THE SKINCARE BUDGET: PARTS OF YOUR SKINCARE YOU CAN BE A LITTLE TIGHT WITH!

We all have different beauty budgets. I find it fascinating how the skincare market uses price to manipulate us, confusing us with gorgeous packaging and exquisite shop floors. Some are entirely put off it, some are drawn to the magic. Maybe one day, we will have a blog post about that but today let's focus on my thoughts on where you can be a bit mindful about your skincare spending so you can have a little extra for other parts of your beauty routine or even something entirely different. 

Just to make it clear, this post is not a preachy one. Do what you want with your beauty budget. In fact, I implore you to do just that. I am just doing what I do, sharing my musings as a skincare lover! 

Makeup removers

They do just one thing, remove makeup. My primary concern here is efficiency. I don’t need fancy packaging, promises to make my skin better, or even exquisite textures. Just remove the makeup! The descriptions I have just mentioned are all features that go into justifying pricing and I have no desire to fall for it. It's a product that stays on my skin for a minute and is washed off. 

Moisturizers 

These also really do one thing. They lock in all the skincare that come before them. My primary concern for moisturizers is whether it has occlusives. Occlusives are ingredients that lock in moisture and hydration into the skin. I really love oils and balms and that’s what I rather spend my money on as they offer me so much more than a moisturizer could. A fantastic oil or balm can be an oil cleanser. It also heals and soothes the skin due to its natural properties. A moisturizer...well is just a moisturizer. 

Serums 

Listen, I love a good serum like the next skincare junkie but the evolution of toners and the introduction of essences and ampoules are even making serums seem boring! Serums are formulated to target specific skin issues but so are the other products I have mentioned. These days, toners are so well made that I genuinely use them in my serum step. Enter the ‘extra’ steps of skincare brought by South Asian beauty ( popularly known as K-Beauty) and one becomes so spoilt for choice! I have found generally you get more product for your money when you choose to buy the other products I have mentioned over serums. I am now mindful about how much I am willing to spend on a serum. With a bit of hunting, I can find a toner, ampoule, emulsion, or essence that has similar ingredients and results to a serum I may have seen. 

Eye Cream

Do I have a stake in this conversation, considering I don’t even belong to any camp in regards to eye cream? ( By eye cream camps, I mean whether I use them or not and whether I even believe in their efficiency). I will tell you some facts though. Only cosmetic procedures will take away wrinkles. No eye cream will ever erase wrinkles. They can make the under-eye look fresher, plump up the skin around the eye, and even slightly lighten darkness under the eye. But will you wake up and have taken 20 years off your eyes? No. You need a doctor for that. But yet again, wrinkles and darkness are not the only concerns when it comes to under-eye skin. There is dryness. Some do suffer from this and due to our differences in skin, some may prefer to have something heavy under the eye but something lighter all over the face. For whatever reason you chose to use eye cream, I offer you two possibilities. consider either buying a moisturizer marketed as a night cream ( of course, one with great reviews). Night creams tend to be thicker than day creams, have no SPF, and highly likely have more beneficial ingredients than day creams. Secondly, look into K- Beauty for eye creams. Eye creams are core to the South East Asian skincare philosophy so there is so much on offer in regards to eye care at incredible prices that they honestly put Western beauty to shame! 

Neck and Decollete Creams 

This is a part of skincare that I feel is predominantly simply driven by great marketing. Marketing that targets our fear of aging and our belief that we need specific pills and potions for every skin concern we have. The research on such skincare is conflicting. My advice; make it a habit to also apply your skincare on these areas and have a solid body skin routine. 

I repeat, do what you want with your beauty budget. Pleasure and choice is very much so a part of the skincare journey. I am just a girl who likes to run an efficient ship, beauty wise that is! Cutting a few corners here and there helps me get everything I want without sacrificing luxury AND efficiency!