Building a skincare routine is not hard, but it can feel overwhelming if you are not sure where to start. There are certain ingredients that you do want to have a place in your skincare routine, especially if you have more mature skin. I am going to help you build a great budget-friendly skincare routine that is effective but easy on the purse strings. Because every woman needs (and deserves) a good skincare routine.
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The Cleanser
The first place to start is with a gentle cleanser. A cleanser that will not strip your skin barrier, dry out your skin or cause irritation. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of bad cleansers out there that had their day of fame in the 90s and some poor consumer continues to buy.
We are looking for some key ingredients in our cleanser: namely, ceramides and glycerin. It’s also important that your cleanser be fragrance and sulfate free. Especially if you have sensitive skin.
Ideally, you want to be washing your face twice a day. In the morning when you wake up and at night before you go to bed. Because of this, you will need to be able to repurchase your cleanser repeatedly. Your cleanser only sits on your face for a handful of seconds so there is no reason to spend a lot on a cleanser. Fortunately for us, there are some very good affordable cleansers on the market.
The best budget-friendly cleansers:
My first recommendation is my personal favorite: Vanicream Gentle Facial Cleanser. This cleanser is the gentlest cleanser I have ever used. It is free of fragrance and harmful chemicals. It’s effective as a cleanser, but I have never had a reaction to it (and I have very reactive skin). It lathers nicely, feels good on the skin, and washes away easily. I pay $8.99 for this at Walgreen or Target. The price means it’s something that can be repurchased frequently without worrying about it.
Another great cleanser is CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser. This is also at the drugstore for a great price. It contains ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid which are great for your skin.
In the evening you will want to do a double cleanse to make sure that you are removing all of your makeup and sunscreen so that it does not clog your pores or cause inflammation while you sleep.
For the first cleanse in the evening, you will need to use a cleansing balm or oil. To read more about why you need a double cleanse and the best cleansing balms on a budget see my blog post here.
The Antioxidant Serum
Several antioxidants have been proven to be very beneficial for the skin. The most widely favored of these is Vitamin C so that is what we will focus on. Vitamin C has been shown to improve lines and wrinkles, lighten dark spots, and help with the overall texture and appearance of the skin.
That’s a pretty comprehensive list for one ingredient. You do have to make sure that you buy your Vitamin C from a reputable company because it can be unstable. To read more on the different types of Vitamin C read my blog post here.
Timeless makes an excellent 20% Vitamin C +E + Ferulic Acid Serum that is formulated at the right PH to be absorbed by your skin. It is $26.95 for 1 oz. on the Timeless website. This formula is like water and absorbs very quickly into the skin. If you have the budget for it this is the one I recommend.
If that is more than you can spend on your serum then The Ordinary also has a good option. Their Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone is not as eloquent to apply and can sometimes feel a bit gritty but it works. It’s L Absorbic Acid and formulated at the right PH. It’s only $7.50 on The Ordinary’s website.
The skin Treatment Serum
There are a lot of great ingredients out there but if you have a tight budget and can only afford a few consistently then you should pay attention to these:
The Eye Cream
- Niacinamide. Niacinamide is vitamin B3 but in a topical version to use on your skin. It has a multitude of benefits. These include boosting collagen production, helping with lines and wrinkles, helping to fade dark spots, and helping to reduce acne because it is anti-inflammatory. I think that is probably enough said. But the best part is you can get this powerhouse ingredient for a very small fee. I use and recommend the one from the Ordinary, linked here for you. It is only $11.70 for 60ml on their website.
- Peptides. Peptides are amino acids that act as building blocks for collagen in our skin. Because of this, they are an excellent ingredient to incorporate into an anti-aging skincare routine. Again, I recommend The Ordinary’s Buffet peptide serum. This serum from the ordinary contains multiple peptides including a Matrixyl 3000 peptide complex and Matrixyl Synthe 6 Peptide Complex. Both of these have been proven to help repair skin and fight the signs of aging.
An argument can be made that eye cream is an extra step that doesn’t need to be in a budget-friendly skincare routine. Especially if you are bringing your moisturizer up. It’s a valid argument. You don’t need an eye cream. However, if you do have some concerns around your eye area there are some inexpensive eye creams out there that can help.
The Inkey List’s Caffeine Eye cream contains caffeine. Caffeine helps to decrease the look of puffiness around the eyes. It also contains Matrixyl 3000 which is an excellent peptide for fighting the signs of aging. This eye cream can help with puffiness, dark circles, and lines. For $9.99 it’s a great option if you do choose to incorporate an eye cream.
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The Moisturizer
Your moisturizer does not have to be fancy. It does need to have some good ingredients at a decent price. Things to look for in the ingredients are ceramides, peptides, and hyaluronic acid.
The one I suggest is CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion. Although this lotion says PM it can be used for both morning and nighttime due to the light formulation. It has three essential ceramides, Hyaluronic acid, and Niacinamide. It’s an excellent light moisturizer. You can purchase it at Walmart for $9.99.
The Protector
The last step in your morning routine needs to be sun protection. Every day. It is important to wear sunscreen of SPF 30 or above every day both to prevent skin cancer and to prevent aging. Most of the aging of our skin is due to sun exposure.
Tinted sunscreens that contain Titanium Dioxide to Zinc Oxide are thought to help protect us from visible light better than non-tinted sunscreen. They also help even out skin tone which is a nice side benefit.
Australian Gold Botanical SPF 50 Tinted Face is a good choice if you like a matte finish on your sunscreen. It’s thick and provides decent coverage. The thicker formula acts almost like a foundation for your skin. It dry’s down matte within minutes. $15.99 on their website.
CeraVe Tinted Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 Face Sheer Tint is an excellent option if you don’t mind more of a glowy finish to your sunscreen. $13.99 at Target. If you have dry skin this is the option that’s best for you. Just make sure you get the tinted version. The nontinted versions do leave a white cast behind.
The Retinoid
The strongest form of retinoids, Tretinoin, has to be obtained by prescription from a medical doctor. However, there are many good retinol products at the drugstore if you are just starting out.
If you have not used a retinol product before then I recommend Neutrogena’s Rapid Wrinkle Repair. This is a moisturizer that contains retinol. It’s lightweight and absorbs quickly. I experienced no irritation when using this when I was starting out. There is the added benefit of having two steps of your skincare routine in one since this is a moisturizer as well.
If you are looking for something a little stronger try Differin Adapalene Gel. Differin used to be prescription only as well, but you can now buy it over the counter at a very affordable price. It’s marketed as a treatment for acne. Although it’s a next-generation retinoid. It is the strongest retinoid widely available without a prescription. It’s $13.47 at Walmart right now and it lasts a long time because of the small amount needed.
How to put these together into a budget-friendly skincare routine
Now that we have a basic list of the budget-friendly skincare products we can use to create our skincare routine, let’s talk about how to put it all together.
Your morning routine:
Step 1: Gentle Cleanser
Step 2: Antioxidant Serum
Step 3: Active Serum
Step 4: Moisturizer
Step 5: Protect with sunblock
Your night time routine:
Step 1: The 1st Cleanse with a cleansing balm or oil
Step 2: The 2nd Cleanse with Gentle Cleanser
Step 3: Active Serum
Step 4: Retinoid
Step 5: Moisturizer
In Summary
There are a lot of very affordable, very effective, skincare products on the market today that you can use to build a budget-friendly skincare routine. Above is a list of products that have been proven to provide benefits and that I have personally used and enjoyed. You can establish a good skincare routine no matter your budget.
“Invest in your skin. It is going to represent you for a very long time.” – Linden Tyler
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