Skin Beauty: Where to splurge and save

With so many beauty products available in luxury and budget versions it can be hard to know where to spend your money in your routine. Is it absolutely essential that I spend £100+ for a moisturiser or will spending a tenner do the trick? It can get pretty confusing – let us simplify it for you and offer some advice on where to spend your money on a necessary luxury product and where a budget version will do the trick.

Splurge

Cleansers in our opinion are the most important step in our skincare routine. Your skin will thank you for using a good cleanser that can remove all traces of makeup and impurities each day. Typically a luxury cleanser will contain the best ingredient to nourish your skin without stripping the skin, but thats not to say there aren’t expensive cleansers that contain nasty stuff, remember to always read the label and use your best judgement. We highly recommend the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm or Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel, they may sound pricey but trust me, a little goes a long way. Also, thats not to say that there aren’t great alternatives in the drugstore, check out Una Brennan’s Super Facialist range or Body Shop cleansers if you are a bit strapped for cash.

Next up, Serums. Some people seem to be divided on the necessity of using a serum, gone are the days where cleanse-tone-moisturise is enough now there are so many more steps in a typical routine, Serums being one of them but I think those that do use serums reap the benefits in hydrated and smooth skin. Serums tend to use high quality ingredients which unfortunately aren’t cheap so if you want your serum to really work then splashing out is the way forward. For example, the MV Organic Skincare Rose Plus Booster uses luxurious essential oils which us Rosehip and Jojoba to create a highly effective serum treatment. A good mid-range alternative is Indeed Labs Hydraluron which delivers a much needed moisture boost.

Exfoliating toners/acids are a relatively new addition to our routine but something we would highly recommend investing in if you’ve never tried them. If you have problematic and blemish-prone skin then exfoliating acids may be your new holy grail product they help to tackle acne and scars, even fine line and wrinkles. They are a great alternative to harsh alcohol treatments that sting the skin (which may feel like they’re working but your skin shouldn’t burn – ouch). We love Pixi Glow Tonic which is a gentle oil and alcohol free toner that you can use morning and night to smooth the appearance of the skin, and increase the natural glow to you skin, much like the name would suggest. Alternatively, try Alpha H Liquid Gold it contains glycolic acid which is great for blemish-prone skin.

Save

If you are using some of the products listed above, especially a serum you can then compromise on your moisturiser by using a cheaper product. As long as you have something that will provide some hydration and protection to the skin you don’t need to splurge too much. We recommend the Yes to ranges of moisturisers available at Boots which provide for a range of different skin types, we particularly enjoy the Yesto Grapefruit Even Skintone Moisturiser for Uneven Skintone which provides a lovely base for makeup in the morning.

Bioderma has held the crown for the best eye makeup remover for many years but there are so many replicas on the budget market that this hard-to-find cult product isn’t worth shopping around for. We have to admit that we aren’t particularly loyal to one brand here as many brands seem to do the trick, unless you have sensitive eyes in which case you might want to stick to one you know and love. Two favourites are Botanics All Bright Eye Soothing Eye Make Up Remover and Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water.

Last up, face masks are another area where you can save your pennies. They are easy and cheap to make with ingredients such as hydraluronic acid and clay that can be cheaply done (you can even make face masks at home if you fancy it) so there is no need for a luxury product here, so why not try Super Facialist by Una Brennan Anti Blemish Clay Mask.

Where do you spend the most money in your routine? Let us know @tweetjanes