India Knight's Beauty Pie Review, As Seen in The Times

Beauty Pie is a genius idea from genius Marcia Kilgore (Bliss, Soap & Glory, FitFlop, Soaper Duper). We’ve written about it already, but a quick recap: the idea is to make high-end make-up and, by removing packaging, branding and marketing costs, sell it ridiculously cheap online, via a beauty club. Make-up without the mark-up, basically. What that means in money is that a £20 lippy comes in at £2.24: you pay only the factory cost.

Prices are completely transparent — if you want to buy, say, a black kohl eyeliner that would retail for £15 in a beauty hall, you join Beauty Pie — it’s a tenner a month — and get the same item for £2.04. Very clever idea.

The concept obviously stands or falls on the quality and desirability of the products. There are tons of these, in every category, with more being launched all the time. I tried the Everyday Great Skin Foundation, which costs less than a fiver and cheekily presents itself in an Armani-like bottle. I say cheekily, because Armani foundation is second to none. Still, it’s a very good foundation: lightweight and flexible, sits nicely on the skin, and covers what it needs to while making everything else look healthy and radiant; plus it stays put.

I was impressed.

If I’m making it sound like the foundation was "good enough", I don’t mean to. It’s much more than merely good enough. But are you going to buy foundation from a website, is the question. At £4.75, I’d say why on earth wouldn’t you?

The eyeshadow palettes are also fantastic. I love a nude palette — flattering and hard to mess up: what more could you want? — and Beauty Pie’s are the business. They’re made of long-lasting mineral pigments that stay put, the colours are gorgeous, they’re paraben-free and they slide on like butter. The palettes cost £6.94. You would pay at least £30 for an equivalent. Isn’t it mad?

If you’re thinking, "Yeah, but does it all come in rubbish packaging that looks ugly, because I do have eyes in my head and I like my cosmetics to look a bit special?", the answer is, the packaging is chic and functional. Cases lock with satisfying clicks; containers don’t feel cheap or bargain basement; mirrors are decent. The lipsticks are light because the cases aren’t weighted — weights being the things that are used to make products feel expensive.

Make no mistake: these aren’t nice cheap alternatives to high-end products.

They’re the real deal. They’re high end but wearing jeans instead of poncing about in white tie, and to my mind, they’re all the better for it.

I mean, there is a really good mascara for £1.93. Now everyone can afford high-end make-up. I think it’s brilliant.