Beauty Products: What to Buy and Skip at the Drugstore

Ah, I have such a love affair with the drugstore--Rite Aid, Walgreens, and CVS are my faves. But before you load up your cart with beauty products, let me share with my tips that could save you some money. Check out What to Buy and Skip at the Drugstore:

BUY: 

• Limited Editions: Drugstores seem to be the only place to find limited edition beauty products. I always have to see what's new, even if I have no plans on buying anything. 
• New and Seasonal Collections: If you want to see the latest beauty seasonal collections, drugstores will always have them first. Plus, many times I've never seen those collections make it to Box Stores (Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, etc). The selection is so much more, since bigger stores have more diverse products to carry.
• Hard-to-Find/Unusual Products: My favorite false lash glue is by Revlon. Even though Revlon is sold everywhere, this product is hard to track down, and I can only find it at drugstores. One of my favorite polish brands is Julie G. and I can only find that at Rite Aid. Jordana Cosmetics is another beauty brand that I can only find at Walgreens.  Drugstores have lots of goodies to be found. Just look!

SKIP:

• Salon Hair Care: It's so tempting to purchase high-end products from a drugstore, since they're at a discount. But have you ever looked at the packaging? There's usually a sticker covering the original upc bar code. Generally, the products are purchased and sold at a discount because they are old, discontinued, surplus, or expired. It's called diversion--there are tons of articles on this practice. That means you could be using expired products on your hair. Or they could even be knock-offs. 
• Beauty Staples: If you want to purchase your favorite tried-and-true beauty products, skip the drugstore and head to the Box stores. Chances are, it will be much cheaper. 

What are your favorite drugstore products?

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