16 Best Drugstore Beauty Deals

Here, 16 foolproof ways to look pretty on a dime.

1. Hydrate Hair
Oils are a treat for summertime strands: They keep hair smooth, shiny, and manageable. Apply a dime-size amount throughout locks, then blow out as usual. Try Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Miracle Dry Oil ($6, drugstores). If you have fine hair prone to limpness, use the oil as a pre-shampoo treatment instead: Work a spritz through hair; let it soak in while you shave, exfoliate, etc.; and then shampoo it out. The oils will counteract any dryness or coarsening caused by hair coloring or overexposure to the sun.

2. Shave Smarter
De-fuzz the night before you hit the beach, pool, or park, and you'll cut the chance of skin irritation from sunscreen or mosquito spray, says David Bank, M.D., a dermatologist in Mount Kisco, NY. And pick a packable shaver: The lightweight Schick Hydro Silk Refillable Razor ($10, drugstores; available only through August) comes with a compact travel cover that shields the blade. Plus, its five-blade design delivers a close shave minus the nicks.

Related: 30 Beauty Deals for $10 or Less

3 and 4. Lighten Up on Lips
Glossy color looks bright and feels right for summer. Sure, you have to reapply it, but sheer hues make mirror-free touch-ups easy. Try Pati Dubroff Beauty Luster Lips ($12, patidubroffbeauty.com) or Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter ($8, drugstores).

5. Skip Mascara
When it's superhot, spare your lashes from hard-to-remove waterproof mascara. Instead, try makeup artist Pati Dubroff's trick: Make them look fuller at the base with a stay-put eyeliner like Rimmel London ScandalEyes Waterproof Eyeliner ($5, drugstores): Dark brown and silver flatter fair to medium skin; black suits darker tones.

6 and 7. Give Locks a Lift
"A foam mousse does the trick for all-over volume and leaves hair really soft and silky," says Jacob Schmidt, stylist at the Serge Normant at John Frieda Salon in New York City. Try Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Boost & Lift Foaming Air Mousse ($4, drugstores). On thin, stick-straight hair, use only a root lifter at the crown to avoid weighing down locks. Try John Frieda Luxurious Volume Root Booster Blow Dry Lotion ($6.50, drugstores).

8. Lather Up Safely
In T-shirt and sandal season, exfoliating makes skin feel soft, but ditch the loofah: "It's a bacterial colony waiting to happen," says New York City dermatologist Heidi Waldorf, M.D. Lather up with a washcloth (and launder weekly) or try Daily Concepts Your Exfoliating Gloves ($16, dailyconcepts.com); a handy tag fades when it's time to replace them.

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9 and 10. Pass the Powder Puff
Powder - the translucent kind, blush, or bronzer - can turn splotchy or cakey when you perspire. But a cream-to-powder formula like L'Oréal Paris Visible Lift Color Lift Blush (drugstores) or a cream like Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Crème Bronzer (Target) will stay smooth. If you use a bronzer, matte (like Kashuk's) looks the most natural: Blend it on your temples and cheeks, and put a touch on the bridge of your nose - spots the sun would normally hit, where shimmer might look odd.

11. Refresh Fast
"A spritzer is great when your face feels a little grimy,"says Dubroff. "It freshens and hydrates skin. And as long as you're spritzing it lightly, not showering in it, it won't interfere with your makeup." Try Boots Botanics Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz ($8, Target).

12. Shimmer Softly
Reserve that subtle glimmer for your décolletage or for along the shinbone, where its light-reflecting ability can help make skin look smoother and legs appear longer. Try Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Glow-Boosting Shimmer Veil ($15, drugstores), which delivers a mist of color through an atomizer.

13. Try a One-Day Tan
Steal this red-carpet strategy from celebs: Use body makeup, like Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs Lotion ($14, drugstores; four shades), to even out skin and minimize spider veins for special events like summer weddings. It goes on like lotion (apply to dry skin), and your commitment lasts only until your next shower. If the color isn't a perfect match, go a shade darker (you can mix it with a plain body lotion to lighten as needed). Before you head out the door, press with a paper towel to absorb any excess - but not too hard, or you could leave behind texture marks, advises makeup artist Landy Dean.

Related: Best Anti-Aging Beauty Products

14. Air-Dry Curls
Blow dryer heat makes ringlets frizzy, says Adam Maclay of Patrick Melville Salon in New York City. Use a curl cream, like L'Oréal Paris EverCurl Hydracharge Leave-In Cream ($9, drugstores), twirling curls with your fingers and letting them dry naturally.

15 and 16. Look Poreless
Sweat and makeup can clog pores, making them look more obvious, Dr. Waldorf notes. For a quick fix, wear a silicone-based primer under makeup; it smooths the skin's surface. Try Boots No7 Stay Perfect Primer ($10, Target). To degunk pores, use a cleanser with the dead-skin sloughers alpha hydroxy acid and salicylic acid, like Neutrogena Pore Refining Daily Cleanser ($8, drugstores).

What are your best beauty bargain finds? Let me know in the comments!

-by Nina Judar

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