In these cash-strapped times it pays to take a cut-price approach to keeping up appearances. Here's our guide to how you can spend less by ringing a few cosmetic and lifestyle changes.

By Alice Hart-davis

Model with face cream

Tighten your belt: You don't always have to splash out on expensive beauty products, cheaper cleanser works just as well as the luxury brands


What to drop: Luxurious cleansers.

Why? They feel lovely but a cheap product will do the same job of loosening grime and make-up. And you're only going to wipe or wash it straight off.

Instead: Buy a cheap one but spend a couple of minutes massaging it into your face before wiping or rinsing it off. The massage will give you a (free) skin-boosting glow.

What to drop: Facial scrubs.

Why? You can exfoliate without using a scrub and anyway, too much exfoliation isn't always a good thing.

Instead: Use a muslin cloth or face flannel, wrung out in hot water, to remove the cheap cleanser that you have massaged into your face. That will be quite enough to remove loose skin cells from the surface - gently - particularly if you do it every day. Also, using flannels means you can stop buying so much cotton wool which is a) not cheap and b) not green.

But it's still worth spending money on: Decent face cream. Best value are high-street ranges with complex formulations such as RoC's Retinox Day SPF15, £19.99, or Olay's Regenerist Fragrance Free serum, £22.50, at Boots, or cheaper on Amazon's new beauty site. These have the

high-tech ingredients that may be able to make a real difference to your skin without forking out for the big brand names.

Body lotion

Forget about expensive anti-cellulite creams but do invest in a body lotion you love like Florame's Verbena Berries lotion


What to drop: Expensive body scrubs.

Why? There are cheaper ways to get the job done.

Instead: Invest in a pair of those scratchy, stretchy gloves (Primark has them for £1) and use these to lather up a bit of body-wash and give yourself an all-over exfoliation as you get clean.

What to drop: Pricey cellulite and 'body contour' creams.

Why? Tackling cellulite requires an all-round, lifestyle-overhaul involving the right exercise and diet. No magic potion, however many fat-busting ingredients it contains, will do the same work.

Instead: Buy a body brush (£9 for the long-handled Cactus brush at the Body Shop, and use it before you shower every day. Body-brushing is brilliant for improving lymphatic drainage which will help banish stubborn cellulite patches. Regular use will also refine skin texture and exfoliate into the bargain.

But it's still worth  spending money on: A skin-softening body lotion with a scent that you like. My latest fix is Florame's Verbena Berries body lotion (£12.50 for a huge 500ml bottle, ) which smells gloriously sharp and fresh and is almost entirely organic. As well as keeping your body moisturised, you'll save money on eau de toilette.


Pantene and other high street brands are just as good as designer shampoos but make sure you get a proper hair cut


What to drop: The £200 highlights.

Why? You can get the same effect for less.

Instead: To instantly cut your hair care costs switch to a half-head or T-section of highlights. If you alternate this with a full-head no one will spot the difference. Another tip is to add lowlights, or go a shade or two darker - so your colour lasts longer. Alternatively, see what your local salon can do. That's less risky than it sounds if you can explain to your new colourist what it was that you've had done before. They ought to be able to see what has been done and copy it.

What to drop: The £50-a-go blow-dry habit.

Why? Do you need to ask?

Instead: Invest in a blow-drying lesson then go home and practise. And go local. A blow-dry round the corner will cost half that of any West End salon. Also, ask friends where they get their hair done. I was amazed to discover one of my chic friends relies on a mobile hairdresser who whizzes round with a dryer and charges £14 for a lightning blow-dry (and no, she won't let me publish her number). Alternatively, buy a set of heated rollers. It only takes minutes to put them in and they give your hair a glamour boost for special occasions.

What to drop: Top-of-the-range shampoos and conditioners.

Why? Why wash money down the drain?

Instead: Go back to high-street brands. Pantene is fabulous, as are all those hairdresser-brand ranges from the likes of John Frieda, Charles Worthington, Andrew Barton and Lee Stafford.

But it's still worth spending money on: A good haircut will last you for months and look reasonable as it grows out. My latest hair hero is Paul Edmonds (; 020 7589 5958), who cuts with quiet flair and leaves you looking like yourself, but much better. He cut my hair four months ago and I'm still getting compliments.

Wii fit

Ditch the expensive gym membership and invest in a Wii fit so you can work out from the comfort of your own home


Drop: The personal trainer.

Why? A recession's the perfect time to rediscover your self-discipline.

Instead: Get into outdoor gyms. They're cheaper, you're more likely to turn up and the sunlight boosts your mood into the bargain. See what your local area can offer, whether it's Fit for a Fiver classes, held at weekends in Fulham, Clapham and Wandsworth ( or British Military Fitness (, which is everywhere. The first class is free; if you then book a bunch of sessions, it works out between £9 and £12 per class. If you prefer running, join the Betties: visit for details of the free women-only running (and MBT walking) clubs they run from the shops across London (you can leave your valuables locked in the shop while you run).

Drop: Gym membership

Why? Divide your monthly fee by the number of times you actually turn up and you'll soon see the logic.

Instead: Buy a Wii. They cost about £180 - two months of London gym fees - and latest results suggest they really do make a difference. It's easier and so much quicker to do a half-hour aerobic workout with a virtual trainer in your living room than pack your kit and head to the gym.

Nivea hand cream

Nivea Hand DNAge Cell Renewal Cream, £5.99 is just as effective as the high-end anti-ageing hand creams, all you pay for is the posh fragrance


What to drop: high-end anti-ageing hand creams.

Why? Cheaper versions will moisturise hands, protect them from the sun and help fade age spots - all you're cashing in is the posh fragrance.

Instead: try Nivea Hand DNAge Cell Renewal Cream, £5.99

What to drop: Expensive nail varnish.

Why? High-street ranges give great results for less.

Instead: Browse the ranges at Tesco, Boots and Superdrug, where Barry M Nail Paints (£2.95 each) offer all the colours of the rainbow, plus a few nature never thought of.

But it's still worth  spending money on: A Margaret Dabbs medi-pedi, a treatment that's chiropodist-thorough but leaves your feet and toenails looking beautiful, rather than mauled. For clinics and prices visit

Maybelline mascara

Every beauty expert carries a wand of Maybelline mascara and scour Boots and Superdrug for cheap and cheerful make-up that's affordable enough to experiment with


What to drop: Designer-label mascara, eyeliner and lip gloss.

Why? Cheap versions work just as well.

Instead: Get acquainted with the cheaper end of the market. The Prestige range at Boots, and Superdrug's GOSH range have glorious colours of eyeliners, both liquid and pencil, and everything in Superdrug's 2True range is £1.95, or three for a fiver, so it's cheap enough to experiment with. Most beauty editors possess at least one green-and-pink tube of Maybelline’s Great Lash mascara - it's a classic. And for lip gloss and much more discover, on which all the items are £1.50.

But it's still worth spending money on: First, foundation. Expensive stuff goes on better, lasts longer and can moisturise, absorb oil and reflect light into the bargain. My current favourites are Bobbi Brown's foundation stick (£24, and Shiseido's Makeup Dual Balancing Foundation (£28, 020 7313 4474).

Second, eyeshadow. The more expensive ones stay in place longer and crease less - both key if you suffer from signs of ageing. Clinique's Quick Eyes Cream Shadow, £12, or Becca’s Eye Tint, £17.



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