20150712

Skincare Updates #3 | Budget Products


For the final part of my little skincare trilogy I'm going to update you on how I got on with some super-affordable products I've been testing. You can see the Mid-Range version here and the High-End version here.

Superdrug Vitamin E Moisture Boost Facial Serum, £3.99

So many people have recommended Superdrug's Vitamin E range and I have to say overall I liked the products I've been trialling these past couple of months. Serums are something I tend to invest slightly more in so I've never tried such a budget product before. Whist this isn't life-changing or particularly refreshing, I do find this quite a nice step in my routine (where I apply it just before my moisturiser). It's moisturising but not too rich so it does make your skin softer and more supple without being too heavy to use during the day. My skin is actually combination but it's really dehydrated and I didn't find this aggravated my oilier patches. All in all this isn't anything to write home about but if you're on a limited budget and suffer from dehydrated skin, it's well worth checking out.

Ingredients include Glycerin, Sugarcane Extract, Maple Extract

Superdrug Vitamin E Leave-On Moisture Mask, £2.99

This is a really interesting gel-textured mask which I apply overnight as the last step in my skincare routine before bed. A little certainly goes a long way with this one, making it even better value. I definitely feel this makes a visible difference when I wake up in the morning (I judge this by the slight dehydration lines I tend to get on my forehead, which come and go depending on my skin's moisture levels!) However I do find it a bit tacky the next day, which to me is a sign of the product sitting on top of my skin as opposed to really sinking in. Sure enough, I do find the effects of this wear off very quickly; glancing at my face in the mirror at lunchtime I can see those little dehydration lines returning. It works well enough as an immediate, temporary treatment however I'm not sure I see long-term results. Again, for the price it's worth a go!

Ingredients include Glycerin, Wheat Germ Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil,

Superdrug Vitamin E Dual Phase Cleansing Oil, £2.99

By far this is the standout product from the Vitamin E products I tried (I really wanted to give the Hot Cloth Cleanser a go but after over a month of visiting Superdrug stores up and down the country, I gave up finding it in stock!) I love cleansers that melt away my makeup as I feel they're the fasted, most efficient method of removal. This is quite possibly one of the best I've tried! You shake up the bottle to mix the formula together, squeeze a bit onto a cotton wool pad, apply it and tah-dah! Whilst I go through this quite quickly and having to shake it up every time you want to get a bit more out is annoying, it's hard to find anything bad to say about this product. It leaves behind some moisture after rinsing (but not residue!), it removes makeup very effectively (even waterproof mascara!) and it's very gentle even on my sensitive eyes. This one is  must-have in my opinion.

Ingredients include Glycerin, Olive Fruit Oil, Citric Acid

Superdrug Vitamin E Refreshing Toning Mist, £2.99

Facial sprays are one of those products I'm a little on the fence with so I was pleased to find a nice budget product. As with all mists, this gives a quick and temporary effect. The mist comes out a little bit heavily, however for this price you can't complain! I find it more nourishing than refreshing so it's something I use before bed instead of in the morning. I do find it very hydrating for when my skin is feeling dull and tired-out so I guess it's refreshing in that way.


Ingredients include Glycerin, Castor Oil, Aloe Vera

Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water, £4.49


It was nearing 9pm, I'd just arrived in London from Manchester and the realisation hit me that I'd forgotten to put my wash bag in my suitcase! The Simple micellar water was a necessity, emergency purchase as the Garnier and Bioderma offerings weren't available. However I was surprised at how much I actually liked this! The formula is extremely gentle, even compared to other micellar waters. It's as gentle as though you were using mineral water to remove your makeup. At the same time though, I don't feel the makeup-removing properties are compromised. This is still really effective, especially on eye makeup. I also prefer the packaging of this one to Garnier's as it feels a little more secure and travel-friendly. Whilst I will always use Bioderma where possible, this gets a surprise thumbs up from me.

Ingredients include Glycerin, Camomile Flower Extract, Citric Acid

Una Brennan Superfacialist Rose Hydrate Intense Moisture Mask, £9.99

I'm a big fan of the Salicylic Acid face mask from this range so I thought I'd try something else. It is a rose-scented mask that comes out like a cream, which is a bonus as I much prefer non-stiffening masks. I actually wasn't too wild on this one unfortunately. It's nice enough and is fairly hydrating however I just feel I have products that quench my skin's thirst much better than this does. I'm also dubious of the claim that it's suitable for even the most sensitive skin because of the fragrance and also I have some dry, sensitive skin around my nose and this stung it a bit! All in all I wasn't particularly blown away by the results ('intense' seems a bit of an overstatement), it was a bit like applying a rich, hydrating cream and then washing it off.

