By Holly O'Neill
14th Oct 2017
14th Oct 2017
Want affordable make-up you can pick up while shopping your favourite fashion brands? The high street has never looked so beautiful, says Holly O’Neill.
Many of the high street’s favourite fashion destinations have placed themselves firmly on the beauty map for customers with an enthusiasm for gorgeous products that won’t break their budget. Affordable make-up used to mean sticky lipgloss, foundation that caked, eye shadow that crumbled with barely any pigment, clumpy mascara and powder that left your face chalky. Today, however, the budget beauty sector has never looked better, with quality that can rival brands in a much higher price bracket. From French make-up created in Paris to organic products packaged in recycled materials, these are the heroes on the high street that have every right to sit alongside those from the beauty giants…
& OTHER STORIES
Can’t manage a trip to France without spending hours nosing through the local pharmacy for treasures? & Other Stories is right on the zeitgeist with its new Paris Atelier collection, created with botanical ingredients of certified French origin, like cold-pressed plum oil and extracts from chicory and oak. The foundation, powder and lipstick is all you need to nail the signature French woman’s ‘never-trying-too-hard’ look. If the natural lavender fragrance in the Paris Atelier Nail Varnish Remover, €9, doesn’t make you feel like you’re lazing in a meadow in Provence, the collection’s on-point Gallic chic packaging will certainly make your bathroom look like a Parisian apothecary. Available from October.
Lipstick €19
Creme Foundation, €25
Classic Powder, €19
Eyeshadow Palette, €19
H&M
Last year, H&M expanded its already wide-ranging assortment of make-up, body care, haircare and beauty tools to include the Conscious range, created with certified organic, sustainably produced, innovative products; think aluminium-free roll-on deodorant and pre-shampoo hair oil. Prize picks out now include the Glitter Mascara/ Eyeliner duo, €5.99, Custom Colour Drops, €14.99, in a light and dark formula to adjust your foundation shade, and the creamy, lightweight Vivid Lip Lacquer, €7.99, in fresh and flattering hues.
Summer Haze Shimmer Oil, €12.99
All Over Highlighter €14.99
Eyeshadow €7.99
Glitter Mascara/Eyeliner €5.99
Brow Specialist Pencil, €3.99
Vivid Lip Lacquer, €7.99
TOPSHOP
Topshop Beauty offers exceptional value, but their pencils are the standout stars. They easily compete with their luxury counterparts, but at considerably more budget-friendly prices. If you struggle with the perfect brow pencil, they’ve simplified it – Spike is for brunettes, while Vicious Circle is for blondes.
Shazam Lipstick, €10
Slumber Lip Bullet Trio, €16.50
Eyebrow Pencil in Spike & Vicious Circle €8
Eyeshadow in Ember €10
MARKS & SPENCER
The Marks & Spencer beauty hall is packed with well-chosen brands that have garnered their own near-cult followings. Need-to-knows include Rosie for Autograph, the M&S beauty brand by supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whitely (all dusty-blush pinks, packaged in rose gold), and a lot of smart skincare. Pixi Overnight Glow Serum, €34 (for overnight exfoliant without the sting), and Formula’s Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream, €30, are magical elixirs that will work overnight, so you wake up with a bright complexion.
Rosie for Autograph Lip Glossy, €17
Rosie for Autograph Cream Blusher, €19
Pixi Overnight Glow Serum, €34
From Left: Formula Absolute Ultimate Sleep Cream, €30, Formula Absolute Serum Elixer, €30, Formula Innovative Pearl Illuminiser, 27
PENNEYS
The difference that great brushes and tools can make to your beauty regime is nothing short of amazing- and it’s the oft forgotten key to the perfect make-up application. Penneys is your one-stop shop for well, everything, but their beauty range, PS… is your first destination on the high street for a full kit of destination on the high street for a full kit of brushes, tools in the dreamiest rose gold, and affordable trending products. Their ultimate high street hero? The Pro Eyeliner Corrector Pen, €3, saves you from tantrums trying to nail winged eyeliner precision.
PS…Pro Eyeliner Corrector Pen, €3
PS…Mascara, €2.50
Brushes, from €2
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