Best Budget Makeup Brands

January is always a tight month after the chaos of December.

Here’s a round up of my favourite budget-friendly make-up brands, according to category:

FOUNDATION: Bourjois has a great offering of BB creams, CC creams as well as foundation. Their shade selection is not great, though; so darker skinned girls should browse the Rimmel stand for a wide selection of finishes and shades.

CONCEALER: One of my fave all-time concealers is from Revlon – the PhotoReady Concealer has hidden many a late night. An honorary mention also needs to go to Catrice for their great concealer selection.

PRIMER & SETTING POWDER: Catrice wins this category hands down. Every finish you could possibly want is available within this range.

MASCARA: What else could it be but Maybelline?

BROWS: The best brow set and brow gel I’ve tried in recent years come from essence. There are various shades and formulas available.

EYE SHADOW: Good old L’Oreal Paris has the eye shadow category covered with their matte, satin, pearl and metallic shadows.

EYELINER: You really can never go wring with Rimmel’s Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definers, which come in loads of colours. They are retractable and come with a smudger and sharpener. But there are also numerous other liner options on Rimmel stands, so go and check them out.

BLUSH: Max Factor took this because of the launch of their gorgeous Crème Puff Blush a few years ago. These multi-tonal pigments were firm favourites in the beauty world after just a few weeks.

LIPSTICK & GLOSS: Again, no brand can beat Rimmel in this category. From the Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipsticks to the hugely popular Oh My Gloss glosses, there really is something for everyone.

BRUSHES: The best bang for your buck as far as brushes go is shared with The Body Shop and the beauty blogger favourite, Real Techniques. The Body Shop Foundation Brush is one of the best I’ve ever used and the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is the only buffing tool you’ll ever need.