Following on from my “Top 5 skincare items for under £20” post earlier on this week, I thought I’d do the same with makeup. A lot of people believe that you need to spend a fortune to look good and you only need the best brands but there are so many cheaper options out there. I regularly use just drugstore makeup and if I’m honest, I don’t notice much difference between my £9 foundations and my £30 foundations! Again, I’ve picked out the top five items on Notino but this time they’re under £10.

My first pick is not actually makeup, but a tool. It doesn’t matter what foundation you use, you need a good tool to apply it with and this is where the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge comes in. All you need to do is dampen it and it helps you to apply your foundation/concealer/cream contour/cream highlighter like a dream! I would not be without one of these in my collection and I must have tried so many alternatives.

When it comes to concealer, I only really use ones from the drugstore. One of my absolute favourites is the Maybelline Age Rewind. It comes with a sponge applicator on the end which makes it so easy to apply and it blends in really well using the aforementioned Real Techniques sponge. My favourite shade is ‘Brightening’ which I use under my eyes to counteract any darkness.

I’m really picky when it comes to mascara as my lashes are just short and straight and don’t really like to hold a curl. I saw a lot of YouTubers talking about the L’Oreal Paris Paradise mascara, so I had to try it out for myself. I was really surprised when I received it as it gives a lot of volume without leaving the lashes looking clumpy and it even works on my rubbish lashes!

Everyone is mad on highlighter these days and it’s one thing that the drugstore has done really well. You don’t need to spend an absolute fortune to get that knock out glow. One brand that stands out in particular is Makeup Revolution. All of the highlighters that I have used by them have been amazing, but I particularly love the Ultra Cool Glow palette. For under £10 you get six stunning highlighters that are highly pigmented and blend really well onto the skin. You can use the shades individually or together to create your own unique glow.

Lipstick finishes off the whole look and I really love the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet liquid lipsticks. They come in so many colours and are an absolute bargain. They are so easy to apply with their doe-foot applicator and they dry down to a matte finish. Although they’re matte, they’re not drying on the lips which makes them very comfortable to wear. I really recommend you pick one of these up!