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Although economists and politicians keep pointing to “green shoots” of joy spreading through the economy, few of us are feeling optimistic enough to begin splurging on beauty products. I have trimmed my beauty budget and searched for drugstore alternatives to the expensive department store brands. It was a very illuminating search. For one thing, I found several cleansers, scrubs, moisturizers and anti-aging products that are orders of magnitude cheaper than department store brands, but more effective. I will be posting my recommendations in a series of posts here on Shopplr. Let’s start with the cleansers.

Here are my top 5 facial cleansers. I’ve tried them all, with great success. If you like them, get them from Drugstore.com. I order a lot of products from Drugstore.com because they offer free shipping and there’s no sales tax!

(1) Biore SkinPreservation Clean Things Up Nourishing Gel Cleanser: Takes off all dirt and makeup, including mascara, but does not strip the skin. I use this in the summer when my skin is slightly oilier and there’s more dirt and grime in the air. I also use it when I go to cities that are hot and humid. I would not recommend this product to people who have very dry skin.

(2) CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser: A non-foaming, very gentle, opaque cleanser that is good for people with dry and sensitive skin, but it does not really take off all makeup. Not good for removing mascara. You need to use a mascara remover first. I use this cleanser only in the mornings or when my skin feels dry and irritated, or if I have not been wearing any makeup. It’s good for the hands, too.

(3) Neutrogena Fresh Foaming Scrub: A much better scrub than any of the expensive department store brands I’ve tried. The particles are very small, so they are not irritating. It is good for normal to oily skin. It does not leave the skin feeling tight and dry.

(4) Olay Foaming Face Wash, Sensitive Skin: A gentle effective cleanser for sensitive skin. I use this when my skin feels very dry and fragile (for example, if I have been out swimming for a long time, or very cold dry wintry weather.

(5) Garnier Nutritioniste Nutri-Pure Detoxifying Wet Cleansing Towelettes — Oil Free: if you prefer cleansing cloths or need to cleanse in a place where there is no running water (i.e. when you are traveling on a plane, boat, train or when hiking), these are absolutely the best. I’ve tried at least three other types of cleansing cloths, but Garnier’s beats all of them. It takes off all dirt and makeup, even waterproof mascara, but leaves your skin feeling moisturized. I even forget to put moisturizer after using this product.

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To buy the products I’ve mentioned above, please click on link to Drugstore.com below.

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