All Time Affordable, Easy to Find Defaults and Staples!

  Everyone has their items that they splurge on and then there's the cheaper defaults and staples which are sometimes just as good as higher end items but cost less. Sometimes you always have them on hand because you like them so much. Perhaps you used to spend more on certain items and then you discovered more affordable items that checked all the boxes for you. Some of my cheaper faves and staples off the top of my head are:

- Skinfood Mud Masque - At full price it costs about $14 for a 100ml tube. I would regularly spend times or more on cleansing masks and this performs just as well or better than some $40 or more mud/clay masks. It smells more earthy than some some high end ones but it sucks the gunk out of your pores just as good and it's almost entirely natural. 

- Aveeno Naturals Body Lotion - For several years before I started using body oils and butters, this was the only body moisturizer I used. I have sensitive skin and this kept my skin hydrated and soothed in summer and winter. It comes in a 354 pump bottle and even though I used it every day I would get at least a month and half use out of it. 

- Hurraw Lip Balm - This is definitely my staple lip balm. I don't collect alot of lip balms but I have to have the Night Balm and the Sun Protect balm it hydrates and protects my lip year round even in winter. And yes these two are ones I completely use up and repurchase. Btw it's all natural.

- Sabun Soap - This is a new one that I discovered this year. It does cost $15 for two 200g bars but it is so worth it for me. I have skin on my body that turns red and blotchy when water hits it and I get itchy after showers. I actually used this soap everytime I showered for a week and half and discovered that the blotchy marks and after shower itchiness almost completely disappeared. If I keep the bar out of water I get about five to six weeks use out of the soap but then I also use the same half bar to wash my hands throughout the day.

So what are yours?

Hurraw is a slight splurge for me, but it is just one of the best around so it's easily justifiable. 

I often use cheaper eyeliners like Essence and LA Girl because I use so much eyeliner and they have a great range of colours.

I prefer organic skincare so that would be my biggest splurge, the other would be that I always like to have lipsticks from brands like Chanel and MAC. Although I buy several cheaper lipsticks for everyday to make my more expensive last longer.

I love all the Skinfood products Tannygirl - they're the greatest affordable and brilliant products.
I also like Dove tinted foundation - economical but effective.
And the St Ives products are mostly awesome for the price of them - they have some very nice scrubs.

Moreish Liberation Foaming Cleanser - Another supermarket gem full price is $20 but you can often find it for less and with the bottle being 200ml it's really affordable and lasts me a long time. It's really gentle so that that's great. I've spent like $40 on natural gel cleansers before this one is almost if not just as good. This is my new default gel cleanser.

Skinfood Cleanse All - Great cream cleanser especially for teens or during the summer. I say during the summer because I've used more expensive cream cleansers that have helped to put a bit of moisture into my skin which are the type I go for during the winter but this is fantastic for $14 and you can find it for even cheaper. 

 

Skinfood FOR SURE especially their tanning moisturiser, light moisturiser, body butter, scrub and rosehip oil.

Also - Nivea Soft cream is my go-to must have, especially when travelling. It's such a good all over face and body moisturiser.

L'oreal Fibralogy conditioner is awesome for $6 - I have a more expensive shampoo but this is great for keeping my hair in check.

Johnsons conditioning baby shampoo (the orange one) as a brush cleaner.

Neutrogena Beach Defence sunblock spray - I use this over makeup as a SPF 50 setting mist if i'll be out in the sun as well.

Health Basics Ruby Bay Sunset body wash. Gorgeous.

Rimmel 9 in 1 matte BB cream is a pretty epic supermarket BB cream.

Hmmmm lets see. Skinfood rosehip oil and light moisturiser is a must.
Blistex lip conditioner
St ives apricot blemish scrub
Palmolive milk and honey body wash, always on special and it lasts ages.
Red seal baking soda toothpaste, love this!
Cool charm 48 hr deodorant...frangipani freeze.
These are my must haves I use daily and aee affordable and easy to buy :-)

Essano is also a great supermarket brand. I need to try some more Moreish products.

Essano gave me an irritated face to the point where I had red flaky skin :<

The Maybelline eye and lip remover is amazing and it's super cheap. 
Cleans All from SkinFood is a cheap alternative to Trilogy (which is good for me!) and it doesn't irritate my face more
Palmolive shower gel is fantastic, bubbles amazingly and $4 on special for 500ml is just a+

I think the biggest place I do my splurging is Lush. I would love to be able to use Snow Fairy and Happy Hippy showerwash, and Yog Nog soap all the time, but that's unrealistic. Instead I always have one or a few of my favourites and horde them like gold, using them as a great pick me up. Also can not go past their bath bombs and bubble bars, more splurging!

