A large part of my job as a beauty journalist is ferreting out the very best in each category — and to do so I test the products I am sent assiduously.
The process differs slightly depending on the category but it broadly involves a series of tests which I have devised to see if a product passes the muster. These include looking at the science, deciding if the performance is worthy of excitement, and — crucially — whether that excitement tips me into wanting to bang on about it on the phone to my sister.
Then there is a final thing I do: check the price point to see if it corresponds with my reading of the product’s value and whether it is commensurate with what I would happily spend on it. I consider this last because I want to be fully assured that it leapfrogs over all my benchmarks of brilliance without its affordability — or not — influencing my choice. As I said, my goal is to find and highlight the very best.
Here, I have pulled together 30 excellent products all under the £15 mark that I use regularly, have recommended not only to my sister but to all my closest friends, and quite frankly would pay far more for if I had to.
Hair Proud Clean & Strong Pre Cleanse Hair Mask
Pre-shampoo conditioners abound now. The idea is that you can leave them in for longer than a hair mask that comes after shampoo, so they have a greater effect. This one is a snip of the price of others that perform similarly; hydrating each strand while amino acids gently loosen product build up.
Buy now £9.95, Beauty Bay
E45 Face Moisturiser for Long-Lasting Hydration for Dry and Sensitive Skin
I alternate this moisturiser with one that’s ten times the price, and find both equally as good at softening, adding lustre, and sandwiching between serum and SPF. I’ve finished the tube now and am planning to buy a second one ASAP.
Buy now £10.49, Boots
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Cocoa Butter Daily Skin Therapy
There is no body moisturiser that more adequately does the good work of rendering scaly skin smooth than this — and the fact that it smells like a rich hug of cocoa on the skin only enhances the experience for me.
Buy now £6.49, Boots
The Body Shop Chamomile & Rose de Mai Sumptuous Makeup Cleansing Butter
This particular one is a limited edition, but the chamomile classic is a longstanding favourite among those in the know because it whips off make-up deftly, leaving the skin underneath clean but never irritated.
Buy now £12.00, The Body Shop
Bioderma Sensibio Cleansing Micellar Water
The OG micellar water, this made removing even waterproof make-up a doddle and those who like to pile the stuff on still rhapsodise about its ability to dissolve even the hardiest mascaras.
Buy now £10.40, Boots
Max Factor Colour Elixir Lipstick
Containing emollients and conditioners to keep lips healthy and hydrated, this sheeny lipstick feels much more spenny than it is — and the Toasted Almond shade is the perfect buttery nude.
Buy now £9.99, Superdrug
Batiste Original Dry Shampoo
Perhaps you use this as originally intended to absorb grease when in a hurry, or perhaps you, like me, add it to your hair to give it extra oomph and movement. Either way, you will I’m sure be equally as devoted to it as I am and consider it a well-deserving of its hero status.
Buy now £3.25, Boots
Garnier Ambre Solaire Super UV Anti-Age Face Protection Cream SPF50
SPF is the most proven anti-ageing product available — and of course it is essential to reduce the likelihood of developing skin cancer. Use it daily, even when the sun isn’t ‘out’; the UVA rays that are responsible for ageing and cancer make it through cloud cover. This one is lightweight and hydrating at once, making it the perfect day-to-day choice.
Buy now £13.00, Boots
Aveeno Daily Moisturising Hand Cream
I worship at the oatmeal powers all of Aveeno’s skincare, which helps to soothe and cosset. Here, it does excellent work of rendering irritated and dehydrated skin calm and moisturised once more.
Buy now £6.13, Look Fantastic
L’Oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Panorama Mascara
Mascara needn’t be expensive to do a really good job — as this powerhouse proves. The brush helps to coat every lash from root to tip, from inner corner baby lashes to those longer more wispy outer ones, making it the perfect choice for a good fan of a blacker than black fringe of lashes.
Buy now £12.99, Look Fantastic
Dr Teal's Soothe and Sleep with Lavender Soaking Salt Solution
First, these smell incredible — like walking through a lavender field in Provence. Second, they are preposterous value for money, with a mere handful scenting a full bath.
Buy now £9.93, Amazon
e.l.f. Cream Glide Lip Liner
I have used every lauded lip liner going and this outperforms most of them. It easily outlines lips and indeed fills them in, if you like to use your liner for an all over colour under your lip gloss. Top marks to e.l.f. for the colour selection, too.
Buy now £3.00, Boots
KIKO Milano Universal Stick Concealer
As adept at covering larger portions or redness as it is a quite intense spot, just scribble this wherever you need coverage and blend at the edges. Job done.
Buy now £10.99, KIKO Milano
Nivea Double Effect Waterproof Eye Make-Up Remover
If your eyes are sensitive, you need to get your hands on this, pronto. Shake it up to mix the two phases, soak a cotton pad in it, press gently to your eye, hold for a few seconds, then wipe.
