How MSE are your beauty products?

shandyclover

Hi Wishus,

Just thought to mention, I have a DD with stress-related eczema too (coincidentally she is also in the performance industry!) She has battled it since she was a child. Several years ago I discovered this blog post, made the salve, and DD uses whenever her eczema flares up. It seems to heal it twice as fast and she has had a lot less trouble with it. You might like to try and make it - its all easy stuff to source, though because it has no preservatives we keep it in the fridge. Hope it helps.

http://diyconfessions.com/2012/11/15/homemade-eczema-creamskin-moisturizer/

wishus

Looks good! I have all of those except the coconut oil... local health food shop keeps trying to sell that to me, might buckle one day, then!

Kim_kim

Mine are not MSE at all.
But they do bring me a lot if pleasure in use.

I like Elemis shower gel best. I use SBC too.
I use elemis, SBC, Gatineau body lotion/gel.
Philip Kingsley for hair.

Gatineau & pur minerals for face packs & scrubs
Gatineau for eye creams

Liz Earle, alpha-h, time bomb, SBC, elemis for cleansers.
Time bomb for toner - I use the cocktails
Alpha-h, timebomb, elemis for day & night moisturisers.
Neck cream, Prai, M&S, timebomb.

Body shop hemp hand cream - the best :-)
Flexidol heel cream, as foot cream.

Make up - pretty sinful.
Foundation - Mac - like Laura Geller too though.
Powder - makeup forever
Concealer - doll 10
Blusher - Tarte
Contour - studio 10
Highlighter - doll 10, like Laura Geller & studio 10 too.
Eyeshadow - Laura Geller
Eyeliner - doll 10
Eyebrow - doll 10
Mascara - revitalash or loreal double extend
Lipstick - gale hayman, 14k

ladymarmalade

My beauty drawer is a real mixture of products. I never really focus on the price and simply focus on what works for me.

Fo example...I have always used yves saint laurent foundation, I fancied a change and went for the dream skin by dior which cost about £34....big
mistake it makes me look like a crocodile....when my skin is actually smooth. As I didn't fancy paying another £30 for a YSL, I found a maxfactor for £12 that I liked the look of.....and this is so much better than the DIOR one. I am considering making it my permanent foundation.

I also always but 'expensive' eye shadow (usually YSL with is around £40 for a palette). It lasts me a long time and is easy to blend. However, mascara....I often use mabyline. Same with lips...I go for an expensive brand lipstick with a cheaper gloss on the top.

For hair I alternate between a few; brillian brunette by John Frieda, hebal essences and vidal sasoon

Body is either sanctuary or palmers

Face creams are usally olay total effects.

My favourite thing in my beauty drawer is a pack of saisnburys own brand baby wipes as they are so useful!

Gemzie121

I think for the most part quite MSE. With the exception of hand creams where although I will use most, I do like l'occitane ones the best and I think they are worth the money... They make my hands feel wonderful. I am a big fan of body shop and bath and body works products but I only buy these in sales or if I can get a bargain/bundle of them on eBay.

Fragrances - my fave is roberto cavalli but I tend to get it as a gift and I only wear it for "best". For everyday I am happy with body shop and Avon ones. Most of my perfumes were £5-10.

shower gels - I buy body shop ones in the sale when they are down to £2 ish. I think they are good value and last a lot longer as they aren't so watered down. So quite MSE in my opinion. otherwise I buy anything I like the look of that's on offer, like imperial leather down to a quid or something. Currently using imperial leather foam burst that was bought on offer.

Toothpaste - I have problems with pain in my teeth currently when I eat anything sugary or cold so I'm having to use sensodyne... Pricey and probably not the most MSE but it's the only thing that helps!

Shampoo/conditioner - not hugely fussy, I'll use whatever's on offer and smells good. I've had all sorts, aldis own, herbal essences, Avon, v05, whatever is on offer really!

Body lotion / butter - I am a big fan of body shop ones and boots extracts. But I buy when they are on offer/reduced and the big tubs especially do last a while so not too bad for MSE.

Lip care - anything that I like the scent of really! I do like body shop lip butters but I will use anything. Whatever's cheapest.

Hand care - here's where I'm not so MSE. My favourite is Loccitane and they are pricey. But they do last a while and do a fantastic job. However I do take cheaper ones for work. And the Avon glycerine one is nearly as good as Loccitane, I love it.

Feet - whatever's on offer but mostly I re purpose body butter or old body lotions. However if Avon foot works range is on a good offer I stock up on that.

Make up - don't tend to but pricey brands. My mascara is essences (wilkinsons), eyeliner is w7, blush is beauty UK, eyeshadow is a bargain palette that was a couple of quid! concealer is 2true and if I use foundation it's an Avon one.

Face care - I use a body shop night cream, possibly not the cheapest but a little goes a long long way. Been using the current one for over 6 months now.

Deodorants - anything that's cheap! I've got an aldi roll on currently, and a dove spray that was bought for me for my birthday by mum (she bought me a load of products that I normally would consider expensive; dove is usually one of the more pricey ones but I love the fragrances). Last week picked up a big can of soft and gentle for 1.25 in tesco. So basically, I'll try anything, as long as it does am okay job I'm happy!

