Given that researching and writing about beauty products makes up a large chunk of my job description, I receive a lot—and I mean, a lot—of skin- and hair-related questions. My friends and family members are constantly sending me screenshots of their Sephora baskets or calling me up to ask if they *really* need to invest in a toner. But the most common question I receive, hands down, is this: Which beauty products are actually worth the money? And to that, I say: tools and tech, 100%.

Hear me out. I love a luxury cream as much as the next beauty-obsessed consumer, but you can snag some pretty high-quality skin and haircare products on a budget (some of my all-time favorite formulas come from the drugstore, as a matter of fact!). So if you have room to splurge on one item in your routine, I say drop some coin on a device.