Bargainous Beauty Tips - the cheap, the cheerful, and the not-so-cheap-but-worth-it

[TrillianAstra]

I have decided that really I am a grownup now, and should stop buying things just because they are cheap.

But this does not mean I should stop buying cheap things, instead I want to call on all your wisdom for the cheap things that really work, so I have more money to spend when expensive things are worth it.

So: What is great even though it is cheap, and what is not-so-cheap but absolutely worth the dosh?

GeekofTheWeek - Where do you get that fake tan from, please?

Sounds good and cheap.

St Tropez fake tan is sold in Home Bargains up north...

D'oh I mean St Moritz...

Yes to Aveeno body lotion - tis excellent (much better than the Clarins, Origins, Clinique and Philosophy ones I had before it).

Garnier hand cream v good - I think it's called Hydra Lock. It smells weird but works v well.

yes to superdrug vitamin E range - the body scrub is amazing and you can chuck it on it handfuls becauses its super cheap.

i am all about no 7 make up atm. every time i get a £5 voucher from the till i buy another nail polish - i think their stay perfect range are very good. also i let the no & girl match my foundation there recently and was really, really impressed with how good i looked with what she chose for me - also stay perfect i think.

hmm what else.....you can buy moisturising gloves/socks in tesco now - well worth it - chuck them on with vaseline/any old lotion and they will do the job overnight but i use that scholl hard skin cream which i think is amazing stuff and works very quickly.

i also rate ped eggs

can someone explian this oil cleansing method to me please??

thank you

What the flip is a Ped Egg?

Oooh yes ped eggs are ace.

A good alternative to Clarins beauty flash balm is the Boots no 7 radiance cream. Just as good and 2/3 of the price.

info on oil cleansing method, and thread here

Do you need moisturising socks? Surely vaseline + any old socks would work just as well?

I am currently loving the new (at least I think it's new?) Neutrogena range - pink grapefruit. I got the facial wash and facial scrub on two for a fiver in Boots and noticed Sainsburys were doing the same at the weekend.

Makes my skin feel nice and clean but definitely not tight as some others have done. Also, love the fresh wake-up smell. Great for waking you up in the shower.

Ped Eggs are truly life-changing, but I would spend a little more and get the Microplane version; the blades are better quality, I think, having tried both. The casing is sturdier too.

Another vote for Superdrug Vitamin E range, esp the body scrub - have never found a better one and it is super cheap.

Simple Eye Makeup Remover - may it be on our shelves forever.

I've forsaken all cleansers (bar a little I'm using up in the morning, for the Oil Cleansing Method (google it) - discovered on another S&B thread. I use a blend of castor oil & grapeseed oil. Lovely & cheap as chips (or cheaper even).

I'm strugling to find castor oil....where did people get their's from??

Most chemists sell castor oil.

I am another beauty product junkie.

I am a recent convert to Bare Minerals makeup - it looks so natural on but gives good coverage and stays on all day. It's worth it's weight in gold. They have a "Getting Started" kit which comes with instructions and all the brushes etc. I'd really recommend it.

I like the Dove proage body butter. The one in the long plastic bottle is too oily but the body butter is just right.

I have started using the Olay anti wrinkle cream and eye cream because it has been so highly recommended in magazines. A month in I am as happy with it as I have been with the other creams I've used (Biotherm I loved but they stopped doing the cream I liked, Clarins etc)

I think a good concealor is important and like this almost as much as touche eclat which goes off quite quickly.

Could be here for hours but dd screaming......

From a tip on here, I've started using Tesco bNatural cream cleanser instead of Liz Earle - I think I actually prefer the Tesco one and it's £3-£4!

Boots Botanics is my fave eye makeup remover, v. cheap.

I think Origins skincare worth the dosh but I do have quite sensitive skin.

Aveeno is the best body lotion.

Olive oil for my hair - I warm it first. Strong herbal tea makes a good bath - camomile for relaxing, peppermint for perking up - but not if you're pg.

A good hand scrub for dull hands is sugar mixed with lemon juice. Use the empty skin on your elbows to get rid of dull skin.

Almond oil mixed with sea salt is a good body scrub - you can add some essential oils - lavender and palmarosa aren't too pricey. Aromatherapy suppliers or beauty therapy wholesalers do almond oil v.v. cheap.

I like Natural Collection bronzer. Dior mascara. Mabelline eye shadows - their beige mousse ones are very good as a base. Max Factor foundation is as good as Clinique imo.

I use Boots Ingredients body butter and shower gel, gorg.

thank you for oil thread!

beligerantsoul - ped eggs are like c heese graters for feet - sorry thats gross but explains in well. you can get them in boots/wilko in white/black/pink i think they cost £8. you grate all the dry skin off you feet and then finish with the giant emery boards that stick on the egg. they really work and the effect lasts much, much longer than moisturiser so they are worth the price iyswim

i also think the garnier caffiene eye roll on is pretty good.

i also reccomend the mudd masks - couple of quid forn auperdrug i think.

I use the waitrose baby bottom butter, with a muslin, to clean my face - it's just olive oil that smells of vanilla, but because it's solid it's a bit less messy than using olive oil from the bottle. And v cheap.

I do use expensive moisturiser though - Neal's Yard - and it is SO worth it. I also think that expensive foundation is worth the money (well I use tinted moisturiser - Laura Mercier), much better than any cheap equivalents I have tried.

Favourite body moisturiser is cheap - vaseline intensive rescue.

I third/whatever Dr Palmers Cocoa butter. I'm trying out the shea butter version at the moment, and it's really amazing. It's good for putting on your skin if you've been in the sun.

I would also recommend sweet almond oil (I buy it on sale at Holland and Barrett) to use as a body oil after a shower (on wet skin), to remove eye make up (working on the theory that it's not at all harsh and will help my skin) and sometimes as a nightcream.