Eeeeeek! It’s getting warmer, the sun is shining, and my legs (not to mention the rest of me) are WHITE AS!!! This is always that scary time of year when you realise that you have been hibernating in trackies for 6 months (oh, is that just me then, ok) and you skin is not looking so beach-ready!

Beach trips, short skirts, bikinis (No! Not the ‘b’ word!) all become a staple part of my summer but unless I want people to think I am a walking Migaloo the white whale (google it), I’d better start getting into summer shape (don’t worry, this DOES NOT involve a gym)

So because I am doing NO BUY for-the-rest-of 2011 (see here) I’m not allowed to spend any money for the rest of 2011 on clothes, shoes and more importantly for this post, beauty products. Here is a list of products (or prodz, as my beauty guru Zoe Foster would say) that I already have in my beauty stash and that I HIGHLY recommend you all get your hands on to get ready for summer!*

Chasing Cait’s top 5 budget beauty buys for summer:

1.Palmers Coco butter Natural Bronze tanning moisturiser  RRP $8.95

Fake it – DON’T bake it. Now I am a sun lover from waaaaaay back but the older I get, the more obvious the sun damage to my skin is becoming. I also don’t have the beach just down the road like I used to when I lived in Sydney (Bondi, I miss you!) so I can’t go and sit on the beach all weekend any more (not that I advocate tanning, I just LOVED lying on the beach!)

Gradual tanners are a really good way to get a nice golden glow without staining the sheets and driving your partner out of the bed because of the smell! This gradual tan + moisturiser from Palmers is amazing. It smells yummy (the boy says I smell like a bakery when I put it on), it sinks in VERY quickly and the colour builds up nicely.

2. Natio Glow skin brightening face balm RRP $16.95 

I have always struggled with moisturisers for my face. My skin has gone from oily to combination and I kinda got onto the moisturiser bandwagon a little later than most. Normally, I find that my skin breaks out when I use most moisturisers so I have always been a little scared of them…..

Until I met Natio Glow! I actually won a Natio gift pack at a Rugby Ladies Day (so glamorous!) and thought I’d give it a go. I am now a TOTAL convert! This product is supposed to help even out skin tone and boost skin vitality (well that’s what it says on the Natio website anyway) and I’m sure it does all that, but I just love it because it works on my skin!

It sinks into my skin quite well without leaving an oily film on top, you can use it as a primer for you foundation, it has a really nice smell and my skin just seems to drink it up! Yum!

3. Garnier BB cream (Miracle Skin Perfector – or in normal–speak, tinted moisturiser) RRP $13.99

This is a brand new product to the market and I actually decided to buy it after putting a tweet into the tweeter-verse about needing a new tinted moisturiser. This resounding response was this product.

I have not been a big tinted moisturiser user (same reason as I mentioned before with normal moisturisers) but in summer, sometimes you don’t want to have to go through the whole whoopla of putting on primer, foundation, concealer, powder etc etc. A tinted moisturiser offers a sheer coverage (and SPF protection!) without too much effort.

This is available in two shades, light and medium. I bought the medium (I have light olive skin) but at this stage, I probably should have bought the light. The medium is quite dark so I would start with that colour unless you are pretty olive or tanned (medium should be ok for me in the height of summer).

Yummy smell, good coverage, SPF protection (excellent!) and light-reflecting particles, this is pushing it as my all time new favourite product! Try it! NOW!

 4. Maybelline Great Lash Mascara RRP $14.99

One of the all time best beauty products out there. It is always in those Beauty Editors “must have” lists, and make-up artists are “never seen without it”. Now I’m no beauty editor or make-up artist, but this is the stuff. It’s black, it’s thick, it’s not going to be discontinued (I hope, for ever!) and it’s really cheap!!

It’s not waterproof but that is ok, I’d rather my mascara not be (it’s easier to get off at night). You should replace your mascara every 3-4 months so this is a good one to have on rotation, it won’t break the bank when you need to buy a new one.

Usually I find two coats on my lashes give me a thick, full lash, you could do three coats for a smokey eye or nighttime glam.

5. Garnier bodytonic sugar scrub

No I am not a Garnier ambassador (I wish! Anyone out there in Garnier-land this is reading this….hint, hint) I just find their products work really well for me. This sugar scrub is a great body exfoliator coming into summer. Use it before you apply a fake tan (I know one by Palmers that is alright too). This scrub is really good at getting rid of those little bumps that you get on your skin after shaving, or on the back or your arms (you know the ones right?).

I find it works really quickly! My skin can be rough and bumpy and red (eeeeewwww!) and after one scrub and a good dolup of moisturiser, my skin is glowing! This sugar scrub has real granules in it so you feel it working, but they also dissolve as you use it, so it doesn’t feel like it’s tearing up your skin either!

This is definitely one MUST HAVE summer shower product, it makes you skin feel so nice and soft after just one use, imagine how good your skin will be after a few weeks!

So there are my top fav summer prodz on a budget – do you agree? What are you top beauty products (budget or not) for summer?

*I have purchased all these products for my own personal use. Click here for my disclosure policy.