Skin Care

The Real Difference Between Affordable and Expensive Skin Care

Eye creams, face oils, sheet masks, oh my. Here, what to buy when you're feeling thrifty and what's worth spending on when it's time to indulge

by Amanda Montell | COMMENT

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Save vs. Splurge: Facial Scrub The Save: Boots Botanics Age Defense Microdermabrasion Polish, $12.99

The Splurge:
Fresh Sugar Face Polish, $62

The Breakdown:
Skin-care junkies on a budget can afford to pinch pennies with their exfoliator, according to Frey. "Save your money on your cleansers and first steps," he advises. In other words, as long as you're not "harming your skin with a harsh cleanser," this is not the place to get nitpicky about ingredients and percentages.

Keeping that in mind, Fresh's sugar scrub is the ultimate splurge. Infused with brown sugar, crushed strawberries and a variety of natural oils, it exfoliates, heals and softens skin, while making it smell amazing.

But if you can't blow 60 bucks on sugar, this Boots scrub gets the job done. It's not technically microdermabrasion, but the fine particles smoothen skin nicely, while the plant extracts leave it feeling soft. No hypnotizing smell, but skin tends to be okay with that.

SEE NEXT PAGE: Save vs. Splurge: Daily Moisturizer

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