Picture the scene. You’ve just bought a new outfit and you’d really like a new nail polish to co-ordinate with it. Or perhaps you’ve picked up a dress for a party the same night and it needs more of a glitzy make-up look than usual. Now, you no longer need to hotfoot it to the department store or chemist to stock up on make-up — because fashion retailers have got in on the beauty act. Fashion retailers have started to get in on the beauty act with plenty of shops now offering their own make-up ranges as well as clothing . From Marks and Spencer to Primark, they’re all at it, flogging foundation and lippy alongside frocks and leggings. But are any of them worth splashing your cash on? Claire Coleman put some of the biggest fashion beauty brands to the test . . . Topshop Beauty . The High Street giant has all of this season’s beauty looks, from a rainbow of nail polishes (£6) to Lip Ombre (£9) — sets of two cream-to-powder formulation lip colours to be worn in tandem (caution: lips must be very well moisturised). The Foundation (£16) was a rather pleasant surprise. It has a good amount of silicone, so slides on easily, and coverage is smooth — but there are only four shades and the dropper applicator is a bit of a gimmick. Topshop Beauty's eye shadow (top left and right) creates an iridescent shimmer and the Lunar colour is perfect for a smokey eye while the High Street giant also stocks a wide range of nail polish and lip colour . Star buy: Mono Eye Shadow (£5). Don’t be put off by their initial glittery appearance. Once on, they’re not nearly as sparkly, with more of an iridescent shimmer. Lunar, a purplish black, is perfect for a smokey eye. Don’t bother with: Concealer (£10). The pump bottle dispenses more than you need. It covers well, but the result is flat, with not enough luminescence to brighten the under-eye area. Next Make Me Beautiful . This collection, in its chunky silver and transparent packaging, was a real surprise. With everything from Confetti Effects Nail Colour (£4) to Eye Shadow Quads (£7.50), which can be used wet or dry, in elegant, wearable shades, there’s something for everyone. But I wish they wouldn’t package stuff together, like the Face Primer and Face Illuminator (£20 for both) — the former has too much silicone and feels greasy, while the latter has a subtle glow to wear alone or under foundation. Next's Make Me Beautiful Matte Lip Colour (pictured) is moisturising with tonnes of pigment and almost matches up to Charlotte Tilbury’s Red Carpet Red lip colour . Star buy: Matte Lip Colour (£8 or £20 for three). I loved the Classic Red almost as much as Charlotte Tilbury’s Red Carpet Red, which is miles more expensive. Moisturising and with tonnes of pigment, just blot and reapply to get a bit more staying power. Don’t bother with: Sheer Chubby Stick (£8) — it was greasy and a bit disappointing. Primark P.S. Love . It’s bargain basement and, on the whole, it looks it, feels it — and smells it. The range is all either synthetically sweet or a bit plasticky. I worry even pre-teens would turn their noses up at this. But if you absolutely had to go straight from Primark to a party, had no make-up and only £5 to spend, it would do. Just. The Matte Long Last Lipstick (£1.50) looked a bit chalky, but I liked the chubby brush on the Volumising Ultra Mascara (£2), even if it was a bit clumpy. Star buy: Stick Foundation (£2). I wouldn’t use this as my everyday foundation, but I’d definitely keep it in my handbag for on-the-go touch-ups. It feels a bit greasy, but the coverage is decent and the finish is matte enough not to require powder. Don’t bother with: Kohl Eyeliner (£1.50). It comes in innovative, twist-up packaging, like a lipstick. But there’s no way of sharpening the point, and it has zero staying power (unlike the Liquid Liner, £1, which, once dry, doesn’t budge). Marks & Spencer Autograph . The sleek, black and glossy packaging feels substantial and very Bobbi Brown in style. But then, at £6 for a nail varnish and £10 for a lipstick, this is the most expensive of the brands I tried. Its formulations are good. The Matte Velvet Lipstick (£10) is moisturising, with a matte — but not flat — finish, while the Ultra Rich Twist Up Lips (£9.50) are a cut-price version of Clinique’s famous Chubby Sticks. Marks and Spencer Autograph Pure Luxe Powder Bronzer (pictured) has a great, buildable colour with a slight shimmer but no sparkle . These have decent staying power — even if they do only come in four shades. On the downside, for a brand that targets the older consumer, there’s a lot of sparkle in their eye shadows. Star buy: Pure Luxe Powder Bronzer (£15). A lovely, moulded bronzer that looks a little Bottega Veneta in style. Great, buildable colour with slight shimmer, but no sparkle. Don’t bother with: Neverending Lashes Lengthening Mascara, (£10). The absurdly long wand and very thin brush gave little control — I ended up daubing it on my eyebrows! New Look Pure Colour . If you’re not a teenager, you probably won’t be shopping in New Look — and, on the whole, its make-up range reflects that. The Baked Eye Shadows (£3.99) are as heavy on glitter as they are on pigment, while the packaging is inelegant. New Look's Pure Colour nail polishes (pictured) come in a range of great colours, go on evenly and dry really quickly while the Baked Highlighter Powder in Gold gives skin a beautiful sheen . But the brushes (from £1.99) aren’t bad, and don’t moult like many cheap brushes do. Also the Matte Lipstick (£3.99) isn’t drying and, while theb comes with more of a cocktail stick applicator than a brush, once applied it stays put. Star buy: I was torn between the Matte Nail Polishes (£2.99), which come in plenty of great colours that go on evenly and dry really quickly, and the Baked Highlighter Powder in Gold (£4.99), which gives skin a beautiful, almost soft-focus, sheen. Don’t bother with: Pure Volume Volumising Mascara (£4.99). It comes out of the tube thick and cloggy — and goes on thick and cloggy. One of the worst budget mascaras I’ve ever used.
Fashion retailers have started to produce their own make-up ranges.
You no longer have to head across town to a chemist or department store.
But are any of these High Street ranges worth splashing your cash on?