Best of the Beauty Aisle

This summer, I’m pregnant and all about saving time and money. But a girl needs her beauty staples, after all. A trip to Target with (or without!) your kids can provide cheap fun for all, and have Mama headed home with some amazing products sans the major price tag.

We all love our luxe cosmetics, but I’ve had a lot of fun this summer with a brand I recently discovered called New York Color. Their stuff is ridiculously cheap (we’re talking $2 lipstick) but quite high-quality and on-trend. It’s a great line to explore with your daughters for some rainy-afternoon fun, as it hardly matters if they Bogart the gloss or mess up the mascara wand. At that price, just chuck it. In any case, they offer a great top coat that turns any polish into a matte look — I’m loving this for a fun twist on summer colors, and it looks especially pretty over pastel colors, white, and so on. And at $1.99, this is a no-brainer.

Hiding your Clinique Chubby Stick from those grabby paws? I don’t blame you — with saturated color and shiny finish, nothing beats a balm with chutzpah. But Neutrogena’s answer to the stick balm doesn’t disappoint, and with an $8 Target price tag, these are a better option for sharing with your kiddos. Plus, they’re not as potent as regular lipstick, so your hubby might not even notice that you’re letting her play with makeup! I keep one of these stashed in my car at all times for a last-minute pop of smoothing, pretty color. Since you don’t need a mirror for applying, they’re great on the go. Target.com or in-store.

I recently read a piece on natural beauty and health solutions — among them my favorites like coconut oil (that I literally use for everything from crow’s feet to eczema to stretch mark prevention), and some not-so-appealing ideas like charcoal as teeth whitener (not seeing the logic there!). But among those I was intrigued to try was apple cider vinegar. I have super-sensitive skin so I skipped the skin tonic option but gave it a whirl as a natural hair conditioner and was shocked at the results. I haven’t cut my hair since December, so it could use a pick-me-up, but five minutes soaked in apple cider vinegar post-shampooing created the lustrous, glossy shine that a salon conditioning treatment would. This is an easy summer refresher and you can grab it any drug or grocery store. Shine on, ladies!