The best face serum ever... on a budget!

An ongoing quest of mine is to find the perfect face serum for the perfect price. I have had eczema since I was a baby, and although it's a lot better now, my skin is still very dry and sensitive. I've heard all about the "pregnancy glow" that lucky women are supposed to get- but sadly, I am not one of them. Instead, since falling pregnant I have been "enjoying" the combination of adult acne and dry patches... nice! 

Most cheaper high street face creams are full of additives and chemicals, and tend to make my skin come out in angry hives. The few serums and creams I have tried that do agree with me are very expensive, costing over £20 a bottle. One avenue I had never pursued was the natural, handmade serums available- until 2 weeks ago, when The Apothecary sent me a jar of their Eye & Throat Serum to try and review. 

Old-fashioned, charming box

The serum arrived, with the packaging fitting right in with "The Apothecary" branding. The old-fashioned script and cardboard box looked like it contained a concoction from a chemist of past times. The little glass jar inside added to this theme, and I was very excited to open it. 

The aromatherapy cream is fragrant, but I found the scents difficult to place at first. It contains rosehip oil, celery seed and collagen gel, as well as essential oils like jasmine, rose, calendula and frankincense. There is a very detailed description of the natural ingredients and their benefits on Etsy, and I think it would have been perfect if there had been a little note included in the box with this information. 

Cute little glass jar

Immediately after the first application, the skin on my face felt moisturised and soothed. About 10 minutes later, I noticed that my skin was smoother with fewer laughter lines (!) and the colour was much more even. My cheeks have been red in recent weeks, and even one application of this serum calmed them right down. 

Although the seller recommends using this cream once a day, I have been using it morning and night since I got it 2 weeks ago. The jar looks deceptively small- I have been using a lot each time, and it  is still over half full.  When I use it in the morning (around 5 minutes before I put makeup on) I have found that I no longer need primer under my foundation. This serum is perfect as a nourishing makeup base. Since discovering this cream, my acne and dry patches have totally vanished, my skin is really even in both texture and colour, lines have become much smaller and I feel great! 

I have also used the serum on a persistent patch of eczema on my finger, whenever it flares up. Straight away, the patch appears much less inflamed, and by the evening it is all but healed, with the itch gone out of it. 

This is, by quite a large margin, the best face serum I have ever used, and at £12.50 a jar it is more affordable than high street serums. Double bonus! The Apothecary has a whole range of skin creams and perfumes, for various specific skin conditions. I recommend this product 100%, and will definitely be buying more once my jar runs out. 

Fabulous hair for free

While I was off on maternity leave and barely had enough money to buy food, I still managed to indulge in some fabulous haircuts... for free! 

I discovered the world of hair academies. I am lucky and live in Glasgow, where there are lots of amazing salons with great training programmes. One of the best salons for this I have come across is the Rainbow Room International chain. They have several premises across Glasgow, and two training salons in the city centre. 

Often, trainee hairdressers need to complete a certain number of cuts and procedures in order to gain their qualifications. They advertise for models on sites like Gumtree most days, and the recipient doesn't pay a penny. On Gumtree today, I notice that Toni & Guy,  Rainbow Room, independent stylists and colleges are all offering free haircuts! I tend to go for stylists who are almost finished their training, or have recently graduated and need the experience. 

The downside is that it normally takes a bit longer than usual, and a mentor will need to check your new hair to make sure it is up to standard. 

I prefer Rainbow Room because they give you the whole salon experience (shiatsu massage and high end hair products) despite the fact you are getting a freebie. If you aren't confident in trusting your hair to a complete trainee, you can pay to book in to one of the academies, where newly qualified hairdressers will do treatments for a fraction of the price. For example, a half head of highlights is £85 in the salon itself, but only £40 in the academy. Bargain! 

Nails: How I Save Almost £500 a Year!

I do love the look and feel of gel polish on my nails. As someone who could never wear traditional nail varnish as I have really sensitive skin, I was delighted to discover that the new gel polishes do not have the same rash-inducing effects. Furthermore, gel doesn't chip nearly as much, and allows my nails to grow to a decent length. 

Like many women today, I am a slave to the gel nails. At £20 a time though, it is by no means a cheap luxury. To keep them looking lovely and chip-free, I really need them re-done every two weeks. Especially as a new mum, when I've forever digging around in a nappy bag or washing my hands for the fiftieth time in a day.

Gel polished nails every 2 weeks = £520 a year. Wow!
My gel polished nails every 2 weeks = £35 a year. How?!

Well, after a few months of dishing out far too much money to beauty salons, I decided to buy my own UV lamp and polishes, and indulge in DIY manicures. On a friend's recommendation, I purchased a new lamp from an eBay store for £15, base/ top coats (£7 for both) and several coloured polishes (about £13). 

Polishes can be expensive if you buy the branded ones. I bought Blue Sky polishes after reading reviews on-line, and I am quite happy with the quality despite their cheaper price tag (around £3-4 per bottle).  

The first time, I made mistakes- I piled the polish on far too thick, and of course, it pooled in the side of my cuticle. After a few goes though, I mastered the art of applying several very thin layers to create the perfectly polished nail. And I've never looked back! I actually find it much more convenient...  if a "chipped nail" disaster happens now, I don't need to wait two weeks to get perfect nails again- I simply touch it up at home!