I’m pretty sure everyone is feeling the financial pinch at the moment, particularly post-Christmas and for those self-employed amongst you, I’m sure you need no reminder that the tax decline is looming. With that thought in mind, I decided to share five of my favourite budget makeup brands which are not only cheap and cheerful but have some great products in their range. (I appreciate that for those of you with a January spending band in place, this may not be a helpful post…)
Before I start, what do I mean by budget beauty? In my mind budget beauty means that it is affordable and sustainable. It also means that a product costs less than £20.00 – ideally under £10.00! A budget brand is a brand whose entire makeup range comes in at under £20.00*. This sounds far fetched I know but believe me, these brands are out there.
*I do make a small allowance for good sized palettes which contain multiple products (at least 6), as these do sometimes tip the scale slightly – but not by much. Gift sets and multi-packs don’t count!
Benecos
Benecos (bene meaning good in Latin and cos for cosmetics) were founded in 2008 by German husband and wife team Silke and Stephan Becker. Formulate using natural and organic ingredients, the entire range is free from petrochemicals, GMOs, synthetic dyes or fragrances, silicones or parabens, microbeads, ethoxylated raw materials, nanoparticles, phthalates and of course not taste on animals. All of the products are certified BDIH Natural and some are certified COSMOS Organic and many are also vegan.
What’s the cost? Prices range from £3.25 (lip balm) – £22.95 (for an 8 product palette), with most individual products coming in around £6.00!
Favourite products? I’m a big fan of the Benecos eye liner pencils and the jumbo lipsticks. The eyeshadows are also really good – I’ve introduced the brand to my teenage daughter over the past year or so and she loves them too.
Honeypie Minerals
Claudia established multi-award winning Honeypie Minerals in 2012 after she started handcrafting mineral makeup for herself and her family. I discovered them not long after and have been a fan ever since. The range is 100% natural and contains non-GMO ingredients, using natural minerals and pigments. None of the ingredients have been irradiated or contain nano-particles and the mica has been ethically and sustainably sourced and is of course totally vegan.
What’s the cost? Prices range from £15.00 (mineral foundations – you can get sample sizes for £2.99) – £5.00 (eyeshadow refills).
Favourite products? I like the mineral foundations and the pearlescent highlighting powder is dreamy!
Lily Lolo
I came across mineral makeup brand Lily Lolo way back in 2011 but they were the brainchild of founder Nikki Khan who created the brand in her bedroom in 2005! A range of high quality, all natural mineral make-up that is free from nano sized particles, Bismuth Oxychloride, synthetic dyes and fragrances, petrochemicals and parabens; many of the potentially toxic ingredients found in conventional make-up and even some mineral brands! Although not entirely vegan friendly, Lily Lolo is approved under the BUAV and Leaping Bunny cruelty free schemes.
What’s the cost? Prices range from £10.00 (lip and eye pencils) – £19.00 (cream foundation). The 8 pan eyeshadow palettes combine at £24.50.
Favourite products? The Finishing Powder is a staple in my pro kit. I also like their lip pencils
Avril
Born in 2012 in northern France, Avril was founded by Alexis Dhellemmes who, seeing a gap in the market wanted to create a range of high-quality organic beauty at low prices. Fast forward 13 years and the brand now has 50 stand alone stores across France, Belgium and Morocco! The range is certified organic (excluding nail polish and the COSMOS Natural range) and over 70% of the products are vegan.
What’s the cost? Prices range from €4 (£3.50 – lip pencil) – €12 (£10.50 – cream foundation). Please be aware, Avril are based in France so transcontinental shipping costs would be incurred.
Favourite products? I love the Avril eyeshadows and they also stock great range of coloured eyeliner pencils.
Earthnicity Minerals
London based Earthnicity Minerals was established in 2009 by Edna Fauziah Mohd Zin who was on a mission is to produce all-natural mineral makeup for all ethnicities in accordance with their motto: Beauty For All The Colours of The World; consequently, the makeup shades based on real world complexions. The vegan friendly range is free from preservatives, parabens, mineral oil/petroleum-derived products, FD&C dyes, talc and Bismuth Oxychloride, an ingredient found in many mineral makeup ranges.
What’s the cost? Prices range from £7.20 (eyeshadow) – £20.40 (mineral foundations).
Favourite products? I love the mineral blush.
