8 UK-founded makeup brands worth knowing

From luxury makeup houses to affordable indie brands and TikTok success stories, the UK is home to some seriously good makeup brands. I’ve tried products from all 8 brands featured in this guide, from cult classics to newer launches, to help you discover which UK-founded makeup brands are worth knowing.

This post rounds up 8 of the best UK-founded makeup brands worth knowing, spanning luxury, affordable, MUA-founded, and indie makeup.

*This post contains some affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you, I earn some commission if you purchase a product through my link. All thoughts are my own, though, as always. If you want to find out more, visit my affiliate disclosure page*

1. Victoria Beckham Beauty

Victoria Beckham Beauty is a high-end beauty brand offering makeup, skincare, and fragrances, with a distinctly editorial, designer-inspired aesthetic. Founded by Victoria Beckham in September 2019, the brand has a chic, sophisticated feel, from its minimalist packaging to its carefully considered formulas. The products feel like they belong on the front cover of Vogue, but they’re designed to be genuinely wearable. The brand is cruelty-free, and the majority of its products are vegan.

Products I’ve tried

• BabyBlade Eyebrow Pencil: This brow pencil is perfect for creating defined brows. It’s slim and has enough grip that you can create individual brow hairs, but it never feels drying and can be blended easily for a softer look. It lasts all day and is perfect for everyday wear.
• Matte Bronzing Brick: This is my favourite powder bronzer. It’s smooth, finely milled, creamy, blends effortlessly, never looks patchy, and doesn’t look orange. Although it’s very expensive, it feels luxurious and performs well. Read my full review here.
• Lid Lustre: These shimmery eyeshadow singles are divine. They’re intensely pigmented and come in a gorgeous range of twinkling shades, from a taupe brown with a gold and silver pearl to a true silver chrome and a warm rose gold. Whether you want a sparkly concentration of colour or a diffused wash of shimmer all over the lid, you can play around with these eyeshadows for your desired intensity.
• Satin Kajal Liner: This is the best pencil eyeliner formula hands down. Smooth, creamy, and pigmented, this eyeliner comes in a gorgeous range of shades, with jewel, shimmer, and matte finishes. I love that you can get a precise wing, line your upper and lower lash line and waterline, or smudge the liner for a smoky look. Read my full review here.
• The Foundation Drops: Although eye-wateringly expensive at £104, this foundation has a buildable, breathable, second-skin finish that blends like a dream and stays put all day. See my 10-hour wear test photos here.

Hero products

Satin Kajal Liner, Contour Stylus, Vast Lash Mascara & Posh Lip

Price range

Luxury

2. The Beauty Crop

The Beauty Crop is a playful, colourful UK-founded brand that’s particularly known for its skincare-inspired makeup and fun, TikTok-friendly products. Its ingredient-led formulas focus on giving skin a fresh, dewy finish, while collections such as Vitamin Babe put a playful spin on makeup staples. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free.

Products I’ve tried

• PoreFilter Blotting Pressed Powder: This is a fantastic touch-up powder for mattifying an oily T-zone, absorbing excess oil, and keeping skin looking and feeling fresh. It’s lightweight and can be used on the go.
• Oui Cherie Gripping Primer: This tacky primer ensures makeup sticks to it for long-lasting wear. It does a great job of keeping makeup in place without feeling drying or oily.
• Vitamin Babe Loose Setting Powder: This setting powder helps makeup stay in place and mattifies oily areas so skin stays oil-free for as long as possible. It’s finely milled, comes in a great range of shades (including translucent), and gives skin a blurred finish.
• Glow Milk Luminous Powder Blush: You only need 1 tiny swipe of product for intense colour payoff. These pretty shimmery blushes give skin an instant glow and pop of colour in a smooth, non-chalky formula.
• Oui Cherie Watermelon Hydrating Setting Mist: This setting spray helps keep your skin hydrated, gives it a refresh, and gives your skin a gorgeous dewy finish. You can layer this in between each makeup step to ensure skin stays fresh, radiant, and locked in place. Plus, it smells delicious!

