Making Good Use: Beauty Bargains

It seems to be the time of year for frugal beauty treats and treatments - check out Life After Money's post on foot pampering and Frugal Queen's frugal beauty post - and I've also been feeling the need to do a spot of beauty pampering too.

It all started with the free £5.00 Body Shop voucher in last Saturday's Telegraph. Just to check out what I might spend my voucher on I had a look-see at The Body Shop website. It just so happened that they had a 50% off on winter essentials sale over the weekend and amongst the items that were half price were the world's best hand cream - Hemp Hand Protector. My sister discovered this a couple of years ago and it is truly wonderful if you've got really dry, chapped winter hands. I bought some for P for Christmas as he gets really dry skin on his hands in the winter and he really rates it too. So, bearing in mind this usually retails at £10.00 a tube and it was reduced to £5.00, I bought three - one for P for his upcoming birthday, one for me and one for a certain sister's birthday (sorry S to reveal one of your presents already.)

Also in the half-price section was their Vitamin E Moisture Cream which really suits my skin as it's not too heavy but has a great moisturising action. As I've not a lot left in the pot that I had for Christmas I decided to stock up and buy two of these. I also decided to give their Vitamin E Eye Cream a go too as it says it's good for reducing the appearance of dark circles around the eyes. I could seriously need some help with that as on really bad days I can resemble a panda - not a good look on me. Also bought was a pack of three Facial Muslin Cloths (only £3.00) which are supposed to give gentle effective cleansing and can be re-used again and again - unlike the little facial pads I sometimes use to try and get a bit of glow back into my old fizz-og.

As I'd spent over £30.00, only by £1.00, I also received this rather spiffy free cosmetic bag with travel size goodies in it - Moringa Body Butter, Aloe Soothing Day Cream, Aloe Soothing Night Cream, Moringa Shower Gel, Aqua Lily Body Lotion, Super Volume Mascara and Aqua Lily Eau de Toilette. Very very nice as a freebie.

In theory I saved £31.00 on my purchases, plus the £12.50 free travel kit, although in truth I could have just bought the Hemp Hand Protectors and not all the other stuff which is for me. But, just sometimes, it is really nice to treat myself to something in the beauty line that wasn't bought at a car boot sale. And, amazingly, I remembered to click through to The Body Shop from Top Cash Back which means I will, eventually, get 15% of my money back.

Comments

Wow clever you! I agree, if something works for you stock up when it's on offer. You save money and only buy stuff that works for you win-win!

Posted by: www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkXIU-EgYS1BBVrBbQh-OTcsPHcipe4k9Q | 02/16/2010 at 05:29 PM

I just discovered the Hemp hand-cream before Christmas and I agree it's good stuff. It was out of stock by the time I went to buy some last week so I missed out, good job I have a stockpile!

Posted by: gill | 02/16/2010 at 08:55 PM

I discovered Hemp hand creme in 2003 and love it!

Glad you were so successful in your finds :)

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | 02/17/2010 at 12:02 PM