It’s hard to believe it’s only been seven years since Victoria Beckham launched her eponymous beauty brand. In that short time, sales of her products have surged – eclipsing VB’s fashion brand to account for around two-thirds of Victoria Beckham Holdings' revenue.

While the collection is unapologetically a reflection of Victoria’s exacting high standards and her “pursuit of the best”, the product range itself is an ode to Victoria’s own beauty routine.

Think pared-back but perfected basics and elevated everyday essentials. Case in point: the award-winning Satin Kajal Jewel Liner and her recent (and much lauded) foray into foundation with The Foundation Drops.

There’s no getting away from the fact that as a collection, VBB is at times, eye-wateringly expensive. And while that would usually be a bit of a red flag for me, I’ve tried enough of these products before to know that it is genuinely a truly excellent brand.

Whether it’s worth splashing cash on is of course entirely up to you, but speaking personally, this is exactly the type of stuff I’d spend my money on.

The formulas are almost without exception brilliant (considered, sophisticated and with attention to detail on precisely the important things), and there are all the other hallmarks of luxury beauty that you might expect for the price tag.

Think weighty bottles and palettes, slick magnetic closures, tactile packaging and that gorgeous pop of Bader blue adorning all the skincare lids and contrasting so well with the jet-black Beckham tubes. In short, it’s a pleasure to use and show off.

It’s not exactly an arduous task to test what is considered by most to be a high-quality, high-performance beauty brand, but I bravely did my due diligence and got to work, testing over the course of a month and noting everything from application to staying power and pigment payoff.

Where appropriate for the base products like foundation and concealer, I applied them to a cleansed face without any extra product like a primer that might alter their performance or finished effect.

For a second-skin finish

What we love: A breathable serum-type foundation with light coverage and a buildable, natural-feeling finish. The cell-rejuvenating ingredients of Augustinus Bader’s TFC8® complex help the formula feel flexible and melting, while the actives help improve your complexion over time.

Take note: While the shade range isn’t the most extensive I’ve seen (19 in total), I was impressed with how light and how deep it goes and how considered the undertones of the shades are.

There’s no getting away from the fact that this is an incredibly expensive foundation. Do you need to pay £104 for a foundation? Absolutely not. Should you pay £104 for this foundation? Well… you choose to splash out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. A thin, fluid but not sheer formula; what I like most is how buildable it is without ever feeling heavy or cakey.

While one layer gives you a blurred, your-complexion-but-fresher finish, two or three will help give you an even, refined skin finish, helping to hide any red bits or brown spots while still feeling hydrating and comfortable on the skin. The overall effect is lovely, dewy without being shiny and luminous without being shimmery.

• Product type: Foundation

What we love: Formulated with mineral-rich seawater from the coast of northern France, this featherlight tint delivers a natural flush of colour with added skincare benefits.

Take note: Given that this is more of a stain formula as opposed to a cream or liquid bronzer, the time for blending it out before it sets in place feels shorter than you might be used to. It’s not a problem; just make sure you’re ready with your brush to buff into skin right after application.

This watercolour wash of bronze is unlike any other bronzer I’ve tried, and so it did take a little getting used to, but once I did, I was hooked. While you don’t get that melting, golden glow you get from cream bronzers, you do get a soft haze of bronze that genuinely looks like it’s emanating naturally from your skin.

And because it’s such a natural, diffused finish, it works just as well buffed into lids, onto temples and even along collarbones for a seamless, healthy-looking glow.

• Product type: Bronzer

for an instant eye look

What we love: A creamy, smudge-proof kajal liner that glides on effortlessly and stays put. While the majority of the range comes in wearable neutral shades, signature quirky pops of colour like the iconic Jeans, a cool-toned denim, are not to be missed either.

Take note: The nature of this kajal pencil means you have only a little play time to smudge, smoke or buff the liner as you wish. Although you may need to get used to it, on the plus side, it does mean that once it’s set, it’s not going anywhere fast.

Before I tried this, I thought an eyeliner was, well, an eyeliner. Turns out, I was wrong. Imagine the smoothest, silkiest, most buttery-textured liner you can; add to that, intense pigments (try the Silver Glaze and Gold Lamé and then let’s talk) and a nuanced shade selection, and you’ll be somewhere close to this piece of perfection in pencil form.

• Product type: Eyeliner

For a polished everyday lip look

What we love: An exercise in precision, this lip liner is soft, smooth and waterproof, while added peptides offer skincare benefits and make for comfortable wear.

Take note: Recently redesigned to include a silver aluminium long cap, which not only protects the entire pencil, but can also be popped on the end of the pencil to extend its overall length so that you can use it right down to the smallest stub. Genius.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes this such a good product; after all, a lip liner can only do so much, but somehow this manages to surprise me every time I use it.

Whether it’s the texture of the product itself (soft enough so as not to drag the skin but not too soft that you can’t get a crisp line), the hyper-realistic shades available in 0.5 increments or the proper wooden applicator that needs to be sharpened the old-fashioned way (always pleasing), this is a lip liner worth investing in.

• Product type: Lip liner

For brighter under-eye area

What we love: A high-performance, enhanced formula that delivers a second-skin finish. Light-to-medium coverage perfects the look of skin while proprietary actives improve your complexion in 4 weeks.

