First of all, dear reader, I'd like to apologise for being so absent the past couple of weeks. I've been on holiday to sunny Florida for two weeks in May (find some pictures on my Instagram!) and went to the beautiful wedding of one of my best friends in the South of France last weekend, so I haven't really found the time to update the blog as much as I would have liked to. The positive note? There is so much I want to write about, so expect a regular flow of articles coming your way for the rest of the summer! And now on to business.. Finding a great luxury product that truly works for you is great, but it's even more awesome when you find a good drugstore product as it means you won't be spending as much and you'll get a lot more bang for your buck. I've been trying out a bunch of drugstore products recently and have discovered a few great new ones that are a must-try if you're on the lookout for beauty on a budget.

1/ The Mixa Eye Makeup Remover for Sensitive Eyes bi-phase eye makeup remover is the best I've ever tried - period. It removes all makeup (even water proof mascara!) easily and super quickly without excessive rubbing, doesn't sting or irritate my eyes and is super budget proof at a little over €5.00 per bottle. In France they sell this one for a little under €4.00 - needless to say I took all the stock the supermarket had left when I was there for the wedding last weekend! €5.09 per bottle.

2/ Dry shampoos are definitely a hit or miss product. There is no room on my hair products shelf for a "maybe, it's ok" category as I always want my dry shampoo to really work. Otherwise you can just take the extra 15 minutes and actually wash your hair, amiright? The L'Oréal Elsève Extraordinary Clay Dry Shampoo was newly introduced earlier this year and does a good job on my hair. No grey residue, no chalky roots and an agreeable hairdo for the rest of the day. It'll of course never replace an actual hair wash, but I'll allow this one to postpone a wash with a day. €5.49 per bottle.

3. The  Nivea Protect & Care Stick Anti-Transpirant kinda smells like the original old school Nivea cream that comes in the blue jars. That alone had me sold when I opened the press package. I don't feel like it really "stops" my transpiration and to be honest I would feel quite uneasy with any product that would prevent me from actually sweating, so I'm just happy that this one keeps sweat odours at bay all day through. I also really love the stick formula - it's a little sticky, but way less irritating than a spray! €3.99 per bottle.

3. Before I discovered the beautiful world of micellar cleansers I always used cleansing wipes. Those mostly left my skin red and irritated, so my skin has been really happy since I've seen the micellar light. Dutch budget brand HEMA recently introduced their own micellar water called It's My Beautiful Skin Day Micellar Cleansing Water and as soon as I saw the press release I knew I had to go out and buy a bottle to give it a proper test. This one is the most budget friendly micellar water I've tried, but performs just like some of the more 'expensive' drugstore counterparts that I love. I'll definitely be purchasing more of these. €2.25 per bottle.

5. Ever since I've been to Japan I have been crazy about sheet masks. I just published an article about the most expensive sheet mask I've tried (read it here), and this Kruidvat Energizing Boost Sheet Mask is immediately the cheapest sheet mask I've ever tried. Each sheet mask sells for a little less than a euro and for this price the mask actually does a pretty decent job. It doesn't perform miracles & budget friendly Asian sheet masks (between €2 and €6 per sheet mask) do still perform better, but if you're on a tight beauty budget and you'd like to try out a refreshing sheet mask with aloe vera & avocado oil this one is definitely the one to purchase! €0.99 per sheet mask.

Do keep me posted on your budget discoveries. I love your recommendations! And I'm a little beauty addicted.. ;)