Chantelle Bester, Contributor from the Ghanaian JournalThere can’t be anything worse than realising that you’ll have to drop your beauty standards a few notches in order to be able to live through the month. Being on a budget is sadly, a rather common occurrence but there are ways not to let it affect your grooming too much.
I was recently reminded of this when I stood in a cosmetic department and could not, for the life of me, find a cleanser for under 300 bucks — and I don’t know about you, but in the last week of most months, 300 bucks means a lot in my wallet.
Here are some of my tips on how you can make the most of your budget, which products are essential, which can be skipped altogether and which can be left until “next month”….
Keep it clean
Cleansing is an essential step, and should never be skipped or skimped on. Free Radicals (from pollution, UV radiation, smoke, dirt and dust to name a few) accumulate on your skin during the course of every day, and need to be removed since it’s the main cause of skin ageing.
Fortunately you do not need an expensive product to do the job, and many trusty pharmacy cleansers are kind to your skin and your bank balance. A cleanser need not have fancy ingredients, but look for terms like “pH balanced” and “soap free”.
The term “dermatologically tested” means nothing to me — all products have to be tested before they are allowed to be sold. If you want the extra benefit of exfoliation (removal of dead skin cells), look for a cleanser with fruit enzymes, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) or salycilic acid — this eliminates the need for an additional exfoliating product thus saving you some more bucks.
Not Particularly Useful
I’m probably at risk of being publicly stoned, but I do not see any need for a toner with the technology used in skincare nowadays. Cleansing twice will benefit you much more than a toner if it’s the squeaky-clean feeling you’re after, or if you feel that a toner does the last bit of cleaning for you. It certainly does no harm, but gone are the days of astringent toners that claim to “tighten” or “close” the pores after cleansing. Why would you want to “close” your pores if your next step is to apply cream?
Scrub-a-dub-dub
Exfoliation is another important step. If you do not exfoliate, dead skin builds up which causes blockages like black- and white-heads, and prevents your skincare products from penetrating properly.
Imagine the blackened layer on a burnt slice of toast – no butter will get through to the rest of the bread, meaning you might as well be pouring your moisturizers and serums down the drain. Not being a fan of abrasive granules in exfoliators (they are, after all, abrasive and damaging to more sensitive skins), I prefer an exfoliator with enzymes and/or AHAs that gently but very effectively loosens and dissolve dead skin cells without being too harsh.
If you prefer an exfoliator with granules (or a scrub, as it’s commonly known), I would advise going for something that contains artificial beads that are mechanically made to be perfect spheres that will not scratch or injure the skin surface, unlike natural ingredients like ground pumice. You can also, as mentioned earlier, use a cleanser with exfoliating properties.
The next step
Serums and treatment creams are an important step in correcting any skin conditions (think pigmentation, acne, sun damage, ageing skin). This is a product worth spending a little more money on, since it should play a large part in the results you achieve from your skincare regime, provided your skin is well exfoliated of course. You can change or switch serums once or twice a year, or as your skin develops different needs.
Hydrate your skin
Many professionals, especially dermatologists, believe a moisturiser, no matter how prettily packaged, is still merely a moisturiser and its function is to deliver moisture to the most superficial layers of the skin.
If you have no skin problems, or if you are using a good serum or treatment cream, a basic pharmacy moisturiser will do the trick. If, however, your skin is exceptionally dry or dehydrated, be on the lookout for a moisturiser containing Hyaluronic acid, or ask for products that contain humectants — ingredients that are specifically designed to attract and transport moisture to where it is needed.
Get protection
Another boring-sounding but vitally important step in your skincare regime is sun protection. A sunscreen with a SPF of 20 to 30 is ideal for everyday use. Come rain or shine, your sunscreen protects your skin against various forms of UV radiation, and can greatly slow down the ageing process and maintain an even complexion. A sunscreen can be used over a moisturiser, or you can use a moisturiser that contains an SPF of 20 or higher.
Not an iron mask
Masks have always been the last products I would recommend as it may be a nice extra to have, but not an essential at all. If you need or want something extra, you will benefit much more from a serum, since it can penetrate more effectively, and is not rinsed off the skin.
Putting on your face
The rule is stick to a good foundation (mineral foundations have added skin care benefits) that is non-comedogenic (does not block pores and cause blackheads), non-acnegenic, and oil-free.
Unfortunately, the more smudge-proof/long lasting/waterproof/magical it claims to be, the more chemicals have to be added to it. This is something you have to weigh up as the confidence you might gain from “flawless skin” makes up for this in most cases.
And the rest
Looking at the other stuff in your cosmetic bag, I like having decent mascara, eyeliner and bronzer, and for the rest I shop during the seasonal sales in the cosmetic departments. For example, you’re probably not going to use an eye shadow in a high fashion colour very often, so a cheapie will do just fine. And I have honestly bought some R30 lipglosses that are way better than a R300 version I have owned.
