Australians can save big money on cosmetics by exfoliating their lips with sugar, setting their eyebrows with lip balm and shaving their legs with body lotion instead of splashing out on expensive products, natural beauty experts have revealed.
Grooming experts at Palmer’s, an American skincare line known for its cocoa butter and coconut moisturisers, shared five basic items that beautify the body, strengthen hair and illuminate the skin just as effectively as their luxury counterparts.
And you’re likely to have almost all of them at home in your bathroom cabinet – or kitchen cupboard – already.
Chapped lips can be soothed with a blend of granulated sugar and generic lip balm instead of branded lip scrubs that cost anywhere from $10 to $54 per pot.
Frizz can be tamed with affordable, multi-purpose body oil just as well as high-end hair serums more than 12 times the price, while brows can be set with a clean mascara wand and a slick of lip salve just as securely as coating them with designer wax or tint.
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British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa has her eyebrows brushed with a clean mascara wand by celebrity makeup artist ‘Nikki Makeup’ in September 2019 (left) and Italian influencer Valentina Ferragni shaves her legs in isolation at her home in Milan, Italy on April 16 (right)
1. SET BROWS WITH LIP BALM
Thick brows can be tamed by rubbing a spoolie or clean mascara wand through any colourless lip balm and lightly brushing strands to set them in place all day long, according to Palmer’s experts.
Switching branded eyebrow kits for a DIY solution would considerably cut your spending on cosmetics, with kits from Benefit – Australia’s leading beauty line for eyebrow products – starting from $68 on Adore Beauty’s website.
A pack of 20 disposable mascara wands costs $10.99 from Priceline, while plain lip salves like Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Balm are just $2.39 from Chemist Warehouse.
That’s a potential saving of $54.62 on your eyebrows alone.
2. WASH UNDERARMS WITH FACE CLEANSER
Scrubbing armpits with facial cleanser won’t necessarily save you money, but it’s more effective at keeping your underarms fresh than standard soaps or body washes, according to Palmer’s experts.
Body odour develops when the bacteria in sweat has time to grow under our arms, which naturally occurs as we work, exercise and run errands throughout the day.
Many facial cleansers contain alpha hydroxy acids, chemical exfoliants that penetrate the upper layer of the skin to dissolve dead cells and bacteria, which are not typically found in body washes or soap.
This makes cleanser the ideal product to rid your underarms of lingering bacteria, buff away dry flakes and eradicate any traces of deodorant that have accumulated under the skin over time.
A good facial scrub laced with alpha hydroxy acids doesn’t need to break the bank either, with prices starting from as little as $6.99.
Neutrogena’s $6.99 Extra Gentle Cleanser, Palmer’s $9.99 Cocoa Butter Facial Scrub and Innisfree’s $12 Apple Seed Deep Cleansing Foam are among the highest quality, affordable facial scrubs packed with alpha hydroxy acids available in Australia.
A woman washes with a foaming cleanser, which Palmer’s skincare experts say is more effective at removing dead skin and body odour than standard soaps (stock image)
3. EXFOLIATE LIPS WITH SUGAR
Billionaire business mogul Kylie Jenner will release a new $30 lip scrub on Friday, May 15, the latest addition to her acclaimed cosmetics collection which is guaranteed to sell out minutes after launching.
But Palmer’s experts say blending a few grains of sugar with a dollop of your favourite lip balm will achieve the same exfoliating results Jenner is peddling at a fraction of the cost.
Simply mix a pinch of sugar into any sort of salve and gently massage into the lips to buff away dry, flaky skin.
Wipe the mixture off with a tissue or damp face cloth before dabbing more balm on to soothe your pout.
Palmer’s $2.39 Cocoa Butter Balm and Lanolips $14.95 101 Ointment are among the most popular and affordable salves available in Australia.
Why Lanolips is Australia’s favourite lip balm
* All Lanolips products are made with lanolin – a deeply moisturising oil naturally occurring in sheep’s wool.
A model poses with a tube of rose tinted Lanolips lip balm
* It is humanely (and cruelty-free) sourced from Australian sheep farmers.
* Lanolin mimics the skin’s own oils to heal and hydrate and is so safe doctors recommend it to treat burns, and mothers can use it with nursing infants.
* Lanolin works because it mimics the skin’s own oils, it’s semi-occlusive and semi-permeable – meaning it allows skin to self-hydrate from within, but also acts as a breathable skin barrier.
* Lanolin holds up to 400 per cent of its weight in moisture, behaving as a moisture reservoir for your skin.
* Lanolin is vegetarian and animal cruelty-free.
Source: Lanolips
4. TAME FRIZZ WITH BODY OIL
Miss Universe Australia 2015 Monika Radulovic with Moroccan Oil applied to her hair
Palmer’s experts said smoothing dry, flyaway tresses with generic body oil will achieve the same sleekness as coating it with expensive hair oil.
Applying natural oils to your hair stimulates growth, reduces flakiness on the scalp, strengthens strands against heat and styling damage and enhances shine, and many all-over body oils are laced with the same ingredients as hair oils sold at more than 12 times the price.
Australian natural line Sukin sells body oil for $20.95 and Palmer’s has a similar coconut oil for $9.99, while cult label The Ordinary has a plant-derived serum for just $5 – all a fraction of the $63.95 cost of Moroccan Hair Oil, one of the world’s most popular hair treatments.
Foregoing Moroccan Oil in favour of The Ordinary’s budget serum would save you $58.95, and leave your hair with much the same sheen over time.
5. SHAVE LEGS WITH BODY LOTION
Slathering body lotion over your legs before gliding over them with a razor is the safest way to shave to ensure your skin stays strong, supple and smooth, Palmer’s experts have claim.
While most generic shaving foams contain harsh chemicals that dry skin over time, a rich body lotion will provide the same lubrication plus plenty of hydration to nourish skin instead.
Shaving with lotion also eliminates the need to moisturise afterwards which will save you money on foams and moisturisers all at once.
Palmer’s experts recommend a thick, rich lotion to allow the razor to glide smoothly, like Aveeno’s $12.95 Daily Moisturiser or their own $7.39 Cocoa Butter formula.