It’s almost that time: back to school, back to the office, back to Sunday scaries and scheduling back-to-back Zoom calls without a summer vacation on the horizon to make it all seem bearable. (Shudder.) Halloween decor has infiltrated retail shelves, murdering our late-summer buzz. Apparently, fall really is just around the corner, and even deep denial won’t stop its arrival. While we process this, we’d like to offer up an unconventional prescription for the end-of-August blues: a little drugstore self-care.
Yes, we said drugstore. While it may not be as flashy as your favorite beauty mega-stores, think of a trip to the drugstore as a mini-reset, a quick Band-Aid for stressful times when you can’t swing a full-on spa day. Think of it as the opposite of the beach, which sounds relaxing but is also a chore. The drugstore sounds like a chore but often ends up being a mood-booster. Part of it is pure familiarity: It’s comforting to know that you’re never too far from a Walgreens or CVS. And when life gets complicated, seeing Cherry Chapstick near the cash register offers a sense of timeless stability. (Plus, a flavor that brings you right back to childhood—so comforting.)
Part of the appeal is that the bar is low when it comes to expectations. In theory, the drugstore is a drag, a place we pop into when we need to pick up tampons or allergy meds. Yet as the automatic doors zip open and we’re hit with fluorescent lighting and a blast of icy air conditioning, we’re reminded that the drugstore is actually one of our happiest places. Intermingling with the drugs and grim store-brand necessities are tons of fun pick-me-ups: fancy chocolate bars, cute stationery, and a random assortment of paperbacks, not to mention aisles loaded with affordable beauty and skincare products we don’t feel guilty impulse-buying. Whether you’re battling a cold or just trudging through a day of dull pre-fall errands and appointments, the drugstore can serve as a self-care oasis. Here are 11 soul-soothing, spirit-reviving items (lots of them $5 or less) to check out the next time your partner asks you to pick up a prescription on your way home.
This drugstore find will make your shower legitimately spa-like: It’s a soothing, smoothing scrub that produces a warming sensation when it comes in contact with wet skin. Plus, the herbal scent has notes of stress-reducing lavender.
A fresh bottle of body lotion is a self-care no-brainer. There are many to choose from in the drugstore, but this one stands out for the way it gives skin an instant post-spa glow without looking glittery. It also uses natural ingredients, including mushroom extract to help even out skin tone over time—a nice benefit if you have new freckles and tan lines. (Despite diligent SPF use, of course.)
You might hesitate to grab a candle made by a cleaning products company, but this one is actually nothing to sniff at: Even candle snobs appreciate this soy candle’s great burn and bright, garden-plucked scents, including lavender and basil. Plus, you can grab one at the drugstore or the hardware store. (Because sometimes a girl needs a screwdriver and a little aroma therapy.)
Treat your face to a mini massage using this cooling wing-shaped rose quartz tool. It doesn’t just feel soothing and release tension from your muscles, it helps encourage blood circulation and lymphatic drainage to de-puff and tone. Used regularly it can even help minimize fine lines and pores.
Another drugstore hidden gem for contouring and reducing puffiness, these patch eyes masks have special foil backing to keep them from sliding around. A serum infused with peptides and sodium hyaluronate reduces fine lines and helps you look awake and alert; the holographic stars just make it impossible not to feel happy.
Hair-mask packets from the drugstore are like the grown-up version of cash-register candy. (Not that we don’t also get Junior Mints too.) This argan-oil formula is deeply hydrating, ideal for plumping up and strengthening hair that’s been baking in the sun and in and out of chlorinated pools and salt water.
When you don’t have time for a pedicure or the dedication to do a Baby Foot peel, these disposable deep-hydrating booties will save you from cracked-heel shame. We heard that Jessica Chastain’s nail artist, Julie Kandalec, used them on the actor’s feet before the 2023 Golden Globes.
Slip on these single-use gloves for ten minutes to give your tired hands a much-needed treat. They have a no-drip design and there’s nothing to rinse off when you’re done, so you can even use them during a car ride or at work. Shea butter and the prebiotic oats the brand is known for get hands baby-smooth.
One of the best face masks you can grab at the drugstore, this hyaluronic acid mask deeply hydrates parched post-summer skin in 15 to 30 minutes. Use it after cleansing and before you layer on your other skincare.
The right radiance-boosting tinted moisturizer can just make life instantly better. This “hydrating glow lotion” has endless five-star reviews, 38 million TikTok views (for #LumiGlotion), and was worn by Kendall Jenner at the MetGala.
One of life’s great comforts is returning the same face-mask brand you’ve used since you were a kid. This 2023 cloud-whipped version, designed to wear while you sleep, has hyaluronic acid, so you’ll wake up to skin that’s perky and plumped.
Petra Guglielmetti is a health, wellness, and beauty journalist who writes for leading publications, including Glamour, Health, Real Simple, and Parents.
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