Skincare on a budget

Hello lovelies, hope you're all doing well. Over the years I have accumulated my fair share of skincare products from various drugstores, some of which have worked wonders, others not so much...so I thought it would be helpful to share the products in my routine, especially for people on a budget like myself as the majority of the products are under a fiver. However, please bear in mind that my routine is not exhaustive as I don't use products such as toners and cream cleansers as I personally have never seen a difference when I have used them in the past.

EVERYDAY: When I wake up, I just wash my face with some water and then depending on how my skin feels I apply my Nivea Creme (review here, £3.39) or my superdrug skin oil (£2.99) and allow that to sink into my skin. I then apply my superdrug Vitamin E eye cream (£2.99) which makes my dark circles look so much brighter. In the evening, I will take off my makeup using the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (£3.32) and wash my face again with water.  Then I apply my nivea creme and/or a couple of drops of The Body Shop's Overnight Serum in oil (£12) and go to bed.

DURING THE WEEK:  Every 2/3 days I will use either my Botanics Purifying Face Scrub (£3.99) or my neutrogena Daily Scrub (£4.95), depending on if I'm having a bad skin day, to exfoliate my face. Both leave my face feeling really soft and looking a lot brighter. Once a week I will use Avon's Blackhead Clearing Mask (£3.50) to clean my pores.  

And that is pretty much it. Are you a drugstore or high-end skincare kinda-gal? What is your favourite drugstore product?

Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream Review

BODY SHOP VITAMIN E MOISTURE CREAM // £10

I don't enjoy saying negative things about a product as just because it didn't work for me, doesn't necessarily mean it won't work for others, but I personally feel really disappointed with this cream. Firstly, I think it's really expensive for a tiny 50ml pot- don't get me wrong, when compared to the price of some high-end moisturisers £10 is still relatively cheap, but for me it was still quite a lot. However, I had heard many good things about The Body Shop's Vitamin E range so I bit the bullet and bought it. At the end of the first day, my skin felt a bit funny but I just thought that it must be because it's a new product that my skin was not used to so I continued for about a week, hoping it would improve. I don't want to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet but my skin was quite good and soft before I started using it and by the end of the week, my skin was really rough, quite tight and I had broken out. 

To its defence, it did sink into the skin quickly and it has a lovely smell but I do regret buying it as it did not benefit my skin (which is normal to dry) in the slightest. Have you ever used this cream? How did you get on with it?

This week I've been loving...

 

 

First up is the Botanics Purifying Face Scrub. I have read so many good reviews about this product so when I saw it in boots on offer, I immediately grabbed one and then to make things even better; I had enough points to pay for it, so I essentially got it for free, which is always an added bonus! It has a nice texture, that isn't too gritty but gritty enough to leave your skin feeling nice and soft. Also, I have to say my skin does look a lot brighter and it hasn't broke me out, so it's only right that it gets a spot on here.

Next is the Garnier Intensive 7 Day Ultra-replenishing Lotion, basically it does everything it says on the tin and leaves my skin feeling nourished, plus it smells like sun cream.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor is heaven in a bottle. I recently dyed my hair so it needed a bit of TLC and this certainly gives my hair just that. Also, the SMELL, oh my goodness it's honestly amazing and I'm totally not sat here smelling it as I type.

I have literally been looking for the perfect mint jumper for ages so when I saw this in New Look for £20, it went straight into the basket. It is so fluffy and I just love it, simples. On my nails I have been wearing Avon's nailwear pro+ in serene with Barry M's basecoat, topcoat & nail hardener all in one.

I have also rekindled my love with Paolo Nutini's and his album "These streets". He has such an amazing, calming voice and this album has literally been on repeat all day. I still can't believe he is Scottish, you think with a name like that he would be from like Italy or somewhere. Are you a fan of Paolo Nutini? 

First things first, how cute are these moschino headphones*? Lauren from Three, very kindly sent me them to review, I just think they are absolutely adorable. They fit in both my phone (Samsung Galaxy S3 mini) and my ipod and the cord is a perfect length; long enough so you can put your device in your pocket but not long enough so it gets in the way. The only little thing is with the sound; it's good but I personally think they just lack a bit of bass but other than that, I love them.

Last but not least are these necklaces from Kukee. When I noticed how little silver jewellery I owned, I went on a little mission to try and find some cute and affordable pieces and these necklaces definitely fit the bill. I've literally been wearing them with everything and they were just £3 each!

This post has ended up being a lot longer than I first anticipated but hopefully you've enjoyed reading it. Do you like any of these products and what have you been loving this week?

Review | Nivea Creme

 Nivea Creme - £3.39 via superdrug & boots

Moisturising, love it or loathe it, I personally think it's one of the most important steps in achieving nice skin, yet so many people don't do it. Yes, sometimes it can be a bit of a chore but I honestly dread to think how horrible my skin would look and feel if I didn't moisturise, so I've decide to share the wonders of my favourite moisturiser with you all.

Nivea creme is honestly the best moisturiser I've come across so far, especially for my skin type -dry/normal. Every morning and evening, I literally plaster my face in this stuff and once it has sunk in, I'm left with soft, smooth skin.I also really like this because it doesn't break me out like some moisturisers I've tried. I just love it.

The only downside I can really think of is that the creme itself is quite thick so sometimes it can take a while for it to sink in, which isn't great if you're in a rush, but I don't mind because I usually have a lot of spare time on my hands;D 

I also think it's a fantastic price for it's size, roughly around the £3 mark, depending on where you go, so it's pretty cheap, which is always a bonus. They also come in different sizes, so you can always buy a small pot, just to try it out and then when you hopefully love it as much as I do, you can buy a big 'old pot, which usually lasts me around one or two months.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic moisturiser, especially if you're on a budget, and will probably continue to use it for the rest of the foreseeable future:) What's your favourite moisturiser? Are you a fan of nivea?