with all the stress and cold weather, you need just a little something for yourself, too.

This month, I decided to play a little game: spend just $10 at five stores and see how far my budget would take me. I tried a lot of very good products (and a few not so great, to save you from disappointment). Perhaps it's not too late for you to stave off holiday insanity.

I'll admit I shop at Target primarily because of its proximity to Taco Bell and Mekong Restaurant. Selection in the bath and beauty department changes regularly, with poor selling brands or products making way for new offerings every few months. Each new reset has something new and exclusive.

SkinMilk Smoothies Shower Gel, Juicy Plum ($4.99)

The mod, Pucci-esque purple bottle and promise of 5 percent milk protein quickly attracted me to this new product. I tried not to worry that $5 is a high price for only 8 ounces of product. The smell inside the bottle was subtle. In the shower, the rigid plastic bottle made it impossible to deliver a measured amount of gel. Instead, what I got was a large white glop that didn't really dissolve or lather, and didn't rinse away well either. I can only hope that this remains the worst shower gel I've tried this year. Got milk, indeed.

Neutrogena Triple Moisture Dry Scalp Soothing Shampoo ($4.99)

Until recently, Selsun and Head & Shoulders had cornered the market on products for dry scalp and dandruff. Perhaps realizing that nearly everyone suffers from dry scalp or flakiness from time to time, companies such as Neutrogena now offer similar formulas with the same main ingredient, pyrithione zinc. The medicine goes down (on?) a bit easier with the addition of mint, sweet almond oil and apricot extract. The result was that scalp felt much less itchy and tight, although the rest of my hair looked a bit flat and limp.

I like Walgreens quite a lot due to the selection and the sales. Something I've been meaning to try is ALWAYS on sale. The separate cosmetics counter cash register is very handy, and more often than not there is a knowledgeable and helpful person behind it.

Prince Matchabelli Cotton Candy Body Spray and Deodorant Gift Set ($6.99)

This Cotton Candy scent is one that I find myself spritzing when I visit the drugstore, for a quick sugar rush. It's similar to, but not a direct duplicate of, the popular Aquolina perfume Pink Sugar. For the dirt-cheap price (two full-size products) I was impressed with the lasting power. The deodorant body spray is not a deodorant in the usual sense, but more like a body spray with a silkier texture. The pump body spray is also great to use as a linen mist. The boxed set is perfect for a gift, probably marketed at young ladies. I won't tell if you won't.

Walgreens High Intensity Body Wash, Sport Scent ($2.99)

This is Walgreens' version of Old Spice High Endurance shower gel, and this 18-ounce bottle is about half the price of the brand name version. My significant other likes the Old Spice line of shaving and deodorant products, and had mentioned he would like a shower gel to match. I picked this mostly for him (and because the price was right), but in the name of science I used it as well. I thought the Sport Scent's green and cedarwood notes were blended just right. The formula is highly colored, and I could see the blue gel all over my arms and legs, but it lathered up and rinsed away very well. The packaging indicates that it can be used as a shampoo as well, but I wasn't brave enough to try it.

Wal-Mart is an interesting place to shop for bath and beauty products. The prices can be all over the place, and it isn't necessarily always the cheapest , nor is the selection all that extensive. However, it's definitely a competitor. Considering how often we budget-minded folks shop there for other everyday items such as food and clothing, it can be the easiest place to pick up a little something new. I'd like to brag that I came in a whopping $2 under budget!

Tree Hut Original Shea Scrub ($5.89)

As far as I know, Wal-Mart is the only store in the area that carries Tree Hut. I'll admit that I don't make it to Wal-Mart more than a few times a year, but I'd heard great things about the Tree Hut brand and made it a point to check it out. This is a medium-scrubby sugar scrub in a base of shea oil and other moisturizers. It's got a lovely, sweet and nutty scent, and was a pleasure to use although it will leave your shower or tub slippery like most sugar and oil based scrubs. This is at least as nice as scrubs I've tried at double or triple the price, like those from Origins or The Body Shop. It's probably the best mass-market scrub I've tried so far.

