Here are my eight holy grail supermarket beauty products that will keep you coming back for more. Photo / Getty Images
Here are my eight holy grail supermarket beauty products that will keep you coming back for more. Photo / Getty Images
This summer The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best stories of 2021. This story originally ran in June.
Thought the supermarket was only good for bread, milk and those oh-so-essential avocados? Think again.
It turns out some of the most luxe beauty products are lurking inyour local supermarket aisles, right across from the toilet paper and cat food.
In my quest to find the greatest skincare and beauty finds money can buy, I have often encountered lush products that might make my skin sing, but are often lacking a certain je ne sais quoi.
I couldn't put my finger on what it was about some of these products that made me fall in lust, but not in love.
Then it dawned on me, it was the value factor. That truly unsustainable price that made me apply the product like it was a sleeping dragon and I didn't want to wake it with my touch.
There had to be products out there that worked, made my skin happy and didn't need to be purchased while clutching a glass of wine and screaming "YOLO" as I entered my credit card details.
And what I found changed the way I shopped for certain beauty products forever.
If there is only one product you try from this list, make it this.
I cannot even count the number of bottles of this I have gone through, and the number of people I have converted to this face wash. It's truly the best of the best, with a price tag to boot.
A mix of cold-pressed rosehip oil and active natural New Zealand botanicals like harakeke and mamaku will leave you feeling fresh and revived. The smell is calming and fresh, meaning both your skin and nostrils will thank you.
It's gentle enough to use when removing eye make-up and luxe enough to have you feeling like the fanciest shopper, as you swipe that supermarket loyalty card.
wet n wild Ultimate Brow retractable pencil, $9
The wet n wild Ultimate Brow Retractable Pencil. Photo / wet n wild
Looking for a brow pencil that gives definition and fills out your brows, without being so thin that it's gone before the end of the week? Then this is the product for you.
The waxy formula means it stays put, and you don't get that awkward "OMG did I just wipe off my eyebrow" moment at the gym.
Plus the bonus spoolie means you can perfectly fluff brows after application and achieve the ultimate natural brow look.
Nivea Naturally Good Shower Gel Rose Water. Photo / Supplied
In the words of the wise Rachel Ray "I wish we had smell-o-vision!" so that you could experience this truly heavenly aroma.
At just $6.50 this oil-infused shower gel bathes the skin in moisture with 98 per cent naturally derived ingredients, including responsibly sourced bio-oil.
It's better than some seriously fancy shower gels I have lathered myself with and then watched my money suds drain away before my eyes.
Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Mascara, $24.99
Maybelline Colossal Big Shot Mascara. Photo / Supplied
I debated putting the standard Colossal, over the Big Shot Colossal, but landed on the Big Shot because like a magpie, I am drawn to the shiner things.
But its shiny packaging is only the start of the allure of this goddess.
From the fluffiest of brushes, to the most smudge-proof of formulas, this mascara can do no wrong.
I am yet to find one that can beat it, though NARS Climax Mascara came daringly close.
This gem is a make-up bag staple and one I stock up on when it goes on special for the bargain price of around $16.
Glow Lab Hand Wash Coconut & Fig, $6
Glow Lab Hand Wash Coconut & Fig. Photo / Supplied
"Guys ... is hand wash a beauty product," I messaged my beauty conscious colleagues while writing this. A unanimous "yes" resounded through the building and boy did I have a treat for them.
Glow Lab's coconut & fig hand wash is heaven in a bottle and now they know, and now you know. You're all welcome.
I used to pull out my fanciest, $30iest bottle of hand wash when guests were coming over - waiting patiently for the, "oh what lovely hand wash you have" but it never came.
Then came the Glow Lab coconut & fig, that at $6 a bottle gave me more fragrance compliments than my $30iest hand wash ever could. And so I love it forever and you will too.
St Ives Body Lotion Renew Elastin Collagen, $11
St Ives Body Lotion Renew Elasti Collagen. Photo / Supplied
After I had my son I couldn't find a body lotion that made me feel as moisturised as those lashings of bio oil once did, but didn't sit on my skin and leave residue on my clothes.
Enter St Ives.
Inside this clinical looking bottle is a body moisturiser that is doing the absolute most.
The smell, the texture, the skin feel and the results have all earned their place on this list and in my bathroom cabinet.
Essano Vitamin C Facial Moisturiser Spf15, $20
Essano Vitamin C Facial Moisturiser Spf15. Photo / Supplied
The second Essano product to grace my list is a true testament to the brand's sustainable and cruelty free ethos.
This bad boy is rich in vitamins a, b and c, sourced from exotic fruits mango, papaya and pineapple. Plus it's packing a base level spf15 which also gets a big tick from me.
It soaks in like a dream and is so lightweight you can chuck make-up on top in seconds.
While this is one of the more boujee items on the list, it still deserves pride of place in any good supermarket trolley.
Its dreamy texture will leave your skin feeling hydrated while you build a natural tan that will leave people saying "Hey, you look fab!" Instead of a more dramatic "Damn ... did you go to Raro last night?"
It's lush, it's luxe and it's just what you need to get you through those stubborn winter skin months.
