Beauty on a budget - it's what we all need at the moment with the cost of living rising and the summer months quickly approaching. We are all trying to save the pennies, but we also want to look good when we're out and about socialising during the summer months, so it's useful to know where you can pick up the beauty bargains.
When it comes to beauty essentials, I tend to flit between Boots and Superdrug, but I wondered if one shop is actually cheaper than the other when it comes to bagging your everyday essentials. So I went on a shopping expedition to find out what beauty products and toiletries I could get.
I ventured to the shops with a few main things in mind - stick to the basics, buy what you'd usually visit these shops for and also purchase what most people would consider everyday essentials on the whole. With this game plan in mind, I headed to both shops to see what I could find, and it's quite surprising what you can pick up at cheaper prices by sticking to the stores' own brand ranges. You don't have to splash the cash to buy a few items that will help you to feel good about yourself, and maintain good hygiene.
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Let's start with a basic staple - face wipes. Many women have these in their bathroom cabinets to help rid makeup, and they're something most people have to hand to clean the face.
I managed to bag a packet at Boots for £1, and they came in at the same price at Superdrug. Not a bad price for an essential beauty item at both high street stores.
Another staple I always have to hand - mostly to apply face and eye cleansers - are cotton pads. I managed to pick up a packet for 60p at Boots, but picked up a bigger size at Superdrug for £1.99.
I never tend to check the price of these when I pick them up, but it's probably worth noting how much you're getting for your money when you compare the sizes of the product at each store.
I hate not having cotton buds in the house as I use them most days when doing my make-up. They're really useful for removing bits of smudged eye product and perfecting the eye area when eyeliner or mascara get in places where you don't want them to be!
A box of 200 in Boots came in at only 89p, which I thought was amazing. Then I bagged a box of 300 in Superdrug for £1.09, so you're getting more for your money at only 20p extra!
If you're anything like me - you'll always have a lip balm in your bag - especially during the summer months. It's easier for lips to dry up slightly as the weather gets warmer, but you don't have to break the bank to keep your lips hydrated.
A Boots lip balm came in at as little as £1, and Superdrug offers one for 99p, so with very little difference between them it's safe to say you can pick a lip balm up at a reasonable price.
It's approaching the time of year when we'll all start worrying about how much we smell - yes, it's getting warmer! I thought I'd see how cheap the high street stores own brand deodorants were, so I picked up a tin at each shop.
You can get one at Boots for only £1, whereas the Superdrug alternative comes in a little pricier at £2.79.
The cost of living is rising, but no woman should be worrying about how much sanitary products could set you back, and that's exactly why I included them.
A packet of towels comes in at only 70p if you opt for Boots own brand range, and at Superdrug I managed to get a slightly bigger packet for 85p.
Another staple I have in the cupboard is nail polish remover, especially during the summer months. Some people may have their nails done regularly, while others may start painting their toenails now flip-flop season is upon us.
Either way you can pick up some reasonable removers on the high street. A bottle came in at £1 at Boots, but the nourishing remover came in at £1.99 at Superdrug, so nearly double in price difference there.
When we're on the topic of nails - nail files are something I always make sure I have. Not least because you never know when a nail will snap, and you quickly need to find something to soften the sharp edges.
But keeping your nails healthy is also good to think about during the summer months, so it's good to have these in the cupboard. I bagged a packet of 10 at Boots for £1, which is a bargain, as they'll last me ages.
They didn't have multipacks when I visited Superdrug, but I managed to get a packet of two files that are slightly bigger and look to be of decent quality. Two nail shapers came in at £1.99, so I think Boots won me over with this one when it came to what I could get for my money.
Stay with me on this one, as I'm going to offer you valuable razor advice. I picked up a packet of Boots own brand razors, and they were 75p for a pack of five twin-blade razors.
If you want to get rid of hair a two-blade razor will do nothing for you, unless you have very fine or little hair. You need a good amount of blades to cut through stubborn hair (trust me, I've tried most razors), so when I saw that these Wilkinson Sword razors were reduced to £2.99 from £4.50 I snapped them up.
They're excellent razors and it's always good to pick them up anywhere when they're reduced. To prove it - they came in at £4.49 at Superdrug - so if you invest in something for the summer make it a good razor and bag the bargains when you can!
We all need plasters in the cupboard - they're just an essential part of everyone's home kit. I usually opt for clear ones as they're obviously more discreet, and look a little more attractive (as plasters go!)
At Boots I managed to get a packet of 40 for £2, and at Superdrug the same offering came in at £1.99.
This may seem a curveball to some, but I have found it incredibly difficult to source certain tights in recent years. And by certain tights - I mean fine tights, with sheer toes, that you want for special occasions to simply add a fine finish to your legs.
They're the sort of tights you can't pick up everywhere - they are few and far between - and I usually head to Boots or Superdrug to pick some up when I need them.
As expected there weren't many around. I did manage to pick up a two pack at Boots, which came in at £7, but they do sometimes have offers on them so look out for those when they crop up.
I was confident I'd be able to pick some up at Superdrug, as it's usually my back-up place when they're out of stock at Boots, but they didn't have any tights left when I visited. They only had black, wintery ones left on the shelves.
They did however have a two-pair pack of foot socks, which I often wear during the summer, so I compromised and got them instead. If you haven't worn them before they're really handy during the summer as they stop your shoes from rubbing you, but are much finer and more discreet than bulky trainer socks.
I often stock up on them during the summer months, and at Superdrug you can get them for £2.99. At this price you'll get a pack of two.
What did I learn?
Overall, I discovered that you can indeed pick up reasonable products by simply sticking to the stores own brands. I think I was quite surprised at how expensive some things were in Superdrug when I compared them to the prices at Boots when I got home.
While some products came in at quite similar prices, others were noticeably different, and I can't urge how important it is to bag the bargains while you can.
If you see products like razors by other brands on offer - get them while they're reduced - it's silly to leave them there when they're good quality. Aside from that, I think it's safe to say you can bag your beauty essentials at a bargain price if you're willing to look around.
All in all, I spent £21.16 at Superdrug and £18.18 at Boots .
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