It can be hard to come away with change from £40 with a beauty shop these days — and that’s just for one product.
But, of course, it isn’t impossible. So here are my favourite budget-friendly finds for £25 or less.
Some more affordable picks, such as Zara EDPs perfumes created by Jo Malone CBE, overshot the price brief by mere pennies, but read on for those that made it through.
FACE
L’Oreal Revitalift Clinical SPF50+ Invisible Fluid
Lives up to its name, and looks and feels as if you’re wearing nothing on your skin, but gives good protection. Plays well with makeup. A daily essential for me.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser
A balm-to-oil cleanser that’s a deservedly cult product. Effective, great for daily use, and leaves skin feeling moisturised.
Buy now £8.00, The Ordinary
True Skincare Certified Organic Rejuvenating Cacay & Frankincense Facial Oil
A great brand to know about: good-quality formulations (I also like their bath and body oils) but nothing costs more than £20. This is a pleasure to use, is antioxidant-rich, and leaves skin looking and feeling more nourished.
Buy now £18.50, Superdrug
Byoma Hydrating Serum
Does exactly what it says: a simple and effective offering from this brand that focuses on protecting the skin barrier.
Buy now £12.99, Cult Beauty
Ren Clean Skincare Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic
A cult piece of skincare kit for good reason. This gives a gentle but effective chemical exfoliation to sweep away dead skin, clear pores, and aid glow. Suitable for daily use but, in truth, I’m more of a twice-a-week gal.
Buy now £16.00, lookfantastic
The Inkey List Tripeptide Plumping Lip Balm
An effective balm that leaves such a lovely sheen on lips. I also use as a clear gloss.
Buy now £10.99, Amazon
Lumene Intense Hydration Moisturizer
An all-time favourite of mine. This is a very light textured moisturiser but packs an effective punch, and makes my skin look and feel happy and glowy.
Buy now £21.90, Amazon
BODY AND BATH
Pommade Divine
A (mostly) natural soothe-all for cuts, bruises, and dry skin patches but also works serious wonders at calming mosie and midge bites.
Buy now £25.00, Pommade Divine
Navy Cuticle Balm
An excellent and nourishing balm with rosehip and coconut oil as well as aloe vera that surpasses even super-lux versions. Safe to use after gel application. This Yorkshire-based brand also makes excellent nail tools including the only nail scissors I now use.
Buy now £14.95, Navy
Garnier 7 Days Shea Butter Probiotic Extract Body Lotion Dry Skin
A really luscious but quickly absorbed body moisturiser that is one of my favourites at any price. In all honesty, my ultimate favourite was the coconut milk version but, alas, this has been discontinued.
Buy now £6.00, Amazon
Andrea Garland Lemon Balm Body Gloss
This London-based brand make beauty products with serious charm. This gives a lovely sheen to limbs, comes with squalane, shea, and lemon seed oil to hydrate, and works to help repel bugs when limbs are exposed.
Buy now £24.00, Andrea Garland
Little Soap Company Unperfumed Bar Soap with Oatmeal for Sensitive Skin
This Cotwolds-based brand is run with real soul and the soap is a great option if you can be reactive to products and gentle enough for those going through harsh medical treatment.
Buy now £3.99, Amazon
West Lab Epsom bath salts
Excellent for soothing aching muscles these are as good as anything fancier out there (you can always add a drop or two of your favourite-smelling bath oil for some sumptuousness). They come in a resealable pouch but I pour them into vintage decanters to lend a luxury vibe (@foundbysashawilkins sells great ones).
Buy now £3.00, Boots
Naturium The Glow Getter Multi Oil Hydrating Body Wash
Of course, you can find cheaper shower washes, but this really elevates the experience. A light, floral fragrance, a rich oil-to-milky lather texture, and the large bottle does last at least a month in daily use.
Buy now £18.00, Space NK
Margaret Dabbs London Crystal nail file
Forget emery boards, this file goes with me everywhere: fast, effective, and kind to nails. Just remember; it’s fragile.
Buy now £16.00, Space NK
MAKEUP
Elf Luminous Putty Blush
I’m a blush obsessive but this budget buy is as good as others seven times the price. A cream-to-powder formula that adds colour and glow to cheeks. Buildable so you can go for the natural look or something more pronounced.
Buy now £6.00, Amazon
Mac Lip Pencil in Whirl
A beauty classic. The famous 90s supermodel shade was Spice, but Whirl is a very flattering dirty rose for a natural look (darker skin tones should try Chestnut). I use it over the whole lip instead of a lipstick rather than just as a liner — usually with a dash of balm over the top.
Buy now £20.00, Mac
Zara Cream Eyeshadow
The beauty range at Zara is one of my favourites at any price point. This shadow is easy to use — swipe it on with a fingertip — and the mousse-like cream delivers the perfect pop of colour to eyes.
Buy now £9.00, Zara
Revlon Colorstay Longewear Makeup
The formulation for this foundation has been updated to include more skincare ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid to hydrate and vitamin E to nourish. It gives good but natural-looking coverage that really does last the day — even, I found, in the midst of a heatwave — and isn’t drying. Available in 37 shades.
Buy now £7.15, Amazon
Sculpted by Aimee My Mascara
I know you can find less expensive mascaras out there but this is a particular favourite of mine. Glides on, goes the distance, and really coats lashes. NB: by the time you get to my age (50s) no matter what they say, I find it’s best to use an eyelash curler before application for maximum benefits.
Buy now £17.00, Sculpted by Aimee
Sculpted by Aimee Cream Luxe Bronze
Yes, the Irish make-up artist brand has a double appearance in my list. This cream bronzer is a great option in the category — well-pigmented but not too much, glides on, is easy to blend, and gives a natural-looking warmth to the face.
Buy now £16.00, Sculpted by Aimee
HAIR
Batiste Dry Shampoo Original Clean and Classic
An easy way to extend and refresh a blowdry and perk up hair with a couple of spritzes — for the cost of a flat white. A can of this is never very far away from me and I’ve been known to use it for several days on end. I like the classic — the fragranced versions are too sweet for me.
Buy now £3.25, Boots
Arkive Headcare The Reset Dry Shampoo
I wouldn’t normally put two products in the same category into the same list BUT if you love dry shampoo (as I do) and want something fancier but still affordable then this is it. Created by super hairstylist Adam Reed, it’s a fine but effective spray and smells wonderful — tomato leaf, rhubarb, honeysuckle, and redcurrant.
Buy now £12.00, Boots
Bertioli Water Meadow 3-in-1 Shampoo Bar
A bar shampoo that lathers well and has an uplifting fragrance of river mint, eucalyptus, thyme, and rosemary.
Buy now £12.50, Bertioli
Andrew Fitzsimons Prism Shine Glossy Shampoo and Conditioner
Absolutely fulfils the promises of its name, this also looks glam in a bathroom and has a pleasant raspberry smell.
Buy now £9.50, Boots