I do also really like lush and bomb cosmetics stuff but I do buy them in the sales and stock up for the year. however im happy to use anything in my bath really. I usually buy Avon bath bubbles on offer as they are one of the best I think. If not, whatever's cheapest in the supermarket. I like tescos range that are similar to Radox.

Starrystarrynight

Hmmm..I'm not sure that I'm particularly MSE with my skin care, but what I buy lasts for ages.

I have 2 products for cleansing, both Dermalogica - Pre Wash and Essential Cleansing Lotion. They make my skin feel so soft. I've tried other things, but I've given up now as I was just wasting money. The two products together come to about £50, so I make them last and I know they work for me. I also use a vitamin E scrub from Sainsbury's every few days. I love it as it feels quite gritty and effective, and it's only around £3.

I love the gel type moisturisers, like L'Or!al's triple active fresh. They feel really cooling on my skin, last for ages and aren't too expensive; maybe around a fiver. At the moment I'm using a Benefit moisturiser, too, that turned up with another order I placed online. I guess it was put in there by accident, but I'm not complaining!

Make up wise, I only really use eyeliner and a bit of foundation. The eyeliner is a great one from Bourjois and was about £6, but I think they've discontinued it. The only alternative I can find, with the applicator being 3 dots, is 3 times the price! The foundation is definitely not MSE; it's Christian Dior and was over £30. I wouldn't usually spend anything like that much, but I had some sample sachets for it, tried it out for a few weeks, and I was so impressed at the coverage of the red veins on my nose, that I splashed out. It will probably last me forever, or till it separates and I'm forced to buy another.

I love doing my nails and, as I'm a qualified manicurist, I have a trade card and can get professional brands at cost price. I like OPI and Morgan Taylor. A bottle usually costs me a fiver, as opposed to £11 or so if I bought it in a shop or salon.
I'm really not very MSE for my face, am I!

jayII

Olay Total Effects £8 and a Dr Nick Lowe cream £6 on my cheeks and chin.

I use water to cleanse and my skin is generally really good.

I spend about £20 a month on hair products... use tiny bits of a very pricey conditioner and shampoo, plus either serum and finisher or a salt spray, followed by a heavy hairspray. My hair is extremely thick and needs a lot of taming, so the hair products are needed to keep me looking respectable.

rdone

My routine used to be very non-MSE but it's getting a lot better. In the last 6 months or so I have been replacing every thing with vegan/cruelty free products.

Face - Liz Earle cleanser, toner and moisturiser. I had the first lot for Christmas off my mum and then my boss bought me replacement for my birthday - super lucky here! Hoping for replacements at Christmas otherwise I'll have to search out something else.

Make up - Used to be all Benefit, until I looked into them and found them to be horrific. I am currently using the B. range from Superdrug and find it great. The only thing that isn't so good is the mascara, but I'm going to try the brush from They're Real and see if that improves matters.

Hair - Used to buy whatever was on offer but now I try to buy whatever is on offer and cruelty free. All of superdrugs own is cruelty free so have bought them as replacements, I'm hoping they'll be good!

Deodorant / moisturiser - Superdrug own for both (can you see a theme!!)

Teeth - currently using colgate which I get from Savers for 69p, I don't think they're great cruelty wise so will be looking to change, I'm very fussy with toothpaste though.

So due to living in a small city with a rubbish city centre Superdrug has become my holy grail. I also find that when I do go to big deparment stores with lots of brands the people on the counters don't really know or care about whether the products are nice so I tend to avoid them.

DUKE

I'm very MSE as I get a lot of my stuff (mascara, body cream, perfume, shower gel, face creams) in sample form from the freebies board on here I get to try loads of different stuff which I feel is good, rather than keep using the same thing, as our skin & bodies change.

I get Sanctuary body stuff as gifts, & perfume, which tend to last me until the next birthday or Christmas. Or I sometimes buy when on offer.

We both use Mitchum deodorant. Also I like Original Source shower gel, it has to be lemon or lime as I really can't be doing with smelling like a peach or strawberry :eek:

I've tried & tested many products, & I wont spend a fortune on them as I don't believe that they're any better than some of the cheaper brands. Poundland has recently won awards for their Make Up Gallery Gorgeous Flawless Foundation, & I'm using that right now.

I usually give my face a good flannelling every morning & evening, & use ar*e wipes to clean off make up. I used to buy make up wipes too, but I'm sure the ar*e are the same.

For the hair I get a monthly cut at the college, hair colour I buy when on offer. Shampoo & conditioner get bought when on offer too.

KxMx

MSE is not always about shopping the value supermarket ranges only.

I use all branded products (Simple, Pantene, L'Oreal) and consider myself very money saving because I always stock up when there is an offer on, or Savers where the selling price is usually better than an offer. I never pay full price unless in Savers.

Just got 400ml Pantene in there for £1.89 and that beats 2 for £4 or 1/3 off say Superdrug or Boots price.