Ingredients include Glycerin, Rose Flower Water, White Willow Extract

Una Brennan Superfacialist Vitamin C + Brighten Skin Renew Cleansing Oil, £10.99

I almost always favour oil-based cleansers for removing makeup as nothing is as gentle on the skin or as effective. I'd heard a lot about this one and when it was finally in stock, I snapped it up whilst I could! This is extremely effective at removing makeup and I do think it leaves my skin looking healthy, plump and bright after use (plus it smells lovely and orangey). The only negative I have is that it's not really suitable for removing eye makeup, which is such a bummer as I use an oil to remove everything (even tough waterproof mascara) as quickly as possible. The word 'brighten' was a bit of a giveaway however I thought I'd give it a go but it did sting slightly which is such a shame. I also prefer a pump on cleansing oils. We could've had it all... This is a little bit lighter and fresher than the Superdrug Vitamin E option so if you're concerned about putting oil on oily skin (which shouldn't be a problem anyway if you're rinsing your face properly afterwards) then this may be better and the Superdrug one may be the better alternative for drier skin types.

Ingredients include Sunflower Seed Oil, Olive Fruit Oil, Sweet Orange Peel Oil

Una Brennan Superfacialist Neroli Daily Brightening Cleanser, £7.99

This is essentially a gel-based cleanser meant to make your skin look brighter and younger. I picked this up because Hyaluronic  Acid is one of those skincare ingredients that makes my ears perk up. It is billed as a 'melts away your makeup'-type cleanser. However I find it a little bit lacklustre in the department as it doesn't remove my makeup fully and is especially not great on dark eye makeup. I guess it's fine but personally I have plenty of other cleansers like this I think work better. It's also slightly too harsh for my sensitive eyes. Therefore I switched to using this as my second cleanser in the evenings after I've removed my makeup. It does work nicely to perk up my skin a bit and I do notice a brightening effect. However it is a little drying so I'm not sure I'd use it daily, I think I may save if for dull skin days.


Ingredients include Grape Seed Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hibiscus Flower Extract 

Good Things Five Minute Facial Mask, £5.99


Good Things is one of those brands that seems to fly under the radar, however I picked up a few bits from them earlier this year, including this face mask. Although it's essentially a clay mask, the formula is quite runny so it's not as tightening or stiff as some others I've tried, it's more like a lotion when you first put it on. It's very gentle and I noticed an improvement to my blemishes when I was trialling it. Not to mention it smells lovely. Don't expect anything life-changing (after all, what can a 5-minute mask really do?) but it gives my skin a nice perk-up. It looks brighter, fresher and more radiant. Plus you can slap it on before your shower and wash it off whilst you're in there with minimal effort!

Ingredients include Avacado Oil, Shea Butter, Goji Berry Extract

Good Things Manuka Honey Radiance Mask, £5.99

I'm a huge fan of the Antipodes Manuka Honey Mask so I was intrigued to see if this offering from Good Things would be a good drugstore alternative. My answer to that is: yes and no. This is a clay mask so it's a given that it's a tad drying, whereas one of the things I loved about the Antipodes one is that it doesn't harden on your skin. I do find it a tad more brightening but much less hydrating that the Anitpodes version. In it's own right though the wonder-ingredient of Manuka Honey really makes this mask a great way of targeting blemishes without applying anything too harsh. I definitely felt any breakouts cleared up far faster when using this.


Ingredients include Honey, Melon Juice, Citric Acid

What are your favourite budget skincare products? If you've tried any of these I'd love to hear your thoughts!

