Budget Beauty: The Basics

Today's review gonna be all about the basic stuff you need will need in your basic grooming routine. These are things I don't think I can live without!

Everybody needs to smell good, but fragrance is one of the most toxic products we can put on our body (surprise, surprise!). However, all hope is not gone, eventhough you really can't eliminate fragrance out of your routine, the very least is go for ones using natural fragrance like this Shea Karite EDT from Body Shop. I've started appreciating sustainable brands like Body Shop even more after reading Jessica Alba's The Honest Life.

Price: RM59 (i think)

I have been using a similar product from Bio-Essence every night which I reviewed here  until one day I saw this sleeping mask on sale. After the discount, it was actually cheaper than my usual night creme of the same range and brand so I got this instead. To be honest, it is as good as my usual product but this one has a thicker consistency while the night cream has a more gel like texture. I love them both the same so I'm probably going to alternate them depending which one is on sale! #win

Price: RM49.90 on sale (usual RM69.90)

Laneige is not exactly a budget brand but I thought I throw in a review here since I got this as a sample. I didn't really like it because it was too oily for my liking. I prefer a water based make-up remover over an oil version like this one. It did remove my make-up easily but I had to spend more time washing my face clean from the oily product than the actual time of removing my make-up. I would only use this if I have full make-up on. Otherwise, I'll just stick to my Hada Labo.

Price: N/A (Free Sample)

Confession time: I rarely remember to use toner. I usually wash my face while I'm in the shower (cos I multitask like that!) and usually forget to tone my face once I'm out of my shower. This resulted in my toner expiring before I could even finish it! This time I went hunting for a smaller bottle and found this Tea Tree Oil version from Aiken. If you don't already know, I LOVE TEA TREE OIL. It's natural, it has healing properties and I use it religiously every time I have a pimple or a scratch or a minor injury. The 100% tea tree extract I am using is also from Aiken...So back to this toner, I honestly have no complaints about this, it feels like it works better than my previous Simple fragrance free toner. I absolutely love the smell of tea tree and this product is super affordable!

Price: RM5

One day while shopping for conditioner, I totally went to the store thinking of buying a Schwarzkopf one but ended up getting this Tracia one instead because I got influenced by the promoter!! Oh well, despite it being a local brand, I am actually liking this. It does gives that silky smooth feeling and also smells very professional..like the ones used in salons. I guess that's why its called Salon Treatment? It also comes in a big tube and I think it will be able to last for the rest of the year since I only condition my hair every other day.

Price: RM9.90

OK. So this isn't really a basic product per se since many people I know don't use dry shampoo. But to me, this is a very important product because I have an oily scalp. Previously, I used an aerosol dry shampoo by Sephora which leaked half the bottle away in my drawer (!!). Although I really loved that product, I felt that I should try another format besides the spray format. I went to a pharmacy to find one and this was the only dry shampoo in the entire store. I tell you, dry shampoos are hard to find in Malaysia!! Anyway, this powdered version was not too bad, it did mattify my hair on oily days but it does leave your hair a little grey so you need to blend it in. This was a saving grace during the water rationing weeks where I would sometimes skip a shampoo to save water. I also use this when I get back home late at night and it is bad to wash your hair (the Chinese believes it causes arthritis). I also think the powdered version would work better for ladies in confinement since they aren't allowed to wash their hair or have any contact with unboiled water. Yikes!

Price: RM22

Last but not least, a body wash is probably the most basic product ever because everybody needs to shower everyday. I got this as a gift from Sephora actually, when I got their membership. It says it's an orange blossom wash which I thought would be similar to the Body Shop's Satsuma version here but unfortunately it is nowhere near. The Body Shop definitely produced a fresh smelling citrusy fragrance while Sephora's version is more of a musky orange. It is also very creamy which somehow didn't leave my skin feeling that clean. I don't mind using it but I probably wouldn't go out and buy this.

Price: RM29

I am trying to do this once in 2 months so hopefully I'll have be able to share more in 2 months time :)