Beauty & Make-up

We've always been a fan of downshifting at MSE, where you switch from brands to much cheaper ‘dupes’ – lookalike products, where often even the packaging is similar to the expensive brand. Now I'm challenging you to 'downshift the downshifters' and swap your favourite £4 Lidl or £6 Aldi perfume dupe for a £1.25 or £2 version at Home Bargains. Will you take the double downshift challenge?

Most of us want to do our bit to help the planet, yet beauty products often come in packaging that isn't easily recycled. You might not know, however, that a few big brands will reward you with freebies or discounts for returning your empty containers.

At MSE, we’ve challenged you to ‘downshift’ your grocery shop for years (check our Downshifting Guide), but you can also save on make-up and beauty products by downshifting from brands to much cheaper ‘dupes’ – lookalike products, where often even the packaging is similar to the expensive brand.

Beauty – is it in the eye of the beholder, or hand of the cardholder? As the cost of lotions and potions adds up, along with their environmental impact, I've put together 11 cheap and easy beauty tips and tricks so you can avoid spending more than you need. Some of these tips are a bit extreme so I know they might not be up everyone's street, but let's see how many of them you'll give a go...

It's that time of year again, and one of the big beauty Advent calendars MoneySavers wait for has been released. Once again, Boots is offering two No7 Advent calendars at different price points. I've got the info on what's inside them and I've done the maths so you can decide if they're worth buying.

Beauty Advent calendars are significantly pricier than chocolate ones, but they've become increasingly popular in the last few years as a way of bagging beauty products at a fraction of the normal cost. They often sell out early, but can also be heavily discounted later if they don't, so here's a round-up of some of the best I’ve seen.

Boots is a high street stalwart and always popular with MoneySavers. Whether you're a fan of big brands, No7, or even just a sandwich, we've been busy filling our boots with deals to bring you eight ways to save right now so you can bag some Boots bargains.

Premium brands such as Mac, Charlotte Tilbury, Estée Lauder, etc are popular among beauty fans, but often come at a price. Beauty Pie is a luxury beauty ‘buyer's club’ that claims to keep quality high and costs low by selling products straight from the lab. But can having a slice of the pie, slice the price on your premium makeup & skincare buying habits?

MSE Update, Wed 17 Feb at 11.22am: This trick has been very popular and a key element of it – the 'Shimmer All Night' set – has now sold out, which sadly means it's no longer possible to get £116 of No7 for £30. You can now get £40 of No7 beauty for £12 online, plus delivery – it's not as strong a deal, but still decent, and is significantly cheaper.

We've left the original trick below for reference as you may still want to use some of the other offers...

Here's a trick to bag a huge £116 of No7 beauty products for just £30 by stacking deals and a 'free gift' offer – you'll only be able to do this full trick online but it is possible to still get £28 of No7 for £12 in-store. Boots says it has decent stock, but these deals are incredibly popular with MoneySavers and usually go quickly, so don't hang about if you want to do this.

Lottie London make-up sets are extremely popular with MoneySavers and we've blagged a beauty of a deal where you can get a £50ish make-up set for £18.95 delivered (£15 plus £3.95 delivery).