7 of the very best in budget beauty

Homemade Foodie Lip Balm

Anyone with an experimental streak and a passion for natural ingredients is able to capitalise on this sneaky trick. You can allegedly make tinted lip balm using one teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, mixed with any one of the following crushed ingredients: one raspberry, three blackberries, three cherries, or the juice from three pomegranate seeds. Mix well, strain, and play around with quantities to find the perfect recipe. If you can master the best ratio for you, then you have discovered a lifetime of chemical-free, dirt-cheap lip care. Life is balmy.

False Eyelashes: Swapping the Falsies for Baby Powder

This trick is best approached with caution, but does work; baby powder used between mascara coats makes eyelashes look thicker. The method is to curl eyelashes as usual, apply one coat of mascara, and then, taking a cotton wool bud dipped in baby powder, coat lashes until they look ashy grey. Add another coat of mascara to finish off.

Vaseline Perfume Setter

The tub of miracles has a lesser known use alongside its many moisturising purposes. Applying a dab of Vaseline to skin prior to spraying perfume on the site helps to lock the scent in and make it last much longer.

Nivea Men Post Shave Balm: as Good as a High End Primer

YouTube beauty mogul Nikkietutorials introduced the online populace to this trick after running out of her own moisturiser and using the next best thing in her boyfriend’s bathroom cabinet. She used Nivea Men Post Shave Balm under her makeup and was impressed by how unaltered it looked ten hours later. Use it like a normal primer and wait for it to go slightly tacky before applying makeup—I can testify that it lives up to the hype. Beauty bloggers claim the high amount of Glycerine it contains is what makes it so effective. The best news is that it costs less than a fiver and smells delish.

Starbucks Napkins

This is a great tip for managing oily skin—Starbucks napkins function well as alternatives to blotting paper. The freebie napkins have developed such a cult following for their blotting paper qualities, that they even have their own page on MakeupAlley.

Steam Facial

This beauty hack costs virtually nothing and feels like a deep pamper session. Remove all makeup, bring a few cups of water to the boil, and leave in a bowl. Drape a towel over your head so you look like a Dementor and then steam for ten minutes with your eyes closed, finishing the treatment with another cleanse and moisturise .

Argan Oil Foundation

Argan oil or, alternatively, coconut oil, can be bought online for very little expense and has many beauty enhancing properties. It can be used as deep treatments and is the current trend for making super glowy foundation. A drop can be added to any oil-based foundation and it will make the skin glow—this is best for people with dry skin but powder can be applied to the T-zone so that the glow is in the correct places.