There can't be anything worse than realising that you'll have to drop your beauty standards a few notches in order to be able to live through the month. Being on a budget is sadly, a rather common occurrence but there are ways not to let it affect your grooming too much.

I was recently reminded of this when I stood in a cosmetic department and could not, for the life of me, find a cleanser for under 300 bucks ? and I don't know about you, but in the last week of most months, 300 bucks means a lot in my wallet.

Here are some of my tips on how you can make the most of your budget, which products are essential, which can be skipped altogether and which can be left until "next month"....

Keep it clean

Cleansing is an essential step, and should never be skipped or skimped on. Free Radicals (from pollution, UV radiation, smoke, dirt and dust to name a few) accumulate on your skin during the course of every day, and need to be removed since it's the main cause of skin ageing.

Fortunately you do not need an expensive product to do the job, and many trusty pharmacy cleansers are kind to your skin and your bank balance. A cleanser need not have fancy ingredients, but look for terms like "pH balanced" and "soap free".

The term "dermatologically tested" means nothing to me ? all products have to be tested before they are allowed to be sold. If you want the extra benefit of exfoliation (removal of dead skin cells), look for a cleanser with fruit enzymes, Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) or salycilic acid ? this eliminates the need for an additional exfoliating product thus saving you some more bucks.

Not particularly useful

I'm probably at risk of being publicly stoned, but I do not see any need for a toner with the technology used in skincare nowadays. Cleansing twice will benefit you much more than a toner if it's the squeaky-clean feeling you're after, or if you feel that a toner does the last bit of cleaning for you. It certainly does no harm, but gone are the days of astringent toners that claim to "tighten" or "close" the pores after cleansing. Why would you want to "close" your pores if your next step is to apply cream?

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Exfoliation is another important step. If you do not exfoliate, dead skin builds up which causes blockages like black- and white-heads, and prevents your skincare products from penetrating properly.

Imagine the blackened layer on a burnt slice of toast - no butter will get through to the rest of the bread, meaning you might as well be pouring your moisturizers and serums down the drain. Not being a fan of abrasive granules in exfoliators (they are, after all, abrasive and damaging to more sensitive skins), I prefer an exfoliator with enzymes and/or AHAs that gently but very effectively loosens and dissolve dead skin cells without being too harsh.

If you prefer an exfoliator with granules (or a scrub, as it's commonly known), I would advise going for something that contains artificial beads that are mechanically made to be perfect spheres that will not scratch or injure the skin surface, unlike natural ingredients like ground pumice. You can also, as mentioned earlier, use a cleanser with exfoliating properties.

The next step

Serums and treatment creams are an important step in correcting any skin conditions (think pigmentation, acne, sun damage, ageing skin). This is a product worth spending a little more money on, since it should play a large part in the results you achieve from your skincare regime, provided your skin is well exfoliated of course. You can change or switch serums once or twice a year, or as your skin develops different needs.

Click to page 2 to find out what moisturisers and cosmetics you should consider your essentials