We all know that the pursuit of youth and beauty as we age can cost a pretty penny. First, advertisers create a beauty ideal that no one can live up to and then they sell us products that are supposed to make us look like the perfect, airbrushed models in their ads (who don’t even look that good in real life themselves). If I sound bitter, I think I might not be the only person out there who has become disillusioned with the beauty industry as a whole. And yet, what I have learned over time is that some of these products actually deliver what they promise (although to varying degrees). The trick is to find something that works and stick to it if possible, at least so long as your skin is responding. Fess up, ladies: even when you find something that works you’re still compelled to try other products (often with disastrous results). And further, you’re willing to spend way too much money in the process. However, there are ways to find effective beauty treatments that don’t cost a fortune. Here are a few options that will help you out.
For starters, you should always seek out samples of any products you want to try. By simply going to manufacturer websites or beauty counters you can often get trial size, or even full size bottles of the latest beauty treatments on the market. You might even get coupons to buy more should you decide you like the product. But another good idea is to read side-by-side reviews. These can help you to discover products that contain similar ingredients and offer nearly identical results, with the benefit that some are significantly less expensive than others. Just look at how the Olay Regenerist line has stacked up in blind tests – it nearly always comes out ahead of far pricier competitors. Reading user reviews may also be helpful, although you should take these with a grain of salt since women have a wide variety of skin woes and their reviews can be fairly subjective.