Great beauty products should be available to everyone, regardless of income or budget. Some are easier to find than others, though. Great inexpensive pencils, nail polishes, mascaras, body lotions and glosses are 10 a penny. Decent budget foundations and concealers are harder to find. I’ve tested more products than I care to mention over the past 20 years, and if something isn’t right for my skin, it’s passed on to trusted people who better fit the bill. The products I’ve chosen are those that consistently perform very well across the board.
Naturally, there are a number of bargains that have already appeared in my column – it seemed unfair to overlook the truly brilliant purely in the name of originality. Equally, there are several favourites I’ve left out, not because I love them any less, but because no one needs to hear me quacking on about the genius of Neutrogena Deep Moisture Body Lotion for the 1,000th time. Also missing are basic toiletries such as deodorant, toothpaste and razors, which all cost roughly the same; and cheap perfume, which, apart from being an entirely personal choice, almost never smells nice.
What remains are skin, hair and makeup products that represent great value for money, whether they sell at £2 or £20. (And they are good at any price, not just poor relatives of the luxury set.) Especially gratifying for me are the number of products I have discovered via the letters, emails and below-the-line comments you write. If you spot your pick below, thank you very much for sharing. If you don’t, please let me know which budget treasure I should try next.
1 Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum £17.50
Yes, I have been banging on about this for the best part of a year, but truly it’s the first mid-price serum I have ever routinely chosen over a luxury brand. One or two pumps gives a perky, healthier-looking finish to all dehydrated skin types, whether young or old, oily or dry, and layers seamlessly under any moisturiser. You should see a difference in just a couple of days.
2 Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo £7.50
Dry shampoo is no longer limited to festivals and soap-dodgers: it’s now a styling staple for adding volume, texture and a matte finish. This is probably my all-time favourite because it doesn’t have a nasty chemical smell, won’t cause scalp-itch, and leaves hair soft, not like stable hay.
3 Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19
It was a reader, Vicki, who alerted me to this. It goes on like a dream and stays there: no creasing under the eyes, no cakeyness around the nose, and the wand applicator means you needn’t bother with a brush. When layered and set with powder, it’s dense enough to cover the most evil of spots. Annoyingly, the print comes off the packaging, but for four quid you can’t moan.
4. Touch Of Silver Brightening Shampoo £3.05
A beauty classic, and with good reason. Uses sheer purple tones to counteract brassiness and add brightness and shine to grey, silver or bleached blond hair. Don’t be alarmed by the colour in the bottle. You will not end up looking like Mrs Slocombe, I promise.
5. Olay Complete Everyday Sunshine £9.99
I never expected to love this as much as I do. Not only does it give the most even, natural-looking tan to the face (expect it to develop in an hour or so), but it’s also a lovely moisturiser that provides a near-perfect base for makeup. Great on normal, combination and dry skins, mature or young.
