Cheapo products that are secretly amazing?

[Gmamaofboys13]

Following on from the Nivea soft thread (under £5 on Amazon)...what other hidden treasures are there that I don't know about?

I've found carmex original lip balm in a tub to be amazing. Costs under £3

L'Oreal dream lengths shampoo/conditioner has really sorted my hair out. On offer it was £2.75 for 500ml.

Garnier hand repair hand cream 75ml is so good, cost £2 from Amazon

Garnier hair food, I think I have the brown one with macadamia oil. £3.50 for 500ml

Sudocrem for acne and sunburn, recently bought 400g for £5.75

Any other suggestions?

I think the original crème de la mer had different ingredients and was only made during one part of the lunar cycle but now it’s changed hands & that’s changed.

The original client base would’ve been used to high end skin care & they raved about it so I’m prepared to believe it was once a really good product.

I don’t buy anything tested on animals so I’m limited to what I can use anyway.

www.boots.com/garnier-ultimate-blends-argan-oil-and-almond-cream-dry-hair-shampoo-360ml-10241867

Garnier argan oil shampoo and conditioner. Great for my wavy, super fine hair. I use one if their solid shampoos with the conditioner too and love it

@PAFMO The inkey list moisturizing cream definitely has remarkable similarities to a far more expensive brands light weight day cream. Its a good one to use under make up or if you have more oily skin.

Also Superdrug own brand have one or two obvious spoofs that I can confirm don't contain much difference to their better known siblings (I would imagine going by printed ingredients list the same is true for Aldi though I've never witnessed their production - only some of the products they copy)

XHC banana shampoo and conditioner, £1 a bottle, and brilliant with no nasty silicone or SLS.

Aldi hot cloth cleansers, and their rose oil.

The Ordinary serum foundation; also their rose hip oil

Superdrug serum in the green and white bottle

Dove summer revival fake tan

Aqueous cream as an alternative to the Liz Earl hot cloth cleanser . Better IMO

Vaseline, fantastic on lips, face, hands etc

Vosene Shampoo 99p-£2 Best Shampoo for a weekly deep clean to remove products that build up on my frizzy hair.

@JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon

XHC banana shampoo and conditioner, £1 a bottle, and brilliant with no nasty silicone or SLS.

Aldi hot cloth cleansers, and their rose oil.

This was going to be mine too! Recommended to me by a hair dresser for doing curly girl method and it’s amazing! My curly hair has never been so soft.

Also second the XHC banana shampoo if you're avoiding SLS. It's not a spoof product but has higher quality ingredients than a lot of other products plus only £1

Also for make up I'll add that Shein's sheglam cosmetics are made on the same lines and with the same ingredients as several designer brands (they weren't an account of mine so never saw the BOMs but heard this from our R&D)

@coronafiona

Just to add, I've noticed asda prices are different if supermarkets to asda home stores. My Pantene shampoo is £4 per bottle in supermarket but £1.99 in home store. No way am I paying £4 fro shampoo!

I saw my pantene shampoo and conditioner on 'offer' at Superdrug - buy 2 for £7, but one bottle sells at Asda for £2.50 so not sure I'll be rushing to Superdrug for that! The price differences between stores are mad.

Astral or blue Nivea in the tub as a heavy duty moisturising ‘overnight mask’.

The pink herbal essences conditioner is great for my straight, thick hair. I’ve never found anything else at any price point that is as nice on my hair (don’t like their shampoos though!).

Other cheap things I always come back to after unsuccessful fannying about wuth expensive shite;

Vaseline Rosy lips.

L’Oréal telescopic carbon black mascara.

Revlon colourstay foundation (for medium-full coverage). I’ve just finished a bottle of pricey Lancôme Teinte Idole, which I was seriously underwhelmed by, and yet again gone back to the Revlon!

Aldi caviar night cream

Vaseline intensive care aloe Vera body lotion

Perfume Parlour fragrances, especially the oils. I’ve just stocked up on a load of dupes of high end & niche fragrances - MFK, By Kilian, Tom Ford etc. Spent £35 on what would have come in at about £1,000 if branded! Yikes!

I love being a cheapskate.

People have mentioned various mascaras. I used to have normal sort of lashes, now since menopause they have practically disappeared, they are so much shorter. I don't want much volume, just the illusion of more length! I have bought loads of really expensive so called lengthening ones and they don't really work. Any tips?

Loreal hair food shampoo is my latest discovery, better than many fay for expensive ones. I do need a good "strip" with Neutrogena every few weeks though.

Maybelline pore eraser £7 is a gamechanger! Worn under foundation it makes my skin look soo much smoother (and younger!)

[quote meifly]@PAFMO The inkey list moisturizing cream definitely has remarkable similarities to a far more expensive brands light weight day cream. Its a good one to use under make up or if you have more oily skin.

Also Superdrug own brand have one or two obvious spoofs that I can confirm don't contain much difference to their better known siblings (I would imagine going by printed ingredients list the same is true for Aldi though I've never witnessed their production - only some of the products they copy) [/quote]
Excellent, thank you!
I'm a dry old prune so lightweight is not for me but I do like the Inky List stuff.

@Cloudsanddaffodils

Maybelline pore eraser £7 is a gamechanger! Worn under foundation it makes my skin look soo much smoother (and younger!)

That reminds me. Maybelline dream satin liquid foundation is absolutely beautiful. Reminds me of Armani Luminous silk but is better.

@Gonnagetgoing

Aldi or Lidl mango shower gel is the same as Original Source mango one.

How much does the Aldi/Lidl stuff cost? The OS stuff is always on offer for £1!

E45 spray lotion for really dry skin. It's in an aerosol to be sprayed after shower etc. I accidentally used it on a wound whilst getting dressed and it closed it. Said wound had been open for quite a while and would not respond to other actual medical creams. Its since done the same for an irritating rash and a other wound. Fab stuff.

Atrixo hand cream, I love it as face cream too. If I go away it’s the only moisturiser I take. I’m very low maintenance!

Boots Curl Crème is back too - £1.99 for a tub that lasts about a year!

I get on with most 'cheaper' versions of things, they're often indistinguishable these days whatever they are, or the ones i've tried anyway, especially makeup with brands like Makeup Revolution or Collection.

I do prefer proper Liz Earle to the Superdrug cleanser though, I don't think they are that similar other than in concept and I find the Superdrug one a bit drying. a 200ml LE tube lasts me at least 3 months and is constantly 20% off or more somewhere so the cost spread over that time isn't that high.

A few really cheap things I rate:

Primark mascara in the gold tube is my go to and about £3

Primark brow fix twist up pen is the best slim brow pencil i've used and is £3

Silkia Pedicare cracked heel repair foot cream - £2 on Amazon - absolutely amazing both for cracked heels and just as a foot cream

Garnier Intensive 7 Days Body Lotion in Shea butter is my go to for body lotion, non greasy, very very moisturising, usually a few pounds.

What an informative thread!

I've just checked my vitamin C serum (thanks to @PAFMO ) and it is 15% thank goodness, and I think it was quite cheap so I'd recommend that here- The Inkey List 15% vitamin c and EGF.

Boots natural collection blushers and also even eyeshadows are great value and good staying power and colours. Blushes rival top end price ones. I’d see high earning colleagues but these in London when I worked there.

@imnottoofussed any of the Superdrug foot booty things are fine.

I’ve been given old style creme de la mer did nothing for me!

Aldi lacura CBD hemp serum is amazing especially for oily skin (I don’t have oily skin).