Creating An Awesome Skincare Routine On A Budget

When I think of skincare my next immediate thought is the price you have to pay for a great routine. Although personally, I would much rather invest in my skin rather than makeup as I can't wash away the state of my complexion. Fortunately for us, there are plenty of awesome budget brands on the market who can take great care of our complexions without the extortionate price tag.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM YOUR ROUTINE?

Having a skincare routine with 10+ steps isn't something that is always necessary or feasible for the vast majority of us. But adding in extra products and steps is something that's all too easy to get carried away with. For me, the main priority with my skin is that it's cleansed and moisturised. So if I ever just had to have just two products in my routine it would be a cream cleanser and a multitasking moisturiser [suitable for AM & PM and containing an SPF]. Whilst it's nice to have serums and toners they're extras that my skin could live without. Figuring out what you feel like you need from your routine is so important without the input of other people telling you what you need for your skin. For example if you have skin concerns like dry patches, acne, dehydration or scarring you're probably going to want to focus your budget on products to help with that rather than an eye cream.

WHAT'S YOUR SKIN TYPE?

As well as figuring out what you want from your routine knowing what skin type you have is something that's pretty crucial for buying products that are going to work with your skin rather than against it. There is so much information out there that can you help distinguish your skin type without having to go to an intimidating skincare counter or a pricey dermatologist. Something that really helped me distinguish what skin type I have was by reading books as I found them to be a little more in-depth and easy to understand than what was online at the time. A couple of good ones are Sali Hughes - Pretty Honest and Lauren Conrad - Beauty.

SAVE & SPLURGE

For me and my budget, anything more than £10 is what I consider a splurge item. Obviously, that number is something that changes from person to person. So from cleansers to masks here are the areas personally think are worth the extra money and what aren't;

SPLURGE

Serum
Moisturiser
Brightening products
Treatments

SAVE

Cleanser
Makeup remover
Clay masks
Toner
Exfoliators

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE PRODUCTS AND BRANDS

GARNIER MICELLAR WATER: I can't imagine ever wanting or needing to spend more than £5 on a micellar water now. There are so many awesome cheaper alternatives on the market and they're the best things for removing the main bulk of makeup. Even though they aren't amazing for the environment as you do have to use a few cotton rounds I'd rather do that then use up my cleanser twice as fast. I flit between preferring the Garnier offering and the Nivea option and right now I prefer the Garnier as you get a lot more for your money. It's not quite as soft on the skin as the Nivea but it's still pretty incredible and removes makeup with ease. They have a lot of different formulations in their line right now so you're bound to find one that works for your skin type.

NEUTROGENA BLACKHEAD ELIMINATING CLEANSING LOTION: From what I can understand from the ingredients and the way this behaves with my skin is that this an exfoliating toner. Which is something that I really love having part of my skincare routine as it helps keep congestion and blackheads under control without being militant with a deep cleansing mask. Personally, I prefer glycolic acid over salicylic acid but this works incredibly well and even though it contains alcohol it doesn't dry my skin out at all. Obviously, for the price, it's not the most luxe feeling product but it works which is all that matters.

LAVERA 3-IN-1 SCRUB*: I generally prefer a chemical exfoliation but sometimes you can't beat having a good scrub and sloughing away any dead skin cells. What I like about this scrub is not only is it incredibly gentle yet effective on the skin but the beads in it are safe for the environment [read this to understand more about that]. It also doubles up as a mask if left on the skin longer or can just be used on a daily basis as a cleanser [not how I would use it personally]. It's another one that contains salicylic acid which I've found is not only great at combating spots but also lovely for brightening the skin.