Whether you’re into luxurious high-end skincare products or an adept of multi-step routines like the Korean regime, you will end up spending a small fortune on beauty products. Or you might prefer the bare minimum, with just a few products that keep your skin in check, but you’re wondering on how to get better looking skin with less effort. I’ve put together a few tips on how to make savings, yet achieve top results.

Skincare that doesn’t cost the world

Here are some good news: natural, organic and effective skincare is no longer a luxury. Brands such as Caudalie, Nuxe, The Body Shop, Sukin, Boots Botanics, A’kin, Burt’s Bees, Green People, MOA and Melvita offer a great alternative to cult-products from organic pioneers like Tata Harper, Omorovicza, de Mamiel or Aurelia Probiotic Skincare (which, despite being fabulous, tend to leave a mark not only on your skin, but also on your budget). And if you’re keen to include some powerful treatments in your routine, which you should definitely consider, disruptive brands like Indeed Labs and The Ordinary have been launching groundbreaking products that promise to give you the results of serums that cost as much as 10x the price. I will elaborate on this in a future post where I will give you my take on the first The Ordinary serums I’ve been trying and help you get to know their products better.

Invest in high quality serums and treatments…

If you are willing to break the bank for better skincare results, spend your money on a very high quality serum that can deliver more for your skin. Look for retinols and vitamin C which need special technologies and packaging to boost their efficiency, or high-end oils like the Sunday Riley range (£68-£85) and La Belle Lune Oil (£46). One of my personal favourite serums is Paula’s Choice 1% Retinol Treatment (£53), which is as potent as its budget equivalent from The Ordinary, but housed in an air-tight, sealed and UV-proof bottle meant to protect the formula from oxidation, hence giving you the same results till the very last drop.

… and save on other products

Luxurious cleansers and high-budget moisturising creams might feel nice on the skin, but very heavy on your finances. And given their limited purposes, these products cannot even make a major contribution to the look of your skin.

• Cleansing

Firstly, most oil-based cleansers feature a combination of plant oils that can be easily combined together at home to achieve the same effects. So you can substitute the first step of your double cleanse with organic coconut oil, which will do the same job, namely remove make-up and sebum, for a fraction of the price.

Secondly, there are plenty of cheap, yet effective and safe cleansers available on the market. A quick list would include Avene cleansers (£8-£12), Bioderma Micellar Water (£10.50/250ml that lasts forever), Boots Botanics cleansers (£3.99-£5.99), Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Cleanser (£7.95), and Sukin Cleansers (£7.95).

• Toning

This is an important step, but the essential thing to look for is an alcohol-free formula and there are lots of good low-budget options on the market. Look for Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner (£7.95), Boots Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz (£5.99), Jason C-Effects Super-C Toner (£10.99), and Bravura London Revitalising Ginseng Toner (£12.40).

• Acid exfoliators

Apart from The Ordinary products mentioned above, one of the most recent budget-friendly brands with excellent reviews is Bravura London, which offers three concentrated acids, lactic, salicylic and glycolic, at only £9.59/30ml.

• Moisturisers

The function of a moisturiser is that of sealing in the benefits of previously applied serums and treatments by creating a hydrating coat over the skin. While moisture is an important element for a healthy skin, this is easily achieved with a simple and thus inexpensive formula. Investing in a high-end moisturiser when you have a limited budget is a great waste of money, so a much savvier approach is to choose an affordable product like Sukin Facial Moisturisers (£7.99-£9.99), Green People Day Solution (£14.95-£15.95) and Fruitful Nights (£14.95), or my favourite Caudalie moisturisers, Vinosource Moisturising Sorbet (£23) and Vinosource Moisturising Mattifying Fluid (£23).

Add natural substitutes to replace cleansers, masks and oils

Apart from coconut oil for cleansing, you can also create you own evening oil by mixing a few high quality, organic and cold-pressed oils such as rosehip, argan, sweet almond, avocado and jojoba, or you can even experiment by adding a few drops of essential oils. You can also make your own facial scrub by mixing ground oats, polenta, fine salt or wheat bran with olive oil. Organic raw apple cider vinegar makes a good toner when diluted with water. Also, there are a variety of DIY masks that can make wonders for your skin with simple ingredients such as clay powder, cacao, mashed avocado, Greek yoghurt, honey or banana – the possibilities are endless!