In an effort to trim the fat from my spending budget during January, I’ve made it my mission to try less expensive versions of my everyday essentials.

I was on a mission to find a new, inexpensive body lotion the other day and stumbled across a brand called Pure Innosense, which caught my eye mainly because it had the bargain price tag of $2.

Unfortunately I accidentally picked up the gradual tanner body lotion instead of the straight formulation (unfortunate because I’ve sworn off all forms of self-tanning). I gave it a go this morning anyway because I figure if I exfoliate everyday, then I won’t suffer any gradual tanning.

I’m pretty pleased with the results. My skin feels suitably moisturised and the smell is quite inoffensive. If there are no adverse effects from prolonged use, I may have a new favourite here. Of course next time I will invest my $2 in the lotion WITHOUT self-tanner in it.

Plus, some good news for anyone who is into natural products - this New Zealand brand only uses plant-derived ingredients, essential oils and extracts. That means no parabens, artificial colourings and other nasties that most supermarket brands have in them.

By Caroline Warnes

Unless you are Demi Moore and have a picture of Dorian Gray sitting in your attic somewhere, ageing is an inevitable (and depressing) fact of life for all of us.

One of the main “visible signs of ageing” is, of course, wrinkles - and while many of us pay attention to fighting the wrinkles on our faces, one of the biggest giveaways to a woman’s age is actually the condition of the skin on her chest.

Of course, it goes without saying that you should extend your facial skincare to your chest, but there’s a new product on the market that offers a little extra help, which I am determined to try in the new year.

While my chest wrinkles aren’t “mission critical” yet, I’d like to get in some preventative measures before I begin descent into my twilight years. Apparently sleeping on your side can make the situation worse (gravity always wins after all), and as a dedicated side-sleeper I have to admit I’m beginning to experience mild flurries of panic.

Anyhow, Decollete Pads (sold online in Australia at Skinvigor8) are 100% medical-grade silicone, a substance which has been shown to assist greatly in the healing of scar tissue. Basically, you lay the pad on your chest every night when you go to sleep and it will work its magic while you’re asleep. Each pad costs $55 and lasts somewhere between 30 and 60 days, which is kind of expensive but the product is attracting a lot of buzz so it may just be worth it.

By Caroline Warnes

I’ve never met a free sample that I didn’t like so when I came across some freebie sachets of Radox Mineral Infusions shower cream at my gym last week, I had to grab a couple and give it a try.

I’ve used it a couple of times so far and I am really impressed - it comes with sea minerals and AHA (alpha hydroxy acids) so it gives your skin a good scrub, plus essential oils so it smells great.

I am of the opinion that you shouldn’t be exfoliating your skin every day, as this can prove damaging to it in the long run, so I’d probably only use Mineral Infusions a couple of times a week in rotation with your regular shower cream.

Use it in conjunction with a pair of exfoliating mits to get a really good scrub going.

The recommended retail price for a 450ml pack of Radox Mineral Infusions is $6.49. Radox products are available at most supermarkets and Priceline.

By Caroline Warnes

I have recently arrived at that rather depressing age when every morning you seem to notice a new grey hair or line on your face.

I have also found myself scowling at rowdy youngsters skylarking on the street and feeling the urge to adopt several litters of cats with which to live out my old age.

Up until now I have been able to get away with not using a specific eye cream (I think it’s unnecessary for younger skin) but these days I need all the help I can get.

I recently received a sample of Coast to Coast Outback Brightening Eye Cream and have been really impressed with it so far.

The cream is an anti-oxidant rich formula, made with Aussie ingredients including Kakadau plum, desert quandong, fennel and organic rose hip oil to strengthen the connective tissues around the eyes.

The formulation itself is just the right consistency for an eye cream - not too runny and not too firm (you want it soft enough to dab around the eyes, it will do you more harm than good to be rubbing a firm cream into this delicate area).

Not sure if it’s just my imagination, but I think the area around my eyes already looks a little better.

You can buy Coast to Coast Outback Brightening Eye Cream online for $32.95 or from the company’s store in Melbourne Central.

By Caroline Warnes

Sometimes those discount cards or programs you pay to be a member of can be a false economy - I’ve joined a couple in the past and then have totally forgotten to use most of the offers.

