It always bothers me when magazine’s boast “Budget Beauty Product” articles but when you actually read them the cleansers are $50 and the moisturisers just squeeze in under the $100 mark. Sorry beauty editors, but I’m on a UNI STUDENT budget- you know the one where the main meal is chicken noodles in a cup! The alternative option is that they show a wide variety of lovely, but not so functional ‘beauty’ products like candles, lip balm and bubble bath- I mean, I LOVE those things but I am on a serious budget here…..and it’s kind of depressing to think that my only skincare option is a tub of Blistex!
Working in a beauty salon and selling a wide range of absolutely beautiful, but pricey skin care products I see firsthand how many people would love to take care of their skin at home but can’t justify the exxy price tag. So as much as I would love to provide every woman with access to high quality retinols and lactic acid peels, I get it! Sometimes you just want something that will work for you that won’t make you feel guilty about the price.
Here are a couple of seriously low budget skincare products (seriously, there is nothing under $30!!) that I have tried and tested myself. This is the “Winter Skin” edition so these products are suitable to use over the cooler months.
CLEANSER: Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
For just $12-$15 for a 500ml pump pack this cleanser is an absolute steal! And it is also fantastic at removing makeup without stripping the skin. I had a client who suffered from acne who switched her foamy, stripping cleanser for this stuff and her skin improved SO MUCH! This is a beauty staple at my house and the perfect “back up” cleanser if you prefer the more exxy stuff!
DAY CREAM: ASAP Moisturising Daily Defence 50ml size
$29 for a 50ml size- although at this price this is the smaller, travel size for this product(150ml is $49)- this should still last you 12 weeks (or 3 months) which is pretty good for any moisturiser that you use every day. This has a 30 plus sunscreen- yes, even though it’s winter you still need to use a SPF to protect against sundamage, aging and pigmentation.
NIGHT CREAM: Moogoo Full Cream
For just $13.50 I can’t go past MooGoo Full Cream as a nourishing and protective night cream. The packaging (a tiny milk carton) is to die for too! This Australian brand is well worth checking out, they have a variety of different high quality products at seriously affordable prices. If you need an extra hydration boost over winter, why not check out their Rose Hip Oil.
EYE TREATMENT: ASAP Soothing Gel 50ml
I don’t quite know why, but I seem to get puffy eyes in winter. It might be because they want to keep sleeping instead of getting up in these cold mornings! I keep this Soothing Gel in the fridge and apply it like an eye mask at the first sign of puffiness. It works a treat! It can also be used as an eye gel and is wonderful for scaly or flaky skin around the eyelid. I have also recommended this as a moisturiser for those with very oily skin or inflamed acne. RRP $20 for 50ml.
EXFOLIATE: ASAP Daily Exfoliating Scrub 50 ml…..OR.. Good old baking soda!
I know I’m not being very inventive with all my ASAP products here but I really only wanted to recommend products that I had used myself AND that really, really work. This is again, the travel size of this product but when used just once or twice a week to exfoliate it should really last. RRP $29. On a serious budget? Why not try baking soda? (I have tried this and still use from time to time!)
TINTED MOISTURISER/ALL IN ONE PRODUCT: Garnier BB Cream
This is the only product I have not tried and tested yet but I have heard so many positive reviews about it that I am going to be using it over the next few weeks when I travel to South Africa. I love the idea of an all in one, easy to use product while I travel but that also one that won’t break the bank or make me sad if it gets lost or stolen in my travels! I think this retails at about the $12 mark.
So, what are your favourite budget beauty products? I would love to hear about them!
Love, Life & Beauty Therapy 
I like Neutrogena Deep Clean Cream Cleanser for combo/oily skin. It’s a cream so it doesn’t strip the skin – skin actually feels lovely and soft after use! But the addition of a little bit of zinc, menthol, and salicylic acid makes it a really effective cleanser!
I also like some of the Neutrogena exfoliants – as long as the beads are round and not sharp/scratchy.
Umm, what else? Oh – sunscreen! If my clients are needing to find somewhere to scrimp, I usually suggest a budget sunscreen worn on top of their more active serums or other skincare products. All sunscreens in Australia must adhere to rigorous standards, so you know that anything labelled SPF30 will give you good protection – it’s just up to you to choose ingredients and textures that suit you. I loooove Olay Complete Defence Sensitive – it’s like $13.99 and I can honestly say I choose to use it every day myself even though I have access to professional products at wholesale prices.
My theory is generally – if it washes down the drain (ie cleanser, makeup remover, and exfoliant), you can scrimp on it as long as it’s doing a good job. If it doesn’t make “treatment contact” with your skin (ie sunscreen because you should be layering skincare products on first), you can scrimp on it.
For actual cheap SKINCARE? I quite like Trilogy products – can’t go past a bit of rosehip oil!
LOVE hearing about good budget beauty buys! Especially when they come with a Beauty Therapist’s “tick” of approval. I will always use professional skincare but also like to dabble in off the shelf products aswell- I think that many of them are getting better and more affordable.
Thanks for your tips- I have never tried the Neutrogena Cream Cleanser before but now I definitely will- I know it is used and recommended by many dermatologists so I imagine it would be quite gentle and not overly harsh on the skin.
Also, agree about the “wash down the drain” and “first contact” theory. For this reason I actually don’t believe in very expensive foundations, powders, ect. I would rather my clients spend the money on a good, active serum or moisturiser instead of feeling like they can’t buy anything because they can’t afford it all- the cleanser, scrub, daycream, night cream, ect. Using something is ALWAYS better than nothing!
Have really enjoyed reading your comments- nice to know there are other therapists out there thinking similar things!
Yeah! I mean we’re all human and we all have budgets. And as you say, I’d rather that people were using a few well-selected prescription products rather than using NOTHING because they get in their heads that they can’t afford it.
I actually LOVE when clients say to me that they’re on a budget and are upfront about what they can afford and what kind of a timeframe they’re on for acquiring the different products required to form the steps in their routine. It allows me to form a treatment plan very easily.
And hey, I’m saving for a wedding and honeymoon so I’m on a budget too! Hence I use a cheapie sunblock and once my professional cleansers & exfoliants run out, I shall be replacing those with supermarket products too! Got to start somewhere! But I am happy to splurge on serums, moisturisers, and eye creams. You only have one skin after all, and I consider those products to be an essential and worthwhile investment!
Oh I also forgot about my faaaaaaavourite makeup-remover which is a chemist gem – Bioderma Crealine H20. Anyone who doesn’t use this as a nightly makeup remover, please go and get yourselves one and while you’re out shopping, buy yourself some nice stationery so you can get started on your thank-you letter to me. 🙂