Moving from high end toiletries to good quality budget

[fizzingbubbleseffervescence]

Which swaps have you made effectively to reduce your budget (whilst still looking gorgeous)?

I used to use high end for pretty much everything but I’m trying to slowly replace with more reasonably priced products.

So far I’ve switched:

dermalogica eye maker remover for nivea

Aveda and kerastase for herbal essences

I’m using Palmers for all body cream/fake tan which is amazing.

I’m yet to swap my dermalogica face wash and moisturiser- have you got any recommendations?

I’m using a vegan mascara called poppy Austin which I love and is a great price. I can’t bear to part with bare minerals for face powered

I second recommendations above for CeraVe - I use the lotion as a daily face cream and its fantastic. I tend to use a lot of French pharmacy brands - not really cheap but not high end either and La Roche Posay is fantastic, as well as Bioderma (good cleansers and I love the hydrobio serum). Really good quality products and my skin is in much better shape than when I was spending 100s on high end stuff.

Beauty Pie is fantastic, I just finished their Japanfusion moisturiser (under £10 I think) and have gone back to my Ren moisturiser (£30+) and the Beauty Pie one is better imho. The serums are fabulous too. I haven’t tried much make-up but the Hannah Martin cream blusher is great as are the cream eyeshadows - just as good as the Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier versions.

Thanks for the mineral foundation recommendations. I used to but bare minerals and discovered the loreal one but it was discontinued a while ago. I'll try these out.

The ordinary hyaluronic acid is one of the best things I've done for my skin. I really feel its more supple.

Has anyone tried the lash lift kits from amazon? I've seen videos in tiktok etc but I'm not sure if it looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

@tappitytaptap their hot cloth cleansers are lovely!

Boots Fragrance Free Eye Make Up Remover Lotion.
Best I’ve ever found for my very sensitive eyes at only £1:50 & even at that low price often on their 3 for 2 offers.

The body shop charcoal soap! www.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/body/soaps/himalayan-charcoal-purifying-facial-soap/p/p002840 last about 6 months with daily use.

Fantastic responses thank you, there’s lots of ideas to go on!

I’m going to try the cerave, cetaphil and Superdrug facial cleansers mentioned on here. Which would you recommend for mid-thirties, spot prone skin that gets dry/eczema patches?

Thanks for the Gosh, Lily Lolo and beauty pie recommendations. Do you know what their ethics is like? I always try and go cruelty free x

@rookiemere

Which colour/brand are you using on your hair? I’m a serial highlighter so I’d love an alternative

I’ve never tried Aldi/Lidl/wilko cosmetics, can you order them online?

I’ve got a feeling I’m going to end up spending more not less, trying out all your fab recommendations 😂

The ordinary beauty company. My choice no matter the budget

@fizzingbubbleseffervescence I've got similar skin to you although approaching 50 so very interested in which Cerave cleanser people recommend. I'm a huge fan of La Roche Posay generally but mixed in with some more pricey buys (Opalex for my hair) and cheaper serums from the Ordinary range. Had a terrible breakout of cystic acne due to an IUD change recently and am giving the much lauded Paula's Choice salycilic acid a go right now. Would love to find a cleanser as good as Liz Earle and have heard great things about Cerave.

I love the GOSH eye crayons. So easy to use, and yes OP, totally cruelty free Scandinavian company.

I cannot get on with The Ordinary. Skin has never been sensitive to anything before but their stuff just brings me out in a horrible rash for some reason.

@fizzingbubbleseffervescence the one that I've had best results with is L'oreal casting, Chestnut Honey. My natural colour is mid brown so it seems to work quite well as blending in the highlights with the grey bits at the top. It's semi permanent so lasts for a few weeks. If you want to try something less permanent they have 3-4 wash sachets that used to be called Shaders and Toners that you can try.

I may well go back to the highlights but hopefully at some point in the future when not required to wear a mask for the process.

I’ve swapped Estée Lauder daywear tinted moisturiser £40 for soap and glory Glow Job which is about £12

I'm with @Heisenjurg re coconut oil as a make up remover. Been using it for years and I love it. And NO, it doesn't clog your pores if you then wipe if off with a warm, wet flannel. And it doesn't leave you greasy at all. In fact I need to moisturise afterwards. But it's gentle, removes everything, doesn't sting if it goes in your eyes, and it's cheap. I buy it in large jars from my local Asian food store.

I love these threads. I really like high end skincare and make up, and have lots to use up before I buy more at any price point, but I find it really interesting.

My only contribution however is a swap from bioderma micellar water to Garnier with the pink bottle top. About a sixth of the price and the same quality, to me.

If we are also talking make up, I think the MUA eyeshadow palettes from Superdrug are amazing for the £3 or so that they cost.

I’ve tried just about everything over the years but the only brand that works for me is Clarins. I don’t buy things like shampoo/shower gel from them though, just skin care. I don’t use make up daily but when I do it’s Lancôme mascara. Bloody sensitive skin and eyes 🤦‍♀️

Other than that I use Sensodyne toothpaste, only because nothing else works- and again I have tried cheaper alternatives- supermarket hand soap and Elvive/Pantene shampoo depending on offers.

I also now have to use sunblock daily due to a solar keratosis, and Vitamin D supplement daily, so that’s working out expensive now. I’ve actually been using sunblock for a long time, but now I’m using a lot more. When I’m out and using hand sanitizer it strips the sunblock off my hands, so I’m re applying it constantly.

I’m also a big fan of Cerave cleanser. I like to wash my face in the shower in the morning and it’s great for that (not drying). Evening the Superdrug naturally radiant cleanser is fab. As good or better than liz Earle etc. I slightly prefer the texture of that one to their Vitamin E cleanser , although both are great.

Beauty Pie is cruelty free.

I have similar skin to you OP - oily and prone to spots in the T zone but can get dry bits around my chin and jaw.

I found the Retinol range with Beauty Pie absolutely life changing - had to stop when I was TTC but up until then it was really excellent. Suitable for sensitive skin too, I had no retinol type issues. Retinol is good for oily skin, as it can be drying - good for us! 100% recommend from me.

I am actually using the Uber Youth Serum now - also excellent, my skin looks great even when hormones are all over the place. I use with the Japan Fusion toner - another fantastic product range.

quite like Neutrogena Gel/Cream - fragrance free.

Since lockdown I've switched from clarins (multi active) moisturiser to play, and it has been fine until now...I'm not sure how it will hold up in winter though as I get such dry, sensitive skin when the temperature drops.
I also like the superdrug naturally radiant, and I've used the brightening balm for some time now and my skin seems happy with it. I love the cinnamony smell.
Haven't used the glycolic stuff yet...it's sitting in the bathroom waiting to be used, but I'm a bit rubbish about skincare routine

I've been using CeraVe cleanser since lockdown & it's really done my skin some favours. Before that I was using an olive oil soap, £1 from a Turkish grocer, & I still use that in the shower.
I also like Aldi caviar day and night cream instead of La Mer.

[quote cameocat]@tappitytaptap their hot cloth cleansers are lovely![/quote]
Ooh going to give them a try, thanks for the tip!