As a woman, it’s hard to not be veritably overwhelmed by the plethora of products being peddled to us as the next best thing in beauty. Too often we find ourselves witlessly handing over our hard-earned cash for creams and lotions and potions and shadows that, quit simply, leave our wallets significantly lighter and our faces looking…well, just about the same.

If you’ve found yourself in this situation and currently have a bathroom cabinet overflowing with bottles and tubs of things you’ve used at most once, you’ll be delighted to hear that there are actually only five products in there that are essential to you looking your best. If you’re interested in looking better and saving money and bathroom storage space, look no further than these simple, relatively inexpensive and tried, tested and true things.

[A great] Face moisturizer: Alright, we’ll start with the toughie, because this one varies from skin type to skin type and it will inevitably take a few tries to find your perfect match. The tip here, however, is to look to the experts for advice when it comes to choosing the right lotion to keep your face glowing and blemish-free. Kiehls’s, Clinique and even the beauty section at your local drugstore all have representatives that can steer you in the right direction and who are equipped with an array of great choices to boot. Don’t be shy! Ask a couple questions, get some answers, and get the soft, radiant skin that any amazing look depends upon as its foundation (no pun intended)!

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Tweezers: These go without saying. Even if you get your brows professionally waxed, tweezers are amazing for plucking strays, catching ingrowns and even experimenting with your brow shape to find the one that best suits your face (and great brows are just as essential to your look as great skin!). You can go expensive (Shu Uerma) or cheap (Sally Hansen), either way make sure you’ve got a great pair that you feel comfortable handling and do the job right.

Conditioner: Like great facial moisturizer, having a conditioner on hand that leaves your tresses silky and shiny is imperative to your beauty cabinet. I’ve found that it helps to invest here, so quit wasting $10 a pop on drugstore brands that don’t work and buy something twice the price that will last twice as long, and more importantly give you infinitely more amazing results. The experts at Sephora are a great reference point to use when it comes to your specific hair type (they even have some great online tools worth a peek at sephora.com), and once again Kiehl’s also makes some fabulous conditioners (the Sunflower Preserving Hair Mask works like magic and smells amazing)! It may seem like a lot right now, but just think of all the money and time you’ll be saving in the long run on smoothing creams and sprays and leave-ins!

Mascara: Have mascara, will travel. No matter how hectic your schedule, there’s always time to apply a swipe to open up your peepers and help you to get that fresh, awake look (even when you’re not), and there are great offerings all across the board at every price point. From Rimmel to Dior, get a fabulous mascara and never be told “you’re looking a bit tired today” again!

Salve: What is salve, you may ask? Only the most important thing that your beauty cabinet is probably missing! A multi-purpose lip balm, salve can be used to soothe burns and cuts, moisturize dry spots like elbows and knees, give a shimmery glow to cheeks and lips, and so much more. Make-up artists and supermodels alike swear by the classic Smith’s Rosebud Salve, an 8 oz container of which will only run you about $7 and will solve a multitude of your beauty dilemmas faster than you can list off all of the amazing things it can do.

With these five products, you're equipped to take on any day in full-on gorgeous mode.

Is there anything else you think you absolutely can't live without currently residing in your beauty cabinet, and if so why?