22.11.13

Skincare on a Budget


I thought I would share with you my skincare basics.

Nowadays I like to keep my beauty products to a minimum. Overflowing window ledges and cupboards full of products scare me. Yes, clutter does frighten me sometimes. I like my bathroom to be a tranquil place, as second to the bedroom, its the first and last room I encounter each day. 

Don't get me wrong, I like make-up and beauty products and the possibilities for self- improvement they offer but I'm too much of a cynic to believe that any one single product will transform my appearance, my life and my happiness. I'm done with overflowing toiletry bags and bathroom cabinets. And I never had or will have the budget of a beauty editor so I've had to get to grips with budget beauty buys.

So here's my essential skincare kit. Simple products that can clean, moisturise and protect your skin.  

1. Face wipes. I don't like soap or cleansers as I find them too much of a faff and too drying. Facial wipes seem to clear the day's grime yet leave my face feeling refreshed. I love buying more expensive wipes when they're on offer but it's reassuring to know that I can get 25 wipes for 45p at Tesco and they'll do the job.
2. Baby oil. I don't remember when I discovered this but baby oil is the simplest, cheapest and most effective product for removing the toughest eye make-up. Just dab a little onto a cotton wool pad, gently wipe over your eyes and the most stubborn mascara will be removed in seconds, I've tried commercial eye make-up remover pads and honestly prefer my simple baby oil. It's also wonderful as a body moisturiser – just a few drops in the bath will leave your skin silky smooth. I use Aldi's brand - 99p for 300ml.
3. Baking soda. This is my latest discovery. Too skint to buy an exfoliator I began to research cheap and natural alternatives. I found that baking soda with its tiny grains acts as a gentle exfoliant as well as a cleanser. Just use 2tsp of baking soda to 1tsp water to make a paste and gentle rub into your skin before rinsing. It does leave your skin a little dry so I wouldn't recommend using it everyday. However, it does leave your skin feeling wonderfully smooth. I use Aldi's bicarbonate of soda at 69p. 
4. Face moisturiser. Finding a cheap product which feels light yet provides a SPF of 15 was a godsend. This product, AldIi's Lacura Q10 SPF 15 (£1.49 for 75ml), is such good value for money and feels luxurious.

So a little beauty inspiration for you this weekend. I do believe that although beauty is partly genetic, a healthy and positive attitude to life is the cheapest and most effective beauty aid. 

How about you? Do you use any of these products or have any of your own to share? It'd be great to hear from you.



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15 comments

  1. I'm totally with you on the less is more beauty products idea ... as well as the cost I don't like the idea of all the chemicals in these products ... our skin can look great with all natural oils and creams ... did you know that you can use bicarb as a very effective deodorant ... just use a small amount of soda combined with a little coconut oil ... Bee xx

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  2. I have a lot of health problems and my skin was suffering. I have gone back to a flannel and Dove soap for exfoliating, Nivea hand, face, body cream for cleansing & moisturising because it can be used everywhere. When my skin is very dry I actually use baby oil on my face before bedtime. I also put the nivea on my hands and then put cotton gloves (99p) over - just for the first half an hour in
    bed and that helps a lot. I use baby oil when I get out of the bath too as a body lotion. My skin becomes so dry that it cracks and bleeds so these products are good because they are effective and cheap so I can use them liberally! My mom often buys me tubs of Astral for a treat and that is fab too.
    (Oh and baby oil is great for polishing stainless steel in the kitchen!!)
    L.x.

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  3. I'd never heard of the baking soda trick before, that's an interesting one. I use a Neutrogena cleanser and moisturizer, both of which are affordable, but I still have acne issues so I'm limited in what I can use.

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  4. I use a clean and clear facial wash, followed by simple distilled witchhazel as an astringent toner, a Boots witchhazel moisturising gel and then Nivea tinted moisturiser as a basis for my makeup with SPF 15 I think, and at £3.45 per tube is very reasonable. To be honest I've only really been moisturising regularly for the last year and it really has made a difference to my skin as I hardly ever get blemishes and dry skin now. I don't know why I didn't do it before. I think I just thought it left your skin feeling oily and greasy. I was obviously using the wrong products.

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    1. I had the same experience. I actually got fewer breakouts once I started using an oil-free moisturizer. I think what happened was that I was stripping the natural oils from my skin, which made it produce more to compensate. I was really surprised when my acne improved due to using moisturizer!

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  5. I've used baby oil for years. Putting a damp facecloth over my face to dampen the skin and then using the oil traps in the moisture and feels wonderful.

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  6. I used to love the Aldi exfoliator but it is no longer on the Australian market. I may suggest this trick to my daughters. For every day cleansing I use QV gentle cleanser. My skin likes it and I no longer have to buy excema creams etc.I read somewhere that you can crush a vitamin c tablet and ix it with water to use a peeling. It worked but I would use it rarely.

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  7. Thanks for sharing. I might give the bicarb exfoliation a try tonight. I love Lidl's face cream, the Q10, at £1.99 a tub and my homemade soap.

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  8. I agree too, I don't use a lot of anything, I just accept that no amount of products will make me pretty, haha! I used to make my own foot scrub using sugar and olive oil, but now I just buy sugar cubes and every morning I take two cubes (per foot) and a pumice to the shower for a quick scrub and it keeps my feet soft.

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  9. I always use baby oil for removing eye make-up too, it's wonderful, and it lasts so long. I use Boots basic cleanser and Boots classic moisturiser which isn't too expensive. I've heard good things about the Lacura range, so I might give that a try too.

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  10. I use the AldIi's Lacura Q10 SPF 15 and find it excellent for the price.
    Sarah x

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  11. Ann(e?) French cleansing milk - my mum brought me up using it - and baby oil to get rid of eye makeup. A light smear of Vaseline over my face of an evening too (my skin is prone to dryness). A good exfoliator is Boots own; either the cucumber one or the unscented.
    In the mornings I just wipe my eyes and face with a cotton wool pad soaked in cold water.
    Sarah x

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  12. I am late to comment on this one. I was an avid user of beauty product and would always toss many products still half full as I would not be able to use all the ones I had. My daily routine is also reduced significantly and I use coconut oil as might and day cream. I use cleansing milk the evening to remove light make up. I will try baking soda but will be extremely careful as my skin tend to be really dry.

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  13. Interesting; my mom warned me off Lacura products, as she said they were really oily so glad to know they suit someone!
    After I spent yet another fortune trying out a new expensive, glamourous "system" that didn't work - how strange after none really have for 35 years! - my brain finally returned and for the last 6 mths I have stopped using anything on my face at all. I just wash it with the rest when I shower. If there's any dryness I use a bit of vaseline, as I have done since I was about 12 (as a lip balm). Funnily enough, my skin has never been this good…
    So my general skepticism towards advertising and marketing has just expanded to include any kind of cosmetic. Sigh. Still, it's a lot cheaper and a lot less clutter about!

    (goodness knows why but they don't sell bicarb in Europe the way they do over there, though it's such useful stuff! You can only get sachets of baking powder, not very economical ;o!)

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  14. I love baking soda (exfoliant, deodorant, shampoo)! I take off my makeup using a facewasher (I'm knitting myself some gorgeously soft wool/silk ones) and good old olive oil. My skin is better than it's ever been, and I'm now 47:-)
    Loretta

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