Product Review: Best Bargain Beauty Buys

Every day when I empty the mailbox there seems to be more bills. And big bills. All the big ones always hit us in August. Water bills, Gas bills, Electricity, home and contents, and well, the remainder of the bills from giving birth to our little boy 8 weeks ago keep coming too… aaarrrgh, just one day without bills in the mailbox would be nice. So when things are a bit tight, and you still need your beauty fix that’s when budget beauty products are handy… Here’s a selection that I’ve put under the test recently;

*Palmolive Neutrals Extra Volume Shampoo & Conditioner

(RRP: Shampoo (400ml), conditioner (375ml), $4.99 each)

 

This shampoo and conditioner from Palmolive promises to give extra volume to the hair. I have quite long and thick hair, and a lot of it too, so it takes a lot to give it extra volume, and I have to say that I also did not notice any difference in volume after using the products several times. The shampoo is very concentrated and froths up easily and even though I only wash my hair every second day, one wash is more than sufficient to make my hair feel clean. The conditioner absorbs quickly into the hair and is easy to rinse out without leaving behind a greasy residue, and without weighing the hair down. Afterwards my hair is easy to comb and is left my hair soft, shiny and healthy looking. The shampoo and conditioner both contain mango extract (one of my favourite fruits!), but unfortunately they don’t actually smell of mangoes as such, but rather they have a nice fruity floral scent, which lasts throughout the day in my hair. Fantastic budget buys for those with fine.

 

*TRESemme Ultimate Hold Platinum Shine Lacquer (RRP: $7.99, 360g) - Available from Priceline, pharmacies and supermarkets.

One of the few hair styling products that I use is hair spray. With my long hair, not that I have a hairstyle that needs to be kept in place, but because I have a lot of those annoying shorter flyaway hairs around my face, and using a quick mist of hairspray helps keep them under control, especially when I have my hair up in a pony or a bun (which I have mostly at the moment as my 7-week old son has discovered how fun it is to pull mummy’s hair!).

The TRESemme Ultimate Hold Platinum Shine Lacquer sprays in a super fine mist over the hair, and dries quickly and invisibly, controlling frizz and flyaways without clumping the hairs together. It comes in a huge can that will last you forever.

 

*The Pro Select Wet Comb (RRP: $3.95) - Available from i-glamour.com

 

Honestly, I have never liked brushing my hair with a comb. I know all the professionals say to comb wet hair to avoid damage, but I find that it just takes too long with my long thick hair. And not to mention, I feel that I pull out so many hairs while doing it. So I’ve relied on my trusted paddle brush, which I’ve found much gentler on my locks. Until now. The Pro Select Wet Comb claims to be the ‘Best Detangling Comb Ever’ and it can be used in both wet and dry hair. And I have to say that I am impressed. With an 8-week old baby I am very overdue for a haircut, and consequently my ends are getting a little dry, which usually results in more tangles and knots in the hair. But the Wet Comb has a ‘wave tooth design’ so it just glides though the hair, without the need to pull, and it’s done so much faster too. Brilliant! It comes in a range of cool colours, and the best thing is that its only $3.95. How cool is that!

 

*Models Prefer Runway Shine Lipgloss in Fall Collection (RRP: $7.99) - Available from Priceline.

 

This lipgloss in the colour Fall Collection is a lovely pinky peach tone, which looks nice and subtle on the lips, giving them a nice shine. It is perfect to wear on its own, but as the colour allows for the colour of your lips shine though, it is perfect to use both on its own, but also on top of a lipstick for extra shine.

The lipgloss is nice and creamy and feels comfortable to wear without being sticky. It has a reasonable wear of a few hours before it needs to be reapplied. It has a foot doe applicator, and a subtle scent of vanilla, and at just $7.99 its an absolute bargain!

 

*Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser (RRP: $12.99, 200ml) - Available from Priceline, pharmacies and supermarkets.
 

While I don’t have particularly sensitive skin, during winter my skin gets a lot drier. It simply doesn’t like the constant change between being inside with the heater going, and the cold chilly winds – and that’s when using a gentle cleanser that won’t strip the skin for further moisture comes in handy. The Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser comes in an easy to use white pump bottle. It is a cream cleanser that is both soap free and also fragrance free, and hence has next to no scent.

yet it is so effective at removing makeup (although it does struggle with waterproof eye makeup, but then again, most wash cleansers do!), and afterwards my skin is left so soft that it feels like I’ve just been using a moisture mask. During summer when my skin is oilier, I am not sure if this will be sufficiently deep cleansing of my pores, but in winter this is perfect. All year round this cleanser would be great for those with sensitive, dry or ageing skin.

*Products were kindly provided for consideration, and have been reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

 

So there you go, effective, but cheap beauty products.

Have you tried any of these products? Which products do you turn to when money is tight?