Don’t get me wrong, I adore a fancy beauty product and I’ll readily admit that my bathroom cupboard is full of them. From pillarbox-red lipsticks emblazoned with the Chanel logo to celebrity-approved moisturisers with three-digit price tags, I’m lucky enough to be sent some pretty luxurious beauty products as part of my job—and lots of them are genuinely worth it. But I’m a firm believer that great beauty products shouldn’t have to cost the earth, and there are tons of equally amazing formulations out there that won’t break the bank. In fact, a lot of the beauty products that I use regularly and repurchase time and time again cost less than a tenner.
Ahead, I’ve pulled together a list of the best cheap beauty products that I always come back to. From skincare and makeup to haircare and body products, keep scrolling to see them all.
Despite it’s low price tag, this cleanser from affordable skincare brand CeraVe contains some impressive ingredients: including soothing niacinamide and a hydrating combination of hyaluronic acid and ceramides.
I love trying out new micellar waters but I always return to this one. It makes light work of removing makeup and never stings—even when I use it on my eyes. This bottle is absolutely enormous and lasts for months so it’s amazing value.
I have a slight lip balm addiction but Lanolips is my constant. Peach is my current obsession (it smells so good) but the formula itself is brilliant for soothing everything from chapped lips to dry cuticles. You’ll find one of these in basically every coat pocket and handbag in my house.
This is a cult exfoliator for a reason—it leaves my skin so soft and smooth and any breakouts are always calmer the morning after using this. Admittedly, it does come in a bigger bottle at a more costly £28 but I like to repurchase this size because I always have so many products on the go and hate the thought of anything going off because it’s been open so long. I always recommend this size to friends who are trying acid exfoliators for the first time too.
Admittedly, £4 for a one-use product isn’t exactly the most cost-effective approach to skincare but this is seriously cheap compared to some of the more luxurious sheet mask options. I have tried so many but I always have a few of these affordable Garnier ones in my stash as they provide impressively brightening results.
I go through body lotions like nobody’s business but The Body Shop do some of the best affordable formulations there are. I was loyal to their rich body butters for a long time but I’m now a body yoghurt convert—the formula has an almost whipped texture that feels lightweight on the skin but is intensely nourishing. Plus, all the scents are delightful.
I’ll just come right out and say it: Soap & Glory body scrubs are the best that money can buy and you can buy one with change from a tenner. They’re my favourite kind of texture (scrubby but with plenty of oil), they actually remove dry and dull skin, and they smell delicious. This one is probably my absolute favourite as its so zesty and uplifting but I’d also give a special mention to Smoothie Star.
I have used this foundation for years and have genuinely lost count of the number of bottles that I’ve purchased. It has a kind of satiny finish that isn’t overly glowy but isn’t matte and you can wear it as a light coverage or build it up. Plus, it’s non-comedogenic so it won’t clog your pores. I truly think its brilliant and rivals some of my more expensive favourites.
Another foundation, and a more recent discovery, but I’ve already purchased a second bottle of this. If you like a glowy base then this really won’t disappoint—it provides radiant, dewy coverage and I love how healthy my skin looks when I wear it.
There was another affordable, long-lasting concealer that I used to swear by but I switched to this one from Morphe as it has a more diverse shade range. In my experience, cheap concealers can be cakey on the skin but this one is really blendable and offers impressive coverage for spots, redness and dark circles. I flew through the first tube that was sent to me and happily repurchased my second.
I think it was nearly a decade ago that these long-lasting eyeshadows from Maybelline caused quite a stir amongst the beauty blogger community. I remember rushing out to buy one when they eventually landed in the UK and it was love at first sight. I have to say though, unlike other trending beauty products that come and go, these cream eyeshadows are just as good today. I like using this matte colour as a base for other colours but it looks just as good when worn alone—and it lasts for ages on my oily eyelids. (Nice.)
My mum used to buy L’Oréal Paris shampoos and conditioners when we were growing up so there’s something so nostalgic about having one in the bathroom to me. Plus, when it comes to cheap beauty products, I genuinely think that L’Oréal Paris make some of the best affordable haircare on the market. This one is great if you have dry or damaged hair.https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2082&awinaffid=250777&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lookfantastic.com%2Fgarnier-ultimate-blends-hair-food-banana-3-in-1-dry-hair-mask-treatment-390ml%2F12030813.html
Until I discovered this I would religiously repurchase a £20 hair mask whenever it ran out. This cheap one from Garnier has changed all that. It’s incredibly rich and nourishing and I can really tell the difference with how soft my hair is after I’ve used this. Plus, it’s silicone-free so it’s genuinely working to soften your hair rather than just coating it with something that will make it feel better in the short term.
I have genuinely been using this product since I was at primary school and while I can’t really say that it does much for my ‘frizz’—which I’m not all that bothered about anyway—it is an incredible detangler for my knotty hair. I apply it every single time I wash my hair to make brushing through it easier.
I have tried many a designer nail colours over the years but I have to be honest, I don’t think there is any point spending a lot of money on a nail polish. These gel-effect ones from Barry M are as good as they come and they’re so cheap. I love the colours and the finish and they last just as long—if not longer—than most of the nail polishes with bigger price tags. Plus, I love buying a couple of new shades each season to test out the trending colours without breaking the bank. Up next, these cheap moisturisers are just as good as their expensive counterparts.
