Can YOU guess who spends £1,000 on their make-up… and whose beauty budget is just £10?
Two beauty lovers - with VERY different budgets - give us a peek inside their beauty bags
BRITAIN is a nation of beauty junkies with the average woman spending £4,454 on products every year - that's A LOT of lipstick.
But do you really need to fork out on expensive mascaras, foundations and eye shadows to look your best?
Rimmel London, Bobbi Brown and L’Oreal Paris were among 2017's top rated beauty brands, while price-friendly lines by the likes of Primark, H&M and Topshop have been highly applauded by shoppers.
Even the supermarket's have jumped on the (very glamorous) beauty bandwagon. Aldi's £6.99 Caviar moisturiser won "ultimate cream" in the Reveal Beauty Awards, while Tesco's £3 Syoss Shampoo was hailed "salon-worthy".
Heck, even Meghan Markle swears by a £3.70 Nivea Q10 cream.
Here, we spoke to two beauty lovers - with very different budgets - to divulge the secrets of their make-up kits.
Lela London, 28, a TV presenter from London, has a make-up bag worth £1,000. She says: "I prefer to invest in make-up because it means I spend a minimal amount of time on myself.
"I was 18 when I first started wearing it - a lot later than most women. Like many teenagers I had the occasional disaster, which usually involved blue eye shadow!
"Today I don’t go for a ‘look’. I prefer to enhance the natural features I have. I lean towards brands such as Giorgio Armani, Chanel and Charlotte Tilbury. As a make-up artist her products are focused on making the best of your skin and bringing out the best of what you have, whether that is high cheek bones, startling eyes or a good skin tone.
Lela rocks a glam but natural look in the day and adds a touch of sparkle on special occasions"When I get ready I aim to spend 10 minutes on my make-up. I will spend longer on my skincare routine beforehand and then styling my hair. Everything takes around 40 minutes in total. My getting ready ritual in the morning might be the only time I take 'me time' all day. That is why great products make that time feel extra indulgent.
"Daily I’ll wear £24.50 Lancôme Hypnôse mascara, £44 Giorgio Armani Sun Fabric bronzer, lipstick and something for the skin, usually a light base and always with SPF in it. On special occasions I’ll change it up with a different shade of lipstick, Tom Ford's £59 highlighter or something sparkly by Dior.
The most expensive items in my make-up kit are my MAC and Estee Lauder brushes. They cost over £30 per brush and I have more than 30
Lela London
"I’m a huge fan of lipstick and it's the one thing I don’t leave home without. It can change your face and how you feel about yourself in seconds. I’m known for my signature red lipstick and probably have over 100 shades! The most expensive ones are those I’ve bought from Chanel, which cost around £30 each. My favourite one changes daily but I currently adore Kat Von D’s £18 liquid lipsticks.
"The most expensive items in my make-up kit are my MAC and Estee Lauder brushes. They cost over £30 per brush and I have more than 30.
"I don't waste loads of money for the sake if it. The expense in my make-up comes from using products that have better ingredients in them. High quality products tend to also be better for skin health, use ethical ingredients, and offer recycling schemes, all of which I like to support.
"Today I shop carefully. I buy online more than I do in store and compare prices to find the cheapest offers available on my favourite brands. I go to the make-up counters only if I want to try out something new.
"Unbelievably I haven’t made any recent purchases. I’ve stockpiled for this year! I do a big splurge annually - a couple of hundred quid - and then top up as and when."
What’s inside Lela’s £1,000 make-up bag?
