Cheap beauty essentials

From Palmer's Cocoa Butter to Sudocrem, here are the must-have cheap beauty essentials you need in your bathroom cupboard and cosmetics bag...

Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream, £2.25

This nappy ointment is a favourite among the celeb set and even Cheryl Cole swears she uses the antiseptic healing cream to get rid of the odd blemish. This bargain beauty wonder tub was first used eight decades ago and is still the go-to product for everything from dry skin to preventing acne outbreaks. Also works on baby's bottoms, too.

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Maybelline Great Lash Mascara, £4.99

For a fiver, this mascara packs a punch that many products don't deliver at triple the price. The secret to this makeup-bag must-have is in the wand, which defines even your tiniest lashes without clumping for a gorgeous, natural look (or try two coats for a little more drama).

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Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula, £3.25

This fabulous moisturiser is a renowned skin-smoother that absorbs deeply and evenly for a silky- soft finish. Perfect post-baths, as an after-sun cream and even to help conceal scars and stretch marks, mere mortals and stars alike can't get enough of it. Singer Katy Perry has been using it religiously since her school days, and has gushed: 'I can't leave the house without it!'

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Johnson's Baby Original Baby Oil, £4.25

Another cult product that adults have been borrowing from their tots - Victoria Beckham has been known to pat some of baby Harper's on her face to keep skin hydrated during flights - Johnson's Baby Oil is a great moisturiser that keeps skin smooth and soft to the touch. Use directly on skin or pour a few drops into the tub for a relaxing, skin-soothing bath.

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Olay Classic Care Beauty Fluid, £4.69

This fragrant, non-greasy formula has been beloved by generation after generation of women (who have been using it since it was still called Oil of Ulay). Perfect for blending with your foundation for light coverage in the morning, just remember to add an SPF all year-round to keep skin protected from the sun.

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Optrex Eyedew Dazzling Eye Drops, £2.99

A must-have on those days when you've stayed out a little too late the night before and need an instant, eye-brightening pick-me-up, this cheap beauty find does what it says on the package: takes the red out and leaves eyes simply dazzling.

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Chapstick Lip Balm Strawberry, £1.05

An essential lip-saver found in the pocket of every man, woman and child, the flavoured scents (pick from strawberry, cherry and apple) add a fruity zing to lip protection and still include an SPF. Perfect for evoking a little childhood nostalgia.

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Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, £5.99

Dermatologists swear by this gentle cleanser, which is soap and fragrance-free and suitable for even the most sensitive skin types. Ideal for everyday cleansing and makeup removal, gorgeous celebs like Natalie Portman and Olivia Wilde credit it in part for their flawless skin.

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Bio-Oil, £5.99

Stretch marks, begone! This old reliable contains the active ingredient PurCellin Oil, which has been known to help improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, uneven skin tone and even wrinkles. Beloved by yummy-mummy celebs like Sienna Miller and Denise Van Outen, who used it during their pregnancies, its non-greasy formula means you can even apply it to the face to help quench dry skin.

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St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Facial Scrub, £3.99

This yummy-smelling exfoliator is a must-have for keeping winter skin soft and glowing, since the combination of apricot oil and walnut help slough away dead skin cells and reveal your most radiant complexion. Did we mention it's under a fiver?

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Eucerin Aquaphor Soothing Skin Balm, £8.50

This multi-purpose balm is great for using on dry, irritated skin, and is specially formulated for those with ultra-sensitive skin. It's a handy product to have on the shelf since it can be used on any part of the body, from sore lips to cracked heels.

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Carmex Original Lip Balm, £2.09

This medicinal-smelling lip treatment has become a cult favourite for healing dry, chapped lips and cold sores since its invention in the 1930s. It comes in a tub, tube or stick and the brand has just launched new flavours Lime and Vanilla.

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Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick, £7.49

Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick is the most hydrating, conditioning lippie you'll find on the high street. For a vampish red, the best picks are the iconic Fire and Ice or Cherry Blossom shades - don't leave home without one.

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Montagne Jeunesse Cucumber Peel-Off Masque, £1

We all need a spot of pampering now and again, and Montagne Jeunesse's cheap and cheerful masques, which are a quid apiece, are perfect for indulgent weekends. Try the cucumber peel-off masque for a revitalising lift, chocolate for a creamy moisturising treat or the Dead Sea Mud Pac for deep cleansing. Bonus: each pack lasts for multiple masque applications, so this is a real bargain.

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Clearasil Daily Clear Deep Cleansing Pads, £3.79

These potent pads may be a relic from our teenage years, but they really work on oily skin and breakouts. A cabinet must-have in case of emergencies...

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E45 Cream, £3.89

A beauty cabinet staple for itchy, chapped and flaky skin, this cream has been helping dry skin sufferers since the 1950s. According to peachy-faced Cheryl Cole: 'My skin can get very dry so I use E45 moisturiser. You don?t have to use mega-expensive products, you just need to find the right products for your skin type.'

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Vaseline Pure Petroleum Jelly, £2.30

This multi-tasking product does everything from moisturise dry knees and elbows to soothe chapped lips to act as a fab eyeshadow base for glittery eye makeup looks. Nicole Scherzinger says she loves dabbing some on eyes for a great sheen, and even applies it to cheekbones to give skin a glow.

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Wash & Go Universal 2-In-1 Shampoo & Conditioner, £1

This fuss-free two-in-one product is a favourite for travelling and washing hair on the go. And at £1 a bottle, you'll have plenty of pocket change left over to indulge in some other beauty essentials. Just remember not to over-wash hair in the colder months to ensure your scalp and hair stay hydrated.

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Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser, £3.49

This lovely smelling cleanser has been in women's bathroom cupboards for decades, and is originally based on a cleanser used in Greece almost 2,000 years ago that blended water and certain fats. Can be used as everything from a lip salve to a makeup remover, and Kylie Minogue claims it's the secret behind her ever-youthful complexion.

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Bell's Epsom Salts, £1.46

Not only can epsom salts be ingested to help cure tummy troubles, they're also amazing in baths for sore muscles and cramp relief (their high magnesium content is also a natural de-stresser) and can be used to exfoliate dead skin cells.

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L'Oreal Ellnett Satin Unfragranced Extra Strength Hairspray, £3.79

This super-strength hairspray is beloved by stylists the world over, and is ideal for creating va-va-voom hairstyles - with none of that heavy, sticky feeling.

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Nivea Creme, £1.40

Another beauty classic, the contents of this famous blue pot have hydrated the complexions of everyone from Marilyn Monroe to Joan Collins, and the basic water-in-emulsion formula can be used as a makeup remover and a moisturiser. Did you know it also contains more than 30 of the same ingredients found in the lauded Crème de la Mer - which costs £100 a tub?

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Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream, £3.39

This tried-and-tested hand cream inspired by the moisturising properties of fish oils leaves skin soft, supple and non-greasy, plus it's ultra-lightweight.

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Smith's Rosebud Salve, £8

This gorgeously packaged product is a handbag essential that soothes everything from chapped lips to dry cuticles and itchy elbows. Has a lovely, faint rose scent and comes in a pocket-friendly tin (did we mention how pretty it is?)

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VO5 Moisture Soak Hot Oil Treatment x 4, £2.86

This conditioning hair repair oil has been around for years, and is the ideal saviour for dry, brittle winter hair. Just warm it up in hot water, apply to hair and say hello to gorgeous, silky tresses.

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Sunkissed Instant Self-Tanning Mousse, £4.99

A celebrity favourite, the Sunkissed Instant Self-Tanning Mousse builds a good overall colour and you can wear it as heavy or light as you desire. It's such a bargain, too!

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