How MSE are your beauty products?

This_Girl

My routine is fairly MSE friendly out of necessity:
(this is all when I am up to it)
Skin:
I have acne prone skin and this is what works best for it after many years of trial and error:
Witch hazel with aspirin diluted in it as cleanser and toner twice daily (£2 a month)
African Black Soap (£4 for a bar but I use a teensy bit at a time and keep the bar separate and dry so lasts a year)
Aspirin face mask twice a week, just dispersible aspirin and water (15p a week)
Simple moisturiser bought on offer (£1.50 every 2 months)

Hair
Tesco coconut shampoo - 87p
Tesco coconut conditioner - 87p. Looking at trying Asda value stuff for CWC
Dry shampoo - whatever is on offer for £1.50, a bit of a luxury but brilliant for someone with a chronic illness.

Makeup
Not quite as MSE as could downshift but find these products are good value for money if not the absolute cheapest like everything else we own...
Max Factor Masterpiece Max mascara - £6.50 from Amazon, I price watch and buy spares when it gets that cheap from a reputable seller.
Dermacol Foundation - £5 from ebay, seems to have gone up in price. A little tube lasts forever though because I use quarter of a pea size amount for my whole face. Works as concealer too.
Blush - MUA, £1.50

Teeth
Sensodyne Toothpaste or equivalent, whatever is on offer....worth it for less sensitivity.
Oral B brush heads for our electric toothbrushes. We have tried the copies but found they break very quickly and weren't as densely bristled so buy the real ones in bulk and make them last as long as possible.

Shower gel and deodorant
Whatever is on offer.

pumpkinpies128

When I was younger, used to be an absolute beauty junkie, I recoil at remembering a trip to Boots in the trafford centre where I bought four Urban Decay glitter eyeliners for £60:eek: Now I'm in my thirties I'm much less high maintenance:rotfl:

Skincare
I use a Boots Botanics face scrub with willowbark once a week, but am really excited to try the aspirin mask! For cleansing I use Garnier Micellar cleansing water followed by Nivea so soft. When my skin is really dry I like Doublebase gel, but only at night as it can cause high shine. Have been addicted to L'oreal eye make up remover for the past fifteen years. Desert island product!

I use Arm and Hammer toothpaste as its the only one I can really feel it working, and Dentyl mint mouthwash.

Love Dove products for their clean smelling scent and reasonable prices, refuse to use any other brand of anti-perspirant (I especially like the lemongrass one for the fresh smell) As a treat I like Molton Brown and Rituals, but I save these for when I need a boost.

Haircare
I have really long hair, which used to be so thick and unmanagable but it has thinned out a lot recently due to ill health. I dye it myself with £1 hair dye from Bodycare (called DermaV10) and have started to trim my own hair by watching videos on you tube. Pretty pleased with the results, and am much better off than the £30 a month I used to pay! I use the new L'oreal Fibrology shampoo and conditioner and it seems to have made a difference. Cannot live without Elnett hairspray and I buy Argan secret from Sally's, but it lasts ages.

Makeup
Mac studio fix and blush, which is very expensive but totally worth it IMHO. Masterpiece max mascara and I like Carmex on my lips. My friend bought me a benebalm as a gift and am really liking that at the minute, but haven't the foggiest how much it costs!

Phew that's quite a list! Just to look remotely presentable!

Adamsjones

Wow nice beauty treatment.It is very helpful.That's great.It really done for mineral powder foundation.So Thanks to giving this routine.

happy35

i used to only use expensive stuff but have downshifted a lot over the years

Hair: I have very thick, curly dry hair and now use Mane n tail, I alternate between the normal one and the moisturising for both shampoo and conditioner. I also use their serum

Skin: I oil cleanse then use Aveeno moisturiser. I also use oil or Aveeno on my body

I use Mitchum deodorant and Dove sensitive soap for washing

make up I use Bourjois, Max Factor or MUA, nail varnish I tend to use MUA

used to use Elemis skin care and Chanel makeup - could still afford it but cant justify the cost any more as there is no difference in my skin. i do however miss the Chanel makeup as it was fab

David147

Ingredients:
1 large peach or nectarine, skinned
3 teaspoons honey
A pinch of lecithin powder or 2 tablespoons yogurt
Directions:
Mash the peach and honey together, add a little lecithin powder or 2 tablespoons yogurt until you have a workable paste. Pat evenly over your face and neck and around the eyes. Lie back and relax for about 10 minutes. Rinse off with warm water, pat dry, then tone and moisturize as you normally would.

tomtontom

Lynn, you cannot advertise for business on this forum. Please delete your posts and refrain from advertising/ touting further. Thanks

Ilona

Have reported all of Lynn's posts as spam.
Ilona

wandakeough

I use a skin care line that is certainly not cheap but it does last me for a few months and it is geared towards anti aging. I have tried a lot of other so called anti aging products and cheaper ones at that but there was so many nasty ingredients in them that I stopped.

