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Speaking from personal experience, the world of designer beauty products is a slippery slope. You try out one highly reviewed product—for me, it was Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder—and because it works better than the cheap stuff you’ve been using, you become convinced that designer cosmetics and/or skincare must be the way to go. Next thing you know, you’re spending hundreds on beauty products every month. 

Don’t get me wrong: There are many high-end products that are worth the splurge (I still live and die by that setting powder), but there are also a lot of inexpensive beauty products that work just as well, if not better, than the high-end alternatives. So before you drop £180 on a jar of La Mer moisturiser, check out these top-rated beauty products under £35. You might be surprised at how well they rival their expensive counterparts!

1. A face wash that leaves your skin hydrated, not dry

The Northern Echo: This creamy cleanser may not foam like other products, but it works great on sensitive skin. Credit: CeraVeThis creamy cleanser may not foam like other products, but it works great on sensitive skin. Credit: CeraVe

A good cleanser is a must-have part of any skincare routine, and people really, really love the CeraVe Hydrating Face Wash, which is formulated for dry skin. The creamy cleanser removes dirt, oil, and makeup, all while helping to restore the skin's protective barrier. Plus, it's fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, meaning it’s non-irritating and won't clog your pores.

‘I have dry, extremely sensitive skin. I bought this cleanser on a whim, and it’s the best one I’ve ever used!’ says one happy buyer.

2. A budget-friendly lip gloss that people obsess over

The Northern Echo: The Butter Lip Gloss comes in a variety of flattering shades. Credit: NYX CosmeticsThe Butter Lip Gloss comes in a variety of flattering shades. Credit: NYX Cosmetics

Designer lip glosses can cost £30 or more—that’s 10 times the price of this cult-favourite gloss from NYX Cosmetics. The Butter Lip Gloss is soft, silky smooth, and never sticky, and it comes in a wide range of pinks, reds, and neutrals to suit every style. Many reviewers say it's their go-to lip product and several note that it doesn’t dry out their lips like other products can.

‘I have very sensitive lips. They break out and dry out on the edges if I try anything “cheap”, so I was sceptical on purchasing this gloss’. one Amazon reviewer writes. ‘It’s so buttery and pretty! My husband and I both think it smells like cookies LOL. It goes with anything I wear and feels moisturising; my new favourite!!’ 

3. A personal favourite everyday concealer

The Northern Echo: This is my absolute favourite concealer for everyday use. Credit: MaybellineThis is my absolute favourite concealer for everyday use. Credit: Maybelline

If you’re planning on wearing a full face of makeup, you may reach for a full-coverage concealer, like the mega-popular Tarte Shape Tape. However, for an everyday makeup look, I prefer a more subtle, less-fuss product—namely, the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Multi-Use Concealer. It covers up dark circles and redness without looking caked on, and the sponge applicator is convenient and easy to use.

4. A daily moisturiser that will leave your skin glowing

The Northern Echo: This moisturiser contains SPF 30, so it does double-duty as a sunscreen. Credit: AveenoThis moisturiser contains SPF 30, so it does double-duty as a sunscreen. Credit: Aveeno

Moisturised skin is happy skin, and if your face is frequently dry or flaky, you need a product like the Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Face Moisturiser. The formula is oil-free, hypoallergenic, and non-comedogenic, making it a good choice for those with sensitive skin, and it contains broad-spectrum SPF 30 to protect all skin from sun damage. The product is designed to moisturise while improving the appearance of skin, and reviewers say it truly works, helping to give them a brighter, more even complexion.

One Amazon reviewer writes: ‘I keep coming back to this Aveeno moisturiser. I use it in combination with another moisturiser, this one goes on top for SPF protection. I still really like it and helps to smooth out my complexion. I've been using it on and off for well over 15 years. My skin likes it’.

5. This overnight lip mask for a supple pucker

The Northern Echo: Get ready for soft, kissable lips. Credit: LaneigeGet ready for soft, kissable lips. Credit: Laneige

You can keep your lips feeling luscious with the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, which comes in a variety of tasty-sounding flavours, like watermelon and vanilla. Apply this lip mask before bed, and as you sleep, it soothes and moisturises your lips, leaving them feeling supple come morning.

6. A jade face roller to soothe and de-puff

The Northern Echo: This inexpensive toolset helps to plump your skin. Credit: Credit: Reviewed / Betsey GoldwasserThis inexpensive toolset helps to plump your skin. Credit: Credit: Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser

Jade rollers are part of traditional Asian skincare, they’re thought to boost collagen production and minimise fine lines, wrinkles, and puffy under-eye bags with regular use, though this isn’t proven. What is: A cool stone roller feels great on the skin and can provide relief for puffy eyes or inflamed skin.

