BEST BEAUTY BARGAINS
At 21 I bought my first anti-ageing eye cream. The day was 1 March, my birthday, and the year a distant, pre-Blair memory. The cream was by Chanel. I don't remember how much it cost, but it hurt. Though what I thought was the alternative hurt worse. For me, 21 marked the beginning of the fight against ageing (oh, the naivety). And to address it properly and effectively, I believed I needed to throw money at it.
Fast-forward to 2010. As a beauty journalist and blogger I've spent 15 years immersed in face creams. And I've realised you don't have to spend a fortune on beauty products to attain good results. The truth is there is plenty out there that is affordable, looks good, feels good and will give you a great result. Yes, really. The beauty industry has bounded forward in great leaps over the past decade. Knowledge about ingredients and how to make sophisticated products is better than it has ever been, spurred on by an increasingly competitive market and huge conglomerates passing down their technological discoveries from prestige to mass-market brands. So here is the low-down on some of the affordable products I use, rate and love.
MAKE-UP
Corum Replica WatchMASCARA My great friend Jo prefers cheap mascara to expensive, because she says it doesn't clog. She swears by Maybelline's green and pink classic, Great Lash (Pounds 4.99; maybelline.co.uk). Jo has thick lashes, so it works for her. I find the brush too spindly for my thinner lashes and prefer Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express Mascara (Pounds 6.99), although it has been relegated to evening, because after a few weeks of use it does go a bit thick for daytime.
Max Factor Lash Extension Effect (Pounds 10.99; maxfactor.co.uk) is right now the best of the cheap mascaras at defining and lengthening lashes naturally. It has minute fibres in it, which add length. Clever.
FOUNDATION Generally speaking, I would always pay more for foundation, as colours and textures tend to look more natural; Chanel and Bobbi Brown are hard to beat. But when I heard that the make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury was working on an affordable line for Boots, Myface, I made a beeline for the foundation. Mymix (Pounds 12.71; 0845 070 8090) gives an expensive finish, and colours don't have that cheap, chalky look. Max Factor Second Skin Foundation (Pounds 13.99; maxfactor.co.uk) has a natural finish. Colours are good, if lacking in dark shades. I like the yellow- based Warm Almond.
EYES Good cheap eyeshadows can be hard to nail - too much shimmer, or chalky and dull. There are some gems, though. Beauty UK, recently launched at Superdrug, is a great find. Colours are high- quality and prices low. Look out for the Metallic Eye Quads (Pounds 3.49; 0800 096 1055): No 1 is a beautiful mix of bronze, taupe and brown; No 2 is brilliant for a classic smoky eye.
Barbara Daly Make-Up at Tesco is also well worth tracking down, especially the Eyeshadows (Pounds 4.22; 0800 505555), flattering, smoky browns and taupes in matte and slightly sheeny textures to rival Bobbi Brown. Antique, Truffle and Smoke are Omega Replica Watches favourites.
Topshop has just launched a terrific new make-up line. The catwalk make-up artist Hannah Murray is on board to consult on colour. Packaging is quirky, with a hand-drawn effect, and looks and feels as expensive as a make-up -artist range, but prices go from Pounds 4 to Pounds 12. I love a pinkish-grey eye pencil called First Light (Pounds 5; 0845 121 4519). It looks soft and pretty smudged around the eye over brown or black eyeliner.
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