The Beauty Diary by Beck Sullivan: 10 cheap beauty products under $40
Here are 10 great cheap products under $40 to help you through your next budget-friendly spending spree.
Someone needs to invent a word to describe the bizarre spending vortex that occurs whenever we step into a store selling cheap beauty products.
We always have the best intentions and say we’ll buy only one thing. Maybe two. But that never happens. Ever.
“Ducked into Priceline for deodorant and Band-Aids. Somehow ended up spending $82,” a girlfriend texted me last week.
It’s happened to the best of us. So what did she buy with her $82?
“Who even knows,” she replied when asked for a full breakdown of all her new goodies. “Some conditioner, tweezers and a bunch of other stuff.”
Shopping at places like Priceline and Chemist Warehouse is simultaneously soothing and overwhelming. There are so many cheap products! Cheap price tags mean low risk, so if a product doesn’t work out, you’ve haven’t wasted much cash.
That’s especially helpful at this time of year, because if you’re anything like me, your credit card is curled up in a ball at the back of your wallet, rocking back and forth in between sobs, begging you to stay away.
So in support of your bank balance, here are 10 great cheap products under $40 to help guide you through your next budget-friendly spending spree.
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TRILOGY CREAM CLEANSER
Price: $22.40
Available from: Priceline, Chemist Warehouse
This cleanser is great for people with dry skin who feel like every cleanser strips their skin of its natural oils. It contains almond oil, rosehip oil, evening primrose oil, so it’s very hydrating.
If you have oily skin, this is a good first cleanse option to take off your makeup. Then you can follow with your normal cleanser to actually cleanse the skin and remove grime from your pores.
SUKIN ROSE HYDRATING MIST TONER
Price: $10.95
Available from: Woolworths, Coles, Priceline, Chemist Warehouse
If you are pro-hydrating mist, this one is delicious. The key is not to spray too close to your face, otherwise you just end up sporting a very weird, wet sheen.
Spray at an arm’s length away from your face and walk away with dewy, rose-scented skin.
AVEENO DAILY MOISTURISING LOTION
Price: $12.95
Available from: Woolworths, Coles, Priceline, Chemist Warehouse, Big W, Target, Kmart
Look, I’ll be honest. This moisturiser is not going to win any awards. It’s nothing to write home about. But it gets the job done. Plus, it can be used on your face and body. It’s a lazy girl’s dream.
Is La Mer better? Definitely. But this stuff is hydrating, smells nice and is very cheap.
NEUTROGENA ULTRA SHEER 50 PLUS SUNSCREEN
Price: $17
Available from: Woolworths, Coles, Priceline, Chemist Warehouse
To all the Neutrogena sunscreens I’ve ever loved … you’re amazing.
So cheap. So effective. No white cast or weird oiliness. And always 50 plus.
OLAY MAGNEMASKS INFUSION HYDRATING MASKS
Price: $29 for a pack of 5, so about $6 each, but they’re usually on sale
Available from: Coles, Woolworths, Priceline, Chemist Warehouse
I put off forking out the cash for these face masks because I resented the fact that they only come in an expensive five pack. I wanted to just try one before I committed to buying the whole five. So annoying.
But then they were on special at Coles for $10 so I bit the bullet, and they’re worth every penny. My skin felt super dewy and hydrated afterwards.
PS, I’m trying this new technique with sheet masks where I rub some of the excess product left in the packet on my face BEFORE putting the sheet mask on. I feel like it lets even more of that juicy goodness properly penetrate the skin.
NIP AND FAB GLYCOLIC FIX NIGHT PADS EXTREME
Price: $35
Available from: Priceline
These pre-soaked pads contain glycolic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid and they’re idiot-proof.
This particular product is the “extreme” version, meaning the pads are soaked in a solution made up of 5 per cent glycolic acid. You can get the “daily” version with 2.8 per cent for the same price, but 5 per cent isn’t that hectic.
Glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids are fantastic chemical exfoliators that help reduce sun spots and pigmentation, breakouts and pimple scars. Some hectic people use these ingredients every day but one to three times a week is ideal, depending on how your skin reacts to them.
Swipe one pad over clean skin at night then follow with moisturiser or night cream. Wake up with a radiant glow.
ORIGINS DRINK UP INTENSIVE OVERNIGHT MASK
Price: $24 for 50ml, $39 for 100 ml
Available from: Mecca stores
Thick tube masks are fantastic one-size-fits-all products for people with drier skin who feel like they can never get enough hydration in the evening.
This one comes in a cute green tube and smells like orange juice. You can buy the travel-sized tube from Mecca to test if it’s right for you before committing to the full-sized version.
LA ROCHE POSAY UVIDEA 50 PLUS BB CREAM
Price: $35
Available from: Priceline, Chemist Warehouse
If you don’t like wearing a full face of makeup every day but still like a bit of coverage, this product is perfect for you.
The coverage is adequate — enough to cover redness and minor blemishes.
Plus, it has SPF 50 so if you’re feeling super lazy you can literally just apply this onto clean skin as your one face product for the day.
MECCA MAX EYE MAX VOLUMISING MASCARA
Price: $25
Available from: Mecca Maxima
This mascara does exactly what it says on the tin.
It’s not hugely lengthening, but if volume is more of a concern for you, then this will bulk up your lashes massively.
SPORTSGIRL BEAUTY HELLO TO GLOW HIGHLIGHTER
Price: $12.95
Available from: Sportsgirl stores and online
Regular readers of this column will know that lately I’ve become obsessed with Sportsgirl’s beauty products. Everything is so cheap and the packaging is so cute.
It’s always worth braving the stares from the polyester-clad teenage employees who are wondering what the hell an old person is doing in their shop.
This highlighter has a “cream to powder” formula that goes on super easily and leaves you with a nice shimmery glow. It’s not a natural look, but it’s not blinding sparkle. Perfect for everyday use.
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