Bodycology Pomegranate Body Wash ($2.89)

I'm a pomegranate freak. I'll pretty much buy anything scented, flavored, or otherwise associated with pomegranates. I also have had good experiences with the Bodycology line of soaps and lotions in the past. This new body wash has shea beads and a moisturizing formula. Especially now that it's winter switching to a richer shower gel is a pretty smart idea. And the scent is juicy, sweet and tart in turns, with hints of grapefruit and red currant. There's really no reason to buy Philosophy's much higher priced shower gels with these on the market.

Basically the polar opposite of Wal-Mart (locally owned, close to the center of the city, and environmentally conscious), this natural foods grocery store also carries many natural skincare and beauty products. Apart from some well-established natural brands such as Kiss My Face, Jason and Aubrey Organics, I had no idea what was in store for me (pun intended).

Giovanni Tea Tree Triple Treat Shampoo ($6.99)

With the crazy weather lately, my hair has been completely unpredictable and uncomfortable, and the dandruff shampoo I tried wasn't a full success. I thought it might be helpful to try something more natural and gentle than my usual shampoo. It contains none of usual cleansers such as Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate, and has tea tree oil and peppermint extract to soothe my cranky scalp. The first time I used it, I worked it into my hair and let it sit. It tingled like crazy and smelled delicious. I was really impressed with the results. My hair was clean and bouncy without feeling stripped dry, and there were no flakes. The packaging camouflages the fact that there are a mere 8 ounces inside, and it's hard to use just a little. The product comes out in an aloe-vera gel like glop. All the same, I'd say it's worth the price if you're struggling with dry scalp.

Giovanni 50/50 remoisturizing conditioner ($4.99)

I've read that some people try to avoid silicone in hair products. Most conditioners and other de-frizzing or shine products have at least a trace (and some have a lot). This is not a conditioner for those with coarse, curly, or tangle-prone hair. It is a light conditioner that's great for fine or average hair. It had a very faint soapy-citrus scent, and rinsed out very easily. Probably this formula is not enough moisture for my hair right now, but might be nice for summer. I experienced the best results when I left this on for about 3 minutes, rather than rinsing out right after application. Both this product and the shampoo contain many organic oils and extracts. For shoppers interested in a more natural formula that still performs well, I'd encourage research into these and other products in the line.

Where I grew up in the Midwest, there were no CVS stores, although I'm told they're plentiful now. After I moved east, I grew quite fond of the stores and usually visited to find the latest and greatest mascara, foundation, or lipstick. I still enjoy the frequent sales and ExtraBucks!

Essence of Beauty Shower Gel, Lemon Twist ($3.33)

I happened to visit CVS at a time when the Essence of Beauty (EoB) bath and skincare line was on sale at three products for $10. I saw this as a sign that I should indeed buy three of these products and call it a day. This shower gel was quite nice – a lovely, lemon-zest scent with lots of bubbles and a clean rinse. The price per ounce is slightly higher than the Bodycology shower gel from Wal-Mart, but it's still a great value and a good formula.

Essence of Beauty Hand Cream, Blue Ocean ($3.33)

The packaging boasts that it contains Shea Butter, which has become my gold standard for chapped hand relief. Alas, I didn't read the ingredient label until I got home, which lists shea butter as the ninth ingredient, just underneath fragrance. Experiencing this product was not pleasant, and even the scent was plastic or artificial and cheap. It's worth paying a bit more for a higher-quality product with better moisturizers.

Essence of Beauty Hand Wash, Pomegranate Apple ($3.33)

I couldn't pass up the pomegranate, and I wasn't disappointed with the scent or the fragrance. This is a richer, mellower scent. The fragrance is quite strong and lingers – my significant other remarked that he thought I'd gotten some perfume on him until we realized it was the soap. This hand wash comes in a convenient and attractive pump that cleans well and rinses away, but doesn't leave the hands feeling dried out. It's perfect in a guest bathroom or by the kitchen sink, too!

It was a lot of work trying all these products, and a real challenge to stay on budget. My assessment is that mass marketers have wised up and realized that the packaging and fragrances of even low-priced products need to be attractive in order to attract customers.

Overall I was very surprised at the high quality of many items, especially considering how affordable and accessible they were. That's it for this month – I wish you all the best of this season and a happy new year!

w LAST TIME OUT: Tools for runway-worthy looks at home .

Amy George is an urban planner by day, a graduate student by night and a full-time devotee of all things beauty and perfume related. She keeps track of her latest beauty finds at modernatelier.blogspot.com.