The light sesame-infused formula of Neutrogena Body Oil, $9.99 not only smells divine but is so weightless and sheer that it seems to vanish the moment you rub it on, leaving behind soft, silky, luminous skin. Tip: Apply immediately after the shower while skin is still moist or pour a capful into your bath for a peerless skin-smoothing soak.
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Indulge your hair
Proving that you really don't have to spend a million to feel like a million is the perennial hair care fave, the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeep Conditioner, $3.25. When it comes to heavy-duty conditioning, this yummy smelling Aussie product has no equal. As one All Star Total Beauty reviewer says, it "Doesn't leave a build up. Doesn't weigh hair down. Makes hair soft but manageable." All for less than $5. Doesn't really get much better than that.
Reading women's magazines can be depressing. Not only do the pages showcase impossibly beautiful (and thin) models, most of the featured clothes and makeup products are cost prohibitive for the majority of us. Sure, it'd be nice to be able to drop $200 on a neck cream or $1,200 on a cute dress for work, but given the state of the economy (and most of our less-than-robust checking account balances) such exorbitant splurges likely aren't in the cards.
Of course, fashion and lifestyle magazines are meant to be aspirational, to be glossy representations of what life would be like "if" -- (the "if" being "if" you had unlimited funds, no job to show up for, a 5'10" 120 lb. frame, George Clooney on your arm and, why not, a pied a terre on St. Barth's) and that's why we read them -- to escape from our real lives for a brief moment in time. (And, yes, to glean a makeup, hair and fashion tip or two.)
But then, if we can't plunk down a black Amex at Prada or drop a bundle at Sephora, what's a girl (with limited means) to do when we're craving a little glamour, when we have a hankering for a "pick me up" of the beauty persuasion?
