Beauty bargains
With its strip lighting and aisles full of food, it’s an unlikely beauty haven – but the supermarket is where you can snare some of the best beauty bargains around. And while there’s always a place in my heart for luxury beauty treats, I have to say some of my favourite everyday staples get bought along with my bananas!
An insider's guide to the beauty aisle
Self-serve beauty is great – if you know what you’re looking for. But if you need product advice, skin diagnosis or help with specific beauty problems, you’ll only get that extra service at beauty counters.
Look out for handy guides on product packaging. For instance, on the boxes of Nivea Visage skin creams there’s a graphic that shows what age group the product is designed for.
Right now, beauty companies know you want to save money, so they’re launching products aimed at anyone who can’t quite afford that pricey serum or anti-ageing treatment they used to buy. This has raised the bar for supermarket beauty, meaning that you can now buy more sophisticated stuff like anti-ageing serums off the shelf, as well as basic skin creams.
Supermarket brands have to be top quality. Competition for shelf space is fierce so if something doesn’t sell, you can bet it’ll soon be edged out by a more effective product.
If you buy skincare and makeup at a supermarket, you’re not alone. Global surveys have shown they’re the most popular places to stock up on beauty products.
The packaging on many supermarket brands is pretty garish. It has to be to stand out from the rest of the products on the supermarket shelves. If you want to pretty up stuff for your bathroom shelves, then invest in a few bottles and jars and decant your supermarket staples into them.
The downsides of supermarket beauty shopping? There’s nothing glam about it, nor are there opportunities to test products. It can also be tricky to switch your mind into beauty mode when you’re trying to plan the week’s meals!
- Nicky Pellegrino
The young Christchurch promotions model determined to walk again after tragically losing her legs in the February earthquake is still coping with the ongoing complications ... More
You need to know
Sign up for our newsletters and get the latest in gossip, beauty and food sent direct to your inbox... Sign up now
Over the Teacups
My four-year-old grandson was at the supermarket with his mother when he exclaimed, “You’re buying something, Mummy, auntie is buying something – I want to buy something!” Mum replied, “You have to be big, have a wife, have a job, then you can buy things.” He replied, “I have a wife – Maia,” meaning his four-year-old friend. Mum said, “What about a job?” Master Four replied, “My job is having a wife!”
Robyn, Whangarei
Water you want?
I was in the car and asking Master Three what he wanted for Christmas. He said he was going to ask Santa for a water pistol. “And Nanny,” he added, “I’m going to ask for some water for our paddling pool.” Now that could be interesting!
Julie, by email
Bee gone
Master Three had his first bee sting recently. The incident broke his heart, but after many cuddles he came right. Later he said, “I never want to see another bee again. I don’t like bees any more, I only like flies.”
Gaileen, by email
Fraud with worry
My daughter warned me that “old people are being taken for a ride,” and that I shouldn’t engage in conversation with phone sales people. To this, Master Five piped up, “Nana can’t go on that ride, she’s old.”
Joseph’s Nana, Hamilton
... More