This particular product includes a dual-sided roller and jade gua sha scraper, and reviewers rave about the results they’ve seen.

7. These patches to smooth wrinkles

The Northern Echo: You can use these patches under your eyes or around your mouth. Credit: SmoothiesYou can use these patches under your eyes or around your mouth. Credit: Smoothies

If you’re fighting the good fight against wrinkles, you should consider adding these anti-wrinkle strips to your arsenal. These unique patches helped to smooth out the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines. Plus, they cost less than £20!

8. This reviewer-favourite sugar scrub

The Northern Echo: This sugar scrub is ideal for exfoliating your body. Credit: Tree HutThis sugar scrub is ideal for exfoliating your body. Credit: Tree Hut

You can keep your body feeling soft, smooth, and exfoliated with this top-rated sugar skin scrub. It comes in a variety of tropical scents—coconut lime, tropical mango, pear and chia, and so on—and the scrub is made with shea butter to soften and moisturise while it removes dead skin.

‘The scrub is quite coarse and not something you'd use on thin skin like your face or the back of your hands, but it is amazing for legs, abs, and booty’, explains one reviewer, who gives the scrub five stars.

9. A scalp massager to use in the shower

The Northern Echo: You can deep clean your scalp with this massager. Credit: MaxsoftYou can deep clean your scalp with this massager. Credit: Maxsoft

Give your head the TLC it deserves with this scalp massager. This one from Maxsoft features thick-but-soft silicone bristles that exfoliate your hair for a deep clean while stimulating blood flow to your scalp. It fits comfortably in your hand, thanks to its easy-to-grip handle.

‘I’ve suffered with a dry, flaking scalp for about a year now’, writes one reviewer. ‘I have used tea tree oil shampoo, dandruff shampoo, coconut oil, you name it. I finally read somewhere that exfoliating the scalp might help ... I thought I’d give it a try, and holy moly, my flakes are gone! It’s made out of a silicone-type material and the little 'bristles' are flexible but still get the job done’.

10. An incredibly popular pore-cleansing clay mask

The Northern Echo: This clay mask pulls impurities out of your pores. Credit: Aztec SecretsThis clay mask pulls impurities out of your pores. Credit: Aztec Secrets

There are so many pore-cleansing masks out there today, but users dote on this one from Aztec Secret. It uses natural calcium bentonite clay that you mix with apple cider vinegar to remove dirt and impurities from your skin, leaving your face feeling soft and clean. 

11. An easy-to-use brow pencil

The Northern Echo: For a designer product, Brow Wiz is surprisingly affordable. Credit: Anastasia Beverly HillsFor a designer product, Brow Wiz is surprisingly affordable. Credit: Anastasia Beverly Hills

This is another one of my go-to beauty products, and I’m far from the only person who loves it. The Brow Wiz pencils have ultra-fine tips that let you draw hair-like strokes, creating the illusion of fuller eyebrows. The formula is long-lasting and smudge-proof, and reviewers love how easily it goes on and how customisable it is, whether you want natural, feathery brows or intense, thick ones.

12. Acne patches to banish pimples overnight

The Northern Echo: Pop on one of these stickers, and watch your pimple disappear. Credit: Mighty PatchPop on one of these stickers, and watch your pimple disappear. Credit: Mighty Patch

Pimple popping up on your chin? Don’t stress! With the Mighty Patch Pimple Patches, you can place one of the hydrocolloid stickers over your blemish, and in as little as six hours, you’ll notice it’s visibly shrunken. They’re perfect for using overnight, and there will be little to no redness or irritation come morning.

‘I do not claim to understand the science behind these tiny miracles, but they have changed my life’, says one reviewer. ‘I spent my workday looking forward to going home and putting one of these bad boys on my newly erupted Mt. Zit, and the overnight results were shocking’.

13. Inexpensive blending sponges

The Northern Echo: These affordable makeup sponges are just as good as high-end options. Credit: BeakeyThese affordable makeup sponges are just as good as high-end options. Credit: Beakey

The OG makeup sponges—you know, the brand that rhymes with Cutie Clender—are great for applying foundation, concealer, and other liquid cosmetics, but they cost almost £20 for one. Save yourself some money and get these dupes instead. The five-piece makeup sponge set costs less than £10, and makeup enthusiasts say they’re phenomenal and work just as well as the ‘real thing’.

‘I’m honestly really stinking happy with my little sponges’, one Amazon reviewer raves. ‘They double in size as soon as you get them damp but they don’t soak up any of my foundation so nothing goes to waste. It applies my makeup smoothly and works just as well as a Beauty Blender but for a fraction of the price. Totally worth it’.

