Build a make-up bag for £15

You don’t need to splash the cash to get beauty essentials. With improved formulas, these budget products are top of the range in terms of great looks and pick-me-ups, says Sonia Haria

There was a time when the weightier the lipstick and the fancier the packaging, the better. The dressing-table appeal usually came with a luxury price tag, too. But budget beauty products are having a renaissance, and our make-up bags, as well as our purses, are benefiting. Take 17, for example, the beauty brand that abruptly disappeared from the make-up aisles in Boots in 2018; it has just been relaunched, bigger, better and more grown-up than ever before. Everything in the collection is under a fiver. With the new range, you can get a full makeup kit for under £10. So, now’s the time to invest in products that offer a cheering pick-me-up without splashing out.

Lipstick formulas are improving and whether you’re into a matte, creamy, glossy or sheer formula, you can find fantastic options under £10. Before you dismiss Boohoo completely, its brandnew venture into beauty is surprisingly good, and the lipsticks in particular are ones you’ll find yourself reaching for time and again – and they’re £6 a pop. As for eyeshadows, swerve the large palettes that will inevitably have some dud shades and try the Bite Size ones by Elf. Each mini palette includes four complementary shades for £4. Mascara-wise, if you like lift, curl and volume, try Maybelline’s new Colossal Curl Bounce Mascara. The brand is a real mascara authority.

The formulas for budget complexion products have come a long way in five years, too, and are some of the best on the market. Now, brands such as Max Factor and L’Oréal Paris are launching foundations with sophisticated skincare ingredients. Max Factor’s new Miracle Pure Skin-Improving Foundation includes hyaluronic acid and vitamin C, and is seriously good, and L’Oréal Paris’s True Match Tinted Serum foundation is so hydrating, it easily rivals products at double the price. Here are some of our favourites for every price bracket.