Have you found any budget buys lately ?

[Vienna]

Every body is watching their pennies these days and lots of us have moved away from expensive brands and extortionate p and p charges from the likes of Q but what have you found to replace them ? I`d be interested in your bargain buys , anything from skincare, makeup, bags, shoes or anything at all. If it saves money and does the same job then I`m all ears.

I recently posted about a skin cleansing balm I found on Ebay, all natural, paraben free and many of us found it a bargain buster let alone a bargain buy. I also ordered the face cream and foot cream from the same seller and they were good too. I posted about it on the Elemis cleansing balm thread and for a fiver including p and p, all items are a bargain.

On the makeup front I found a little treasure. Aldi have recently brought out a new souffle foundation and its really good. Matte finish, good coverage and hasn`t caused any irritation on my sensitive skin costs £3.99
Their face oil is good too and comes in different varieties for different skin types and is also £3.99

If anybody likes jewellery then Acotis have great discounts at the moment on their website and if you put in VOUCHER10 at the checkout then you get another 10% off. They sell lots of big brands including Pandora, Thomas Sabo, Hot Diamonds, Fiorelli etc

For those of you near a Home Bargains its worth checking out their range of candles. They were selling large jar Airwick ones today, 40 hours burning time for £1.99 because they`re leftover Xmas fragrances such as cinnamon, spice or fir.

For those who own the Emjoi pedi ( from Q ) then Boots are selling replacement rollers, buy one pack get one half price, much cheaper than Q sells them for and of course no p and p if you buy in store.

 

[Letz-be-avenue]

I tried the balm you posted about Vienna and am really pleased with it,was so impressed I have also tried the sensitive moisturiser as well and am chuffed with that, it seems so rich and does not irritate my eczema which has been playing up in this cold weather, I just wanted to thank you for the tip. I have recommended it to all my mates. I want to try that perfume that Lidl apparently sell that is meant to smell like Coco mademoiselle (well that is what I have heard ) but I can't find it anywhere, I wonder if anyone on here has tried it, would love to know what they think of it. I have used the lacura range that Aldi sell and have had no problems with my skin using that and it is so cheap, trying to wean myself off the more and more expensive skincare tsvs, as not sure my skin looks any better for using them although I may like using them!

 

[Nikki]

My latest billy bumper bargain is L'Oreal lash growing/thickening serum for £1.99 on Amazon. (flat rate of £1.54 per order too so I ordered several). One & a half weeks of using it and my eye lashes look a bit better than when I was using Revitalash, (which is huh hum, *cough* 60 quid *cough*), on Ebay for 3.5 ml, more on QVC. I just wanted to try an alternative. I also bought the Boots No.7 one for £12.99 on Ebay and use that about 3 evenings a week. Between the two my lashes have never looked so good! I'm gobsmacked! Beginners may have to use Revitalash at 1st to get length on their lashes, or may just want to plump for a cheaper option to see if that works from the start. All I can say is I WON'T be buying any more Revitalash! It's had the desired initial effect for me but absolutley no need for me to repurchase, so saved heaps of £££'s! Especially as the L'Oreal & Boots ones are about double the size!

Also Flexitol oil from a shop called Family Bargains for 99p for 60 ml. Ebay sell it too for about 3 quid plus 2 quid p&p I think. 60ml of wonderful oils, rose hip, lavender, evening primrose, calendula, arnica, olive & coconut. I apply several sprays whilst applying my body moisturiser as this weather plays havoc with my skin, it can get really irritated, itchy & dry. Not with this stuff, it's superb. I also mix a spray with hand cream for an added boost. So that's Manoi moisture melt from Elemis at about £19.99 for 100ml, (altho I always got mine in TSV's so a lot cheaper), or 99p for natural oil blend that is just as good if not better...errrr 99p it is! (The Flexitol is just for the body, not face like the Elemis body oils).

I got St. Ives elastin & collagen hand & body moisturiser from Family Bargains too for £1.99, no parabens etc, really nice stuff, bumper 400ml size.

