I Believe in High-Low Shopping—4 Drugstore-Luxury Pairings I Swear Were Made for Each Other
I'm a big proponent of high-low shopping in all ways. Whether it's pairing a $50 ASOS top with a $500 Aje skirt or stacking a $300 moisturizer on top of a $13 serum, balance is key for most people's wallets.
I've found that some of my most game-changing beauty combinations have been the result of happy accidents, like misplacing a trendy lip gloss and reaching for one previously forgotten, then shocking myself in discovering that it costs a fraction of the price of the missing tube. (Bonus points when it keeps my lips glossier and more hydrated.)
Now, that's not to say that all beauty products are made equal. As someone who tests products for a living, it's more common than not to have products pill after layering, experience breakouts after a less-than-satisfactory pairing, and watch my hair fall flat after trying a "volumizing" product. However, there are a few holy-grail products that greatly offset one another in the price department, yet my fellow editors and I keep coming back to them—especially when used in tandem.
The Best High-Low Beauty Pairings
1. Smooth-Skin Saviors
When I first tried Skintimate's Shave Oil and Tronque's Triple Active Body Milk together, it was pure luck. I'd just received both products in the mail and needed to give each a fair shot before deciding yay or nay, but the last thing I expected was to develop a whole new shower routine.
The coconut-scented Skintimate Shave Oil made my skin so soft that it almost didn't need another layer of moisturizer, but as fate would have it, the red Tronque bottle happened to be glaring at me from across the room, so on I went, slathering my legs with the runny serum.
Where I expected my skin to feel slick and sticky thanks to hydration overkill, I instead felt dolphin-smooth skin—a lightweight dose of hydration that absorbed quickly and didn't feel slimy when I slid my legs under the covers just moments later. While my skin tends to run dry, this no-fail combo improved the texture of my skin so rapidly that it's become my go-to routine. My first thought was to make a TikTok video about this discovery, but then I remembered that I write for a living.
Shop the Combo
Skintimate
Shave Oil + Moisturizer
Tronque
Triple Active Body Milk
2. Preventative Nighttime Routine
Senior beauty editor Jamie Schneider has a similar story, often finding her favorite pairings due to TikTok trends, aptly timed package arrivals, and a little creative mixing and matching. Her go-to skincare routine right now? I'm glad you asked: Irene Forte Skincare's $225 Hibiscus Night Cream on her face and Weleda's $13 Skin Food Ultra-Rich Cream on her neck and décolleté.
