On an imagined compendium of Tiny Tweaks That Will Make You Feel Richer, I would rank upgrading from your regular old cotton balls to fancy cotton pads at the very top of the list, far above "maximizing your space" with elegant storage solutions and painting old furniture gold (as if suddenly your dingy first-floor studio will start to feel just like Versailles). I would rank it there because not only is it a simple thing that will instantly elevate your lifestyle, but it is actually a very economical one, in the grand scheme of things. Unlike the old Rite Aid-brand cotton balls that I, a plebe, once used to swipe various solutions onto my face, this extra soft, extra fancy cotton can be stretched and separated according to your needs; you can pull them apart and use one half now, one half later. Essentially, you get two for the price of one, which is always a good deal.