Budget Week - Day 4

So I'm thinking this could maybe become a regular fixture - mini-reviews of the products I show in Instagram - thoughts? It won't take the place of anything else - it'll be in addition to the other usual stuff. Let me know what you think. :)

Anyway, without further ado:

Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Skin Renew Cleansing Oil - £10.99 - formerly known as 'the good product with the packaging from hell'. This is a great cleansing oil, it removes all of my makeup, doesn't leave any residue and doesn't sting my eyes. It is only hindered by the fact that it is a runny oil, in an open-neck bottle. No pump. The new ones at least have a snap cap but still, you have to pour this into the palm of your hand, put it down and get most of it on your face before it dribbles down your forearm like a cold lolly on a hot day. Other than that it's great. *stabby*

Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion - see previous post

Nuxe Gentle Toning Lotion - £14.00 for 200ml - this is a perfectly lovely and affordable toner for all skin types. As an aside, it has one of the worst 'ingredients' pages that I think I've seen on a website. I'm not joking. Check it for yourself. What's the point? Taking none of that into consideration because it's hardly reflective of the actual product, which is why we are here, have a look at this the next time you see it instore. You may like.

Soap & Glory Make Yourself Youthful Serum - £16.00 for 46ml - A great price for a serum containing a lot of ingredients found in much more expensive  products, albeit maybe at lower %'s as they are near the end of the inci list. Feels good on teh skin, and does give an immediate plumpness to the skin. A good budget buy.

Organic Surge Extra Care Replenishing Facial Oil - £23.50 for 30ml - taken from Organic Surge's more premium line 'Extra Care', this smells and acts very similar to a lot of other high-end oils but it does have a slightly 'gritty' feel that the more expensive oils don't. If you're an oil addict you'll know what I mean. It's a good oil, just not great.

Organic Surge Overnight Sensation Night Cream - £12.95 for 50ml - this, from Organic Surge's original line, is much more like it. Completely worth checking out if you're in the market for a night cream, as promised on the box, this does make you wake up with refreshed skin.

Budget Week - Day 3

Bit of a hotch-potch today, contains good and disappointing ones...

Bio-Essence Miracle Bio Water - £16.00 - weird one this. I personally found it wasn't great for waterproof mascara - but my friends tell me otherwise, however, it was perfectly acceptable for lips/other..
It is lovely and cooling on the skin though, and I imagine a sensitised skin would appreciate it.

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleaning Butter - £12.00 - I've spoken about this many a time, In essence, a great affordable balm cleanser that annihilates makeup and leaves the skin soft and refreshed with no sticky residue or tight feeling.

Merumaya Exfoliating Toner - sample - I don't know what I can say about this as I have no information on it! This is literally a lab sample and part of the brand's testing so I don't know what's in it or how much it will be.. what I can say is that it is totally non-stinging (is that even a phrase?), exfoliates gently and softly and leaves the skin comfortable. As for everything else, watch this space!

Caudalie Grape Water - £6-£10 - leftovers from the grape harvest, sprays in a fine mist, softer that normal water and feels like it absorbs more efficiently.

Vichy Liftactiv Serum 10 Eyes & Lashes - £24.50 for 15ml - see yesterday's post 

Merumaya Iconic Youth Serum - £35.50 for 30ml - this is over my intended limit of £25 - £30 for serums but I thought it was worth mentioning as I am always asked about appropriate ones for oily/acne skins. Whilst this is not particularly aimed at those skin types, it's certainly one worth checking out if you are a woman of a certain age with adult acne (I feel your pain, been there), if you're just a person with problematic skin or if you want a product that contains a lot of the same ingredients as serums that are 5 times the price...

Superfacialist Rose Peaceful Skin Night Cream - £16.00 for 50ml - a frankly bargainous £16.00, this is great for all skin types including combination. It contains shea butter, but it's not heavy/cloying at all. The only thing I would say, is try and check the smell before you purchase. To me, this is proper, old lady rose. It doesn't linger, and you do wake up looking refreshed with a glow, but it is strong on application.

Budget Week - Day 2

Ooh, I'm a couple of days behind so you'll have to excuse me. Busy with work and I'm skin prepping behind the scenes for London Fashion Week as well so will be playing catch up for a few days. :)

The above routine is actually my favourite of this week so far (I'm a few ahead as I write this obviously). This was an A.M. routine.

The Ultimelt Deep Purifying Hot Cloth Cleanser - £10.00 for 100ml - Soap & Glory's foray into the 'Hot Cloth' domain is easily one of my favourites. I'm obsessed with the packaging, which is akin to a large toothpaste tube and the product inside doesn't disappoint. Although it says it is 'deep purifying' and it contains clary sage, I don't find it too strong at all. It does not leave my skin red and instead leaves it subtly refreshed, ready for the day. I would also use this as a second cleanse in the evenings.

Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion - £16.50 for 200ml - this caused some shocked reactions when it went up this week. This Clinique MCL is used as an exfoliating acid and it's a brilliant one - especially if you can't/don't want to use glycolic. It contains 0.5% salicylic acid and has a ph of 2.9 - making it one of the stronger exfoliating acids on the market. It's also, for those of you that were horrified, alcohol-free. Dive in my friends, it's lush.

Vichy Liftactiv Serum 10 Eyes & Lashes - £24.50 for 15ml - not particularly 'budget' this one, but one I am asked about a lot, I think because these french pharmacy brands can always be found on offer or used with Boots points for example (in the UK!). As it is designed to increase the strength/length of the lashes - you would obviously need to use this up to the end to see the results, but for texture and usage purposes, it has a great slip/feel to it and is incredibly soothing and hydrating....

Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Serum - £17.00 - well Hughes is right. This is a great hydrating serum, that instantly imparts moisture without greasiness and a feeling of relief without stickiness. At £17.00 it's also considerably more affordable than others in its genre, including Hydraluron.. If you are dry/dehydrated and haven't already, try this out. You'll probably love it.

Twas a good face day!

(Note: I am trialling some embargoed moisturisers that can't be photographed yet. I did use a moisturiser after this serum, as brilliant as it is, it wouldn't have been enough for me on its own)

Budget Week - Day 1 - and an extension...

So here's the thing. I fully understand that the word 'budget' is different for everyone. I do. What's budget to some, may be unattainable to others. What's 'affordable' to XX may be absolutely extortionate to YY.
I knew budget week would be popular, what I didn't expect is people arguing amongst themselves about what actually constitutes the word 'budget' across all forms of my social media. There is no need to argue! It's all good. There are plenty of products out there in all price brackets, and as the idea of a 'week' was so popular, I've decided to just extend it and include much more 'budget' (there goes that word again) finds across all of my channels forever more.

I'll still be a fussy cow, still expect great results no matter the price and include plenty of high-end gear as per usual, but expect to see more affordable/budget/bargain finds as the year goes on.

In the meantime, I thought it would be helpful to do some 'flash reviews' of the products I'm using on a daily basis (while I can keep it up!), otherwise my 'to review' pile will never subside and nothing will get done!

So....

Vichy Purite Thermale Eye Makeup Remover - £8.07 - this is good, but I had residue this morning - even after I thought I had gotten all of it off last night. Not as good as Clarins, Lancome or Tilbury.

La Roche Posay Physiological Cleansing Gel - £12.00 - this did a surprisingly good job of removing my makeup and my skin didn't feel too tight afterwards. I wouldn't be able to use it every day, it would be far too drying long-term, but it should be fine if you are particular oily - or for summer's hot and sweaty months..

Pixi Glow Tonic - £18.00 - done and dusted, kippers and custard. (I.e. - reviewed and mentioned 400 times on this blog - search here)

Organic Surge Orange Flower Toner - £7.50 - light and refreshing, it's suited to an oilier skin than mine. Nice and fresh though..it's a second tone, not an acid one...

Organic Surge Hydrating Eye Cream - £18.00 - either I've got dog-eared dry eyes or this is again, more suited for 'normal' skins, even thought it is aimed at a dryer/more mature skin. Lovely cream - maybe for someone younger, but I need more oomph.

Nuxe Detox - £47.00 (clearly not budget) - I found this for £29 yesterday on a french to english website - and now it's disappeared. Sorry!
Aside from the price, this is a great nighttime product if your skin is dull or a little drained. It would probably be worth checking out if you suffer from continuous blemishes/hormonal lumps etc. It's available in M&S too, so you can more than likely find it in your high street in the UK.

I hope this reassures those of you on tight budgets that I am trying to cater to everyone, including you. And please don't argue amongst yourselves. After last week, I'm enjoying the calm. :)

Budget Week

(I know these aren't all budget - it's just an example!)

Ah the time is upon us. A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned on Instagram that I would be having a week dedicated to budget products in February.
So starting today, I will be posting as many reviews as possible on budget products, and using as many as possible in my routines.
I'm actually still shopping during the week with an aim to make it a more regular thing going forward on the blog, so if you do have any particular favourites, please let me know in the comments and I'll try and get to as many as I can.
I'm also interested in what you consider the upper limits £$-wise for budget skincare. I know what I think, but what do you think?

Watch this space!