MD Skincare vs. Desert Essence

My internal debate started when I stopped by the MD Skincare counter to pay a visit to my friend Tamar ( an excellent airbrush tanner among other things who will make you glow from head to toe in the privacy of your own home). She was on the clock, selling skin miracles to Bergdorf shoppers. She offered me a sample of the Alpha Beta Daily facial peel. I admit, I took it home, sampled it and loved it. My face felt softer, refreshed and I swear had a new glow! Although I do my best to stick to organic and natural skincare products, on occasion Sephora will seduce me and win. Products by MD Skincare also come with a price that I am not willing to pay right now which has forced me to search for something just as good but more affordable. So now I am at Trader Joes and for $3.99 I see Desert Essence Tea Tree oil facial pads. I grab some because I love Desert Essence products and am desperate for a good facial pad I guess. That night, I am shocked to find out that once you get past the very strong smell of the tea tree oil these pads are amazing! And ok, although it could be the outrageous humidity in NYC right now, I believe my face had a new brilliant glow to it! I am hooked.
What I am wondering is, does anyone else have products they just can't give up? Or spend outrageous amounts on brands just because?
For $3.99 I am more than satisfied but I still want to give a shout over to Tamar to hook me up! ;)

clearing troubled skin...

I think the most difficult product to find when looking for all natural products is something to clear blemish prone skin. It's frustrating enough to break out, let alone not be able to do anything about it! I want to share the quick fix tips I have as well as long term treatments. I'd love to hear if anyone else has any great home remedies to clear acne. Is there any organic products out there that really do the trick? Well, the most basic way to solve this problem is to make sure your eating a well-balanced diet and drinking plenty of water.

My personal favorite trick that works great to draw impurities out of a blemish is Tea Tree Oil, which can be found at any local grocery or beauty store. Just apply a drop on any pimple and this will speed the healing process.
For longer term treatment I have discovered two products that I really like, pictured above is a clearing Amino Derm gel offered by Aubrey Organics. This gel can be spread on wide areas of the skin, never bleaches or feels tight and always dries clear. Blue Green Algae is also known for being great for clearing up skin. I haven't tried any of Aubrey Organics algae products but I'm sure they are great, I'm always pleased with what Aubrey Organics has to offer!

I also have been using this active charcoal/zinc body wash from Collective Wellbeing. The only think I am not too crazy about is the texture of the body wash, it's an intriguing black color but has a hand feel that is kind of hard to work with, it just needs to be lathered up a bit! By the way, this is the same company that makes amazing foot lotion.