Everyone is feeling the pinch right now, and we’re all looking for bargain beauty products that can reliably make us look and feel great through these uncertain times. One expert name we trust is makeup artist Hannah Martin, who is renowned for her glowy, expensive-looking makeup, but also her love of affordable beauty, making her signature glow accessible to all.
She’s most famous as the royals’ favourite bridal makeup artist, creating gorgeous big day looks for the Princess of Wales, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Rather than gatekeeping her expertise, she happily shares her tips, tricks and affordable makeup favourites with her 377k Instagram followers – and, of course, Good Housekeeping!
‘I do think makeup is a great area to save money,’ she tells us ‘Sometimes, cheaper pigments can have more colour payoff than high-end eyeshadows. While I enjoy a high-end eye makeup splurge, I will always recommend that people invest in skincare over expensive colour make-up.’
That said, she’s also got an eye for affordable skincare that really hits the spot but not the wallet. A particular favourite is Seoulista £7 Super Hydration Instant Facial, based on her own personal experience with the sheet mask. ‘I remember using it and being asked if I’d had Botox!’ she says.
Seoulista Beauty Super Hydration Instant Facial
The mask’s instant line-smoothing effect is down to hyaluronic acid, which floods skin with hydration and visibly plumps out dehydration lines. Leave it on for 20 minutes, and you’ve got a pro-approved DIY facial, all for a hundredth the cost of wrinkle-freezing jabs.
Here are her other favourites, for every bit of your makeup regime
For lips
This is an area where Hannah thinks you can really scoop up those savings. ‘I love bougie lip oils like Dior Addict Lip oil but Maybelline Lifter Gloss is a spectacular formula, and the NYX Lip Drip oil is every bit as lovely as Dior.’
NYX Professional Makeup Lip Drip Fat Oil
For cheeks
Plenty of cheeky bargains here too, says Hannah. ‘For example, I adore the Milk Jelly blushes (£23) but Revolution do a fantastic jelly dupe for a quarter of the price.’
If you prefer a powder, ‘the Max Factor Creme Puff marbled blushes are brilliant,’ she says. ‘They’re dupes for the Hourglass marbled blushes, and they give a lovely glow if you're looking for that in a powder form.’
For line-erasing primer
As a great alternative to the best-selling Trinny London Miracle Blur, Hannah tells us she likes e.l.f. Putty Primer. ‘The idea is that they both contain small spherical particles of silica which help to sit in and smooth the appearance of fine line but also give a blurring illusion,’ she says. ‘As a makeup artist, I'm absolutely a fan of a product that makes your skin looks better the instant you apply it, which in turn makes you feel better about yourself.’
Poreless Putty Primer
For base
Foundation is key for creating Hannah’s famous glow. ‘If you're thinking bougie, then Shiseido Revitalessence is my go-to for lovely, sheer glowing base makeup,’ she says. ‘But a light tinted moisturiser like L'Oreal Paradise tinted moisturiser is also a great place to start. Barry M does a really lovely one too, called Fresh Face.’
For eyes
Ever the makeup magpie, Hannah says ‘I'm the first to reach for a luxury sparkle shadow yet brands like e.l.f. make stunning sparkle toppers too'.
While a great admirer of Victoria Beckham’s penchant for using her own £31 flesh-coloured liner for brighter eyes, ‘you can get a similar effect with Rimmel Scandaleyes waterproof liners which are a fraction of the price’.
Hannah also has her eye on a brilliant alternative to Posh’s most iconic makeup product. ‘The famous kajal pencils at the moment are the Victoria Beckham ones, which are also beautiful, but they’re double the price of Hildun’s Silk To Set. Their one is just as good.’
