Surprise, surprise. There's no reason to open your wallet wide for quality cleansers and moisturizers. In fact, even the fanciest dermatologists and skincare specialists recommend basic drugstore cleansers and moisturizers to clients.
Miami Beach dermatologist Leslie Baumann's favorite moisturizer is an $11 bottle of Cetaphil (according to the November, 2006, issue of O Magazine). In the November 2004 issue of Vogue Magazine, Manhattan dermatologist Lisa Airan (clad in Manolos, a Hermes bag in hand), mentioned her cleanser of choice is Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash (less than $6). This happens to be my favorite cleanser as well, which recently caused my friend Laura to exclaim, "I can't believe you're a beauty expert and you use a cleanser made by Johnson & Johnson!" I explained to her that basic drugstore cleansers do an excellent job of removing excess oils and dirt. You don't need fancy ingredients for that.
When considering moisturizers, you'll want one for body and one for face. Consider your skin type for facial moisturizer -- products are formulated by skin type. For body lotions, consider your needs. Do you have ultra-dry skin that needs super hydrating, or are you looking for a light moisturizer that will soak in fast? Either way, you can find a great buy for under $10 at a drugstore. There's no need to dump $44 on a bottle of Kiehl's Creme de Corps (a body lotion I'm partial to)-- unless you just love the product (I do love Kiehl's lotions).
Excellent drugstore brands: Olay, Neutrogena, Cetaphil, Purpose, Aveeno, Dove.
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