Drug Store Beauty Essentials on a College Budget

By Briana Luca, Student at Iona College

Living at college on a student’s budget is not the easiest thing in the world. Most college students don’t work, and if they do, it’s a minimum wage job.

It’s difficult to keep up with expenses and the responsibility of living on your own. The financial burden that college students are experiencing nowadays is tough.

It’s easy for boys to get away with it; they don’t really have too many necessities, but us girls have to stick together. It’s tough for us because we need a lot more than boys do ... and girls naturally like to spend more money on beauty products than boys.

Beauty products are essential to every college girl’s life and living on a limited budget can make that more difficult. High-end products like MAC or anything at Sephora are simply out of the question during the school months.

What us girls forget is that down the block from your dorm room is probably a CVS, Walgreens or another local drug store where you will be able to find any beauty product. There are hidden treasures everywhere, but the best part is that you don’t need to pinch your wallet to get them.

1. Olay Complete All Day UV Moisture Cream
A good, inexpensive moisturizer is hard to find, but it’s an important product to have (especially during the frigid winter months). This Olay product costs anywhere from $6 to $8 at your normal drugstore, almost half the price of other moisturizer. It might seem that you are skimping on quality, but with this cream, you definitely are not. It has a light texture so it doesn’t feel heavy and oily on your skin, though you can feel the moisture directly affecting your face immediately. After two or three uses, you will see a definite difference.

2. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain
A good tinted lip balm or lipstick is hard to come by. For a college girl, some feel that a lipstick is too heavy for a daily beauty routine, but we still want a bit of color. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable is a product sent from the beauty gods! Just like the moisture cream, this Kissable Balm Stain runs anywhere from $6 to $8. It has the light feeling of a lip balm with a hint of mint, making your lips tingle with goodness but also has a tinted color that actually shows up on your lips. It creates a fantastic blend of a balm and lipstick, the perfect fit for any college girl on the run.

3. John Frieda Frizz Ease Finishing Creme
Hair products are a must for all women, especially if you have unruly, frizzy hair. Most women purchase hair creams and oils from their local hair salons that cost more than $20, which is ridiculous. Even though those products work, spending that much just isn’t in a college girl’s budget. For frizzy hair, John Frieda is your go-to guy. His finishing cream is magic. You apply it to dry, styled hair and it instantly gives you a smooth and shiny look with not a frizz in sight. It lasts all day and your hair stays fresh. The price is half of what you would pay in a salon, anywhere between $6 to $10.

4. E.L.F Cream Eyeliner
E.L.F is an underrated company. Some think that because most of their products are under $5, the quality is poor, but it most definitely is not. This cream eyeliner is one of the best out there. It’s not liquidly and has a good, cream base which allows for easy application and it stays on all night. This is the best buy I’ve ever seen because a good-sized container of it costs only $3. That’s a steal.

5. SkinnyGirl Cleansing Facial Cloths
Bethenny Frankel has created a one-woman empire with her SkinnyGirl products from cocktails to diet food to beauty products. Her SkinnyGirl Cleansing Facial Cloths cost around $5 and are perfect for taking off your makeup after a long night. They are soft on your face, really getting a deep clean. They don’t have an alcohol base but a cucumber and aloe base and you can feel the difference.

There it is ... all the beauty essentials you need on a daily basis for under $10. Go search around your local drugstore, and I promise you will find something that suits both you and your wallet!

[Image from SkinnyGirl website]