Take note: The clicky brush applicator is a nice nod to iconic products of the past, but it does mean that it can take a while to activate on first use and for the product itself to make its way to the tip. You may feel like you’re clicking for ages, but do persevere; it will appear.

A lovely, albeit expensive, concealer for everyday use, I found that this covered most of what I needed to (stubborn pigmentation presented more of a challenge) and stayed put well throughout the day.

While it was very effective in disguising imperfections and blemishes, I think the best place for it is under the eyes, as it has a subtle brightening effect (perhaps the effect of the added skincare?) that helped me look refreshed and wide awake and decidedly less knackered.

• Product type: Concealer

: For a flash of drama

What we love: A demi-matte lipstick formula for seamless, saturated colour.

Take note: The price is a little hard to swallow, even for a very nice lipstick, so I advise getting your money’s worth by leaning into its versatility. Aside from wearing it as a regular lipstick, try mixing a tiny bit with your usual lip treatment for a tinted balm or blotting and pressing it in for more of a matte stain.

As a non-lipstick wearer, I will say this bold shot of scarlet looked a little intimidating at first glance. Undeniably pigmented and as velvety as a rose petal, any worries I had about a messy application or uncomfortably matte finish disappeared.

The colour I tried, a blue-based, proper punchy red, was immediately flattering, illuminating my skin in an intangible sort of way despite having very little other makeup on, while the formula is dense and smooth but very creamy and gliding and, yes, very comfortable to wear.

• Product type: Lipstick

For a fresh flush of colour

What we love: A precision blush stick made to blend and build for controllable intensity and a bespoke flush every time.

Take note: Given the formula is so creamy, you can happily blend this with a brush, but I preferred using my fingers to get an authentically diffused, flushed effect.

I’ve used and loved the regular Contour Stylus pens that this is a version of, so I wasn’t surprised to discover that I was also a big fan of this blusher. If you’re new to this VBB signature shape, the slim, narrow applicator might throw you a little at first, but stick with it, as it does make for a more intuitive placement of colour.

By that I mean, forget heavy-handed swathes of pink across your cheeks, and instead be prepared to scribble, daub and dab your chosen shade along the top of your cheekbones, across the bridge of your nose and into your hairline. It’s a different, more precise way to blush, but it's surprisingly flattering and foolproof.

• Product type: Blusher

For a healthy skin glow

What we love: Part of the VBB range developed in partnership with skincare heavyweight Augustinus Bader, this includes the proprietary skin cell-renewing TFC8® technology and acts like a moisturiser + helping to prep skin like a canvas while visibly blurring and refreshing.

Take note: Available in three different shades, all of which are extremely lightly tinted. I tried Rose, which describes itself as a universal rosy, pink glow, but there’s also Golden, which has a bronze undertone and Pearlescent. It’s undoubtedly expensive, but if you think of it as being more of a hybrid lotion/primer, it might ease the sting slightly.

It’s tricky to know how to categorise this product (part moisturiser, part primer?) but whatever it is, I really like it. The first thing to note is the texture. Like a very silky, lightweight moisturiser, it sinks in quickly without the need for much rubbing in, and after it does, it imparts skin with a very pretty, very subtle radiance.

If you’re a sparkle-phobe, don’t fear; it’s definitely not sparkly, but there is a noticeable luminosity left behind. I trialled it on bare (SPF’d skin) and under makeup and enjoyed a fresher-looking finish with both, but it’s worth saying there’s no real pigment involved, so despite its claims of blurring, I didn’t find it evened out my complexion in that way.

• Product type: Illuminating moisturiser

For an elevated lash look

What we love: A high-performance mascara that lifts and strengthens lashes in one swipe. Silky and smudge-free, with micro-bristles for maximum impact.

Take note: This is a tubing mascara, which is great if you’re prone to mascara that smudges or flakes, as it won’t move. To remove it, wet your lashes with warm water and gently pull it off.

In my mind, there are two types of mascara every woman needs in her makeup arsenal. The type that gives you instant, flashy volume and deep, inky density, and the type you reach for when you just need to help you look a bit polished.

This mascara, with its slimline, gently spiky wand, is the latter. Perfect for adding very subtle length and separation to lashes in a barely-there kind of way, it’s just enough to feel a bit more presentable and pulled together. They call it an ‘elevated lash look, and I’m inclined to agree.

• Product type: Mascara

For a modern sheen

What we love: A next-gen lip gloss with a mirror-like lacquer and zero stickiness. Given that it’s infused with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, it also helps impart comfort and hydration.

Take note: Thanks to the added conditioning ingredients like blackcurrant oil, my lips felt nicely cushioned throughout, so unless you’re an obsessive lip balm fan, this ought to be enough to hydrate your pout as well as embellish it.

I last wore lip gloss when Juicy Tubes were in their prime, and you only had to turn around for your hair to get welded to your lips, so I was a little apprehensive to try this. Thankfully, lip gloss has had the same grown-up treatment as the rest of the collection, and this feels resolutely like a modern lip gloss with plenty of balmy shine, decent pigment payoff and happily, no stickiness.

While the finish was nicely glossy, I’d argue it was a (classier) glass-like finish as opposed to something more heavily lacquered. The shade I tried was a pretty antique rose shade that can be layered to create more depth of colour, and the shine lasted a couple of hours of eating and drinking before I felt the need to top up.

• Product type: Lip gloss