How To Save Money On Your Beauty Routine

Where to save in your routine…

“There are lots of things you can save on and still get fantastic results. For example, the sheet masks from Garnier are great, and there’s no reason hyaluronic acid serums should be expensive. There are some good affordable hair tools on the market too, like the Tangle Teezer and plenty of hair tools such as the BaByliss Flawless Volume Hot Air Styler that are great dupes for some of the more expensive options.” – Estée Lalonde, founder of Mirror Water



“I think you can afford to save on moisturiser. A moisturiser’s main job should be to hydrate your skin and you can do that very effectively, very cheaply. You should not rely on a moisturiser to do much more than that, as serums and exfoliating products will serve you better, so be wary of any moisturiser that overpromises.” – Dr Cristina Psomadakis, Klira medical doctor & consultant dermatologist

“I would say you can save money on your second-cleanse cleanser. I will often cleanse with a more high-end cleansing balm then for my second cleanse use something like the CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser or the Simple Refreshing Facial Wash.” – Hannah Martin, make-up artist



“I don’t spend a huge amount of money on make-up, but that’s not because I can’t access more expensive products, I just prefer more affordable make-up bag staples. My number-one ride-or-die beauty product is the Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Eyeliner which I use to do my winged liner and it costs £5.99. I have tried quite literally every liquid eyeliner on the market, and it’s still my favourite.” – Katherine Ormerod, author & journalist



“SPF. There are some fantastic high-end facial SPF creams on the market, but I would say that the L’Oréal Revitalift Clinical SPF50+ Invisible Fluid, and the La Roche-Posay UVMune Anthelios Invisible Fluid SPF50+ are just as good.” – Hannah

How to not spend a fortune…

“Try not to fall for the latest trends, which are usually driven by social media noise or marketing campaigns. Most people think dermatologists have the most boring skincare routines because we stick to a few select skincare products, but even if one of them is a splurge, it means the overall cost is still quite low.” – Cristina



“I think it’s so important to find what works and stay consistent. You can waste so much money falling willy nilly for huge claims by beauty brands; you need so much less than the industry sometimes makes you believe. A simple skincare routine of under five steps will always be more affordable than investing in every hot brand or product.” – Katherine



“One of my favourite ways to make one of my favourite products – our own Smooth Daily Body Oil – last longer is to mix it with an affordable body moisturiser from Neutrogena. That way you get double the hydration but aren’t going through the oil as quickly.” – Estée

Finally, what’s worth the splurge…

“Learning about your skin is key. I cannot tell you the number of patients I see who have been using the wrong products and have spent a fortune on things that won’t help and might actually harm them. This includes patients who have been told they have acne but actually have rosacea; or patients who think they have a skin allergy, but it is perioral dermatitis. The list is endless and my heart sinks because one quick session with an expert can help tremendously if you are struggling.” – Cristina 



“I always splurge on vitamin C and serums. These are two products that can really make a difference to your skin, depending on quality. My favourites are the Medik8 C-Tetra and Monday Muse The Juice Daily Serum.” – Estée 

“I would splurge most on treatments – facials and injectables – because they make the biggest difference. Then it’s moisturiser and serum.” – Katherine 



“Where I splurge in my skincare routine is always my eye make-up remover and my serum. Find a decent eye make-up remover that removes every single trace of eye make-up, including waterproof mascara. My favourite is the Lancôme Bi Facile. There are some excellent, reasonably priced, single ingredient-focused serums on the market, but I do splurge here. I love the Ultimune serum from Shiseido. Created after years of research with scientifically proven results, not only does it feed your skin, but it also supercharges the efficacy of whatever you apply on top.” – Hannah