In these days of budget concerns many fashion fanatics are having to tighten their Zac Posen belts. There are essentials that we shouldn't live without. A good moisturizer is one. Make-up and skin care products need to be replenished. Here are some of my favorites products available at my local drugstore or online. 
- I love Fiberwig mascara. At $24 it's a purchase I have to think twice about. Now there is L'Oreal Double Extend Beauty Tubes
. The price of $9 makes it my new favorite mascara. If you are unfamiliar with tubing mascaras the idea is simple. Your lashes are coated in a flexible polymer that stays and stays. I have the bad habit of rubbing my eyes during the day. I used to end up with raccoon eyes. Not now. This mascara is also really, truly waterproof. I can watch a marathon of Lassie and The Waltons without a smudge. It cleans off easily with regular facial cleanser.
- Go pro on EBay. Not as a seller but as a wise shopper. When replenishing my daytime moisturizer or facial cleanser I put in the names of my favorites and add the word "pro" or "professional." This gives me salon size products. I pay the same for a 6 ounce size tube of moisturizer as I would for the 3 ounce size in a store. Only buy products that are brand new.
- I'm often frustrated with foundations that seem to look great in the store, but when I wear them in the real world they look fake. I have been a fan of Almay Smart Shade foundation for a while now. It is my wear-to-work foundation. You choose from one of three shades, light, light/medium, or medium. It comes out of the tube white and transforms into the shade you need for your skin. I can use the same shade in the middle of summer as I do in the dead of winter. This foundation is a sheer coverage. It's very natural looking. Smart Shade has a SPF 15 included. There is a new Smart Shade Anti-Aging that I haven't tried yet with a SPF of 20.
- If you have heart palpitations over the cost of eye cream don't worry, there are more affordable choices. When I travel my eyes will become puffy. I discovered Biore Enliven Cooling Eye Gel and it's now my travel buddy. It has a blend of golden root, yeast, and sugar beet extracts which de-puff my eyes. Enliven Cooling Eye Gel also has cucumber extract which is soothing. At a reasonable $10 you can keep one in your suitcase and one in your bathroom.
