MyChelle Fruit Enzyme Cleanser ($9.69 for 2.1 oz, $17.29 for 4.4 oz)
No matter how many times we use this cleansing gel, we still can’t believe how well it works with such a teeny, tiny amount. This is truly a fantastic, refreshing gel cleanser suitable for any skin type. It’s gentle but thorough (however, for makeup removal, we recommend Boscia MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil), and has fruit and sugar extracts for a little light exfoliating.

MyChelle Fruit Enzyme Scrub ($17.19 for 2.3 oz)
We readily admit to being bargain hunters for face scrubs, even subjecting our skin to those rough walnut shell varieties (bad!), but we have redeemed ourselves by using this scrub. The scrub particles (jojoba beads and bamboo stem powder) are gentle enough as to not damage the skin, while the fruit enzymes gently but effective work to get rid of dull, lifeless skin. We are also happy to only need a tiny dab for our whole face. We recommend enjoying Fruit Enzyme Scrub every other day in the shower.

MyChelle Fruit Fiesta Peel ($28.39 for 1.2 oz)
Don’t misunderstand – we love facials and their pampering, rejuvenating benefits – but we feel like we are cheating on our favorite esthetician since discovering this simple, at-home peel. It smells amazing, tingles without burning, and works in less than 3 minutes to make our skin look smooth, fresh, and revitalized. To get maximum benefits without taxing the skin, we recommend using the Fruit Fiesta Peel only once a week.

MyChelle Fabulous Eye Cream ($28.39 for 0.5 oz)
If you are looking for a great moisturizing eye cream, this is a solid choice. While it doesn’t make the same overblown promises of the more expensive brands, Fabulous Eye Cream is wonderfully moisturizing, packed with antioxidants, and has plant ingredients that protect against collagen loss. One teeny little dab, smaller than a grain of rice, is enough for both eyes.

The MyChelle website is incredibly comprehensive, with every product, ingredients, and usage listed. You can purchase from their site or at drugstore.com.

Fast forward to a recent episode with a less than cooperative foundation. No matter how well the shade matched our skin, or how clean the makeup sponge was, or how perfectly moisturized our skin was, our favorite foundation did not want to blend nicely and settled into the fine lines we pretend we don’t have. Grrr. A little voice reminded us about makeup primer. Maybe we should just try it?

The purpose of makeup primer is simple: to create a smooth, even surface as a base for foundation so the makeup doesn’t settle into fine lines and pores. If you have trouble with your makeup wearing off by midday, or if you are sick of foundation settling into the lines around your eyes, a primer is a great tool to help your favorite foundation look even better.

Revlon Beyond Natural Smoothing Primer
Oddly enough, we bought this at Target not that long ago and now it’s suddenly hard to find. Thankfully, it’s a standard silicone-based clear gel formula that many other brands make, so if you like this style, finding another similar product will not be difficult. About the size of a small pea is enough for your whole face (more than that will feel like a slippery mask), and it works well with cream or liquid foundations. Here are some similar choices: CoverGirl Simply Ageless Serum Primer, Philosophy The Present Clear Makeup, Vincent Longo Water Canvas Gel Cream Base.

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
We got a .5 ounce tube of this from the Beauty Insider program at Sephora, and we really love it. It’s a peach-colored cream gel, and as with all primers, you only need a pea-sized dab (if that) for your whole face. We like how light and smooth Laura Mercier Primer is, more like a moisturizer than a silicone mask. We’ve also found that it’s compatible with all the foundations we have in rotation (CoverGirl Simply Ageless Anti-Aging Foundation, Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation SPF 15, CoverGirl Natureluxe Foundation). We’ve found it makes foundation glide on more smoothly, last longer, and we even use less.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
We have been very happy with the coverage and blendable texture of Smashbox High Definition Healthy FX Foundation that we got in the Smashbox Complexion Perfection Kit, but the Photo Finish Foundation Primer really only works with this foundation. We tried it with all our other options and oddly the formulas just don’t seem to work together; we end up with a streaky mess. That said, the combination of the Smashbox primer and the High Definition foundation look ah-mazing together. With this primer more than the others we tried, it’s critical to use the smallest amount possible or it just doesn’t work properly. We’ve found success with a dab about the size of a grain of rice. The texture is very satiny and soft, and it should feel light and comfortable if you use the right amount.

It looks like we need to apologize to our friendly neighborhood makeup artist and admit that, yes, a foundation primer really does make all the difference. Since this series of product testing, we have become devotees and can’t imagine going back. We hope you find a primer you love, too!

You can find Revlons’ new Lip Butter online or at your local drug/discount store.

L’Occitane Immortelle Precious Cream ($56): Don’t let the thick texture of this cream deceive you – it’s light and fast-absorbing, with just the right level of hydration. If you like a more natural product with plant extracts and essential oils, this is one to try.

Super by Dr. Nicholas Perricone Super Hyper Hydrator with Coconut Water ($40): Either alone or layered with treatment products, we are totally in love with this coconut lotion. It’s super lightweight but incredibly hydrating, and it smells amazing! No trip to Sephora is complete without picking up an extra jar or two.

Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream ($19.99): We love drugstore finds, and this anytime cream is an easy choice for any skin type. It’s no miracle worker (like any cream really is), but it softens and hydrates as well as the higher priced brands.

