What we’re adding to basket when we’re in the supermarket or pharmacy… Here are 5 of the best beauty buys you can get locally, all under €40

1 Vichy are doing some brilliant things right now and it’s a brand that’s widely available in pharmacies. The neat little tube of LiftActiv Collagen Specialist SPF25 has become a daily essential. While we’re still getting out for solitary walks, we need to be wearing broad-spectrum skin protection, and this is a great one – I am very fussy about SPFs as so many make your face look eerily white and chalky, or else break out, but this one is truly light and nice to wear, making it worth the €40 – you will actually use this one. Plus it’s small enough to fit in your pocket.

While you’re at it, pick up some of the LiftActiv Specialist Peptide-C ampoules, too. Once you’ve got the hang of snapping open the glass capsules, and attaching the plastic applicator so you can use half in the morning and half at night, these things are addictive – I find them brightening and refining on skin, and one of the few things I’ve tried recently that make a visible difference. €30 for ten. Finally, Vichy’s Mineral Blend foundation is excellent if you like something light and not drying, and it’s less than €20 (though only available in six shades). www.vichy.ie

2 Another decent light foundation for walks, No7 HydraLuminous Moisturising Foundation has an SPF15, gives medium coverage, and is suitable for sensitive skin. €20, www.boots.ie.

3 Most pharmacies have Dr Hauschka on the shelves, and Rose Day Cream is an enduring classic that did the whole natural beauty thing way before everyone else jumped on the bandwagon. It’s really rich, so you only need a bit, but it has the most wonderful smell – that’ll be the wild rosehips and rose petal extracts; there’s also shea butter and avocado oil. It’s especially good for dry or sensitive skin and I’d bathe in it if I could. While staying at home, it’s a great time to ditch the skin coverage and slap on a face mask or a layer of this instead. €25.95, www.drh.ie.

4 If you cannot function without mascara, you’ll find Maybelline in most supermarkets. The Snapscara mascara has an awkward name but a decent brush and formula for the price (€11.99). It’s a gel ink tubing mascara, which means you can remove it just with warm water, and it glides on pretty well.

5 Green Angel is a lovely Irish brand found in small pharmacies. For now, the natural handcare duo, Seaweed Hand Wash and Hand Lotion (with vitamin E), is naturally restorative – it’s all handmade in Dubin with organic seaweed harvested in Ireland plus organic essential oils. €22 for the duo. My favourite Green Angel product though is the Sunrise Magic Seaweed Body Smoother, a really lush silky scrub with lots of oils such as argan and grapeseed, plus lemon essential oil (very brightening and delicious first thing in the morning to get you moving), along with the Irish seaweed and sea salt. €39.50, www.greenangel.com.