You can pass the remote and turn the mouse over if for someone else to play with. I get my thrills hands-on–from hitting a good drugstore. I’m psyched by the whole experience, from the fun gesture of sweeping up a basket to hold my stash the moment I step in, to the delight of moving through the aisles for the little oohs and ahs of new discoveries. Let others complain about shopping–you’ll never hear me groan, “I have to gIt’s not that I’ve suddenly become some restless shopaholic–far from it! It’s simply that I know where the real finds are. I’ve learned that if you have the eye, you can work a $5 nail polish just as well as one that costs $15. I also love the convenience of being able to shop early or late, the fact that no one’s breathing down my neck trying to sell me something I don’t want, and most of all the “come as you are” invitation. Sisters, let’s face it: Some of those logo beauty hot spots can be a little stuffy, to the point where you feel compelled to bring it on in the style department before you ever set foot inside.

At the drugstore, however, I can really kick up my heels, stocking my basket with “now” and “later” treats with wild abandon. Depending on which haven I’m in–and I do have my faves across the country–I’m on the lookout for beauty staples, cute stuff, never-seen-this-before goodies and a cache of travel-size must-haves.

In New York, I love Zitomer Pharmacy, as much for the Diptyque candles and its own Z Cosmetics line as for those fab packets of Supersmile Mouthwash and Elizabeth Arden’s Eight Hour Cream. I added Walgreens to my list after I was snowed-in in Chicago and had to step in there and re-create my beauty regimen. I’m happy to say I got it all, including great skin care from Lancome. Now whenever I’m in the Windy City I make it a must-stop, just as I do Barneys New York! From the Garden State to as far south as Virginia, I run into CVS or Rite Aid for my splurges. And when I’m deep in the heart of Texas, you’ll find me at Eckerd, freshening up my act with a few scented finds like Adidas’ Moves For Her. And I can’t wait to get to Colonial Drug in Cambridge, Massachusetts; I’m on a mission right now for glitzy powder compacts to store Black Opal’s Deluxe Finishing Loose Powder (which I can’t live without) and purse-size perfume bottles, and I’m dying to see what else they have to offer. Billed as “the place with no common scents,” they have more than one thousand fragrances, and I want to know what I’m missing!

I also like turning those close to me on to my little havens of style. Recently, when we touched down in L.A. to produce last month’s Hollywood issue, I grabbed some of our production team for a skip to West Hollywood’s Sav-On drugstore. Trust me, the girls are still smiling over their finds–especially the little travel-perk pieces that allow you to do those overnighters without sacrificing the pampering you’re accustomed to.

I’m not ashamed to tell you I often find the cutest gifts within these aisles as well–as we all know, in some cases, both department store and boutique items sit side by side at today’s drugstores. Sometimes Rx trips yield the greatest fantasies–like an ultrafeminine shower cap covered in tulle and starched pansies or an atomizer worthy of a 1930’s dressing table, both gifts making me the star of the day! Other times the journey is a little more practical–yielding my select staples of antiperspirant, mascaras, hair spray, loose cotton (you can’t beat it for thoroughly removing makeup–do kick those tissues and cotton balls to the curb!) and vitamins. And then there’s the checkout. Whatever my total, I always feel I’ve scored.

o to the store.” When the shopping is like this, I’m more than ready!