The 10 best beauty products in the supermarket aisle.

Beauty counters (with a few exceptions) are terrifying, intimidating places. You need the agility of Katniss Everdeen to dodge the perfume spritzer, and even though you know deep down that bright red shade of blush isn’t going to suit you, you submit yourself to a ‘makeover’ anyway.

Enter the supermarket beauty aisle, which is now longer than Shane Warne and Liz Hurley’s on-again-off-again relationship.

It’s the beauty equivalent of a yellow neighbourhood safety house. It’s also good if you’re in charge of the household grocery buying, as you can slip in a few things for yourself undetected.

Here are some of my favourite cheap beauty buys, it’s by no means a definite list so add yours in the comments below. Sharing is caring.

1. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles, $18.99.

If I get anything less than seven hours or sleep for more than a few nights in a row I get pesky blue tinged rings near the inner eye socket, the gem of a product covers them beautifully.  excellent at covering dark circles and under eye bags. And bonus – the sponge tip applicator is foolproof.

2. Covergirl Clump Crusher Extensions mascara, $17.99.

Just as the name suggests Clump Crusher dominates at getting rid of goop, separating and giving lashes extra oompf. A good’un for anyone who can’t be bothered with eyelash curlers i.e. everyone.

3. Swisspers nail remover pads $4.09.

Super handy to chuck in your bag for those times you find yourself pre-meeting, or social outing with chipped nails.

4. Toni & Guy Dry Shampoo, $15.99.

Anytime we have a bottle of this stuff in the office it quickly disappears. It’s not that we never wash out hair, we’re just – like you – really busy. The main difference between Toni & one doesn’t leave any of that chalky white residue.

5. Vaseline Spray on Moisturiser, $9.99.

The ad suggests you should spray it quite close to your skin and then rub it in but I’ve found you can spary it from a distance and get quite good coverage without even needing to rub it in. Yes, I’m that lazy. Just watch out for slippery floors.

6. Schwarzkopf Volume Powder, $8.99.

Similar to Aveda’s Magic Dust, Schwarzkopf Volume Powder

7. Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser, $8.99.

I suffer from rosacea and for years this was the only cleanser I could use without my skin turning red and exploding. It’s still one of the only cleansers that my skin responds well too  (on those days I’ve worn sunscreen, primers, powder .etc I use Shu Uemura cleansing oil).

8. Nivea In-Shower Moisturiser, $4.09.

A moisturiser that you use in the shower? I know, it sounds odd but it’s one of those products you just need to try for yourself.

9. Maybelline Fit Me foundation, $13.26.

As supermarkets don’t have many testers on display so you might need to go into a Priceline or chemist to get your colour match right before you buy. In my humble opinion, it’s one of the best cheap foundations on the market, and the concealer in this range is also excellent.

10. Le Tan Wash Off Bronze Instant Natural Looking Tan, $15.49.

If you read my Pale Girls Problems post awhile back, you’ll know that I have a tough time finding suitable non-orangey fake tan for my blindingly white limbs. This is one of the best I’ve ever found.

What are your favourite cheap beauty products?

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