I swapped my fancy skincare for an entire routine under £50

Telegraph

03-04-2025

In this regular series, Ageless Beauty, The Telegraph's beauty experts Annabel Jones and Lisa Armstrong tackle the conundrums they've been searching for answers to, and share their favourite tips and tricks. This week, they discuss budget-friendly skincare.
The great thing about a tight budget is how it makes us reconsider the essentials. That's a useful exercise this time of year when less might be more.
We all instinctively adapt what we're wearing to the changing seasons, yet we're often in the dark when it comes to adjusting our skincare. Annee de Mamiel, an exceptional integrative facialist (she uses her hands, breath work, acupuncture and aromatherapy) factors in the seasons' effects on our emotions as well as the physiological ones. 'For most people swapping their skin care with the seasons is about changing the textures they use – a lighter serum for warm weather, a richer cream when it turns cold. But for great skin there's more to it,' she says.
Ultimately, soothing, feeding and cherishing that precious microbiome (which can get biffed around a bit by poor diet and harsh products) is key – but with featherweight formulations. Some of the first products de Mamiel launched (and that are still best sellers) are her seasonal oils, which are designed to work on different levels, both physically and emotionally to help skin adapt to season changes, using unique combinations of active botanicals and nourishing oils.
As de Mamiel says, spring is a stretchy season.'It's quite different between the colder start and the balmy end. The focus is on bringing some balance and brightness to both our skin.'
Skin brushing is cheap and highly beneficial – you can get a wooden brush for under £5. No need for fancy face scrubs. Next you want a good cleanser, which you absolutely don't need to use in the morning if you've cleansed thoroughly before bed. If you've never tried an oil cleanser, de Mamiel's travel-sized cleansing oil is a good introduction to her approach, with macca root and vitamin C for brightening, botanical oils for protection and frankincense for an aromatherapeutic experience.
If you love face spritzers in warm weather, choose one that does more than refresh. Alexandra Soveral's Floral Rain contains rose Damascus and orange blossom water to soothe and feed skin. It can also be used over make-up to set it, as well as throughout the day to top up hydration and revive.
Sun protection, obviously, is paramount. SPFs improve every season. Q+A Peptide SPF50 Anti-Ageing Daily Sunscreen is a physical barrier (with a zinc oxide that doesn't leave a white residue) containing niacinamide, squalane, plant and seed oils that mean you don't need an additional moisturiser.
Spring is my preferred season. There's enough sunlight to justify a refresh but not enough to elicit body panic.
Best of all. for the past few weeks I've barely turned on the central heating, that necessary evil that ekes every drop of hydration from the cells.
This brings me to my skincare routine. I've given it a make-under – in cost and size.
Throughout winter I bathed in Augustinus Bader's The Soothing Cream, an exorbitantly priced moisturising cream that, to its credit, has gotten my complexion through winter without a glitch.
Now the heavy lifting is done I've gone for something affordable. And there's boundless options if you shop smart.
Derms always say you shouldn't spend money on a cleanser, but in spring and summer I'm of the opinion that you need one with extra welly to excavate SPF particles and pollutants from the pores – especially if you live in a city and take public transport. I do.
Naturium's Vitamin C Complex Cleanser is worth every penny of its reasonable £20 price tag. It includes two types of potent vitamin C alongside phytic acid and fruit enzymes that gently exfoliate dull surface cells.
I've been using it morning and evening for a month and my skin is, says the colleague opposite me, a couple of notches brighter. Plus there's no need for a separate makeup remover; it does it all.
Serums will eat up your budget if you're not careful. Hello Sunday's The One That's a Serum (real name) is an SPF50 with broad spectrum UV filters plus vitamin C and hyaluronic acid for £22. I'm not usually fond of a dropper but I've made an exception for the multiple benefits. You get a moisture hit from the HA and yet more antioxidant protection from the vitamin C.
This is usually enough to satisfy my moisturising needs. But for days when I need more dew I apply The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors +. It's ridiculously cheap considering it's packed with everything your skin barrier needs: fatty acids, ceramides, glycerine, urea and hyaluronic acid. I slather this on most nights to keep my skin supple.
Three products, thoughtfully selected, and my skin is doing just fine. In fact I'd say it's thriving.
Ask Annabel and Lisa