Fake tan, I swear by the normal bottle of Superdrug's own! The St. Tropez face one & even the Gatineau face one caused nasty breakouts on my face. Not the normal bog standard one from Superdrug, use it all the time & no spots or rosacea anymore! Lovely colour too!

 

[Vienna]

Great Letz be I`m really pleased you liked them. I like them too.
I haven`t seen or tried the Lidl perfume but I read about it somewhere.
For those people who like microfibre cloths for removing cleansers, a shop called Body Care are selling them for 90p each and they come in a little plastic wallet, are a good size and wash well. We have Body care shops in all towns near me but I don`t know if other areas have them.

 

[Nikki]

Dunelm sell the microfibre face cloths cheap too V. I must get one to try next time I'm passing as they look nice quality too.

 

[Vienna]

Oh I must try that L`oreal lash stuff Nikki. Thanks for the tip

 

[Snarly]

Ooh, thanks for this thread. I like to see what others recommend. Ta. x Snarly

 

[Nikki]

Oh I must try that L`oreal lash stuff Nikki. Thanks for the tip

I don't know if it will work for everyone V as having read the reviews on it as well as the Boots & Revitalash lash serums they all have roughly the same % of people who it worked for & those who didn't see a difference. I have to say when I posted about the L'Oreal one on here some of us read the Amazon reviews and it deffo worked for most people who wrote about it. Even people who had lost their lashes though having medication.
Not much to loose at £3.54 all in if you just want to try 1 tube eh. It's 7.5 ml in size I recall too. I found it very easy to apply as it has a hook shaped wand thingy & very soothing. You start from the base of the lash line and brush along the lashes top & bottom.:wink:

 

[Vienna]

Talking of eczema. If anybody suffers from it or psoriorsis ( sp ) my husband gets eczema badly on his arms and legs, or used to. I stopped him using shower gels and soaps, even the ones supposedly for the condition and started buying him African black soap from a site called Akamuti and its made a heck of a difference. The soap looks like a brownish black lump but is so creamy, soft on the skin and totally moisturising, unperfumed and no nasty chemicals in it. Be warned it needs to be kept dry when not in use cos it just dissolves if left in a puddle of water !

 

[Vienna]

That`s the beauty of this thread Nikki. These budget buys are worth trying and even if the lash stuff doesn`t work on me I havent lost a fortune, unlike paying for top price stuff. Keep them coming.

 

[Letz-be-avenue]

Talking of eczema. If anybody suffers from it or psoriorsis ( sp ) my husband gets eczema badly on his arms and legs, or used to. I stopped him using shower gels and soaps, even the ones supposedly for the condition and started buying him African black soap from a site called Akamuti and its made a heck of a difference. The soap looks like a brownish black lump but is so creamy, soft on the skin and totally moisturising, unperfumed and no nasty chemicals in it. Be warned it needs to be kept dry when not in use cos it just dissolves if left in a puddle of water !

Thanks for the soap tip, I recall it being mentioned on another thread, will give that a go, as had bad eczema up my arms for last couple of weeks which is taking ages to improve, haven't had bad flare up for ages, but it is a real pain at the mo. what would we do without this forum!

 

[Marzy]

If anybody is thinking of trying the cleansing balm that Vienna recommended,I can certainly vouch for it,it's fab stuff.

I'm a big fan of the AD Synergy one but have only bought it from Brand Alley as it's too expensive otherwise.

Well,the Ebay one is definitely on a par with ADS,choc a bloc with essential oils which I love & removes every scrap of makeup.

Thanks for the L'oreal tip,Nikki,I'll give that one a try x

 

[Nikki]

I saw a couple of items I really liked this evening on QVC & was tempted so checked out prices for the same items on-line & look what I found...

