T SEEMS like everyone's on a budget these days and beauty junkies everywhere are looking for ways to stretch their beauty dollar. Yours truly has been pounding the pavement looking for the season's best indulgences and some less expensive counterparts for the frugal-minded. So whether you're facing summer's drying heat, or winter's blustery chill, here is a shopping list sure to provide just what you're looking for.
   Skincare is the biggest expenditure for many beauty mavens and I'm no exception. What I've spent on my face could have paid for cosmetic surgery by now. So when it came time to get stocked up on my favourites, I went looking for some sensibly-priced alternatives. (A note from your author: I'm not suggesting that these products are identical in either ingredients or performance. They are just alternatives for the budget-minded, like myself, who are in serious danger of exceeding the national debt on eye cream expenses.)
   My favourite cleanser from DDF, Blemish Foaming Cleanser with AHAs and BHAs is $24, but my new favourite store, Sally Beauty Supply, has Beyond Belief Foaming Cleanser, also with

They are just alternatives for the budget-minded, like myself, who are in serious danger of exceeding the national debt on eye cream expenses

AHAs and BHAs, and also soothing botanicals and panthenol was only $7·99! My Lancôme Vitabolic Deep Radiance Booster also had to be replaced, and at $52, I had to choose between my favourite moisturizer and my phone bill. Thankfully, I found a way to pay for both! Beyond Belief, again from Sally Beauty Supply, also makes a Vitamin C serum with ginkgo biloba, and it has vitamin A and Bee Pollen as well, for only $5·99. If you don't have Sally Beauty Supply stores near you, another line worth looking into for antioxidant skincare is the all-natural line, Jason. Found in many health food stores, this line has put much emphasis on Vitamin C formulations and the like, and is very competitively priced. (See source list below.)
   White tea is all the rage since Origins introduced 'A Perfect World' product range featuring the tea's potent antioxidant benefits. A Perfect World Highly Hydrating Body Lotion with White Tea ($25) is a fabulous choice for lavishing some TLC on those legs. What? You say the rent's due on the flat but you still have to avoid alligator skin? Try out Bath and Body Works' White Tea and Ginger Lotion for a very sensible $9.
   If a lotion won't cut it, you could try Frédéric Fekkai's sinfully decadent La Crème Luxeuse with Shea Butter for $65. If the price tag's giving you a case of the vapours, try out Bath and Body Works’ Lay It On Thick Shea Butter Body Cream for $15 to fill in until you get that promotion.
   Next I needed to replace my favourite fragrance. This was going to be tough. Annick Goutal's Eau du Sud, a clean fragrance with citrus green base and spicy soft wood notes, costs $95! I love it dearly, but something else would have to take its place this season. That is how I found the ultra-fabulous Clarins favourite, Eau Dynamissante. The notes are strikingly similar. However, Eau Dynamissante not only smells wonderful, it's great for the skin. Its formula is toning to the skin, thanks to ginseng and horsetail extracts, and is safe to wear in the sun. How have I missed this all these years? At $42, it's a steal.

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TOP ROW: (Inset) Sinfully decadent, Frédéric Fekkai’s La Crème Luxeuse with Shea Butter retails for $65. They are not substitutes for one another, but possible alternatives: DDF Blemish Foaming Cleanser (left in this column) is at $24, but Beyond Belief’s equivalent (right) is at $7·99. SECOND ROW: Similarly, Lancôme Vitabolic Deep Radiance Booster (left) is priced at $52; Beyond Belief’s (right) can be had for $5·99, allowing author Johnson to pay her phone bill as well. THIRD ROW: Origins A Perfect World Highly Hydrating Body Lotion with White Tea retails at $25.