But add together the cost of how much a woman spends on make-up over her lifetime and the result is a little ugly.

A study has found that the average woman will spend more than £8,500 on cosmetics over six decades.

Splashing out on lipstick, eye shadow, foundation and blusher costs the average woman more than £130 every year.

Foundation is the most expensive item, with females spending £1,998 on the cover-up throughout their life.

Meanwhile, lipstick alone will cost £1,342, with £1,404 going on mascara and £1,144 on eye shadow.

The Debenhams poll of 2,500 women also revealed almost a quarter would never consider leaving the house without their war paint while nine per cent say that if they do, they feel naked.

A spokeswoman for Debenhams said: "Women are taking more pride in their appearance than ever before and this survey goes to show that they don't mind spending the cash on cosmetics to look great.

"When you add up the contents of a cosmetics bag, it is incredible how much money it amounts to over a lifetime.

"But the feel good factor women experience when buying a new lipstick or blusher is the same when shopping for clothes or handbags.

"This is also reflected in store - Debenhams currently stocks over 150 cosmetic brands, which continues to grow rapidly every year."

For some women though, the massive cost is justified as half wear it every single day.

Another 37 per cent admit that not wearing make-up when they go out leaves them feeling less confident than usual.

It also emerged women in London are England's biggest spenders when it comes to slap-on, shelling out an average of £174.98 a year.

North of the border, ladies in Edinburgh spend the most - handing over £179 a year compared to those in Glasgow who spend just £134.

The poll also found that more than two thirds think TV programmes such as 10 Years Younger and How to Look Good Naked have encouraged women to take more pride in their appearance.

And another 47 per cent buy make-up for a pick-me-up when they are feeling down.

AVERAGE MAKE-UP COSTS EACH YEAR
• Foundation - £30.75
• Concealer - £7.20
• Blusher - £10.88
• Bronzer - £7.34
• Eye shadow - £17.60
• Eye liner - £6.32
• Mascara - £21.60
• Lipstick - £20.66
• Face powder - £9.22
Total: £131.57

TOP 10 MADE UP CITIES
1. Edinburgh - £179.57
2. London - £174.98
3. Newcastle - £166.25
4. Sheffield - £164.15
5. Cardiff - £160.20
6. Birmingham - £154.30
7. Bristol - £152.18
8. Leeds - £142.36
9. Manchester - £139.35
10. Glasgow - £134.93

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