BUDGET BUYS (£10 AND UNDER) – PART 2

Hopefully better late than never, here is Part 2 of my Budget Buys series (£10 and under). In no particular order…

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Body Oil – £7.99

Another golden oldie from the body care aisle, Neutrogena’s Norwegian Formula Body Oil is a tried-and-tested standard that delivers great, long-lasting hydration.
Lightweight and non-greasy, this oil is best applied to slightly damp skin, sealing in the moisture. It’s a brilliantly economical way of moisturising, giving substantial results for very little product.
The versatility of this oil is the reason I chose it over other budget options: it can be used all year round, giving a beautiful sheen to sun-tanned skin as well as tackling stubborn patches of dryness during the winter. A product that works this hard to make you look good should be a staple in everyone’s body care collection.

Boots Botanics Organic Facial Oil – £9.99

We’re all becoming wise to the benefits of using a treatment oil, but if you’re unsure of where to start – this is a great all-rounder. This little gem is a wonderful introduction to how just adding one element can really boost your skincare routine.
A facial oil that’s 100% organic, this Boots Botanics wonder contains rosehip (its seeds are an excellent source of skin-friendly Omegas) and is paraben-free. These are qualities you’d expect from a prestige product, and this facial oil delivers high quality hydration without fuss or fanfare.
Designed to be used under a moisturiser (but can be used on its own as an overnight treatment), this facial oil nourishes your skin, soothing dryness and calming irritation. Its calming proprieties make it ideal for most skin types, including combination. The idea of putting oil onto an oil-prone skin may seem ridiculous, but a good treatment oil like this will calm and regulate your skin, meaning your sebum glands will not be so likely to rebel and over-produce oil, lessening the potential for break outs. A skin that’s more in control then needs less ‘trouble-shooting’, meaning less product is required to get it back in line. You save money, time and hassle – and who wouldn’t love that?

Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean 3-in-1 Deep Purifying Cleanser – £8.00

Soap and Glory have featured heavily in the £10 and under section of my Budget Buys, and with good reason. While their body care products are excellent, and offer real value for money, their skincare line is equally well regarded and Peaches and Clean is a great example of what S&G do best.
This cleanser gets to work on de-clogging blocked pores and tackles grime, dirt and general build-up like nobody’s business. This is a great daily cleanser if you regularly wear make-up – but even if you don’t, use 2-3 times a week and this cleanser will make a real difference to the clarity of your skin.
It’s the sophistication of the formula that really makes this a great value product; a deep cleaner that doesn’t strip the skin but still clarifies and helps to clear blemishes. The texture of the cleanser works easily around the skin, feeling much more expensive than its £8 price tag. Importantly for a deep cleanser, it rinses off cleanly as well – it’s amazing the amount of cleansers that boast of being deep-cleaning, but are almost impossible to rinse off without leaving residue behind. It’s pointless having a great cleansing formula if it outstays its welcome on your skin and ends up clogging your pores and causing even more problems. There’s no such issue with Peaches and Clean – it rinses off quickly and easily and leaves your skin with a gentle glow.

Max Factor Masterpiece Mascara – £9.99 / Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara – £7.99

This is a game of two halves as I appreciate that different lashes have different needs. I’ll put it simply: when it comes to budget mascara, Max Factor really does have the market covered. There are some brands that come close, but for longevity you can’t beat Masterpiece or 2000 Calorie.
For those who need length, Masterpiece mascara is your new best friend: Max Factor will tell you that the secret of Masterpiece’s success is all down to its iFX brush, allowing precision brushwork. But if I may, I will beg to differ. The genius part of both mascaras is the formula: not too wet, not too dry. It’s easy to work with, doesn’t smudge easily but can be removed quickly if need be. They are both ready-to-go formulas, giving you the same level of result from the first to the last use.
My personal favourite is the 2000 Calorie mascara. I don’t need a mascara so much that delivers length, but rather one that provides volume with definition. The last part is key: my lashes are quite thick so they will clump together in nano-seconds if I use a formula that’s too wet or too gloopy. In short, I am the Goldilocks of mascara. Max Factor’s 2000 Calorie Mascara was a real find for me – before I had never found a decent formula under £20, but at £7.99, the 2000 Calorie Mascara and I are going steady and it’s my personal make-bag favourite.