Hero products

Oui Cherie Hydrating Setting Spray, Oui Cherie Gripping Primer, Vitamin Babe Loose Setting Powder & BFF Brow Gel

Price range

Affordable-mid-range

3. Lisa Eldridge

Founded by legendary makeup artist Lisa Eldridge, the Lisa Eldridge beauty brand brings professional makeup artistry into a range of beautifully considered, wearable products. With decades of experience working in editorial, fashion, and with celebrities, Lisa has a particularly thoughtful approach to formulation, colour, and application. Her products feel purposeful rather than excessive, with carefully curated shades and formulas designed to make creating polished makeup looks feel effortless.

Products I’ve tried

• The Foundation: This is a gorgeous medium-coverage foundation that’s natural-looking, buildable, and breathable. It covers redness, blemishes, and shadows with ease without feeling heavy or greasy. It’s long-lasting and meshes so well with your skin that it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing any product once applied! Read my full review here.
• Kitten Flick Liquid Eyeliner: This is easily one of the best – if not the best – liquid eyeliners I’ve tried. It’s got a sharp tip for precise wings, isn’t too runny where the formula just runs everywhere, doesn’t transfer or smudge, and delivers an intense black with just one flick.
• True Velvet Lip Colour: I’ve got the shade Velvet Ribbon, which is a classic pillarbox red that isn’t too warm or too cool. It’s so pigmented, has a creamy formula that glides over lips, and has a velvety matte finish with a subtle sheen. It’s comfortable, hydrating, flattering and long-wearing. I love the formula; it’s like an elevated MAC matte lipstick.
• Enhance and Define Lip Pencil: I own the shade Ribbon, a pillarbox red to match the Velvet Ribbon lipstick, and it’s gorgeous. Pigmented, long-wearing, creamy, and smudge-proof. You can easily define your lips with this lip liner without it fading or looking diffused around the edges for a bold lip.

Hero products

Seamless Skin Enhancing Tint, Kitten Lash Mascara, Seamless Glide Eye Pencil & Sculpt and Shape Lip Pencil

Price range

Expensive

4. Peaches & Cream

Peaches & Cream is a lesser-known but fantastic affordable UK makeup brand that offers fun, reliable, and playful products for everyone. All of the products are accessible, whether you’re a beginner or a pro MUA. It’s particularly good if you love bold, colourful makeup, from shimmery eye looks and statement cheeks to trendy lip combinations. Peaches & Cream breaks rules not the bank. What sets Peaches & Cream apart from other brands is its fresh and whimsical approach to makeup, with playful pink packaging and favouring creative and bold looks rather than anything ordinary. Peaches & Cream is cruelty-free, but not all of its products are vegan.

Products I’ve tried

• Lip Liner: This is a lovely, smooth and creamy lip liner that’s perfect for everyday wear. Although not the most long-lasting lip liner I’ve tried, the affordable prices mean topping up throughout the day is no issue!
• Lip Gloss: I own 2 Peaches & Cream Lip Glosses, and they’re both stunning. They’re pigmented, offering the perfect blend of a lipstick and a lip gloss, with medium coverage. They’re also super shiny, which makes lips look plump and juicy, while smoothing over the lips for a flattering, irresistible finish. Some Peaches & Cream Lip Glosses are on a clear base with iridescent sparkles throughout, which look equally beautiful.

Hero products

Sun Tint, Gatsby Loose Eyeshadow Pigment, PC21 Small Angled Face Brush & Feline Lip Liner

Price range

Affordable

5. Refy

Refy is a UK-founded makeup brand that’s designed to simplify makeup routines with multi-purpose and effective products. Jess Hunt and Jenna Meek launched Refy in 2020 specifically around simplifying an overly complicated beauty routine, beginning with brows. REFY is all about a less-is-more approach to makeup, focusing on staple, multi-purpose products you’ll reach for time and time again rather than encouraging over-consumption. The brand is vegan and cruelty-free.

