Vaseline: Cheap, readily available, and mulitpurpose

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? The very base of any beauty routine should be items that keep your skin looking great, such as lotions and cleansers. Now I don't know about you guys, but its currently winter where I live and the temps are freezing or below which means my skin is dry and wind burned if I braved the elements enough to leave my abode. The cause of dry skin during winter is how dry the air is, which will pull moisture from your skin. Regular cream lotions will help put moisture back in but you need to seal the moisture in to really solve the problem. Now you can spend big bucks and buy special nighttime emollient lotions or extra hydrating tonics, or you can spend a buck and a half on a giant tub of Vaseline and do the same thing.

Vaseline is one of those multipurpose items that people seem to forget about all the time. Just Google Vaseline beauty uses and you'll get over half a million hits. I know people who use it to keep unruly eyebrow hairs at bay (use it like you would hair gel, just a little smear), you can use it on your cheekbones to highlight them, works as a lipgloss/chapstick, I've even heard of people using it on their split ends before. But my favorite is to use it on my dry and wind burned skin before bed so I wake up to softened knees and elbows and unchapped lips and hands. You can even go the extra mile and put cotton gloves or socks on to really enhance the effect while you sleep.

And the great thing is Vaseline is cheap and available everywhere! I have a giant tube of knock off brand I bought for under $2 (I bought it originally to protect the skin on my face, ears, and neck from hair dye when I use to dye my hair blue or purple. Worked like a charm and kept the bleach from giving me a chemical burn) and a smaller jar that is perfect for throwing in my bag when I go places. Both were purchased at my local Rite Aid, but you can buy them at just about any store, even the dollar store! Use a generic brand for even greater savings, and you'll really be feeling luxurious.