- BeGlow Tia facial cleansing and toning device, £199
- Uma Pure Calm 100% organic Wellness Oil, £64
- Frezyderm Factor 50+ velvet suncream, £20
- Trish McEvoy Triangle of Light eye mask sachets, £55
- Illamasqua Matte Veil primer, £34
- Nuxe reve de miel lip balm, £10
- Giorgio Armani Illuminous Silk foundation, £42
- Tom Ford sheer highlighter duo, £59
- Pro Longwear Paint Pot in shade Layin’Low by Mac, £16.50
- Benefit Cheekathon palette, £22.50
- Giorgio Armani eye tint eyeshadow, Shade II, £25
- Giorgio Armani Maestro eraser dark circle concealer, £26
- Chanel illusion d’ombre longwear eyeshadow, £26
- Dior eyeshadow palette 5 coleurs, shade 844, £47.50
- Chanel Bronze Universel Embelisseur, effet hâlé, £40
- Giorgio Armani Sun Fabric sheer bronzer, £44
- Estee Lauder Pure colour envy sculpting blush, £31
- Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder £21
- Mac Pro Longwear eye liner gel in shade Blacktrack, £17
- Tweezerman No Mess mascara guard tool, £12
- Lancôme Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara, £24.50
- Urban Decay shimmer lipstick in Lovelight, £16.50
- MAC Brow Set eyebrow gel in clear, £5.50
- Mac 187 duo fibre pigment blending brush, £34.50
- Mac 129/S all-purpose powder blush brush, £28
- Sigma Beauty F25 tapered face contour brush, £27.50
- Nude by Nature buffing blush, £25
- Real Techniques Bold Metals 100 arched finishing brush, £17
TOTAL: £1,000
Ella Collins Godden, 18, a model, singer and nanny from Shoreham-by-Sea, has a make-up bag worth £10. She says: "I don’t see the point in spending a fortune on make-up. At the end of every day I just wipe it off.
"I would be gutted if I was always removing hundreds of pounds worth of creams, liquids and powders.
"I'm familiar with the argument that if you spend more you’ll get more - but I just don't think it stands up. So much of the pricing goes into the marketing.
"I used to be on the pageant circuit and wore expensive make-up. When mum did invest in the expensive brands they'd typically last six weeks, whereas high-street make-up would keep going for three months. You really are paying for the name on the packaging.
"I first started wearing make up at 13. Like most teenagers I relied on concealer, mascara and lip-gloss. Nowadays I do wear a bit more. That is because I reckon I have found my ‘look.’ I’ve got pale freckly skin. I go for the lightest shade of foundation from Boots, which usually costs £2. It’s the perfect coverage for me and does all the right things.
"In Poundland I pick up my eye shadows and lip products. They have a good variety of colour palettes. Primark stocks a fantastic highlighting powder and costs just £1.50. It is a shade darker than my foundation and perfect to use on my eyes and to highlight areas of my cheeks. Multipurpose, reasonably priced make-up gets a big tick in my book.
"My favourite item is a lip balm from Boots – it is also the cheapest at £1.49. It is tinted and smells gorgeous. My mascara costs £1.90. I’ve tried more expensive brands such as Benefit but this one is brilliant. It lengthens and thickens my lashes, it’s as though I’m wearing false eyelashes.
In Poundland I pick up my eye shadows and lip products. They have a good variety of colour palettes
Ella Collins Godden
"I suspect this prudent approach won't ever leave me - even if I won the lottery! That’s why I only buy make-up as and when I need it.
"My mum doesn’t wear make up. She’s 49 and has a wrinkle free complexion. She has drummed it into me to look after my skin telling me that making my face up starts from the inside out. That's why I don’t eat junk food and I drink lots of water too.
"There are so many girls in their teens who don’t feel that they can go to prom or parties because they don’t have enough make up. I want everyone to know that my £10 look is just as good."
What's inside Ella's £10 make-up bag?
- Boots Natural Collection Foundation, £2.99
- Boots Natural Collection Lip Balm (doubled up as blusher), £1.99
- Boots Natural Collection Lengthening Mascara (doubled up as eye-liner), £2.49
- Beauty blender sponge, Poundland (part of pack of five), 20p each
- Brow gel, Poundland (part of pack of five), 20p each
- Mini make-up brush, Christmas cracker gift, £0
- Primark PS smoky eye edit in nine colours, £2.50
Total: £10.57
Meanwhile, can YOU tell the posh £400 salon dye from the £1 Poundland box job?
And, can you REALLY replicate Meghan Markle’s £700k designer wardrobe on a budget? We put it to the test.
Make up by Rina Steinberg.