there are times — usually when we’re a week away

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As much as we love our fancy lotions and potions, there are times — usually when we’re a week away from payday and our bank accounts are in the single digits — that we just can’t shell out major $$$ on beauty essentials. The good news is you don’t have to: There are gads of high-performance, low-cost beautifiers to be found at your local drugstore...if you know where to look.

To help you navigate budget beauty, we went bargain bin-diving to bring you our fave cheapie picks for hair, skin, body, and makeup. We also polled a few famous faces — Jason Wu, Chanel Iman, Amanda Hearst, and Redken creative consultant Guido Palau — to find out what wallet-friendly products they swear by. Scrounge up the loose change in your sofa cushions and read on for the DL on the best beauty products that (very little) money can buy.

What are your go-to bargain beauty buys?

Photographed by Guang Xu

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