As for everyday skin care and make up I've always gone for cheaper eyeliner pencils for my cheap stand in. Aveeno face moisturizer is my night cream though. I got given a small bottle for a gift about a year ago and haven't been able to give it up since.

- Maybelline Eye & Lip make-up remover 
- Maybelline Great Lash mascara (I always seem to go back to this)
- Lipidol Cleansing Face Oil
- Freeman Beauty masks
- Swisspers cleanser, moisturiser & eye cream
- St Ives Body Lotion
- Palmer's Cocoa Butter Bronze Gradual Tanning Lotion
- Nivea Caring Sun Spray 30+
 

My Splurging is on Lush. No Surprises there lol I think I'm saving by buying Boxing Day Sale. Last years lot lasted me all year long that was soaps, shower gels, shower jellies, bath bombs. Totally worth the spend. 

My budget friendly alternatives: 

Coconut oil for make up remover and hair treatment. 
Montagues Sachet Face Masks.
Loreal  Everstrong Shampoo and Conditioner
Skin & Tonic Shower Gel 
Banana Boat and Cancer Society Sunscreen 
Im fussy with Skincare haven't found the right ones yet but I do enjoy Trilogy and Goodness range. 
 

Oh yes I forgot to add Red Seal Baking Soda toothpaste. Actually that's a family staple along the regular pink top Garnier micellar water. I've tried a couple other brands one actually stung my eyes and the other was nice but really the Garnier one performed just as well.

My go to shower gel is Original Mint Source mint and teatree, wake up and minty fresh clean. I keep returning to this one even with a large collection drawer.
Skinfood cleans all for a gentle clean, I like it so much I picked up this months skinfood special with cleans all, rosehip oil and body butter as a gift for 2 of my friends.

I should mention Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream it comes in an 100ml tube for a reasonable price, absorbs very well and is very hydrating and you can easily find it at the supermarket. 

I'm also currently trying more of the Skinfood range and Nourishing Moisturizer is pretty good, not completely natural but pretty natural and really good quality for the price and ammount in the tube.

I thought this question would be easy for me but now that I'm having a proper think, it's not really. I think because I love trying out new products so something has to be really good for me to keep repurchasing. 
What comes to mind is palmers cocoa butter body lotion. I dont buy it so much these days but I must have gone through at least 30 bottles over the last 10 years! It's pretty affordable,  smells so good and is really moisturising. I also love the dove range of lotions,  super cheap and smell good too. For handcream, I always have Avons silicone glove. $3 a tube and I love it. I love trying out new creams but so far nothing has beaten my love for that one. 
I can't really think of any makeup products that I'd use over and over like the lotions that are cheap.

oh makeup wise - essence all about matt powder is freaking amazing for the $5/$6 it costs, and their nail polishes are epic as well. That's maybe the best one that's cheap here.

My 3 go to's that are affordable and cheap that are makeup items are LA girl matte lipsticks, they are incredible, the Rimmel 'stay matte' primer and my Maybelline 'define a lash' mascara. Skin care the Skinfood 'mud masque' mask, Garnier 'Micellar water' and the epiolgy skin cleanse range is great for acne sufferers.

The Sabun website has an Eczema Rescue Balm which works just as well as some of the pricier natural balms I've used. It's actually more of a salve and has about 3-4 ingredients so great for really sensitive and irritated skin and for $15 you get about 60mls of the salve which is pretty affordable. The only downside to this product is the smell, doesn't smell nice but if I am short on cash and can't shell out 20+ bucks for a decent sized jar that's my go to. I've used it on the red marks I get on my body after showering and so I use quite a bit and after several months I'm only halfway through the little pot. 

ELF Studio Lip Exfoliator - Good almost completely natural based lip exfoliator in stick form which is so handy. And whenever I am on the go doing my makeup or if I waxed my upper lip and it's sensitive so don't want my lip scrub to get on the sensitive skin I'll use it. I got mine for about 10 bucks awhile back and it's much cheaper than the Lip Scuff from the Body Shop. 

A new one is  Avalon Organics Wrinkle Therapy Cleansing Oil, it goes on like a cleansing oil but when you apply water it rinses off completely. It's free of GMOs, parabens, harsh preservatives, synthetic colors, fragrances, phthalates and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate so more skin friendly than some other cleansing oils that emulsify and the bottle is over 200ml and under 20 bucks. I like to use it when I want to do a quick double cleanse at the sink before applying a mask that I will rinse off later when I shower. 

Skin food is one of my favourites and well priced but after doing the De Wynns trial they are the products I will splurge on especially the cleanser -

My fav product default is my Collection Concealer. Super cheap, easy and totally works for me. I've read some other not so good reviews of it but I'm pleased it works for me.