 


Don't forget to follow me on:

By the time this goes up I think I'll have landed in Croatia! I've scheduled posts to go up whilst I'm away but if you notice I'm a bit quiet, its because I'm on holiday. Obviously I will have a bit of time whilst waiting for a shower or whatever but if it takes me while to get back to any questions, that's why! If you'd like to see what I get up to over there make sure you're following me on Instagram. Otherwise, see you next weekend!
Share:

26 comments

  1. I found exactly the same with the rose hydrate mask! It stung my whole face and I actually think that the una brennan cleansing oil gave me a breakout, so I find the range isn't too good for my sensitive skin! I adore the body shop's camomile cleansing oil though, I find that it removes my makeup effectively and does leave my skin feeling smoother, so you should try it if you haven't already. Lovely post as well xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad it wasn't just me who didn't find that mask did a huge amount! And yes the Body Shop one is a favourite of mine too ;) love the butter version as well xx

      Delete
  2. I love my Garnier Micellar Water and I've found I've become rather loyal! They've changed the packaging and it feels so much more secure now, I'm not sure if you know!
    Jodie xo // Jodie Loue

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I did see the newer bottles recently actually! xx

      Delete
  3. Totally agree with what you said on the Una Brennan Rose Hydrate mask, it stank and did nothing for my skin! Really want to try the cleansing oil as I've heard much better things about it!

    Danielle's Beauty Blog

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've heard so much about the Superfacialist Rose mask, I really need to give it a try!! xxx

    www.angerawrs.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been using the Una Brennan cleansing oil and I'm not really a fan x

    Heather | Of Beauty & Nothingness

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Good Things range make me break out so bad :( The vitamin E Products from Superdrug sound lovely x
    Emma | Emmys Beauty Cave

    ReplyDelete
  7. Will have to try the Superdrug cleansing oil, sounds amazing for the price!

    Alice // Sheer Beautiful // Bloglovin' x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Will definitely have to try the Superdrug vitamin E range! So affordable :)

    www.emilyroseperrin.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  9. I need to try some Una Brennan products because I have only heard great things about them! xx

    Beautylymin

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've just added so many of these products to my wish list, thanks!

    Beka. xo
    littleworldofbeka

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love, love, love the Superdrug Vitamin E range! Their hot cloth cleanser is an amazing dupe from Liz Earle's cleance and polish.

    Roxie ♥
    thebeautifulbluebird.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it was you who commented on one of my other posts I should check it out and that's how I came to try these :) One day, I'll find the hot cloth cleanser, one day...xx

      Delete
  12. Just came across your blog and i'm in love! Mind checking mine out, and maybe follow?

    -Michelle xx

    __
    instagram: @pastellights (www.instagram.com/pastellights)
    website: www.pastellightsblog.com
    bloglovin’: https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/pastel-lights-blog-13481493

    ReplyDelete
  13. I will have to try that Vitamin E Cleansing Oil once my Coconut Oil runs out! Really interested to test the Simple Micellar Water too everyone's raving about it. I really like the Garnier one so wonder how it'd compare.

    Kat | www.kathorrocks.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I actually prefer the Simple one - which I wasn't expecting AT ALL! xx

      Delete
  14. I usually use the Garnier Micellar Water but I'm tempted now to try out the Simple one. I've heard great things about the L'Oreal Micellar Water too!

    Paris
    http://lifeinflorals.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love all your picks as they are affordable yet effective. I have tried the Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser and it is really lovely. I would say it is about 70% as good as the Liz Earle version and it is worth a try...xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ugh I need to find this flipping cleanser somehow haha xx

      Delete
  16. I want to try so many of these things, especially some of the Superdrug range.

    Emma x
    Writing Essays With Wine

    ReplyDelete
  17. This post makes me so jealous of Superdrug! Lol. The Superdrug Vitamin E Dual Phase Cleansing Oil sounds especially amazing...and for the price!


    Beauty Isles | An Island Girl's Beauty and Lifestyle Blog

    ReplyDelete
  18. That Superdrug Duel Cleaning Oil sounds lush! I just worry how it would get with my skin.
    Angie x | Chocolate & Lipstick || UK Beauty and Lifestyle Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well I guess for £2.99 it wouldn't be the end of the world if you tried it and didn't like it :) but well worth it if you find a bargain! xx

      Delete

Thank you for your comment - I read and appreciate every single one :)

There's no need to spam - I will check out your blog if you leave a click-able link under a genuine comment!

If you have a question please check back for my reply or tweet me @jasminetalksblg

xx

© Jasmine Talks Beauty | All rights reserved.
Blog Layout Created by pipdig