You Deserve It: Ways to Gift Yourself for $20 or Less

Need a pick-me-up? Here are three ways to treat yourself for $20 or less:

• Organic Cleanse: Short North shop owner Dawn McCombs uses ingredients from her own garden and local farmer's markets to craft delightful soaps (think lemon with walnut shells or pear with goat's milk and corn grits). It's $6 for a sizeable chunk at Glean, 815 N. High St.
• Luxurious Lashes: It's my one must-have makeup item: Clinique's High Lengths Mascara. Scary wand, scary good results. It's $16 at Clinique counters.
• Upgraded Daily Blowout: The Revlon Ultimate Styler blow dryer promises "stunning blowouts," and for less than a cost of one professional blowout, it's pretty good. For $20 at Target or Wal-Mart, the1,875-watt dryer dries my hair quickly and well. The words showing the three heat setting and two speed settings rubbed off by the end of week one, but it's no matter: It offers a nice daily blowout for an affordable price.

-Kristy Eckert, @kristyeckert