Beauty From Top to Bottom: Affordable Finds That Deserve a Place in Your Routine.
I’ve always believed that beauty doesn’t have to come with a frightening price tag. I’ve worked in hair and beauty for many years, and while I love discovering the latest clever ingredient or luxurious little pot of cream, I’m equally interested in products that actually do what I want them to do, without requiring a second mortgage.
So, when I was looking at some of the latest beauty finds, I thought I’d take a slightly different approach: beauty from top to bottom. From skincare for the face, to body care and, finally, fragrance, these are products that won’t necessarily break the bank, but still feel like a little bit of a treat.
And there’s another thing I like about this selection: most of them are easy to get hold of, with the BellaVita fragrances and Centellian24 Madeca Cream available through Boots, while the new SOS Body joins the SOS Serum Skincare range in October.
Start with your face: Centellian24 Madeca Cream Time Reverse
I’m always interested when K-beauty introduces an ingredient or formulation that makes me stop and think. Madeca is one of those terms that is worth knowing.
Centellian24 Madeca Cream Time Reverse is a rich moisturiser built around the brand’s Madeca care, including key components derived from Centella asiatica, Madecassic Acid, Asiaticoside and Asiatic Acid. If Centella sounds familiar, that’s because it has become something of a K-beauty staple, particularly for skin that needs soothing and barrier support.
The cream is designed to provide lasting hydration while helping improve the appearance of firmness, elasticity and uneven texture. And at £26 for 50ml at Boots, it sits at a price point that feels much more accessible than many of the high-end anti-ageing creams currently lining beauty counters.
For me, skincare becomes particularly important as we get older. I’m less interested in complicated 10-step routines and more interested in products that leave my skin feeling comfortable, hydrated and cared for. A good moisturiser that can sit at the end of your routine and do several jobs is definitely something I can get behind.
Centellian24 Madeca Cream Time Reverse, 50ml, £26, Boots.
Then it’s time to talk body, and collagen banking
I’m guilty of being much more disciplined with my facial skincare than my body care. I’ll happily spend time applying serums and creams to my face, then wonder why my elbows, knees and the rest of me have been rather neglected!
That’s one reason I was interested in SOS Body, the new launch from SOS Serum Skincare.
I’ve already tried products from SOS Serum Skincare, so I was particularly interested to see what founder Bruce Green, a cosmetic chemist and scientist, had been working on. SOS Body has apparently been two and a half years in development and launches on 1 October.
The idea behind it is “collagen banking” — supporting the skin’s own collagen-producing processes rather than simply trying to replace what has been lost.
Of course, no body cream is going to magically turn back the clock, but I like the philosophy behind this. Collagen production naturally declines with age, while our skin also needs help maintaining hydration and a healthy barrier. SOS Body combines botanical actives including coffee seed extract, edelweiss, sage leaf extract and grapeseed oil, alongside ingredients designed to work with the skin’s natural moisturising factors.
And importantly for me, it has been designed to be rich enough to make a difference without leaving you feeling as though you’ve been dipped in olive oil.
Bruce Green describes it rather brilliantly as “a weighted blanket for your limbs, not a sheer silk scarf.” That made me smile because I know exactly what he means. I want a body cream that feels nourishing, but I don’t want to spend the next half an hour sticking to my clothes.
There are three sizes, which I also think is a good idea: 500ml £35, 100ml £14 and 15ml £4.50. The smaller sizes are particularly useful if you want to try it before committing to the larger bottle.
SOS Body is available to purchase here.
Finally, put the finishing touch on with fragrance
For me, no beauty routine is quite complete without fragrance. I find perfume incredibly personal, it can change your mood, become associated with a particular time in your life and, sometimes, simply make you feel a little more pulled together.
Two fragrances from BellaVita Luxury caught my attention, and both offer something quite different.
First up is Honey Oud, a unisex Eau de Parfum.
Now, oud can sometimes feel like quite a serious fragrance choice, but Honey Oud takes it somewhere warmer and more approachable. There’s honey and bergamot at the opening, followed by desert rose and smoky oud, with vanilla bringing warmth to the base.
It’s definitely not a sugary, cupcake-style honey fragrance. There’s something deeper going on here, which makes it feel particularly suited to evening or when you want your perfume to have a little more presence.
And because it’s unisex, I think it would make a lovely fragrance to share, although, realistically, if I found a scent I loved, I might not be feeling quite that generous!
Then there’s DATE Woman, which takes a completely different direction.
It opens with pink pepper and red fruits before moving into jasmine, orange blossom and violet. Underneath are moss, musk and vanilla, giving it a warmer, earthier base.
It’s described as playful and provocative, but for me the appeal is that it sounds like one of those fragrances that develops as you wear it rather than simply shouting “sweet perfume” from the first spritz.
Both fragrances are 3.4 fl oz Eau de Parfum, making them generous bottles, and they’re available through Boots.
Beauty doesn’t have to cost a fortune
What I particularly like about this little beauty journey from face to body to fragrance is that none of these products is trying to be an unattainable luxury.
We all love a beautiful beauty product, but increasingly I’m looking for good formulations, sensible prices and products that fit into real life.
Whether that means discovering Madeca and giving your skin some extra hydration, finally showing your body the same attention, you give your face, or simply finding a fragrance that makes you feel fabulous when you walk out of the door, sometimes affordable beauty can be just as enjoyable as the expensive stuff.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learnt after all these years around beauty, it’s that the price on the bottle doesn’t necessarily tell you how much you’re going to love what’s inside.
Always patch test new skincare and fragrance products as appropriate and follow the manufacturer’s directions.
Poppy Watt