Creme de la mer fans need not apply...what is your budget beauty routine and recommendations?

[Aworryingtrend]

I am looking for recommendations as my skin is looking dry and dull at the moment. Currently I am using:

• Aapri facial scrub 1-2 times per week- I really like this as it is a 'grainy' exfoliator with lots of 'bits'. £2.99 in savers

• Botanics deep-pore cleansing mousse- I like the 'moussy' texture of this but am concerned it may be drying my skin. Approx £5 in Boots, they often do 3 for 2 offers

• L'oreal hydrafresh gel-cream moisturiser (the pale green one). This feels exactly like Clinique Moisture Surge moisturiser for a third of the price! £7ish in superdrug, they often do 'save 1/3' offers.

What cheaper products are you using and do you recommend them?

Another vote for aqueous cream as a cleanser. I use bio oil at night, a little goes a long way.

Those of you using bio oil, is that the stuff thats advertitised at getting rid of scars? Or something else?

Yes, it is.

Thanks kittens! I'm fascinated to read that you can do so many things with witch hazel. Does it come in a bottle? Do you buy it from a chemist? I am clueless when it comes to natural remedies!

I use aspirins dissolved in witchazel as a treatment for keratosis pilaris. And put a high concentrate urea cream on top (Flexitol or Compeed)

Best cheapo urea body cream is hydralock by garnier, Eucerin 10 pct is a little more costly.

Aldi facial wash, followed by Aldi moisturiser.

As from last week I'm also using Aldi body cream. It's lovely. Used Boots Botanics prior to that.

Off to Aldi. Byeeeeee

Another vote for the hot washer treatment. I can't tell you the last time I used a cleanser on my face. First thing in the morning, I do hot face washers followed by some Olay moisturiser with SPF (so nothing fancy there). Night time I do the washer again and then use whatever oil product I've got going. Neals Yard Orange Flower Facial Oil is a favourite. It is admittedly pricey at a bit over 20 quid, but I only use a few drops, it lasts forever and it's my only remotely expensive product.

And I only ever use J&J baby oil on my body when fresh out of the shower.

My skin is - and it's probably my only beauty boast - excellent.

tesco own brand cleanser with hot flannel. Have been using for years on recommendation of my dermatologist. (I have pcos which gave me horrific skin).
Skin is clear now.

Moisturiser is tesco skin wisdom with spf15. I use Neals Yard frankincense healing cream as my night cream, £20 but lasts for over 6 months, you only need a small amount.

Aworryingtrend, yes you can buy Witchhazel from most chemists. It's usually kept behind the counter and it's dead cheap - about £2 a bottle.

Google it, you'll be amazed at the many uses! Varicose Veins, Piles, Nappy Rash, Mouth Ulcers, sore gums, teething pain, cuts, bruises etc.

Ooh, the very best eye makeup remover - regardless of price - is the Camomile EMR from te Body Shop - £8 for a biggish bottle, often on buy 2, get 1 free and lasts for ages!

otchayaniye I'm always looking for something for KP. Do you dissolve soluble aspirin in a bottle of witchhazel liquid? And then what, apply with cotton wool?
I need your recipe!!!!!!

L'Oreal Youth Code moisturiser is great for me.

For a facial wash I buy Olay when I have a £5 Boots voucher which makes it about £2. I used to use Clinique 7 day scrub and Clarins shea butter which I'll buy when it has a good deal on.

Otchayaniye can I just say I heart you a little bit for all your great skincare advice, I'd heard of Aspirin facials before to be fair but all the stuff you've shared about Oil cleansing, what works and what doesn't, covering tear troughs, etc etc is so helpful and I have made the decision to "give up" Dermologica based on various snippets on here from you and others and not get sucked in by Liz Earle and all the luxe brands...I always knew deep down they didn't do all that much and to be fair I've chosen various skincare over the past few years based on how nice they are to use, not because I think they do anything magical, and I have kept my regime basic but I'm getting to an age now where I need to start knowing the truth about what actually works, not wasting any ££ on stuff that doesn't, and spending ££ on the stuff that does.

I find hair much easier. There's a load of bullshit hair stuff out there too, but its easier to measure what does work on your hair than what does work on your skin...because its sort of "dead", if you use a treatment and it makes a difference, then its done something, but skin is "live" and changes daily and its hard to narrow down what is causing good or bad things to happen.

Anyway sycophantic moment over, I don't usually gush but you are a great asset to the S&B forum and I do look out for your posts (among many others of the inside info experts out there)! Mwah x

Oh Tatty - you cheered me up ;) I'm so glad it helped. I just hate it that we can get sucked into paying so much money for air, water and fats! Everything out there is designed to make us feel crap about our skin in order to buy products to cure. But basically there are some basic things we can do (eat well, no smoking and mild drinking - shame - sunscreen and decent cleansing and protective moisturiser) that will over time work to keep your skin in good nick.

I'd much rather spend it on overpriced leather goods and expensive pressed mica!

Going to treat myself to botox for glabella lines post this pregnancy and I'll let you know how it goes!

