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Cheap beauty thrills we love

January is always a tight month after the chaos of December. Here’s a round up of our 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 Yardley stand for a wide selection of finishes and shades.

CONCEALER: One of our fave all-time concealers is from Revlon – the PhotoReady Concealer has hidden many a late night.

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 we’ve tried in recent years come from essence. There are various shades and formulas available.

EYE SHADOW: Good old L’Oréal 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 last year. These multi-tonal pigments were firm favourites in the office 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 we’ve every used and the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is the only buffing tool you’ll ever need.

Emmy is the daughter of a sailor, animal loving, coffee addicted, beauty product junkie editor of  Rouge.

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