Avon Care Silicone Glove Protective Hand Cream ($5 for a full size 3.4 oz tube, $0.99 for the 1.5 oz size)
Our favorite hand cream comes with a bit of nostalgia: we used to get a holiday-themed tube of Silicone Glove every year in our Christmas stocking. It still evokes that special memory every time we smell it. It has a fresh, baby powder scent, is non-greasy, and makes our hands soft and supple. We also love how it lasts through a few hand washings.

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Creme (available in 6.8 oz jar or 2.6 oz tube; $4-6)
If you are the kind of person who routinely slathers on lotion after a bath or shower, Nivea Soft is the cream for you. The soft, delicate scent won’t clash with other scents you might wear, and it’s lightweight and non-greasy.

Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream ($19)
Caudalie is decidedly more indulgent than a drugstore hand cream, but it is also more of a skin care treatment. Caudalie uses the antioxidant benefits of grape seed polyphenols in all their products, so this hand cream boasts anti-aging properties. Considering that is does not contain a sunscreen, we are not convinced about the anti-aging claims, but it’s still a nice hand cream. It has a fresh, grapevine scent and is non-greasy and fast absorbing.

CoverGirl Natureluxe Foundation ($11.98)

We don’t normally spend this much for foundation, but the versatility of Natureluxe really won us over. It’s a perfectly pigmented liquid with a light feel like a tinted moisturizer but enough coverage to be worthwhile. It also blends seamlessly, so if you only need coverage on certain areas of your face, rather than all over, it won’t look splotchy or haphazard. Natureluxe comes in 14 natural shades, which makes finding the right one even easier.

Maybelline Fit Me! Pressed Powder Blush ($5.50)

We are so over spending too much for makeup, so this pretty pink blush is an easy choice at around $5. The texture is soft, the pigment isn’t too heavy, and the color is super flattering for all skintones. We are even pretty happy with the enclosed brush.

Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer Makeup ($4.99)

On those mornings when we don’t look as fresh and awake as we’d like, a tiny dab of this richly pigmented concealer under each eye really does the trick for dark circles. We love that it doesn’t slide, doesn’t settle into creasy areas, and it’s also great for the occasional red spot or blemish. There are only 6 shades, but we found them to be very natural and blendable.

Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Waterproof Mascara ($5.27)

While we love our occasional $25 Lancome mascara, we just can’t justify spending that on a regular basis. We love trying different mascaras from the drugstore because there are so many, and they are so inexpensive. Our latest love is this waterproof one from Maybelline. We like a more natural look, and this mascara does the job.

Each kit (around $10) comes with plenty of sizes of nails so you get just the right fit, and the shorter lengths even have handy tabs on the ends to make application super easy. Kiss also makes a variety of patterned nails, so you get the look of detailed nail art in an easy glue-on nail.

Our personal favorite is Everlasting French Chip Free in Real Short “Endless”. We can have the polished look of a French manicure, but with a shorter length for our active lifestyle. We found they stayed on well and did not chip at all for over a week.

You can find Kiss nails at stores like Target, CVS and Walgreens, as well as online.

We put the products to the test recently on both fine, wavy hair and thick, curly hair – both with a tendency to frizz, especially in high humidity – and we were very pleasantly surprised at how well the products work, both individually and as a “system”. We tried different combinations of the products with frizz-free results, and we quickly discovered our favorites.

For fine hair, the shampoo, daily conditioner, and a pea-sized amount of smoothing cream is the best system for eliminating frizz without a weighed down or greasy look.

For our testers with thick, curly hair, we like the shampoo and daily conditioner, with the treatment conditioner substituted in once a week, plus daily use of the smoothing cream on damp hair and an application of anti-frizz serum to dry hair before styling. The cream penetrates quickly and seals in moisture while the serum is great for finishing.

The Dove Nourishing Oil collection is available in stores now, and prices range from $4 for shampoo or conditioner and $5 for treatment conditioner or smoothing cream, but the anti-frizz serum is only sold at Walgreens (we wish it were sold everywhere the other products are available), also for around $5.

The Deep Cleansing Oil is one of the best makeup removers, and it works well for any skin type. Just work a pump or two into dry skin and rinse off. It removes makeup, eyeliner, and mascara effortlessly, then lightly lathers and rinses clean away. Another cleanser in the set is a box of Q10 Facial Film Soap, incredibly thin sheets of soap that activate with water, completely dissolve into foamy lather, and quickly cleanse your face at the gym, while traveling, or just if you like that squeaky clean feeling after using the Deep Cleansing Oil. Even though my skin can hint at dryness, the Q10 Facial Film Soap work great for me.

After cleansing, I like to splash on Q10 Lotion. This toner gives an extra anti-aging boost, and if you apply a small amount with your hands instead of a cotton pad, you use less. I like to use just enough to leave my face damp, then I apply the last product of the set, Q10 Cream. A thin layer of this silky cream traps in the dewy layer of  Q10 Lotion for even more hydrating and anti-aging benefits. The Q10 Cream delivers just the right amount of hydration without being too heavy, just right for any skin type.

If you are looking for something new in anti-aging skincare, the Q10 Essentials Set is a great way to try the products at a discount, and you have a complete, morning and night routine in one set.

We recently had the pleasure of trying Alba Botanica’s new Rainforest Hair Care, and now we fight with our teenage daughter over who gets to use the products! The smell is amazing, and the way it makes our hair look – super silky and shiny – makes us reconsider our recent drugstore-only hair care proclamation. Sure, these are more expensive at about $10 each for the Acai anti-oxidant shampoo and conditioner, but we think we will treat ourselves in this case