by Full make-up may be doing the rounds right now with the rich, viral “mob bean” trend – think over-lined lips, heavy blusher and smokey eyes – but not everyone is looking for it. As a beauty editor, and someone who has no desire to look like a mob wife, I still think that the real luxury of beauty comes from subtle improvements.
As any make-up artist will show, there’s a lot more to creating a soft ‘no make-up’ look than just applying a thick foundation and layering on mascara. There’s something about making it look like the products are enhancing your face rather than covering it completely. But for years expensive formulas with such expensive price tags were often a more elegant make-up look. We’re delighted that many high street beauty brands are now just as impressive as many of their pricier counterparts. Here are the ways to save the pounds in your make-up bag with tried and tested formulas.
Perfect preparation
Applying a primer before other make-up is often seen as an unnecessary extra rather than a necessary make-up does make all the difference. An effective make-up primer will enhance the appearance of the products you apply on top of it. Make-up artist Lan Nguyen-Grealis finds them essential before applying make-up to “even out skin tone, create a smooth base and fill in pores and fine lines”. The two best ones we’ve tried are The Brightening Primer by Beauty Pie, £13.50, and the ELF Power Grip Primer, £10. The former, as the name suggests, helps to boost the skin’s radiance under foundation, adding a lit-from-within glow. And the second keeps your make-up in place without causing any damage to the skin. It has been a huge success since it was launched last year.
Skin care hybrids
The telltale sign of poorly applied makeup often lies in the foundation. Although it is tempting to slather on a thick layer of foundations to balance out the complex, in fact it will emphasize lines and wrinkles and often require the heavy amount of blusher and eye make up on top. For years many high-end brands have been infusing hydrating skincare ingredients into their foundation and concealer formulas, and now the high street brands are following suit. Think of these formulas as today’s tinted moisturisers with added benefits.
Nguyen-Grealis finds the most sophisticated liquid or balm textures to blend easily into the skin for a natural glow. One of the most notable is the Tinted True Match Nude Plumping Serum £15 by L’Oreal Paris. With 1 percent hyaluronic acid, the product applies like a serum – complete with a dropper applicator – and blends into the skin beautifully. Buff in a few drops with a fluffy synthetic make-up brush for a skin-enhancing effect. Also great is the Maybelline Instant Anti Age Perfector 4-In-1. This lightly conceals areas like the under eyes, and adds a glowy finish. One word of advice, however: ditch the clunky sponge applicator and instead apply with a brush on the face.
If you’re not a fan of tinted moisturizer or foundation, another way to master an expensive make-up look is by pairing your primer with concealer – used sparingly when you need it – and ditching the foundation altogether. The Bare With Me Concealer Serum by NYX is one of the best concealers on the high street at under £12. I would happily use it more than concealers three times the price. Pat and blend in with your ring finger: the natural warmth from your finger will help the product melt into the skin.
Creams over powders
While traditional powder blouses pack a punch when it comes to pigmentation, they can often look drying on the skin. The rise in popularity of cream blushers has changed all that: you can now get a very natural pop of color on the cheeks without the obvious cosmetic look of powder blushers.
High street brands have taken notice from high-end beauty companies and infused their blushers with skincare too, for added benefits: Max Factor’s Pure Miracle Cream Blush £10 is excellent. Just do a small dot on the cheeks and rub it in.
The same texture switch applies to bronzers too: every week it seems a new cream bronzer hits the market. One of the best options is the Cream Bronzer by REFY. Although not cheap at £18, a little bit of the product goes a long way. For the best application, apply the product “to the side of your cheeks and blend with a Beautyblender sponge,” advises Nguyen-Grealis.
A final flourish
You don’t have to look far to find good, affordable lipsticks – brands like Rimmel, Maybelline and Max Factor have some great options for just a few pounds. But while matte formulations are easy to come by, finding trendy lip oils at an approachable price is not so easy. Think of lip oils as the grown-up, more hydrating and less sticky version of lip gloss. Although she is known primarily for her clothes, Zara beauty has been popular with customers and beauty editors alike. The retailer’s Lip Oil, £10, comes in three muted shades. ELF Lip Glow Reviver Oil, £8, comes in seven beautiful shades and the texture feels incredibly moist. The cushion applicator feels very luxurious, too.
In addition to being a common texture for blushers, we are starting to see creams used for eyeshadows, too. Yes, this sounds like a messy nightmare, but in reality the best cream shadows blend beautifully and set within a minute or two. The Beauty Pie Wondercolour Longwear Cream Eyeshadow Sticks, £12 each, are the best. They come in all the colors you could really want wanting to wear – beiges, soft pink and subtle metallic – and they are simple to apply. Just stroke onto your lash line, blend with your ring finger and you’re done. Finish with a few coats of mascara. Maybelline’s Sensational Sky Lash High Mascara, £12, was the best selling make-up product in Boots in 2023. We can confirm it’s amazing, and proves you don’t need to spend big on beauty to get results get great.