Burts’ Bees Citrus & Ginger Root Body Wash – £9.99

A sulphate-free cleanser, Burts’ Bees do great products whose ethos is very much beauty-with-a-conscience. There are several different body washes in their range, but I went with Citrus & Ginger, as its uplifting scent is simply my favourite. Packed with essential oils and a gentle plant-based complex to cleanse the skin, this is a great choice to get you moving in the morning. Sure, you can get shower gels at much cheaper prices, but the key word would be cheap. The formulation of this body wash doesn’t cut corners, it leaves you clean and refreshed, but thanks to the honey and glycerin added, your skin will never feel dry or itchy afterwards. You’ll end up needing to use less body moisturiser, saving yourself more money, which you can then spend on cake. Or something not quite so autobiographical.

The ones that nearly made the cut (l-r): The Body Shop Nutriganics Cleansing Gel Oil (£10); Superfacialist by Una Brennan Rose Calming Creamy Cleanser (£7.99); L’Oreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil (£7.99)

As always, there were products that got darn close to making the Top 10. I’ve found that budget skincare has really upped its game in recent years, providing real quality to gain a loyal customer base instead of always going for the cheap option. As customers become more beauty-literate, this is good news for all of us as brands are working harder than ever before to provide us with genuine value for money. Here’s a few more products that are definitely worth taking a look at:

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick – £8 (a truly brilliant alternative to the Clinique Chubby Sticks…easy to wear, great colour pay-off – I have all of them and wish S&G would make more colours…hint hint)

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer – £3.99 (a beauty bloggers’ favourite, but with good reason. Brilliantly blendable with adaptable coverage, this takes on the big-budget brands at their own game)

Boots Ingredients Coconut and Almond Intensive Hair Mask – £1.99 (no, that’s not a typo. It really is a hair mask for under £2. This own brand range from Boots is excellent value for money, but the hair mask really takes the biscuit. It tames frizz, hydrates dry, stressed hair like a dream. I’ve been buying this for years and it never lets me down. Buy it. You’ll love it.)

The Body Shop Facial Massager – £6 (a frankly ingenious little gizmo, this mini massager is a brilliant tool to use as part of your cleansing routine. There are numerous videos extolling the virtues of facial massage on YouTube, but for the best, head to make-up artist Lisa Eldridge’s channel for this in-depth video on why massage matters)

My next selection will be Budget Buys up to £15. I will be casting the net a little wider to include more beauty tools and haircare products including brands such as Real Techniques, Philip Kingsley, REN and The Body Shop. Until next time…

HELEN TOPE

BUDGET BUYS (£10 AND UNDER) – PART 1

This was originally due to be a blog post of 10 budget buys, but I’ve woken up with an acute case of the sniffles. Therefore, as needs must, I’m posting Part 1 of my Budget Buys under £10 this week, and Part 2 (more buys under £10) will be following at a stage where I’m less congested.
In compiling this list, I wanted to source not just ‘cheap products’, but products that offered great value for money, and performed a great deal better than their price tag would have you believe. I firmly believe that it is possible to get good quality on a beauty budget, from make-up to body care, whether you shop on the High Street or online, there really is something out there for everyone.

