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Intelligent Beauty

8 of the best summer beauty buys under £25

Verity Douglas
Writer and expert6 years ago
View Verity Douglas's profile

The mercury is rising but we’ve kept our prices icy with these summer beauty must-haves under £25. So, in the need for a little pre-holiday pick-me-up? You’ve come to the right place…

No holiday make up wardrobe is complete without a colour-pop lipstick, and few will complement your tan as well as Lime Crime's gorgeous {Plushies} in shade ‘Orange Juice’ - £18. A gorgeous hot coral, this long-wear lip colour is tryst-resistant - ideal if you’re looking for a holiday romance…

Britain’s best-loved bronzer, Benefit’s {Hoola} - from £12.50 - is the perfect, suits-all hue for sunkissed skin. Completely matte and finely milled, this applies seamlessly for a gorgeous, post-holiday glow.

Still trying to track down the 'Holy Grail' highlight? We just did. NYX Professional Makeup’s {Born to Glow Liquid Illuminator} - a snip at just £8 - lends your base a stunning, summer-worthy lustre while it gilds your lids and cheekbones with a cloak of molten shimmer.

‘Sun-In’ for the 21st Century, OUAI’s ombré spray - £20 - lightens lengths to grant beach-worthy, holiday blonde from a bottle. Abandon the faff of transforming your locks into stickily, lemon-drenched wasp magnets next time you’re trying to highlight your mane and instead, reach for {Sun of a Beach} – a cocktail of citrus and nourishing coconut extracts to brighten your blonde as it lightens your tresses for natural, honey-toned colour (no orange in sight).

Bon Voyage #Beauties! Streamline your luggage with ZOEVA's pocket-sized Voyager palettes - £12 -sextets of velvet and shimmering shadow to take you from sand dune to dinner (to dive bar) with ease. Each with six complementary colours, we're smitten with the {Cocoa} incarnation...

We're also CocoNUTS for Frank Body's {Coconut Coffee Scrub} (lets say 'coconuts' several more times for good measure). Fusing two of our *favourite* things – a cruelty-free ethic with naturally derived coconut oil – inhaling Frank Body's incredibly-scented concoctions will quickly become your new full-time pastime. Bad news for productivity but greeeeeat news for skin, this leave your limbs stroke-ably soft with a glorious glow. And, did we mention the smell?

A body wash that makes your tan last longer? Say 'aye'! Institut Esthederm's game-changing {After Sun Face & Body Shower Gel} - £19 - stars dirt-attracting micelles to eliminate sea, sand and sweat without stripping your skin of its much-needed moisture (and hard-earned bronze glow).

And because summer is the perfect time to try a floral fragrance, TOCCA’s hand luggage-compatible rollerball scents are affordable ways to expand your perfumery wardrobe. We’re obsessed with {Giulietta} - £20 - with its uplifting blend of green apple, Bulgarian rose and slang slang, which conjures the sweet, heady warmth of an evening al fresco.

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Verity Douglas
Writer and expert
View Verity Douglas's profile
Cult Beauty’s Content Editor and a Cult Beauty OG, Verity loves nothing more than the marriage of language and lip balm. A quintessential Libran, she’s a self-professed magpie for luxury ‘must-haves' and always pursuing the new and the niche — from the boujee-est skin care to cutting-edge tech. Balancing an urge to stop the clock with her desire to embrace the ageing process (and set a positive example for her daughter), Verity's a retinol obsessive and will gladly share her thoughts about the time-defying gadgets, masks and treatments worth the splurge...
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