The 10 under-£5 buys our beauty team use day-to-day - and restock (even when they're not on sale)

From our shampoos and bubble baths to our favourite brow pencils, these are the cheap and cheerful beauty buys we never feel guilty restocking.

A collage featuring some of the beauty team's under-£5 from brands including Rimmel, L'Oréal Paris, e.l.f, COSRX and 17. arranged in a line on a cream template with lip liner, beauty cream and gel stock images.
(Image credit: Rimmel/ L'Oreal Paris/ e.l.f/ COSRX/ 17.)

While we won't deny that our makeup bags and bathroom cabinets do boast the occasional premium product, the backbone of our routines is formed of hard-working under-£5 formulas that are too good and too affordable to keep secret.

It's a common misconception that quality automatically equals expensive. Yes, in terms of ingredients and tech, there are some formulas, like the best vitamin C serums or red light therapy devices, where you're paying for higher concentrations and innovations. But, in a lot of cases, from your go-to clear mascara or lip liner, they don't have to cost the earth to deliver great results. In fact, as far as our beauty team is concerned, they needn't cost more than £5.

That said, it can sometimes be hard to tell the underrated from the subpar. So, after sharing their favourite products under-£10, these are our team's 10 under-£5 picks - all of which have been tried, tested and restocked on multiple occasions.

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The 10 under-£5 beauty buys our team actually use and restock

Whether you're on the hunt for a new brow pencil or gel, a bubble bath that actually, well, bubbles or a shine-boosting hair treatment, these are the essentials our team always restock - when on sale, but even at full price, such is their affordability. And while some may not be the most glamorous or exciting of buys, they're reliable and are either on par with, or better than, their luxury counterparts...

Fiona's under-£5 buys

Digital Beauty Editor, Fiona McKim's favourite £5 buys cover several areas of her routine, from her go-to volumising shampoo to her everyday, multi-tasking brow gel.

Sennen's under-£5 buys

If you're on the hunt for good spot patches or a long-lasting lip liner, Digital Beauty Writer Sennen Prickett's trio of budget buys has you covered.

Naomi's under-£5 buys

Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson's quad of under-£5 favourites solves so many gripes, from disappointing bubble baths (her £1.30 Sainsbury's soak makes such an impressive cloud of foam-y bubbles) to dull-looking hair. And while L'Oréal's Wonder Water is technically £9.99, it's often 50% off at Amazon.

Naomi Jamieson
Digital Beauty Writer

Naomi is a Digital Beauty Writer at woman&home, where she covers everything from makeup to skincare but specialises, particularly, in fragrance and nail trends. Through her work, Naomi shares her trend expertise and personal product recommendations. She is also a judge for woman&home's annual hair, skincare and beauty awards.

Previously, she worked as a Lifestyle News Writer for My Imperfect Life magazine, where she used her savvy for TikTok to bring readers the latest beauty buzzwords, fashion movements and must-have products.

Before that, Naomi split her time between both GoodTo and My Imperfect Life, whilst training for her Gold Standard diploma in Journalism with the NCTJ.

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