As I was having a clear-out of my beauty products the other week, it occurred to me that some of the best products in my routine tend to be multi-purpose beauty products. As a beauty editor, I’m lucky enough to try and test lots of new beauty products for my job, but it’s often the multi-tasking products that end up having a permanent spot in my rotation.
Not only can multi-purpose beauty products streamline your routine, but they can also save you time and money. A complexion product that replaces both my concealer and foundation? Yes please. A chic cream blusher stick I can wear on my eyes, lips and cheeks? I’ll take two. And if I can also use a body oil in my hair, I want to know about it. And just as some of the most successful people in the world have a daily uniform that streamlines their day, multi-purpose beauty products work in the same way. They’re dependable, adaptable to different situations and can often save you time and energy in your day-to-day routine. Not to mention, they save on precious space on your bathroom shelf and in your makeup bag.
So, I decided to round up some of my favourite multi-purpose beauty products that editors love. Scroll on for our tried-and-tested favourites that will quickly become a staple in your beauty routine, too.
Best Multi-Purpose Beauty Products
1. Got2b Glued 2-in-1 Gel
No slicked-back bun is ever complete without this brilliant hair gel wand, which features Got2b’s iconic Glued formula. It effortlessly coaxes flyaways and edges into place with all-day hold. Trust me, once you’ve laid down the hair, it won’t be going anywhere. But what makes it so brilliant is that it can also be used as a brow gel to lock in a fluffy look that stays put. And with it coming in at just £6, this is one of the most affordable multi-purpose beauty products out there.
2. Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi Purpose Dry Oil
Nuxe
Huile Prodigieuse Multi Purpose Dry Oil
Nuxe is a French pharmacy skincare staple, but its hero product just so happens to be a brilliant multitasker. Firstly, it’s a dry oil, which works as a brilliant, non-sticky body oil that leaves a beautiful gleam on your limbs. Secondly, it can also be used as a lightweight hair oil to bestow a healthy shine upon your lengths without a hint of stickiness. Because it’s so light, it even works as a featherlight facial oil, whether it be for facial massage or locking in moisture. With it being Nuxe, of course, it smells impossibly chic (think expensive French suncream), so you’ll be left with a scent wherever you apply it. Thought that was it? If you opt for the shimmer version, it works as a bronzy body highlighter too.
3. Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencils
MAKE UP FOR EVER
Artist Color Pencil
You may have spotted Hailey Bieber and countless celebrity MUAs using this Makeup For Ever lip pencil on your feeds. But did you know that these pencils were actually designed to be used as a blush, lip liner and even an eyeliner? They’re creamy enough to scribble on everywhere (à la Emily Wood’s TikTok-viral video) to give you a hint of colour wherever you wish. My recommendations are Anywhere Caffeine (a muted beige-pink) and Endless Cocoa (a mid-brown shade), which are both neutral enough to be used anywhere.
4. By Terry Hyaluronic Serum Concealer
By Terry
Hyaluronic Serum Concealer
While the shade range could be better, this French concealer has won over our beauty desk for its multi-purpose magic. “Whenever I tell people I don’t wear foundation, a skin tint or a tinted moisturiser, their reaction is always the same: I could never dream of that. The truth is, if I can get away with it, everyone can,” says Who What Wear UK beauty director, Shannon Lawlor. “My skin is far from perfect. It has scarring, active acne breakouts and texture galore. The reason I don’t like wearing an all-over base is multi-fold. 1. I don’t have the patience to blend it out every day. 2. I like my face to look as natural as possible. 3. I can’t stand the way foundation transfers onto everything I touch. So, over the years, I have trained myself in the art of masterful concealer application—and in order to make this work, the power of a multi-purpose, creamy concealer cannot be overlooked,” she says. “This particular formula is, without question, the best ever made. I generously swipe it under my eyes, around my nose and, more or less, all over my chin, and I dab a little onto specific blemishes. I leave it to settle for about 20 seconds and then smoosh it all in with my finger. It evens out texture and tone, gives my skin a dewy glow that doesn’t look oily, brightens up dull areas and conceals spots in a flash. This little tube is my hero makeup product, and I can’t bear the thought of being without it. Concealer, base, highlighter, all-round glow-giver—it does it all.”
5. Rhode Glazing Milk
Rhode’s Glazing Milk may be my favourite from all of its skincare. This milky essence adds a splash of skin-soothing, lightweight hydration before going in with serums and moisturisers. But another way I love to use it comes from founder Hailey Bieber herself. In several of her TikTok videos, she uses her Glazing Milk to sheer out her foundation or skin tint, making it a helpful way to dial down the opacity of your base products if they feel too heavy. It also makes your skin incredibly glowy and dewy—if I could bathe in it, I probably would.
6. Weleda Skin Food
This is one of those skincare products that I forever see in makeup artist kit bags backstage at London Fashion Week, and you can use it almost everywhere. It has a rich, buttery texture with a tonne of botanical extracts that cosset the skin, leaving it feeling plumped a hydrated. Because it’s so thick, it’s better suited for dry skin or mature complexions (acne-prone or oily skin types, you’ll want to avoid using it on your face), and a little really does go a long way. However, it also makes a brilliant body moisturiser, cracked heel balm and hand cream as the colder weather creeps in.
7. Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
Westman Atelier
Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
“Westman Atelier’s Baby Cheeks Blush Stick is one of my favourite cream blushers of all time,” says junior beauty editor, Grace Lindsay. “I use the shade ‘Petal’, which is the perfect everyday pink to add a subtle flush of colour to the skin. I love it so much that I also use the product on both my eyes and lips. The creamy formula is easy to swipe onto the eyelids to help make my eyes pop, and I like layering it under a clear gloss on the lips to tie my entire makeup look together,” she says. “This product is more expensive than your typical cream blush, but the fact that I can do so much of my makeup routine with it makes it a worthwhile investment.”
8. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
La Roche-Posay
Cicaplast Balm B5 Multi-Purpose Repairing Balm
I consider La Roche-Posay’s Cicaplast Baume B5+ as the skincare version of a first aid kit. This healing creamy balm has so many uses. Originally developed to calm, repair, and comfort stressed or irritated skin, it’s become a go-to that dermatologists frequently recommend for a wide range of skin concerns. The formula blends prebiotics with zinc and manganese—both known for their antibacterial properties—to help accelerate the skin’s natural recovery. It’s just as good for cuts and scrapes as it is for repairing sensitised skin. Its rich, soothing texture forms a protective barrier, giving skin the best chance to heal. Plus, it’s fragrance-free and hypoallergenic, making it especially well-suited for even the most sensitive skin types. More recently, creators on TikTok have taken to using it as an overnight mask for glass-like skin come morning, or even as a treatment to reduce the look of sebaceous filaments on the nose.
9. Aquaphor Healing Ointment
Eucerin
Aquaphor Healing Ointment
Is it sexy? No. But does it work? Hell yes. Aquaphor’s ointment is one of those multi-tasking products that everyone ought to own. It’s a brilliant lip balm for when lips are cracked and sore, a healing ointment for cuts and scrapes, and some even like to use it as part of their nighttime routine to seal in moisture on parched complexions. When I recently had a CO2 laser treatment for acne scarring, it was also recommended to me as a healing post-procedure aftercare balm. Whenever I interview celebrities on their beauty routines, I always make a point of asking them what their favourite drugstore product under £10 is, and they almost all say this.
10. Merit The Minimalist
It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of Merit here at Who What Wear UK, and this is one of their best products that just so happens to be a great multi-purpose beauty product. It’s both a lightweight foundation stick with a natural-matte finish, but it also doubles as a concealer with its ballpoint pen-style nib that is nimble enough to conceal around the chin and nose. It’s a real space-saver in your makeup bag! The brand also recommends it for contouring if you go one or two shades darker.
11. Chanel Baume Essentiel
Beauty editors collectively agree that this is one of the best makeup products ever created. It’s a sheer, glossy highlighter, which imparts a dewy gleam to cheekbones that makes you look like you spent a weekend at a luxury spa retreat. But, it can also be used to highlight the cupid’s bow, the bridge of the nose, or even the decolletage and limbs to bring a glow to the rest of your body. The stick formula makes it so easy to swipe on anywhere. It comes in a few different shades, from sheer pink to tinted bronze, but also a totally transparent shade that gives a natural-looking glow.
12. Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter
(Image credit: @eleanorvousden for Who What Wear UK)
Charlotte Tilbury
Hollywood Flawless Filter
The Hollywood Flawless Filter was really a pioneer when it launched. In a world of foundations, primers and highlighters, this somehow managed to singlehandedly replace all three in our makeup routine. The sheer tint offers natural-looking coverage, while the dewy finish gives your skin a glass-like effect of someone who religiously drinks matcha lattes and has regular facials. Honestly, the glow is unmatched. But what’s so great is that it looks beautiful worn alone, or you can wear it underneath foundation as a primer for a glow-boost. Additionally, it can be mixed into your base makeup or applied on top as a highlighter. What a hard worker.
13. Beauty of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen SPF30 PA+++
Beauty of Joseon
Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen SPF30 PA+++
It’s hard to find a good SPF that also doubles as a skin tint, but this tinted sunscreen is a new favourite of mine that ticks two boxes in my routine. It’s ultra lightweight and silky in texture, delivering a hint of coverage to the skin, which is enough to even out your complexion. It dries down to a velvety touch and doesn’t budge—even on my oily skin. They say the best SPF is the one you want to wear every day, and this one just so happens to be a great skin tint too—it’s a win-win.
How We Tested
As beauty editors, we have decades of experience between us in testing the very best beauty products. After all, we recommend beauty products for a living, so we put all the best multi-purpose beauty products to the test, from makeup and skincare to hair care and body care. These are the beauty products that we genuinely use in our beauty routines and would also buy ourselves.
Why Trust Us
At Who What Wear UK, we know that beauty isn’t one-size-fits-all. Our editors have tested thousands of products, including skincare, makeup, hair and nails, over the years and work closely with trusted experts—dermatologists, make-up artists and leading industry insiders—to ensure every guide is well-researched, inclusive and relevant to you.
We focus on formulas that deliver, whether they’re affordable favourites or luxury investments. Our product selection is based on tangible results, ingredient know-how and what we’d truly recommend to a friend.
