Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Lifestyle
Edwina Ings-Chambers

25 beauty products under £25

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

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.