In one of my recent posts, I broke down my budget friendly, tried and true, basic skincare staples for my oily-combo-dehydrated-acne-prone skin.

Below I’m sharing which basic skincare basics I haven’t found ‘budget friendly’ options for; and also sharing which higher priced products I have used and enjoyed for each type of product.

A water based hydrating moisturizer. Let me pause here and say that I think Nourish Organics  and Acure (along with many other brands that can be found at health food stores) may have some great options for this.  I haven’t tried any moisturizers from Nourish Organics or Acure myself but they are the best I have seen so far with consideration of price, product quantity, and ingredients.

A couple water based moisturizers that I have tried and loved that are higher in price are Arcona’s Magic Dry Ice, Lagom Body Co’s Nirvana Face Cream, Eminence’s Clarifying Hydrator, and the Dr. Alkaitis Night Cream.

Eye Cream. Ahh such a grey area. As an esthetician I have to be honest and say that I think it is perfectly okay to simply use your moisturizer as eye cream. there are some eye creams that have great plumping and smoothing effects. I just haven’t tried many eye creams (priced low or high) myself.

I like 100% Pure’s Vanilla Coffee Bean Eye Cream and Arcona’s Eye Dew  but neither of them do noticeably more for me than what I have found my jojoba oil, or other daily moisturizers, do when applied to the eye area.

Daily SPF. This is not a grey area. As an esthetician, I also have to be honest here and say that SPF is the one thing that everyone should be using daily simply for the protection it offers from skin cancer. On a lighter note, its also one of the absolute most effective ways to minimize signs of aging in the skin.

There are two forms of sun protection that are ideal to have on hand, a light and non makeup-y tinted moisturizer with SPF, and a light oil-absorbing setting powder with SPF.

SPF is less effective when makeup is put over top of it and needs to be reapplied every couple of hours to be effective for the whole day. If you wear makeup most days it makes more sense to have an SPF option that can be applied over top of makeup. A tinted moisturizer with SPF is a great option for quick hydration, sun protection, and skin tone evening for no-makeup days.

I love the Josh Rosebrook Nutrient Tinted Day Cream,  Suntegrity 5 in 1 Tinted Moisturizer and  Ilia’s Radiant Translucent Powder with SPF 20. I just wouldn’t categorize these specific products as ‘budget friendly’ and don’t usually purchase these products on a regular basis myself due to their high prices. 

So, there’s the breakdown. But let me be clear, this does not mean there are not quality and affordable options out there! The green beauty industry continues to grow, thrive, and advance in product performance, and I don’t see it halting any time soon.