Fight back against over-priced cosmetics! Post your cheap but outstanding discoveries

supersol

Netto have Olay Regenerist Serum at £7.99 this week. This seems considerably cheaper than usual. Has anyone used this? I remember reading that there was a run on this product when it first came out.

mrs_scrooge

I've been using this product for a few years now! I have permanently coloured hair and mid way between visits to the hairdsessers I start to use this once or twice a week to brighten up my hair colour. It doesn't cover grey roots but I find it a really useful product. It's cheap (around £1 for 3 applications but if you have short hair you'll get many more) and comes in a bottle so no messy sachets. It leaves my hair in nice condition.

You can find it next to the colourants in Superdrug and it's sometimes on offer which is when I stock up!

Lady_Kay

Fantastic thread. I've so enjoyed reading it. I'd like to add my recommendation for several products mentioned.

I find Vitapointe's leave-in conditioner great for styling and finishing even on short hair. You don't need to use much so it lasts for ages.

The Bourjois eye-liner pen is my favourite eye-liner. It's not mega cheap but again lasts for ages and has a built-in sharpener so I think it's very good value.

I love Soap and Glory's Hand Food hand cream. I'm pretty sure it has no petroleum based ingredients and the smell is gorgeous. I buy the travel-sized version and it lasts really well.

Since reading this thread I've also tried the Boots Natural Collection lip balm and I agree it's as good, if not better, than Clinique's Superbalm (previously a favourite product of mine before being converted by this thread!).

I've also just bought Lush's Baby Face oil-based cleansing bar and I'm finding that my oily/dry/sensitive and spot prone skin is much less flaky and inflamed than when I was using a Clarins cleansing product from the Truly Matte range.

A new face moisturiser I've purchased is Simple's Regeneration age resisting day cream with SPF 15 (reduced to £4.99 at Superdrug). Again it's much cheaper than my previous Clarins moisturiser so I'll let you know how I get on.

I was very interested that lots of people who post on this thread are looking for petroleum and SLS free products. This has made me much more aware of checking ingredients before I buy cosmetics and I know my sensitive skin is going to thank me for using products which are less harsh.

Would you consider mentioning where products are SLS and petroleum free?

harryharp

Lady_Kay wrote: »

Would you consider mentioning where products are SLS and petroleum free?

That's a good idea- I might alter the original post to show if the recommended products are free of these. Thanks!

And thank you for your recommendations too, and welcome to the forum!

beautyscientist

Lady_Kay wrote: »

I was very interested that lots of people who post on this thread are looking for petroleum and SLS free products. This has made me much more aware of checking ingredients before I buy cosmetics and I know my sensitive skin is going to thank me for using products which are less harsh.

Would you consider mentioning where products are SLS and petroleum free?

When you say petroleum I think you mean petrolatum. The official name for this is mineral oil and that is what appears on the ingredient list. I am far from convinced that there is anything wrong with mineral oil personally. It is certainly very effective for people with very dry skin.

SLS will appear on the ingredient list as sodium lauryl sulphate. This is proabably one of the most irritant of them, but a lot of similar materials are used as well which are likely to be just as irritating. But it is also the fact that a lot of materials that appear on ingredient lists might well be in the product at really low levels. I think you have to try things out before you can be sure that they suit your skin.

Lady_Kay

beautyscientist wrote: »

When you say petroleum I think you mean petrolatum. The official name for this is mineral oil and that is what appears on the ingredient list. I am far from convinced that there is anything wrong with mineral oil personally. It is certainly very effective for people with very dry skin.

SLS will appear on the ingredient list as sodium lauryl sulphate. This is proabably one of the most irritant of them, but a lot of similar materials are used as well which are likely to be just as irritating. But it is also the fact that a lot of materials that appear on ingredient lists might well be in the product at really low levels. I think you have to try things out before you can be sure that they suit your skin.

Yes, I did mean petrolatum (mineral oil), thanks. I know the jury's out about the pros and cons of mineral oil products. I personally prefer to avoid them as they tend to clog up my pores and sit on the skin rather than being absorbed.

I've noticed that SLS appears in many guises and in varying amounts in products. Again, I've had lots of problems with dry and itchy skin so try to avoid possible irritants. It doesn't always totally put me off buying a product though. I really like Soap and Glory's Clean on Me shower creme and that has SLS as an ingredient!

I agree that it's important to try a product to be sure it suits your skin but I would maintain that pointing out products that are free of mineral oil and SLS would be a welcome and helpful guide for people with very sensitive skin.

alisara

Just wondering I have seen Superdrugs Optimale range today and it was cheap and looked very good, you can get everything night cream day cream eye cream and serum etc etc for less than 1 tub of clairns which i used to use and just cant afford now.

And on that note they say that M&S is just like clairns?

Also anyone tried Tesco's new Q10 range its for buttons!!!

Is anyone out there using any of the above, could you let me know if any of it is any good? XXX

SkipE

I have been using the Tesco Q10 night cream. At £1.79 its a total bargain. I find it a bit oily but considering I have very dry skin it works well for me. I have just been back and bought the day cream. Im now converted. Saves loads considering I used to pay £6.00.

Millsy83_2

Ok, so i'm fairly new to all this posting lark, and i might be repeating what others have already said but here goes......
I've seen loads of make-up and skincare stuff in places like £land, 99p shop and home bargains.
clearasil, which is usually £5(ish) is in the 99p shop and they also have a range of rimmel make-up - ok, so it might be last year's colours or have russian packaging, but it saved me a packet when i went in yesterday. £land had some great skincare stuff in there as well, but u hav to buy it there and then, otherwise you don't stand a chance!!!
i've also heard on the grapevine that aldi and lidl do some great cleansers for penny's - why pay huge amounts if you don't have fussy skin??

Sexy_Legs

I would just like to recommend the Barbara Daly brand of Foundation and Concealer that Tesco do, it is just over £5.00 for the foundation and gives really good coverage plus stays put all day. The concealer is also very good and works really well when mixed with a bit of the foundation.

I do like the Boots No 17 All Day wear but the shades are a bit restrictive as the lightest one is still quite dark, so at the moment I am mixing the No 17 and Barbara Daley for the perfect colour.

I am also using the Tesco Q10 £1.80 moisturisers and cannot see anything wrong with it.

I also have the Lip liner and lipstick set from Aldi and can honestly say it is as good as any more expensive brand.

My one expensive favourite is the Benefit Blusher (Dallas) it last for ages but I will probably go out and buy another pot when it runs out as it really define the cheaks so well but also in a natural way.

Anyway good luck bargain hunters LOL.:j