I always find it interesting to discover what people will or won’t spend money on, and what objects or experiences individuals value.

I was talking with a group of colleagues this week about the price of fashion.

One mentioned to me that she had never spent more than $100 on one fashion item, yet she would spend three times that on eating out, while another thought designer handbags were a total rip off but was wearing $500 Nikes.

One person’s Hermes Kelly bag is another person’s hand-woven bag from Suva Handicrafts in Fiji (okay, me).

But all of us could unite on skincare

As much as we all “ooh” and “ahh” over the mere mention of a new pot of the very expensive Crème de la Mer, we all relate to a bargain recommendation.

Being a former, still sort-of-current beauty editor, I know deep down that they are all pretty much doing the same thing, despite the widely varying prices, and I shock myself with the trivia I know.

KMart’s Manuka Honey eye cream is one of Kirstie Clement’s favourites.

I mentioned that I had been using Nutrimetics RestorePro line, (which I am currently obsessed with) and when someone said “Oh, yes, with the Apricot Kernel Oil!” I quickly retorted, “No that’s their classic Nutri-Rich Oil, which has maintained a devoted fan base since 1968, with one jar selling every 5 minutes. Restore Pro has had a recent update and now contains Kangaroo Paw Extract.”

One poor woman mentioned her 14-year-old son had acne and should probably be using “natural” skincare and I went into 20-minute lecture about how dangerously active some of those so-called “natural” products were until she hurriedly made an excuse and went off to charge her phone.

I am a fan of everything, from La Prairie to Ponds to L’Oréal Plenitude, from botanical oils from Tasmania to high tech serums from Korea – so I was intrigued to see a new skincare line from Kmart.

Kmart’s “Anko” beauty range “Australian Made” is made with top-quality ingredients and formulated without parabens.

It is, of course, dermatologically tested and contains ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, Australian manuka honey, rosehip oil and Australian tea tree.

What’s the big kicker?

It is priced between $2 and $6.

Kmart works on such a scale that they can produce quality skincare at this incredibly low cost.

As I write this, I am surrounded by tubs of Hyaluronic Moisturiser, Rosehip Oil Scrub, Vitamin C Sheet Masks and Australian Manuka Honey Eye Cream, all costing less than $6 each, and I am in heaven.

The problem with all of this is I have only have one face. I need to share.

So, in the interests of the skincare sisterhood, I am going to nominate my top five budget (under $25) beauty items:

1. Anything from Kmart Anko “Australian Made” range. Hell, choose four things, why not?
2. Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water (still the best)
3. The Ordinary Glycolic Acid (very active but at a low cost)
4. Phisohex Anti-Bacterial Face Wash (The go-to for any problem skins)
5. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Face Cream (although I wish they hadn’t phased out the original pink, perfumed lotion my Nan used)

Look at all that money saved! You can now go have a La Prairie facial.