Yes, you only need FIVE THINGS in your beauty cabinet!

AS A student back in the early 1990s, I did my whole face with one brown eye pencil. And not just because I was skint — it was the supermodel era, so neutral shades and heavily accented brows and lip lines were all the rage.

It’s what all the Kardashians now tiresomely look like, but their inspiration was legendary late make-up artist Kevyn Aucoin’s signature style and I could ace it. oK, I may have added a swish of flesh-coloured lipstick and mascara, but that was it. It was the world’s tightest make-up bag edit.

obviously, being 22, I could get away with it. But I do think I was onto something: when it comes down to it, we only need a few key items in our make-up bags to look pulled-together and ready to go.

Not only does it streamline the process, but think how much you’ll save on products you never use?

So let me share my cost-cutting bare necessities for decluttering and elevating your kit in one fell swoop . . .

ACE YOUR BASE

THE Miracle Balm from Jones road, Bobbi Brown’s new brand, is generating a lot of buzz. It purports to be the only make-up and skincare item you need, making the £36 price tag look like a steal (jonesroadbeauty.com).

An oil-based, solid balm in seven neu eyeshadow tral shades (bronzes, shimmery beiges, rosy pinks), you can rub it all over like a sort of ultranourishing tinted moisturiser, or dab it on lips, cheeks and eyes for subtle glossy colour.

But beware, this isn’t for you if you don’t like shine or if you need coverage to even out skin tone. The colours are barely there, so you need to be an extreme make-up minimalist.

Personally, I think you’re better off opting for a foundation-and-concealer hybrid — these tend to be full-coverage, but can be easily mixed with moisturiser to sheer them out. Try applying yours on blemishes and under-eye circles first: you may find that’s enough.

I blend with my fingers because I feel blending sponges suck up half the product. Milani Conceal & Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation, £14.50, is good, but my favourite is Vichy Dermablend Corrective Fluid Foundation, £20 (both from boots.com).

READY, SET, GO...

POWDER should be sheer, not heavy and flat — you want it to mattify without dulling. There is no need for it to cost too much.

rimmel Kind & Free Pressed Powder in Sheer (£6.99, boots. com) is great. A light dusting will set your base, but the modern way to apply it is just on the (often oilier) T-zone, so the rest of your skin keeps its fresh glow.

VERSATILE BALM

I’D ADD an all-over colour balm; they tend not to be cheap, but are versatile and good for bright pops of colour as much as sheer washes. Nudestix Nudies Bloom Sticks (£30, boots.com) are fab. And a particular favourite of mine is Tata Harper Cream Blush in Flirty (£39.10, tata harperskincare.com), a plant-wax-based, bruised-grape-coloured balm that results in wind-burned cheeks and bitten lips and makes eye colour pop. e.L.F. Monochromatic Multi Sticks (£5, super drug.com), are a brilliant budget alternative.

CUT-PRICE EYES

THOSE 35-pan eye shadow palettes are stressful: what are you supposed to do with all those shades? And they don’t have a place — or even fit — in your thrifty, scaled-back make-up bag.

A quad is all you need, with one base colour, one darker one for the eye crease, an even darker one to line your lashes, and a highlighter for under the brow.

revlon ColorStay Day To Night Quad, £9.99, and Max Factor Colour Xpert Soft Touch Palettes, £10.99 (both boots.com), are soft, pigment-rich and come in colourways to suit all skin tones.

LASH IT UP

LASTLY, brows and lashes are essential for strong ‘eye architecture’, so don’t skip them.

Trinny London Lash2Brow (£28 trinnylondon.com) combines the two, with a black mascara and five shades for brows.

want separate products? you’ll have to stretch to six items in your bag, but Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara in Cosmic Black (£7.99, boots.com) is the best budget mascara on the market.

A brow mascara is a multitasker that tints, plumps and sets. By Beauty Bay Brow Fixer Fibre Gel (£6, beautybay.com) even adds volume, in five shades.

So there you have it — your fivepiece, money-saving make-up

bag edit. Now, you need the subfive-minute application to match. But that’s for another week . . .