However a new program for beauty and hair services around Sydney could be worth a go - the Platinum Beauty Card will only set you back $34.95 and it’s for a good cause (the company is a fundraising partner of the National Breast Cancer Foundation).

There are some pretty good discounts on offer, too - especially if you are a regular salon-goer. I like the look of 50% off facial treatments and 20% off Dermalogica products at Ella Rouge salons, plus lots of discounts at hair salons, sorted by suburb.

Members will also get invites to VIP beauty events as well as the card’s launch party.

If you’re a busy person and tend to neglect yourself, this could be great motivation to treat yourself once in a while. Personally, I think I will buy one because I don’t think I spend nearly enough time talking or thinking about myself at the moment.

By Caroline Warnes

If you’re into everything artsy and craftsy and like your purchases to be handmade and unique, then no doubt you’ve already discovered the wonder of Etsy.

Basically, Etsy is a worldwide online marketplace where anyone with a creative bent can go and sell their creations to everyone else. That covers pretty much anything you can make with your hands - jewellery is always popular, as well as homewares and furnishings, cosmetics, soaps, clothes, skin care products… the list goes on and on.

This is really the place to pick up a bargain buy. I am quite taken with the Art Deco Fork Bracelet, which, as the name suggests has been created from a refashioned fork from the 1930s.

If you can stand the thought of having an eating utensil wrapped around your wrist, it would make a unique statement piece for only US$15 (that’s around $20 locally).

One handy tip to save on shipping fees is to search for products posted by Australians only - many locals only charge a couple of dollars for delivery in Australia and you’ll get your purchase much quicker than buying from overseas. Shipping on the fork bracelet is only $5 as it’s coming from Byron Bay.

By Caroline Warnes

Despite big-noting myself for the last two years about no longer needing shampoo and conditioner, I have to confess that in recent times I have been considering reverting.

I am sick of the looks of pity and disgust that cross people’s faces when I reveal my hair is au naturel, and when it comes to demanding people smell or touch your hair - forget about it, most people won’t do it, and if they do they act like they’re in a petting zoo or humouring a sideshow freak. What’s up with that?

I’ve heard some good things about Nature’s Organics, a local manufacturer of skincare, haircare and bodycare products that don’t cost the earth (in more ways than one).

The company is committed to making products that help the environment rather than hinder it - sustainable solutions and all that hoo-ha.

And this stuff is dirt cheap. I mean it’s literally the cheapest stuff on the shelf at my local supermarket. I already use the vanilla berry body wash, which was around $3. The shampoo and conditioner is also around the same price and comes in some droolworthy flavours such as wild berry and peach delight.

My next purchase for the shower will be the creme brulee shower milk, pictured here.

By Caroline Warnes

Trying to blow your last $20 before pay day? I advise investing your money in one of these smart beauty buys…

1. Maybelline XXL Curl Power mascara, $15.99 at Chemist Warehouse: As mentioned earlier this week, the new Maybelline mascara looks to be a beauty - and it’s already on sale at various discount pharmacies. Save $4 at your nearest Chemist Warehouse.

2. Dove Summer Glow body lotion, $5.75 at Cincotta Chemist: This body lotion-cum-gradual tanner will give you soft skin as well as gradually add a touch of natural-looking tan to your skin. The fragrance is quite pleasant, too.

3. Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers EDT, $12.99 at My Chemist: It may not be quite in the same calibre as Chanel or Dior fragrances, but at $12.99 you can’t go wrong with this sweet-smelling fragrance for everyday use.

4. Hamilton Everyday Face SPF 30+ moisturiser, $9.99 at Amcal: This is a great price for this combined tinted moisturiser and sunscreen, which is light and non-greasy on delicate facial skin.

5. Vaseline Treatment hand cream, $3.95 at Cincotta Chemist: If it was good enough for our mothers to cure dry skin on the hands, then it’s good enough for me. And so cheap. I use it every night before bed.

6. Organic coconut oil, under $20 at health food stores: Organic coconut oil is a miracle product that I use to moisturise dry hair and skin, though there are thousands of others uses as well. One tub will last you forever as you don’t need much of it to get results.

7. Fish oil capsules, $12.99 at Chemist Warehouse and My Chemist: A couple of fish oil capsules a day will supply all kinds of oily fish goodness to your skin and hair, as well as help with aches and pains in the joints. I already have arthritis, no joke, and this helps.

