British women spend £1.1bn a month on make-up

Despite the recession, British women are splashing out an extraordinary 1.1 billion pounds on make-up every month, according to a new poll.

The survey of more than 1,000 women by cosmetics firm Avon found that women carry an average of 57-pound-worth of cosmetics in their make-up bags, according to a new poll.

In the survey mascara was found to be the most popular item with 62 per cent of women saying it was an essential purchase, while 38 per cent considered lipstick a ''must-have buy''.