Products I’ve tried

• Brow Sculpt: This wax-gel hybrid comes complete with its own comb so you can brush and shape your brows into place. It gives your brows a fluffy, laminated look with ease, with no flakiness and long-lasting hold. It’s foolproof and adds definition. I love it.
• Glow and Sculpt Face Primer: This hydrating primer comes with a unique roller for effortless and smooth application. Although this primer doesn’t help makeup last longer, it gives base products a moisturised canvas to work with for radiant and smooth application. It feels cooling and refreshing on the skin, which is ideal for warmer temperatures.
• Gloss Highlighter: This universal bronze liquid highlighter is beautiful. It’s non-sticky, gives skin a warm glassy glow, and blends seamlessly. When applied, it doesn’t disturb any makeup products you’re wearing underneath, so you’re left with added luminosity. It blends equally well with a sponge, your fingertips, or a brush, and can be made subtle or intense.
• Cream Blush: This blush leaves a lovely dewy finish on the skin. I find this formula works best when tapped onto your skin with your fingertips and patted in circular motions for a seamless finish. Although it’s pigmented, it can easily be sheered out or applied in layers for customisable coverage.

Hero products

Brow Sculpt, Lash Sculpt, Lip Sculpt & Cream Blush

Price range

Mid-range

6. Vieve

Founded by talented makeup artist and content creator Jamie Genevieve, Vieve is a UK-founded makeup brand centred around individuality and self-expression. The range combines professional makeup artistry with wearable, versatile formulas that can be dialled up or down depending on the look you’re creating. It’s also known for its chic, editorial-inspired packaging, which gives the brand a distinctly polished feel. Vieve is cruelty-free and vegan.

Products I’ve tried

• Modern Lip Definer: This lip liner is fairly smooth, but it’s very pigmented. This is the lip liner you reach for when you want crisp, clean edges and a defined lip. It’s a great, long-lasting formula that is resistant to transferring, fading, and smudging.
• Lip Dew: This product offers the high shine and juiciness of a lip gloss with the nourishing properties of a lip oil. The result is a gorgeous, glassy lip that feels comfortable and hydrating. I’ve got the shade Original, which is a clear base with a golden, multi-dimensional finish that is perfect as a lip topper to make any lip combo pop.

Hero products

Skin Nova, Eye Wand, Modern Lip Definer & Super Skin Nova

Price range

Mid-range to expensive

7. Made by Mitchell

Made by Mitchell became one of TikTok Shop’s biggest UK beauty success stories. The brand is synonymous with bold colours, creative expression, and innovative products that don’t need to break the bank. Made by Mitchell encourages self-expression, authenticity, and playful makeup looks that are never dull or boring. What differentiates Made by Mitchell from other brands is its iconic yellow packaging featured throughout the makeup line, multi-purpose products that can be used in so many ways, and an exceptional use of colours. Made by Mitchell is cruelty-free, but not all of the products are vegan.

Products I’ve tried

• Blursh Liquid Blusher: This liquid blush comes in a fantastic shade range, from wearable colours to unique bold colours, and has a liquid-to-powder finish with a satin matte finish. While they are great for getting creative and playing around with fun colours, I find the formula to be a little drying, and it dries down very quickly, so you have to work fast.
• Blursh Bronzed Liquid Bronzer: This formula is the same as the liquid blush but just in a range of bronzey finishes. Again, there’s an excellent range of shades, catering to all skin tones and undertones. I just don’t love the formula and prefer other liquid bronzers in my collection. It’s patchy on application and can end up looking quite muddy.
• Blursh Lights Liquid Highlighter: This is also a liquid formula, but unlike the bronzer and blush, the liquid highlighter is less drying and applies more smoothly on the skin. It has a gorgeous shimmery finish and looks beautiful on the eyes as a twinkly eyeshadow topper. It’s fantastic value for money and performs amazingly.
• Graph-ink Liquid Eyeliner: This liquid liner is pigmented, smooth, and has a sharp tip for precise wings and detailed line work. From your standard black and brown all the way through to pastel blue and bright pink, you can find a shade for every mood. I love the formula and shade range; it performs well, is easy to apply, and stays put all day.