Sprinkles. I'd take a normal size bottle of witchhazel (is that 200ml or something?) decant some to allow for the fizzing and basically melt a whole pack of 16 aspirins.

Apply with cotton pad.

Don't do this while pregnant. Ditto peels and retinol containing products.

KP isn't curable. You can just exfoliate (manually or with lotions like this) moisturise TWICE a day with something AHA-ey or with urea and allow some some exposure.

Oh my god! A revelation! Thank you Otchayaniye. I just Googled KP and realised that this is what I've had for the past few years! I initially thought it was hormonal acne brought on by pregnancy (which part of it is) and then thought it was Folliculitis but KP seems to describe it exactly! I have it all over the lower half of my face. Hmm, only problem with discovering this now is that I'm TTC again. I have tried glycolic peels, salicylic acid, lactic acid etc all to no avail though. I am rather furry of face and have been having laser hair removal until recently when I threaded it. So I guess I've got some sort of Keratin frenzy going on. Damn!

havingkittens I found late pregnancy and breastfeeding made it worse, having effectively 'gone underground' after living in the tropics with all that lovely humidity and sun exposure.

It's come back this time with this pregnancy too. Also, I'm celtic partly and have curly hair and I think there is a higher prevalence in this group.

My regimen is manual scrubbing (a Moroccan bathhouse mitt or some L'Oreal Exfotonic, or Bicarb or a salt scrub) and then Flexitol (yes, the foot stuff) which has 25 percent urea in it, which breaks down and softens the plugs. Can make them appear redder and more angry at first but resist the urge to go at them (yep, horrid but it can trigger a form of weird OCD picking) and just persist for a while. I would normally use aspirin but I'm pregnant.

Others prefer AHAs or even high-ish ( like 10-15-30 pct) home glycolic acids and coconut oil from the chemist.

Basically what you are trying to do is keep the skin exfoliated and exceptionally well moisturized to minimise it. Sun exposure helps.

good luck! There's KeratosisPilaris.org to browse if you really want to see how miserable some people can become with this

Thanks Otchayaniye. I have a double whammy of this combined with cycstic acne. Neither of which I had before I became pregnant 4 years ago, apart from my early 20s when I was on Roaccutane but had been free of it for years. Unfortunately I've not actually made it as far as late pregnancy but I suspect the hormonal rollercoaster of 6 pregnancies not making it off the ground has made it very hard to settle my skin, especially as I am in a fairly constant state of pregnancy/TTC.

I've read that AHAs are ok to use whilst TTC so I have been using home Glycolic peels. Last night I exfoliated my face with Epsom Salts, which I think I will continue trying for a couple of weeks if I don't get a BFP. Interesting about the Coconut oil. I have quite oily skin so was nervous about using something like that, but might give it a go and see what happens.

Oh, yes, I know all about the OCD picking. In my position you'd think I'd know better but it's so hard with all those little plugs everywhere! Fuckers!!

I've been browsing that website too, thanks.

" I am in a fairly constant state of pregnancy/TTC"

I know its frowned upon here, but have a good luck hug from me. I had Ashermans Syndrome after a D&C for a m/c and went through a good few years of no diagnosis, diagnosis, surgery and treatment. It's a fucker. You have my sympathy.

And am dashing off to hospital right now (again, I'm in there every two weeks for preeclampsia checking) to check I don't have cholestasis as I've been itching like a bastard.

Thanks otchayaniye. It is a fucker, that's for sure! Ashermans is something that worries me too after having so many D&Cs. Perhaps not now but it's always a risk. I'm running out of time fairly rapidly so fingers crossed the treatment programme I'm on now works for me.

Hope your hospital appointment is reassuring and that everything is well with you. It's rather stressful this procreating business isn't it?

your aspirin / witch hazel brew sounds brill, but we are TTC and I just re- read your post and realised I probably shouldn't use it. I've been dry brushing it for years and moisturising, at the moment with Eucerin 10% which has improved it a bit (also st. ives body scrub). As a teenager I got rid of the KP from my arms using a scourer from the kitchen and it never came back, but they get way more sunlight than the backs of my thighs. Do you think vinegar might be acidic enough to exfoliate with? Thinking salt and vinegar scrub. Will smell lovely!

Still use and love Waitrose Bottom Butter thanks to MN

Oh, I'd use it TTC, just stop when you are pregnant. It's debatable whether it can actually permeate the skin and enter the bloodstream this way.

Sassy you can also have Epsom Salt baths which are supposed to help too. I'm using it directly on my face as an exfoliant and it's making my skin quite soft, so hopefully it'll clear my 'plugs' over time. It seems to be ok to use this if you're pregnant too from what I can gather.

Otchayanayie I've also bought some 5% Urea Euceryn face cream which feels really nice on my skin and not in the least bit oily so I'm hoping that will help too.

What great advice. I have dry sensitive skin and use Vaseline intesive repair and relief balm on my face. It's fab.

I use a cheapo cleanser and muslins or falnnels from Ikea.

Aapri facial scrub works quite well too.