Budget Beauty Essential: Boots Extra Large Cotton Wool Pads

I first heard about these super sized cotton pads from Boots in a Zoella video, I believe. At the time I was using a cream cleanser, separate eye make up remover and toner so I was going through 6-8 regular cotton pads every time I removed my make up. At £2.59 for 60 these may seem a bit pricey for cotton pads but I think they're well worth it.

(a bit of a weird size comparison shot!)

If you've ever been a fan of those dreaded drying face wipes (we've all been there...I still keep some on hand for emergencies!) because they're so quick and easy to use, these cotton pads, a good quality cleanser and toner make an excellent alternative. I typically massage my cleanser into my skin to lift the make up and remove with one of the pads. The process is much quicker as I only need one pad unless I need to double cleanse to remove lots of make up.

I also use them to remove polish - one pad will do nails and toes.

You'll find these in the baby section rather than in the beauty section and they're currently in a buy one, get one half price offer. I've only got a few pads left so am planning on stocking up this weekend!

Stace xx

Ps - I'll be posting a wee blog sale at some point over the weekend because I'm moving flat again and am having a bit of a clear out so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Budget Beauty Essential: Boots Essentials Nail Polish Remover

This post is another instalment in my budget beauty series; I apologise for letting that fall by the wayside over the past few weeks, expect to see more of these posts in the near future!

Today's post is about my all-time favourite nail polish remover which conveniently only costs £1. I've tried more expensive removers from a variety of brands but found that none of them work as well as this one so I've given up on trying anything else. This remover takes my nail polish off so quickly and easily; who could ask for anything more? Obviously it needs a little help if you've got six layers of glitter polish on but I think that goes for all removers.

The only downside to this product is that it does contain acetone which can damage fragile nails. In saying that, I paint my nails at least three times a week and they haven't suffered due to using this remover. 

So, if you've not given the Boots Essentials Nail Polish Remover a go, I highly recommend that you do!

Stace xx

Budget Beauty Essential: Tresemme Volumising Dry Shampoo

This week's budget beauty essential post is going to be about my favourite dry shampoo. Last week's was about baby shampoo but I promise that next week's product won't be hair-related! 

I've purchased countless cans of the Tresemme Instant Refresh Volumising dry shampoo over the past four or five years. It's the one I always come back to. I find that come of the cheaper ones (hi, Batiste, I'm talking about you) leave too much of a white cast in my dark hair but this one doesn't at all. I also really like the smell of the Tresemme dry shampoos in comparison to others at a similar or lower price point. This dry shampoo is £4.79 but it's often part of a 3 for 2 or buy two for £5 offer in Boots or Superdrug so I usually stock up then.

I'm a big fan of dry shampoos in general because my roots become greasy fairly quickly and they also tend to look a little flat. This product helps to eradicate greasiness and gives me some volume. I realise that most dry shampoos provide this volumising effect but I've noticed that the results disappear much more quickly than they do with this volumising version. 

So, if you've got hair like mine and are looking for a nice dry shampoo, try this one!

Stace xx

Budget Beauty Essential: Baby Shampoo

This is the second post in my little budget beauty essentials series. The first one was about a bargainous Clean & Clear moisturiser which is excellent at dealing with blemishes but today's post is about something I think every beauty addict needs to own. 

It's baby shampoo. Yes, I know, it's not very glamorous but I'd definitely class it as an essential and it's usually relatively cheap. I use it primarily for cleaning my brushes. I find that it's just as effective as any brush cleaner from other brands I feel as though it's gentle enough not to damage the bristles. A large bottle of baby shampoo can easily last me six months if I only use it to wash my brushes.

However, baby shampoo isn't just a brush cleaner for me. I have naturally straight hair which can get greasy quite quickly. I find that quite a lot of the mid-range shampoos out there leave build up in my hair which makes it even more grease prone. I have quite a sensitive scalp so if I only use clarifying shampoos I find that it begins to feel tight and irritated. Since I always have a bottle on hand for brush cleaning, I sometimes find myself reaching for baby shampoo to wash my hair too and it works really nicely for me. I just use a little Macadamia Natural Oil or Aussie Leave In conditioner afterwards and my hair looks just as shiny as it does when I use anything else. 

I only discovered how much I liked using baby shampoo in my hair when I caught chicken pox two years ago (at the grand old age of 21 - it was horrible) but I've been using it fairly regularly since. A friend of mine told me that her hairdresser recommended it to her because she has very fine hair, too. 

Do you have a bottle of baby shampoo lying around? 

Stace xx

PS - On the topic of bargains, have you had a look at my blog sale? I've added more new items today!

Budget Beauty Essential: Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser

I've been meaning to start a 'budget beauty essentials' series for a while; it's going to include relatively cheap products that I always repurchase or have on hand. One of the first products that came to mind was this Clean & Clear Dual Action moisturiser.

This has to be my sixth or seventh tube of this product so I definitely consider it to be an essential. I'm not a skincare snob but I have to admit that I'd never considered trying a Clean & Clear moisturiser until Miss Budget Beauty raved about this one. 

If I get a spot or feel that my skin isn't looking its best I reach for this moisturiser. I usually apply a thick layer after cleansing in the evenings, concentrating on the areas where my skin is most break-out prone. If I feel that my skin is still a bit dry I apply a different moisturiser later, before going to bed. It's very lightweight so I can use a thin layer in the mornings under my make up if I want to. 

If you're someone who has blemish-prone skin I'd definitely recommend trying this product. I wouldn't recommend moisturising exclusively with this because it's probably not hydrating enough, particularly if you have any dry areas on your face. I should also point out that that this moisturiser probably won't make a huge difference to your skin if you have quite bad acne.

You can pick up a tube of Clean & Clear Dual Action moisturiser from anywhere Clean & Clear is sold. It's usually around £3 and often part of a 3 for 2 or two for £4 deal. I've looked on the Boots website and the packaging looks different; I bought this tube a fortnight ago and every tube I've purchased over the last couple of years has had the same packaging so I don't know what's going on!

Do you have a favourite drugstore moisturiser/skincare product? Let me know what it is!

Stace xx