It’s not exactly news that the high street is the place to be. Take this summer’s Balenciaga-style floral jackets in Topshop, Lego-bright Ray-Ban Wayfarer-style shades from Miss Selfridge and Gap’s funky playsuits. But what about beauty? In years gone by, mass-market beauty simply wasn’t as covetable as the products you might find on the luxury counters. The packaging wasn't as good and the formulations were cheap and highly fragranced. When you bought a cheap product, it felt just that.

Now the mass beauty market is hotting up. Maybelline and L’Oréal have produced environmentally and skin- friendly mineral make-up, Boots has done some designer one-offs for 17, with capsule collections by Eley Kishimoto, Antoni and Alison, Jonathan Saunders and Daisy de Villeneuve (check out her make-up bag — it’s gorgeous), and five new brands have proved that products don’t have to be pricey to be fabulous. Here they are — try them today. Oh, all right then, tomorrow.

KINGS & QUEENS: BATHING ON A BUDGET

Launched last winter, this is the diffusion bathing line of the luxurious, herbaceous Greek brand Korres. Its shower gels and body creams have wonderfully sophisticated scents and formulations and are inspired by different monarchs from history. The faux-flock packaging will look as good in your bathroom as anything from Space NK, and some of the scents (especially Caspar Myrrh Shower Gel and Queen Isabella Cinnamon and Orange Body Milk) are reminiscent of Serge Lutens in their density — yet are thrillingly cheap.

Must buy Caspar Myrrh Body Milk smells expensive and has a silky, easily absorbed texture. £6.50, from John Lewis and House of Fraser

ELF: WHERE EVERYTHING’S £1.50

Elf, short for eyes-lips-face, follows the “pile ’em high, sell ’em cheap” approach that works so well for Primark. There is a huge array of lip, nail and eye colours on offer — more than 130 in total — and every product in the range costs £1.50. Cheap doesn’t mean free of innovation, though: the Elf All Over Colour Stick is a budget version of the Nars Multiple, suitable for brightening eyes, cheeks and lips, and the lip and eye liners come complete with pencil sharpeners — an extra you usually get only with premium brands.

Must buy Elf Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner, for the Amy Winehouse look at a bargain-basement price. It gives a nicely controllable line, so you can draw it on as thickly as you wish. £1.50; eyeslipsface.co.uk

AVON: JUST GO COOL

Yes, really, Avon. The door-to-door face of mass-market beauty has been transformed. Since it hired Jillian Dempsey, who started the cosmetics brand Delux Beauty, as creative director, it has launched a capsule make-up range by the New York designer Cynthia Rowley. Her pretty, fashion-forward, illustrated items have brought a quirkier focus to the company. Now, Avon is about to introduce a collaboration with the Finnish brand Marimekko, famed for its use of bright colours and 1960s prints. With palettes configured with Marimekko’s iconic Unikko flower, mascaras printed with its motifs and products for the lips and face, the line is cleverly incorporating all the hot beauty trends.

Must buy Marimekko for Avon Eye-Shadow Palette in Poppy Bloom or Poppy Bouquet, £8; avonshop.co.uk ; available from August 26

GOOD SKIN: SKINCARE THAT WORKS

The doctor-dermatologist name brand has been a huge trend in skincare of late. Lines from NV Perricone, Dr Sebagh and Dr Brandt have flown off the shelves — at a price. Now, Superdrug is launching Good Skin, a well-designed, fragrance-free brand formulated by Estée Lauder under the supervision of Dr Doris Day,. The brand is ultra-simple to navigate, with must-have Basic Care cleansers and moisturisers created for dry, normal and oily skin, and Specialised Care products for ageing, dullness, redness and severe dryness. It’s a snip, at £8 for a cleanser and £12 for a moisturiser.

Must buy Clean Skin Foaming Cleanser, a refreshing, clear gel that cuts through grease and grime like a dose of salts. £8, from Superdrug; available from July

SOAP & GLORY: THE CULT MUST-HAVE

In 2006, Marcia Kilgore, the founder of Bliss, launched Soap & Glory in Boots. It had retro packaging, inspired by 1950s pin-ups and old tabloid newspapers, and fun, fruity formulations that felt luxurious — and, what’s more, they worked. Products such as The Righteous Butter and The Fill Monty not only had funny names, they became bestsellers. This autumn, the hot ticket will be its new facial skincare range.

Must buy Make Yourself Youthful anti-ageing facial serum: “The most effective anti-ageing facial serum ever,” according to Kilgore. “It combines a widely used anti-wrinkle peptide ingredient and a ‘delining’ corn extract with an incredible booster that makes it all work better.” The best part? It retails for less than £15. Cheaper than a shot of Botox. £12.99, from Boots. It isn’t available until October, so in the meantime, lather up with the Clean of England Bath and Shower Wash, £5

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