14. A hydrating serum to smooth and plump your skin

The Northern Echo: Hyaluronic acid is great for hydrating the skin. Credit: CosmedicaHyaluronic acid is great for hydrating the skin. Credit: Cosmedica

Hyaluronic acid is a popular beauty ingredient because of its ability to retain moisture and plump the skin. You can incorporate this hyaluronic acid serum from Cosmedica into your beauty routine to help combat dryness, fine lines and wrinkles, and dullness by applying it to clean skin before moisturiser or by adding it into your moisturiser.

15. This bizarre yet effective tool for reducing wrinkles

The Northern Echo: This microneedle roller may help improve your complexion. Credit: Sdara SkincareThis microneedle roller may help improve your complexion. Credit: Sdara Skincare

While it looks a bit like a torture device, this microneedling roller is a must-have beauty tool for those with fine lines and wrinkles or acne scarring, according to its happy owners. The teeny, tiny needles on the surface of the roller make equally tiny holes in your skin (don’t worry, they’re practically invisible to our eyes), which stimulates the production of collagen, i.e., the connective tissue in the skin, to help improve your skin’s strength and elasticity.

‘I bought this on a whim and goodness, it's awesome’, explains one happy buyer. ‘Indentations are filling in, raised patches are flattening out, and dark spots are lightening up’.

16. Eyebrow and facial razors with a cult-like following

The Northern Echo: These inexpensive razors are the best way to remove peach fuzz. Credit: TinkleThese inexpensive razors are the best way to remove peach fuzz. Credit: Tinkle

Any peach fuzz on your face can make it harder to apply makeup smoothly, which is why so many beauty enthusiasts turn to the facial razors from Tinkle. The inexpensive blades are ideal for removing eyebrow, neck, and facial hair, and soon you’ll be a dermaplaning convert.

‘You will be amazed, grossed out, and so oddly satisfied with the sheer amount of hair and dead skin that you will remove the first time you dermaplane with Tinkles!’ says one verified reviewer on Amazon.

17. A spray-on root concealer for when you can’t make it to the salon

The Northern Echo: If you can't make it to the salon, you can cover up greys with this spray. Credit: L'Oreal ParisIf you can't make it to the salon, you can cover up greys with this spray. Credit: L'Oreal Paris

Sometimes you’re just too busy to fit in a hair colouring appointment, but you can still look your best with the help of the Magic Retouch Instant Root Concealer Spray from L’Oreal Paris. It comes in eight shades from black to blond. Within seconds, you’ll be able to conceal your grown-out roots and grey hairs with the lightweight-feeling, spray-on formula. 

18. This top-rated vitamin C serum

The Northern Echo: Who doesn't love a good—and inexpensive—serum? Credit: FlorenceWho doesn't love a good—and inexpensive—serum? Credit: Florence

This fan-favourite vitamin C serum is packed with beneficial ingredients to help brighten, smooth, and tone your skin. It contains hyaluronic acid and aloe vera that moisturise the skin, as well as witch hazel and vitamin C to even the skin’s tone and texture. Reviewers say it works well on acne scars and hyperpigmentation, and many agree it’s gentle enough for those with sensitive skin.

19. An affordable matte setting spray that keeps makeup from melting off

The Northern Echo: A setting spray is essential for hot summer days. Credit: NYX CosmeticsA setting spray is essential for hot summer days. Credit: NYX Cosmetics

A lot of people (myself included) swear by Urban Decay’s All-Nighter Setting Spray, but if you’re looking for something a little more budget-friendly, this setting spray from NYX is one of your best options. It leaves your skin with a shine-free finish and it will keep your makeup in place on those hot, humid summer days.

‘This is one of my top three favourite products ever!’ says one Amazon reviewer. ‘My makeup stays put all day and evening until I remove it, and I've got oily skin, so for me to say this is seriously amazing’.

20. An easy-to-use stamp that gives you the effortless winged eyeliner

The Northern Echo: If like me, you can't draw even winged liner, this stamp is a game-changer. Credit: LovoirIf like me, you can't draw even winged liner, this stamp is a game-changer. Credit: Lovoir

I’ve tried for years, but I’ve never managed to perfect winged eyeliner—one side is always longer than the other or at the wrong angle! If you’re in the same boat, The Flick Stick will be a game-changer for you. All you have to do is stamp on the wing, then connect it to the rest of your liner with the double-sided pen. Makeup enthusiasts love The Flick Stick, writing that it makes a perfect cat eye faster and easier than ever.

One Amazon reviewer gushes: ‘I just want to make my morning routine as easy as possible. I love winged liner but I don’t have the steady hand for it without mistakes. This makes a perfect and consistent wing every time. Love it!’

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.