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The Angst salon on Toronto's Queen Street East is a deadly cool hair destination, tucked among the rubbiest shop fronts and dive bars in the city. Although his salon is exclusive and wildly expensive (in the $150-a-cut range), Bill Angst himself is an unlikely advocate of cheapo beauty products -- even when it comes to dye jobs. "It is perfectly all right to do your own hair colour. In fact, I applaud the trend. That is," he warns, "if you have any sense of colour theory. Trying to go too far outside your natural tones will always be a disaster."

And while a certain rich blond (what he calls a G&T, as in gin and tonic, blond) can be achieved only by a professional, Angst says most women will do perfectly fine with a $12.99 L'Oréal product. (We consulted our experts and found that most liked L'Oréal Excellence for grey coverage and Feria for bolder statements.)

Yes, after years of more and more expensive beauty products, there are signs that we are actually getting some common sense. This month's Consumer Reports magazine confirmed what many dermatologists have been saying for years: Use fewer products, and expensive isn't necessarily better.

So, to keep you beautiful on a budget, we offer the following insider's product guide.

Hair care

We tried out the new L'Oréal Vive Pro line, which is part of the trend to different formulas for different kinds of hair. One of us at Globe Style has "dry, thick, rebellious hair" (orange container); another has "fine hair without volume" (the pink). At less than $5 on sale, we are really loving this stuff. "The research that goes into professional lines is really paying off for mass lines right now," says Eric DelMonaco, consulting hair expert for L'Oréal Canada. "The products are really good, and they do what they say they do."

We also love KMS Silksheen Hair Gloss ($9.99). Tresses look well lacquered. We recommend saving it for evening for a bigger impact/switch from your matte day look.

Skin care

Consumer Reports went after the miracle cream mystique. Testing trials confirmed that the top performing brand was a drugstore one: Oil of Olay Regenerist outperformed such big names as La Prairie, which costs in the three digits.

Two great suggestions are Olay Total Effects (fragrance-free, with SPF 15; $27.99) and Neutragena Healthy Skin Anti Wrinkle Cream with Retinol (and SPF 15; $23.99).

For cleanser, "you can't beat Cetaphil [$15.49]," says Lisa Ahron, a makeup artist for The Artist Group in Toronto. "It is great for taking off eye makeup, and it cleans without stripping skin of its natural oils." It doesn't look as swank beside your bathroom sink (more expensive products do, we concur, offer nicer packaging in the main), but it looks great on your credit-card bill.

Foundation

Things in the foundation game changed about three years ago, says Ahron, who was amazed when she saw a fellow artist use a drugstore brand on Jessica Alba for a Cosmo cover shoot. Check out Cover Girl TruBlend ($13.99), where the claim is a match to 97 per cent of skin tones. For day, and especially for winter, try its sister product, CG Smoothers All Day Hydrating Liquid Makeup ($10.99).

Lip gloss

The M.A.C glosses and the Lancôme Juicy Tubes are great, Ahron says of the $20 and up options, but formulas from Cover Girl Lipslicks ($7.79) and L'Oréal Colour Juice ($8.99) are actually less sticky. "There is plenty of pigment," she says; after all, no one wants to kiss a bright pink slick of goo.

Cheek tint

We found the best deal in cheek gel. Quo, the reasonably priced Shoppers Drug Mart line of makeup, has knocked off the Tart cheek stain. Quo does not actually stain, and it offers the same rosy glow for $8.50, half of the original.

Eyeliner

Rimmel is the British import we go to for a quick makeup fix. Try the eyeliner ($6.49) in peacock blue to get the latest look: fresh, whitened eyes with just a titch of blue around the tear duct. You can't see it, but it creates a chic optical illusion.

Mascara

For generations now, the kit of every professional makeup artist has featured Maybelline Great Lash mascara. Regular, waterproof, they all work well for just $6.49. The secret, dear reader, is in the wand. Yep, gazillions are spent on wand development each year inside the cosmetics empires. This one still works just fine, thanks. And for the most part, it doesn't smear, unless you cry an unusual amount, have contact issues or rub your tired peepers too much.