I find that cheap products contain really bad ingredients as fillers. Best to stick to quality products.

freyasmum

Like others have said, it's not in the slightest if you think of MSE as stripping back to the barebones... but in terms of using the products until the bitter end, then yes it is!

I really did used to be a product junkie but now I stick to what I know works, and what I know I will finish.

For my skin, I use Creme de la Mer: cleansing cream, intensive revitalising moisturiser, moisturising soft gel and their lip balm is the best thing since Benefit did their little lip scrub and balm set - which was discontinued I either buy the CdlM in a department store, which means that I get a 'free' facial and then the money to spend on products, or online when they're doing their free samples - some of which, I have discovered can be bought for £60! :eek: I also see that people buy the empty pots on ebay for like £30

The CdlM isn't cheap to buy, but it makes my skin feel like silk and a pot lasts about a year, so it's not that bad on a price per day basis

Blistex have a raspberry lemonade lipbalm that I keep in my jacket pocket, my car, my bedside table and my bag too.

I have Bioderma micellar water for removing makeup. It works well, I got it on offer and I got the one with the pump lid.

I also use boots No7 protect and perfect serum.

I bought a bodyshop overnight mask for my skin and it felt horrid - my face actually stuck to the pillow :rotfl:

For makeup, I don't use much but I am picky and I know what I like. I have Nars blush, Delilah lipsticks, Bobbi brown everything is just sublime, MAC creme highlight and other stuff. Chanel. All bought at the cheapest price possible. I don't rate Dior. For foundation, I use l'oreal dream matte mousse on my nose (which has a tendency to go a bit red in the cold ) and chin. I also really rate rimmel brow pencils. Urban decay eyeliners do not budge!

I use a spray of faketan (L'Oreal Sublime Bronze) on my face but I use the body one cos it's cheaper and you get more most of the time, and then I don't really need the foundation. I also perm and tint my eyelashes so just use whichever clear mascara I can get my hands on - currently collection 2000.

I wax (myself), if I want a full body spray tan, I have my sister do it using my lotions and machine.

I do my own nails with shellac every few weeks. Fingers and toes.

My eyebrows are done with semi permanent makeup - at a cost (so far) of 2.25 a week.

I am craving hourglass makeup but I absolutely refuse to spend that much without seeing it in person first... and my Space NK store is closed for refurb

Shampoo and conditioner, I'm not overly fussed on. I usually use aussie though. I also like herbal essences. I have philip kingsley elasticiser as well.

My hair is freehand coloured in a style which means that I don't have to have it done often. Last time was March, next time will be in a few weeks. I usually have it cut at the same time - I'm full of good intentions of having it done more regularly, but I forget! This usually costs around £140 for cut and colour.

I'm sure there is plenty more that I've forgotten, but I pick and choose what I like from each tier. Professional treatments are done myself (I am qualified) but sometimes I just like a treat - the odd massage or pedicure.

I don't drink or smoke, and I have no debt, and my nails, etc are like a little hobby for me so it's all good

wishus

I have bad stress-related eczema affecting my elbows and the small of my back, but for most products it's suck it and see. I'm very sad I can't use my Body Shop coconut body scrub bought for me by my sis, but I'll give most stuff a go.

I inherited a lot of free stuff from a friend with a worse sensitivity problem than me, and quickly worked though all the half-used Avon stuff she gave me, but she also has a BF with a hotel habit, so, most of what I use is free stuff they accumulated and passed to me, as well as stuff I picked up myself, though having long hair I get through conditioner pretty quick. I top up with Aldi coconut. I use this instead of shaving gel too - much cheaper!

I'm currently using Aldi facial wash and a bit more of an upmarket moisturiser, Johnsons, which was £4 for the pot. If I can get a sample in a new place I go to, Lush's Celestial is the business. But I can't afford it

I dye my own hair, but my hair doesn't like keeping even chemical dyes, so I currently have 3-inch roots and no one can actually tell. Mind, I did only go a shade more coppery than my natural colour, so it evens out. I also have a hairdresser phobia so I only go to the in-out places when I absolutely have to. Dry express hair cut - a tenner.

I don't wear makeup for work, but I have to for job 3, which is performance, otherwise I'd look like carp. I tend to look out for those free makeup trials with offers and grab a few bits together so I can get decent stuff for the cheapest price. I currently have a mascara/foundation stock but I really need more powder again soon.

Lush is always on my wish list.

Soap - I got some nice free soap in a goody bag at one of my last work conferences.

Deodorant Lush -the sandalwood one or Crystal. I buy anti-perspirant in the summer only. No point this time of year, just wash!