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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

Drugstore mascara, Sephora mascara- pish posh.  But not all products or tools match up as such.  Though I’ve tried to cut down my spending during the holiday season, there are just some pricy products I can’t live without, such as Mario Badescu drying lotion as opposed to any topical cream Walgreens has to offer.  I asked around to other sorority sisters to see what products they’re willing to break the bank for.
 
Elly Blandin- “I care about my nails more than just about anything else.  It’s something that people always see, so I’m willing to splurge on quality nail polish.  Essie is my absolute favorite and the price is definitely worth the results, and they even sell it at drugstores now.”
 
Taylor Sheehan- “Having curly hair, any old drugstore product usually doesn’t tame it.  I love the Bumble and Bumble’s Curl Conscious Defining Cream and it’s just about the only thing I’m willing to splurge on.  I wear my hair curly pretty much every day, so it’s worth the price.”
 
Melissa de Pau- “Quality self-tanner is necessary for me.  I’ll pay a little extra if it means avoiding looking like a pumpkin or being streaky.  I’d definitely recommend Clarin’s Self-Tanning Instant Gel to anyone who has a little extra to spend and wants a sun-kissed tan, even in the dead of winter.

Emily Cleary is a 22-year-old news-editorial journalism major hoping to work in the fashion industry, whether that be in editorial, marketing, PR or event planning is TBD. With internships at Teen Vogue and StyleChicago.com, it's clear that she is a fashion fanatic. When she's not studying (she's the former VP of her sorority, Delta Delta Delta), writing for various publications or attending meetings for clubs like Business Careers in Entertainment Club, Society of Professional Journalists, The Business of Fashion Club, or for her role as the Assistant Editor of the Arts & Entertainment section of her school's magazine, she's doing something else; you will never find her sitting still. She loves: running (you know those crazy cross-country runners...), attending concerts and music festivals, shopping (of course), hanging out with friends, visiting her family at home, traveling (she studied abroad in London when she was able to travel all over Europe), taking pictures, tweeting, reading stacks and stacks of magazines and newspapers while drinking a Starbuck's caramel light frappacino, blogs and the occasional blogging, eating anything chocolate and conjuring up her next big project. Living just 20 minutes outside of Chicago, she's excited to live there after graduation, but would love to spend some time in New York, LA, London or Paris (she speaks French)!