The Babyliss big hair rotating brush 700w dryer on Q for just under £46 incl p&p...
http://www.qvcuk.com/Babyliss-700W-...c=432918-SRCH&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-6-_-432918

Or how about the exact same item new & with a 1 year guarantee for just under £32 incl p&p???
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BaByliss-...pt=UK_H_B_CurlingTongs_CA&hash=item20d075a572

Then I saw the Tresonic sonic cleanser with additional sponge head for applying moisturiser & a massage head.
Here's QVC's price...
http://www.qvcuk.com/webapp/wcs/sto...word=432648&uattrmb=&ddkey=http:CatalogSearch

Here's the same item on Ebay...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tre-sonic...Health_Beauty_Skincare_PP&hash=item3ccfe0785f

Looking at these price differences I think I'll risk not having the 30 day MBG ta :wink:

Actually forget about the easy pay as well as the Ebay shops are cheaper by at least 1 of the 3 easy pay installments for both products.

 

[Nikki]

Oh I must try that L`oreal lash stuff Nikki. Thanks for the tip

If you can't find it on Amazon for £1.99 plus £1.54 p&p, Ebay have some equally good offers for the same serum. Just search on Ebay for "L'Oreal Lash Serum" & they're practically the same price with p&p :wink:
I think we caused a multi buy shopping frenzy when I 1st posted about it on Amazon. It came back on at the cheaper price but I suspect that some of us will have reordered on multi buy since then x.
It seems to have been drastically reduced from the original price so I think it's either being repackaged or discontinued.

 

[Vienna]

A lot of people like Honora but their prices have rocketed. I know some people are wary of some Chinese Ebay sellers but this one I`ve tried and tested several times and the items have always arrived and have been phenomenal quality for the money. I`ve had at least half a dozen items from him as gifts to others at Xmas or for myself. The downside is the items take around 30 days to arrive. I`ve had bracelets, necklaces and earrings and no problems with any of them. Have a browse.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/pearlshope?_rdc=1

 

[barbedwire]

Another forum member recommended http://www.muastore.co.uk/ and I've tried out their lipsticks, mascara and foundation. They do a bugdet £1 mascara and a £2.50 one which is absolutely wonderful. The lipsticks are lovely too, nice shades and very moisturising - plus if you turn the bullet upside down, you can unscrew the bottom and there is a bonus tiny pot of lipgloss in there, again all just for £1. I've tried the foundation, which is not bad, not brilliant but not bad - the only thing I was really disappointed with was the Eye Primer which didn't do the job.

 

[Akimbo]

I posted a while ago about the MUA nail products, the polishes are good with a range of colours and DD wanted to try the constellation micro beads (like the Ciate nail beads QVC sells) so got those as part of a Superdrug 3 for 2 offer (but even at full price they're only £3). I've got a mascara of theirs in my stash so I might try that soon or give it to DD to try next time she's making off with one of my more expensive mascaras. Next time I'm in Superdrug I'll have a look at the rest of the range.

Jude xx

 

[iloveshopping]

A lot of people like Honora but their prices have rocketed. I know some people are wary of some Chinese Ebay sellers but this one I`ve tried and tested several times and the items have always arrived and have been phenomenal quality for the money. I`ve had at least half a dozen items from him as gifts to others at Xmas or for myself. The downside is the items take around 30 days to arrive. I`ve had bracelets, necklaces and earrings and no problems with any of them. Have a browse.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/pearlshope?_rdc=1

Thanks for the link - the only items I wouldn't buy are the earrings as they are silver and gold plated as I am allergic to non silver and gold - have to be careful that silver hasn't nickel in it as well.
Are the bracelets and necklaces knotted between each pearl - can't see on their website

 

[Vienna]

Yep I love shopping they`re knotted between each pearl. In fact I`ve just had another double strand bracelet arrive today, for my friend`s 60th birthday, grey cultured pearls, its lovely. Have a 20" string of black pearls on order too but they haven`t arrived yet.

 

[fluff]

Have to admit I haven't tried this yet because I managed to get 2 of the L'Oreal lash stuff from Amazon ... thanks Nikki.
http://www.superdrug.com/eyes/gosh-the-secret-of-longer-lashes-serum/invt/613850
It was featured as a much cheaper but just as good alternative to Revitalash in a Sunday magazine and gets good independent reviews on the web. I like the idea that it can also be used on the brows and as mine are decidedly sparse in places I'm going to give it a try.