BEAUTY Skin care on a budget

Beauty on a budget


Maggie Gibbons

ARE you a believer in you get what you pay for? Do you think the more expensive ranges in all things beautiful are worth every cent? Or are you sick and tired of all the false promises and would you give anything to find some more cost effective alternatives that will do the job just as well, thank you very much!
Have you ever suffered buyer’s remorse after splurging out on a ‘hope in a jar’ product only to find it was no different to anything else?
I sometimes find that I have to curb that instant gratification to purchase yet another ‘promise to look 10 years younger’ night/day cream and walk away. I have discovered through my years of research that there are hundreds of beauty buys out there that wont cause your credit card to melt. Think Supermarket girls…How often have you passed by their ranges while shopping and dismissed them?
Value for money
There are tons of cosmetics that are very easy on the pocket. They wont have the fancy packaging we see in the more high end buys but then again they wont be making the outrageous claims and promises that those others make. If every cream I tried/tested had worked I should look about ten at this stage and I can assure you I don’t!
There are great value cosmetics of excellent quality lining the shelves in you local supermarket. These are keener priced because the companies that make them are not paying fortunes for branding and advertising.
So how do you know what’s worth buying and what’s not? I’ve news for you ladies…it’s all about the ingredients. So, the one piece of advice I can offer is check them out. If you find a something that’s well priced and does what it says on the tin then buy and enjoy. The good news is you can treat yourself without overspending

Here are a list of some budget buys….

Silcocks Base
Wonderful as a cleanser and cheap as chips, about €4 for a huge tub. If you use it with a warm muslin cloth I reckon it can’t be beaten. Available in chemists.

Aqueous Cream
Again about €4 for the big tub…doubles as cleanser and moisturizer. Again, your local chemist is the place to buy.

Aldi Ciana moisturiser
Fantastic value at about €3. This actually came out as a winner on Gok Wans ‘How to look good naked’.

Aldi Lacura
A brilliant range, check out their Q10 anti-wrinkle day cream.

Vaseline rosy lips
This is such an affordable, moisturising little pot. Use it whenever you like to give that tint of colour to your lips as well as keeping them moisturised.  Price around €1.75.

Anything by Nivea
Especially their Q10 range, contains all the ingredients of the more expensive products. I particularly love the Q10 Visage eye cream, about €10.

Skin Wisdom at Tesco
A lovely range of products and well priced . The range is 10 years old this year and they have introduced loads of new youth boosters….loving it!

There are many ways to pamper yourself while staying on a budget. Next time you want a cream just take a look at the ingredients in one of the expensive brands, then compare them to the more cost effective ranges.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the results. If you buy wisely it will leave you a few extra euros to spend on a delicious fragrance or even a pair of shoes…now there’s a thought!