8. Bio-Oil, $11.99 at Amcal: Many women swear by this inexpensive beauty buy for fading scars and stretchmarks, as well as for its general moisturising properties.

9. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, under $10 at most pharmacies: An inexpensive moisturiser for the body that has the added bonus of making you smell like a mug of hot chocolate, if that’s your thing.

10. Simmons Paw Paw salve, under $10 at most health food stores: My all time favourite beauty product. This can be used for everything from dry elbows to dry feet to nappy rash… well, I can’t swear by the nappy rash thing but I’ve heard this is the case from a lot of mums. I prefer the Simmons brand of paw paw ointment as it contains no petroleum.

By Caroline Warnes

When I first saw the ad for the PedEgg foot file on television, I was so repulsed by what I was seeing that the device’s purpose didn’t even register.

If you haven’t seen this cinematic masterpiece, you can view it below. Basically, the PedEgg is a so-called foot file that grates all the dry skin off your feet. Yes, literally grates it off, like a block of cheddar cheese.

Unfortunately, the people in the ad keep showing us the contents of their PedEgg container with much relish, which looks like a greying pile of finely grated parmesan cheese. Not the most inspriring sight to make you running for your credit card to make a purchase.

Anyhow, I am obsessed with ridding myself of every single piece of dry skin on my feet. There is nothing worse than a pair of crackly heels poking out of a nice pair of heels. So I decided to give the PedEgg a try.

And guess what? It actually works. My feet have never been so smooth. I find it best to follow up each use of the PedEgg with a coat of pawpaw ointment.

Just a tip: some local sites are selling the device for something like $60. Definitely not worth it at that price. I bought mine from an international seller on eBay and it came to under $20 all up, including postage and handling.

By Caroline Warnes

Well the heavens finally smiled upon us and provided us with a few beach worthy days over the holidays.

Basking in the sunshine on the beaches of the NSW South Coast, I was reminded how great the salt water and sand is for your skin.

I’ve always maintained that the beach will fix most minor skin problems, including blemishes and dry skin (sand is a natural exfoliant and salt is a natural antiseptic, combined with a good moisturiser this could be your whole skin care routine).

In fact one friend I was holidaying with delighted in informing us all that she was sporting an enormous cyst under her arm and was looking forward to the salt water fixing it up. Luckily, it did fix it pretty quickly as I was getting sick of hearing about the cyst’s progress every time we sat down for a meal (it almost put me off my calamari at the Mollymook bowling club one lunchtime, and for me to be put off my food is a pretty rare occurrence).

Anyway, the point of this Internet blog entry is not to discuss the ins and outs of my friend’s cyst, and to tell the truth I’m not quite sure how I came to be discussing it in such great detail. What I was originally leading up to saying is that while the beach is great for your skin, it can absolutely ruin your hair.

This is especially true if you are like me and already have fairly dry hair. But after all the salt and the sand of the last couple of weeks, by yesterday my hair was pretty much like straw. In fact I was having difficulty brushing it.

Yesterday I got fed up and decided to do a hair treatment. As I don’t use shampoo and conditioner, I also try to use natural hair treatments. Usually this involves coconut oil (the pure stuff from health food shops, not the supermarket skin cancer variety), but as I was out yesterday, I decided to go through my fridge for alternatives. Bingo, I found a couple of eggs left over from Christmas morning pancakes.

Egg yolks are one of nature’s best moisturisers, especially the yolks. To create a conditioning treatment for your hair you separate the yolks from the whites, which can then be used as a separate purifying masque for your face (followed by a good moisturiser) or in egg white omlettes if you are being healthy. Beat the egg yolks with a little bit of water and you’re ready to go.

Wash your hair first with cool water and pat off the excess moisture, then apply the mixture, concentrating on the ends. Leave it to sit for as long as you can under a towel.

When it comes time to wash it off - and this is very important - make sure you use cool water. Eggs tend to cook at low temperatures so if you use hot water you will end up looking like someone chucked a bowl of eggs over you.

This calmed my hair down considerably. It’s still in the recovery phase and will need some more work in the coming days, but it feels ten times more manageable than the unholy rat’s nest I was sporting on my head a couple of days ago.

By Caroline Warnes