(Selection of my current favourites (l-r): Take it Outside, Madison Avenue, Bordeaux, Sole Mate & After School Boy Blazer)

Essie nail polishes £7.99 – this was a very tough category: I knew I would include a budget nail polish, but Essie was run a very close race by Rimmel Nails Pro, Models Own and Barry M’s Gel Nails range, all of whom are frankly awesome. I genuinely believe that we get a great deal in the UK when it comes to budget nail colour: in fact, we’re pretty spoilt for choice.
I went with Essie simply because this range isn’t afraid to go with the unusual picks: colour launches such as peach during the winter, dark teal for the height of summer – Essie have rewritten the rules on what goes, which I find, for a leading cosmetic brand, to be extremely refreshing. The classics of Essie I could almost recite by heart: Chinchilly, Mademoiselle, Mint Candy Apple, Russian Roulette. But I do love the limited editions. When I finish my little bottle of After School Boy Blazer, I shall whimper as it’s consigned to the waste basket.

Nivea Rich Nourishing Body Moisturiser for Dry Skin £3.75 – £5.25 This was an easy pick for my Budget Buys, as I’ve been using this product for years – and I do mean YEARS. Nivea’s a brand with some serious heritage behind it and their products really have stood the test of time, being repurchased by consumers over and over again.
I adore the Rich Nourishing Body Moisturiser (the ‘blue bottle’) because it tackles dry skin without any nonsense. Its reassuring ability to hydrate each and every time, with that gentle Nivea scent that doesn’t intrude on perfume or body spray, is what makes this product such great value. You don’t need a lot – a little really does go a long way. It doesn’t sit on the skin for ages after application either – despite being called a ‘rich’ moisturiser, I would call this a perfect mid-weight lotion for those who want something substantial, but don’t want a body butter or cream. It’s right up there with salted caramel hot chocolate and comedy mittens as one of my favourite winter staples.

Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Blusher £9 – Soap and Glory is a brand that does particularly well in offering great value at budget level: there are many more products I could’ve added to this list, including their body washes and face masks, but I decided to focus on the products that don’t get as much praise as they should. The Sexy Mother Blusher is a cream-stick blusher that dispenses a beautiful, translucent wash of colour. Easy to blend and control, this can be built from the sheerest tint to a more defined look. Word of warning; the shades look very deep in the tube, but they will apply onto the skin very delicately. Test ‘em out before you buy, but to be honest you can’t go wrong with Pinker Belle as the perfect hit of pink, or Berry Jamm for a classic winter shade. In short, the quality of this blusher is well in excess of its £9 price tag – and worth checking out.

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub £8 – this scrub really is a feast for the senses. Loaded with sweet lime oil and smashed brown sugar (really), this is a tropically-scented treat that is a total pleasure to use. However, as with all S&G body products, the scent is only half the story. This scrub, which also contains sea salt, is a perfect exfoliator if you’ve found some other scrubs too harsh on the skin. Sugar Crush tackles rough patches without ever feeling scratchy, thanks to that oil-based formula. It has great ‘slip’, rinsing off when you want it to – the density of the scrub is perfectly balanced and sits on the skin without melting off until you’re done with it. If you’ve found body scrubs a frustrating experience until now – give Sugar Crush a go. I think you’ll be well and truly smitten.

Cowshed Lippy Cow Natural Lip Balm £5 – a lip balm that proves cult beauty doesn’t always cost a small fortune.
Containing Linden Blossom and Rose Geranium essential oils, this is a simply-constructed, but extremely effective product. In a world where you sometimes need a PhD to understand what goes into a tube of moisturiser, this soothing, protecting balm doesn’t hide behind a complicated list of chemical ingredients. The texture of the balm is lovely and malleable, and only a tiny amount is needed each time. It’s does a great job of protecting you against the elements without feeling like a layer of lard on your lips. Ideal for this time of year, this is that rare thing: a lip balm that actually does what it says it will. Guard it with your life.

Next time for Part 2 Budget Buys (under £10), I will be including brands such as Max Factor, Boots Botanics, Burts’ Bees and Neutrogena….ooh the anticipation…I’m now off to drown my sniffly sorrows in a very large Lemsip.

HELEN TOPE