Hero products

Curve Case Cream Makeup Palette, Blursh Liquid Blusher, Blursh Lights Liquid Highlighter & Beam Lip Gloss

Price range

Affordable

8. Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury is arguably the UK’s most recognisable makeup brand, with an enormous global following and a huge portfolio of bestselling products. Founded by makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury, the brand is known for its glamorous, polished approach to beauty, from the iconic Pillow Talk collection to its complexion products designed to create a soft-focus, perfected finish. It’s luxurious, easy to use, and particularly good if you love that classic Charlotte Tilbury supermodel-inspired aesthetic. Check out my full Charlotte Tilbury brand review here. The brand’s cruelty-free status is up for debate, and not all of its products are vegan.

Products I’ve tried

• Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray: This setting spray helps makeup stay in place and last longer. It gives a smoothing, airbrushed finish without disturbing any makeup you’re wearing. It’s a fantastic, reliable formula that I always reach for.
• Collagen Lip Bath: This plumping, high-shine lip gloss makes lips look glassy. It feels hydrating, doesn’t sting as much as many other lip plumpers, and instantly makes lips look fuller. However, it’s quite a sticky formula, so I don’t reach for it often.
• Airbrush Flawless Finish: This is my all-time favourite finishing powder. This transforms your skin into a smooth, poreless, and airbrushed canvas. It mattifies any shiny areas and brightens your complexion to make your skin look perfect. I’ll always have this in my collection, as it’s one of my ride-or-die products. Read my full review here.
• Hollywood Flawless Filter: This versatile complexion-boosting product can be used in a variety of ways to give skin added glow. I love using it as a liquid highlighter to give my skin a non-glittery luminosity boost that looks natural, or by mixing it in with my foundation for a radiant finish. It’s such a gorgeous formula that can work in so many ways if you like a dewy complexion. I adore it.
• Rock ‘N’ Kohl: This kajal pencil eyeliner is pigmented, smooth, creamy, and can be easily smudged for a sultry smoky eye. The formula is very easy to work with and long-wearing. However, I’ve used pencil eyeliners from the drugstore that perform just as well, if not better, than this, so I don’t think it’s worth the money.
• Matte Revolution: This iconic matte lipstick is creamy, non-drying, and hydrating. It’s pigmented, smooths over lips without settling into lines, and is very comfortable to wear. It’s a modern matte formula that is long-wearing and flattering. I own the classic shade Pillow Talk, and it’s still one of my favourite nude pink lipsticks. It always looks fantastic and works with just about every makeup look.
• Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Bronzer: This stunning cream bronzer is smooth, easy to blend, buildable, and never looks patchy. It’s very flattering and gives skin an effortlessly sun-kissed warmth. I’m a big fan of this formula.
• Beauty Light Wand: This liquid highlighter gives a gorgeous pearlescent, soft-focus glow. It’s glossy, smoothing, and looks insane in both sunlight and artificial lighting. As much as I love the formula, I’ve got the shade Goldgasm, and it’s just too deep and yellow for my complexion, so I struggle to make it work.
• Eyes to Mesmerise: This metallic cream eyeshadow applies like a dream with either your fingers or a brush. You can use it by itself on the lids for an all-over metallic pop of colour or as a topper for extra sparkle. It’s smoothing and twinkles beautifully in the light. My only gripe is that it does crease and begin to fade after about 4 hours! But it’s otherwise a fantastic cream eyeshadow.
• Filmstar Bronze & Glow: This palette contains a powder contour and a highlighter for effortless sculpting. I absolutely adore both products. The contour blends seamlessly and is foolproof for giving sculpture and definition to your face, while the highlighter is so finely milled that it leaves behind such a gorgeous glow to the high points of your face without ever looking blocky, chunky, or patchy. Read my full review.
• Pillow Talk Eyeliner: This pencil eyeliner comes in a unique and addictive berry-brown shade that complements so many makeup looks. The formula is smooth, creamy, pigmented, and smudge-proof. It makes a big difference to your standard black or brown pencil liners and adds an editorial, feminine finish to your makeup. I love it.

Hero products

Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, Airbrush Flawless Finish, Hollywood Flawless Filter & Matte Revolution

Price range

Expensive

Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 7 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has combination skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.