Help! No care routine at all. Tight budget

[Notquite50]

It’s a long message but thought I’d get it all down. I don’t have much money so can’t go with luxury products.I am going to buy a new item of clothing each month to try build up wardrobe a little.

I am tired and looking tired. I have just bought super soft bedding and a mattress topper and going to make my bedroom cosy (remove piles of laundry!) and try sort sleep. I realised how little self care I do, hence this…

My skin looks tired. I’m not sure what skin type I am but I have some blackheads/large pores. I have been using a face wash which is helping.

SO where do I start with not much to spend… boots own brand cleanser and moisturiser? Or any tips of good value products please? Have never worn makeup and don’t want anything drastic. No 7 tinted moisturiser? I have some I bought 2 years ago, along with mascara and lipstick. Guessing after 2 years I should throw it out.

What would a really really simple routine look like? I have dry skin on legs so I could start with that.

Also going to try some healthier food and drink water. I can go whole days only drinking coffee.

When your skin like? Oily? Dry? Neither?

Have you an Aldi near you? My budget isn't super tight, but actually I really like some of their products.

And YES to water! Tap, I mean. No need to buy any bottles, just drink tap water. And maybe stop the coffee half way through the day and drink... more water!

Definitely start by drinking 4-8 glasses of water a day and eating 3-5 portions of veg, 2 of fruit.

A clay mask can be good for getting rid of blackheads.

For cleansing I use Garnier Rose - usually around £3 but often half price. Buy two when it's on offer.
For moisturiser I love Nivea Q10. Budget price but excellent results. Under £6 on Amazon but often £11+ in shops.

A brilliant budget brand for make up is Rimmel. Reliable and long lasting. A neutral rose or plum lippy can double as a blusher.

If you are really broke, shape brows with tweezers but worth getting them done once professionally (Superdrug is cheap) and then maintaining that shape at home. Brows make a massive difference to looking groomed.

I don’t know what my skin type is. Just normal I think.

I am definitely going to up the water. I look so tired one of my kids thought I had black eyes from an injury recently and I think it’s partly dehydration.

I do have an Aldi. I can go look tomorrow. Thanks

Mascara - MUA, Collection - both nice and cheap. Get from Superdrug, amazon etc.

Asda face wash;
https://groceries.asda.com/product/face-wash/asda-kind-gentle-foaming-face-wash-for-sensitive-skin/1000015780588
£1.50 and lasts for ages.

I barely have a routine, so following!

Thanks @WinterFoxes great to get specific recommendations. I’m not totally broke but cannot imagine getting my eyebrows done. Have never had any kind of treatment other than hairdressers. Good tweezers is a good idea.

Thank you @Datafan55 . Hope you get some tips too.

It sounds like your skin could do with something with salicylic in if you have blackheads. CeraVe do a face wash with salicylic and also a face wash for oilier skin. You can also get toners with salicylic.

Add in a vitamin C which will give you glow. Everybody does them these days, they don't need to be spendy.

An Spf50 always.

Any old moisturizer that suits your skin.

Then when your skin has settled to the vitamin C in the morning, think about adding a retinol in the evening.

Another vote here for Asdas Kind and Gentle range! I use their eye make up remover and their toner. At the minute I'm using a Camomile Cleansing Butter which melts onto the face and turns into a face wash from Bodycare - it's a copy of the Body Shop one and was £1.49 and it's really, really lovely and lasts a while.

At night I use Asdas eye make up remover on my eyes with cotton pads, then the cleansing butter, rinse, then the toner with cotton pads. I've used Asdas day and night creams before which were lovely and £1.50 each I think. I'm using L'Oréal ones now which were £3 each.

On a morning I was my face in the shower, then use the toner again, then once out I pop moisturiser over my body - I like the Nivea soft one. Then pop a day face cream on.

MUA do good primers for your face for under your make up if you're on a budget too

Boots do basic cucumber or rose face wash. Cheap and effective for a product that stays on your skin very little. They also have basic moisturiser etc. I would spend the most on SPF.

Im googling…. Do you mean a vitamin c serum? And do you just add as well as face wash toner and moisturiser?

Sorry I didn’t keep up well there!

I can't help much on clothing and makeup, being mega unstylish and not bothering with that myself, but budget, basic skincare... I just bought a 700ml Garnier rose miceller water for £7, L'Oréal Hydrogenius aloe water moisturiser £6, and SuperFacialist Vit C daily polish £7 from Amazon. I'm rubbish at self care too, so this is my starting effort!

Body recommendations:

Bioderma shower oil (It's £15 but one litre lasts ages)
Asda baby lotion
I'm currently using these Asda flannels for face and body but I've seen this Salux cloth recommended and going to try that (body only though)

Face recommendations:

Cerave hydrating cleanser
Sali Hughes placid daily exfoliant
Byoma gel moisturiser
Hero sunscreen
Beauty of joseon retinal eye cream (night only)

I’m going to choose a couple of skincare products from the thread and get going with that first, maybe need to get up ten mins earlier. I feel like I never have time but probably even five minutes would make a different. I do have time.
Might add make up in next month.
Thanks for taking the time for recommendations/ links.

I get my nose pore strips from the poundshop, £1 as opposed to £6+ Biore ones. I also get a £1 tumeric clay mask from superdrug but there's enough in there for two uses, so 50p a time.

I prefer superdrug vit e hot cloth cleanser to anything from boots ime, and it lasts forever.

I make my own sugar lip scrub and body exfoliator and pop them in nice jars so I feel like I've had a wee treat. I also have those £1 bath gloves mits for a nice scrubby lather. Makes body wash go further.

I like Aldi night cream.

I get a £2.99 brow tint from savers and do it myself- it's easy and saves me time in the morning (but do not tint your own lashes!)

Get a 99p multivitamin from Boots, I feel like it makes a difference (I try to eat well but especially in winter I feel a boost is needed)

I have a tinted day cream from Nivea which was £3 from bnm.

I also love Lidl 69p hand cream - I have a tube in the car, in my bag, every where. I also have a cheap nude pink nail gel polish for my days off so I look more put together.

Drinking coffee counts, as does eating "wet" foods eg cucumber. It doesn't need to be water, just liquid.

Most of my skincare is Nivea, so cheap. If you're skin looks dull a vitamin c serum should help that.