Multi-purpose beauty buys

Tightening the purse strings this month? Well, don’t let your beauty routine suffer.

Why not take inspiration from thrifty shoppers taking a cut-price approach to keeping up appearances, by choosing beauty buys that serve more than one purpose.

Beauty forums are buzzing with chat about the benefits of ‘dual use’ beauty buys.

Here are some of our favourites.

Sudocrem

Though it’s actually marketed as ‘an antiseptic healing cream for napkin rash’, this best-selling barrier cream has won an army of devotees who rave about its moisture-boosting, blemish-busting properties.

Vaseline

It might be most commonly used for chapped lips, but Vaseline is in every pro make-up artist’s beauty kit, thanks to its lash and brow-taming benefits. Many beauticians swear by applying a slick of it to the lashes before bed each night.

Bio Oil

Designed to prevent and diminish stretch marks, this best-selling oil is enjoying dual use as a rich moisturiser for parched winter skin.

Conditioner

Want to moisturise your legs while shaving them in the bath? Then whack a dollop of conditioner on your pins for a moisture-rich shave. That’s the beauty buzz in countless web forums.

Talcum powder

No longer confined to the bathroom cabinets of grandmothers, talcum powder is enjoying a revival as a dry shampoo substitute. Not only does it absorb excess oil, it also refreshes hair with a fresh-from-the-bath scent too.