SUPERMARKET SPA TREATS UNDER £10

...where every product costs less than £10

WhY is it that so many of the treatments designed to relax you come at a deeply stress-inducing price? During tough times, we all need an occasional pick-me-up — but as a beauty expert who’s tried her fair share of lavishly expensive spa treatments over the years, i can say with confidence there’s no reason a truly uplifting experience need cost more than £10.

Chemist and supermarket shelves are groaning with treats that won’t break the bank. i’ve selected the ones that can compete with the fanciest self-care products. now, doesn’t that feel better?

ZESTY BODY POLISH

Revolution Vitamin C Glow Body Scrub, £8, beautybay.com This not-too-scratchy scrub smooths limbs with rice and almond shell powders in a base of sweet almond oil, and is packed with skincare ingredients such as vitamin C to brighten, inulin to strengthen the moisture barrier, and seed oils and vitamin E to nourish.

The zesty paste works most intensively on dry skin before getting in the bath (rub in upwards from your ankles to your collarbones to get your lymph flowing in the right direction; this’ll help drain fluids). Massage your feet and toes to get rid of calluses and give yourself a reflexology session.

FIRMING BODY SERUM Noughty The Booster Body Serum, £9.50, lovenoughty.co.uk

ThErE was a time when we spent large sums of money on ‘anti-cellulite’ creams, but these days, the same ingredients can be found in this eminently accessible serum.

it can help tone and plump skin all over, and give it a healthy glow. high in circulation-boosting caffeine and fluid-draining indian Coleus Extract, this fresh-smelling gel-serum also has hydrating ingredients, although if you want to feel richly moisturised, you’ll need to top it with a cream.

PORE-REFINING MASK

Zitsticka Press Refresh Mask to Refine, Soothe & Unclog, £7, zitsticka.co.uk WiTh two masks to work together for the best possible results for your facial, these come in significantly below the £100 mark some are charged at, but nonetheless feature the same beneficial ingredients.

The first one is a jelly sheet mask containing three purifying acids (to rid skin of dead cells, allowing moisture and active ingredients to penetrate better) as well as boasting an ingredient that ‘improves skin conductivity’ for even deeper hydration. (it’s called graphene and it syncs with your body heat.)

RESTORATIVE FLAME

M&S Apothecary Restore Candle, £8, marksandspencer.com ThE fab Apothecary range from M&s looks and smells like something three times the price. Good scented candles are hard to find under a tenner but there are four here, offering to Calm, restore, Balance or sleep. My favourite, the restore, has geranium, cedarwood, lavender and eucalyptus to give you a sense of deep-breathing, forestdwelling peace.

THE SOFTENING SOAK Dove Renewing Care Foaming Bath Soak, £3.50, sainsburys.co.uk

if YOU like extra long soaks in the bath, these milky bubbles will ensure you don’t emerge like a prune. The cleansers are plant-based and gentle, the scent is a dreamy rose and peony concoction, and the soak is enriched with glycerin and lactic acid to leave your skin super-smooth and deeply hydrated.

Elemis-like bath soaks with these benefits tend to cost a bomb, so this one, developed with brand ambassador stacey solomon, is a great buy.

BUTTERY BALM

By Beauty Bay Buttercup Cleansing Balm with Oat Lipid & Chamomile, £6, beautybay.com An inDULGEnT cleanser no longer need come at a premium, thanks to this beauty brand beloved by Gen Z.

A rich, melting balm with antiinflammatory plant goodness, this one will dissolve makeup, sPf and impurities and feels lovely masssged into the skin. You can either rinse it off with your hands or use a muslin cloth soaked in warm water for some added gentle exfoliation — yes, just like the famous Liz Earle cleanser.

THE LIP SAVIOUR Dr PawPaw Overnight Lip Mask, £5.33, waitrose.com

LiPs have no oil glands, so they need all the help they can get in the moisture stakes. That’s why a good facial always ends with a lick of lip balm before you leave the treatment bed.

This lip mask is non-sticky but hardy, and will have you waking up with significantly plumper lips if left on overnight, thanks to a blend of plant waxes, papaya fruit and collagen-stimulating peptides.

HYGGE BODY CLEANSER Urtekram Sweet Ginger Flower Body Wash, £7.40, urtekrambeauty.com

PErfECT for autumn, the brandnew sweet ginger collection from this organic but affordable nordic brand is scented with oils of honeysuckle, jasmine and ginger; the blend is calming, energising and redolent of those by much-loved (but pricey) Aromatherapy Associates.

The wash is rich in hydrating and nourishing ingredients. Take some time to savour the aroma and make sure your out-breaths are a little longer than your in-breaths to calm the nervous system.

RESTFUL NIGHTS Aroma Active Sleep Mist, £10, aroma-active.com

A GOOD night’s sleep is the best beauty booster you can have. happily, not all good sleep mists cost a fortune. This one, by the sister brand to Aromatherapy Associates, is based on hops, lavandin and valerian root and will leave you feeling noticeably sleepier, should you still need an extra soul-soothing boost after your spa session.