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11 budget beauty products to boost your mood

Check out some of the best beauty products and little pick-me-ups to chase away winter's gloom without leaving your wallet bare.

By Janine Falcon

You don't need a head-to-toe makeover and shopping extravaganza to take the edge off the frigid-weather blues. Some of the following beauty products should do the trick -- and leave you with enough cash for those gorgeous shoes you saw on sale. (Who are we kidding?)

Body polish
1. Start the day with an invigorating body scrub in the shower. Try Crabtree & Evelyn's Naturals Botanical Body Polisher in Clementine and Basil, 125 g, $24.95 at Crabtree & Evelyn stores. Or make a brown-sugar-and-honey scrub by combining 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of honey; store unused portion in an airtight container.


Body lotion
2. For soft skin and a mood boost, try a citrus-scented body lotion right after your shower. The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter is just the zesty ticket. Want to customize your lotion fragrance? Pick up a big bottle of unscented body lotion, such as St. Ives Intensive Relief Advanced Therapy Lotion, and add a few drops of your favourite essential oils or body oil, such as J.R. Watkins's all-natural Lemon Body Oil. The Body Shop Satsuma, 200 mL, $22 at The Body Shop boutiques. St. Ives lotion, 600 mL, $6.99 at drugstores. J.R. Watkins body oil, 120 mL, $9.99 at drugstores and Wal-Mart.

Hair colour
3. Got 10 minutes? Colour your hair. YES! Colour your hair! Clairol Nice'n'Easy Perfect 10 is natural-looking colour you can do at home in just 10 minutes, thanks to a revolutionary new lightening technology from parent company Procter & Gamble. That's a gift of time as well as a beauty boost. $15.99 at drugstores.


Shine-enhancing glaze
4. If you don't colour, crank up the shine instead with John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze in Clear Shine. Use it daily for three minutes, or weekly for 20. Bonus: increased shine makes colour look richer. Days after my 20-minute shine treatment, people were still asking if I'd deepened my natural hair colour with dye (it was all shine, baby). 190 mL, $14.99 at drugstores.

Facial cleansing pads
5. Buff cold-weather dullness from your complexion with Neutrogena Illuminating Microderm Cleansing Pads, which add gentle exfoliation to your daily cleansing routine. (Follow immediately with moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher.) 24 pads, $11.99 at drugstores.


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1. Budget beauty products -- Body polish, lotion and more
2. Budget beauty products -- Tooth whitening, cosmetics, bath fizz and more
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