Buy now £3.99, Superdrug
Maybelline Hyper Precise All Day Liner
The teeny tiny tip of this brush is a marvel — as is the fact that it stays put properly (a hallelujah moment if you have hooded eyes that like to steal product from the lash line). Whether you use it for a fine line along the lashes or for a more prominent cat eye, this matte black is eminently reliable.
Buy now £7.99, Look Fantastic
PS… Cleansing Milk
This steal of a cleansing milk gently whips off make-up and grime, leaving skin hydrated. I’d recommend removing with a flannel soaked in warm water.
Buy now £1.50, Primark
Lottie London Bright Bounce Undereye Brightening Corrector
This impressive concealer/brightener hybrid is just slippy enough thanks to the moisturising ingredients to keep the skin under your eyes looking hydrated, but when locked onto skin with a dusting of powder doesn’t migrate into wrinkles.
Buy now £6.95, Lottie London
The Inkey List Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Stick
Suffer from ingrown hairs? Hate those dots on the back of your arm (aka keratosis pilaris)? Have rougher-than-rough patches of skin you wish would disappear? This stick is the answer — thanks to the glycolic and salicylic combination, it sloughs off dead skin, dissolves clogs, and softens all in one.
Buy now £15.00, Look Fantastic
Dr Paw Paw Lip Balm SPF
Two of the most common kinds of skin cancer occur on the lips, so protecting them — especially during warming months — is imperative. This by much-loved Dr Paw Paw contains SPF 20 to protect from UVA and UVB rays while keeping lips soft.
Buy now £4.95, Dr Paw Paw
Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine
I had to check the price of this twice to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me; it feels that expensive when on. Glossy, hydrating, and containing small shimmer particles to maximise the volume of lips, Glossed Up Rose has become a firm staple in my make-up bag.
Buy now £7.99, Look Fantastic
NYX The Brow Glue
You will know about these stronger-than-strong brow gels if you have subscribed to the trend of arranging each brow hair just so — but few do it as well and at this price. The clear is my favourite, offering great hold without betraying its existence.
Buy now £6.39, Look Fantastic
Cerave SA Smoothing Cleanser
Ever get clogged pores or spots on your body? This is the body wash to opt for; the combination of ceramides to hydrate and salicylic acid to exfoliate and dissolve impurities when used daily works a treat.
Buy now £14.50, Look Fantastic
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Express Hydrating Spray
Face mists are handy additions to your routine thanks to their ability to render tired make-up instantly alive, add hydration to skin that’s flagging, and feel refreshing. I keep one on my desk at all times, and have been delighted especially by the presence of this one.
Buy now £5.49, Boots
Morphe 9 Pan Going Platinum Artistry Palette
A mix of shimmers, a potent metallic, and workhorse matte shades, this is a eyeshadow palette you will get a hell of a lot of use out of.
Buy now £15.00, Look Fantastic
This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray
Is a sleep product a beauty product? Absolutely: sleep is fundamental to every facet of beauty and wellness, and this spray containing lavender, chamomile, and vetiver is cult because it really does work, signalling to the body that it’s time to switch off.
Buy now £15.00, Look Fantastic
Revolution Makeup Bright Light Bronzing Drops
These bronzing drops can be applied neat to skin, or mixed with SPF or foundation and are so easy to use. As a bonus, the squalane, hyaluronic acid, and grapeseed oil will look after your skin while it’s on.
Buy now £9.99, Revolution Beauty
Weleda Skin Food
This thick, buttery cream is ideal on super parched skin that’s cross and scaly. Containing beeswax, lanolin, and glycerin, it forms a robust barrier on the skin, making it perfect if you’re in an SOS skin situation. Note: a little goes a very long way, and price per use is therefore extremely low.
Buy now £13.50, Cult Beauty
Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré Multi-Purpose Moisturiser
Ask any makeup artist to show you the contents of their kit, and they’ll invariably get out a tube of this simply because it’s such a handy multitasker, as good under make-up as it is on dry cuticles, speedily sorting out dry shins or scaly elbows.
Buy now £13.65, Boots
Byoma De-Puff Brighten Eye Gel
If your eyes are puffy and look generally exhausted in the morning, this eye gel would be a savvy investment. Not only will it help to reduce that puffiness, but the hyaluronic and vitamin C will brighten and boost hydration.
Buy now £12.99, Cult Beauty
Mio Body Brush
Make friends with body brushing if you’d like: less puffy limbs, better circulation, smoother skin, and the lovely sense of having more energy circulating. Do it daily, working towards the heart, for best results. This brush with a handle makes light work of the job.
Buy now £15.00, Cult Beauty
