I don’t shy away from luxury products. While I’m not buying La Mer, I have no problem doling out money for skin care. But, sometimes you just don’t need to spend top dollar. The drugstore version of some products are up to par. While I’ve tried (and loved) the luxe versions of the below products, I find myself defaulting to the lower cost options over and over. No shame if you have the money and want to spend on the luxury items, I can vouch they’re all great. But I’m here to tell you, sometimes I opt for the cheaper versions of certain products. Not everything needs to be aspirational, including your toothpaste.
So, here are four self-care items where I actually prefer the “cheap” options. Granted, the packaging on all the more expensive items is by far preferable, but, that’s what closed storage is for….hiding the ugly but useful.
Toothpaste: I’ve used Marvis. The packaging is gorgeous and the brand has a great reputation. I like Marvis a lot. But, I have been using Crest for as long as I’ve had teeth. And it works. The version with Scope is extra minty and it makes my mouth feel sparkly. As long as my tube of toothpaste can live behind my medicine cabinet, I’ll stick with the Crest.
Floss: I was drawn into the allure of Cocofloss a few years ago. Floss has never been cooler. And it works. It has a really cool texture and certainly does the job. But, Oral-B knows what they’re doing. Their stuff works just as well. Plus it’s normally what the dentist gives me in their goody-bags so I trust that it’s a solid choice. When getting debris out from between my teeth, I don’t need cool, I just need functional.
Hand Soap: My friend who has a British husband turned me on to Molton Brown hand soap. She always has it in her bathroom and I love their scents. At the end of the day though, I just want my hands to be clean. Softsoap does the job, suds well and doesn’t have a strong scent (as much as I love Molton Brown, some people are sensitive to certain smells). Plus, I would never decant the Molton Brown and I can put the Softsoap in a beautiful soap pump.
Body Wash: I love Philosophy. I have intense loyalty to their Purity face wash. Their body wash is nice. And you can often find it on sale. But, if Aveeno is good enough for Jennifer Anniston, then it’s good enough for me. Their body wash gets a great lather and I love the subtle scent. Definitely not overpowering.
I’m happy to spend less on these things to free up more cash for important things like throw pillows….priorities.