Make-up can be an expensive hobby. It’s probably the last thing you should be investing in as a budget-conscious student! But with the beauty boom on social media, cheaper cosmetics have improved in quality, meaning good make-up is much more accessible. If swatches turn to purchases more often than is good for your bank balance, here’s four brands worth checking out.

PS Beauty at Penneys

Penneys’ beauty range has come a long way from the bad old days of stiff foundation brushes and sponge eyeshadow applicators. Ireland’s top retailer now boasts an extensive, social media-led cosmetics range. Not only does it have a variety of essentials – foundation, eyeshadow, contour sticks, setting powders – but several products that act as great ‘dupes’ to popular high-end brands. Kim K’s KKW Beauty has a (much cheaper!) twin in their ‘Nudes’ collection, while their ‘lip kits’ provide a €4 alternative to Kylie Cosmetics’ $29 ones. Their highlighting palettes aren’t far off the ‘glow kits’ of Instagram favourite Anastasia Beverly Hills, but for a nifty €6-8 as opposed to $40+. Nice.

Catrice

Catrice can be bought in selected pharmacies nationwide. This cheaply cheerful range includes all of the usual essentials, making it a great starting point for make-up beginners. Noteworthy products include the brand’s foundations, which give surprisingly good coverage for under €10; their colour correction concealers; and their pigmented highlighters.

Essence

Today’s 14-year-olds will never know the chalky blue eyeshadow circles most of us sported when we began experimenting with make-up (thankfully, the photographic evidence was destroyed with the demise of Bebo). Now, anyone who wants to play around with cheap eyeshadow can maintain their dignity thanks to Essence’s vibrant collection. Shadows come in palettes and individual packs, with Essence even selling empty casings so you can customise your own palette. This brand is also great for nail polish and lip must-haves like clear gloss and nude liner.

Maybelline

One of the best drug-store brands on the market, Maybelline have successfully adapted to varying beauty trends since its foundation in 1915. While slightly dearer than the first three brands, Maybelline is still reasonably priced, particularly given how closely its products compete with high-end rivals. Its extensive range of mascaras (usually priced between €6-13) will leave each lash looking defined, curled and lengthened in a way that puts YSL’s €30 wands in the halfpenny place. Their recent Master Chrome highlighters are a beautiful addition to any make-up kit. Best of all, their Fit Me range of foundations, concealers and setting powders comes in a variety of shades to fit skin tones often left behind in the cosmetics market.