Being an international model has more advantages than you may think.It has taught Ema Masters not only how to pack lightly, but also how to wear make-up on an aspiring model's salary.Ema confesses she doesn't wear much make-up as a rule - not even to castings. But with a face like that, she doesn't need to.

For the average Sunshine Coast woman, however, the beauty industry puts a large dent in the hip pocket. Almost every week, a new miracle worker arrives on the scene, boasting it will instantly improve your life with a swipe of its magical wand.

With purse strings tightening the globe over, it is time to put down the primers, lip plumpers and other excesses and look at how you can achieve the same look on a smaller scale.Ema is of the belief that less is more and her philosophy is, if it doesn't have more than one use, it's useless. Her tips for time-saving and money-saving make-up application are.

To create smoky eyes, simply blend your black eye liner back on to your lower lid and smudge.Lipstick is redundant, according to Ema. A good lip liner can be used to create the line around your precious pout and then it can fill in the gaps. • Instead of using liquid eyeliner, Ema suggests dipping a thin brush into your mascara bottle and painting it on the rims of your eyes.

For luscious looking eyelashes, Ema says to start by putting the mascara on the bottom of your lashes and hold it there. This will not only curl your lashes (so you won't need to spend money on an expensive eyelash curler), but will make them look fuller and also gives the illusion that you are wearing eyeliner.

For blemishes, forget the ordinary concealer. “A lot of girls have blemishes and dark rings around their eyes and they use a concealer over the top, but it doesn't work. It just makes you look tired,” Ema said. Instead, to hide red spots, use a green eye shadow to cover it up. And for purple marks, use yellow eye shadow. • Instead of wasting money on primers, Ema says a good, oil-free thick moisturiser will do the trick.

For plump lips, use a lip liner with an orange tinge and watch where you draw the line of your lips - find the white line between the bottom of the lip and the skin and that's a good place to start.You can use your eye shadow as a lip liner in a pinch.

White eyeliner makes your eyes look bigger, so smear a bit on the inside of the lid at the bottom. Or, use a white eye shadow just under your eyebrows to make your eyes look bigger and brighter and to create the illusion of a higher brow line.

Lip gloss is your friend. You can use it to highlight your features by applying a swipe on your cheekbones or, instead of blush, use lip-gloss for a pinky fresh look. Lip gloss also works well for unruly eyebrows: just smooth them down with a bit of gloss.

There are some things Ema says you should splurge on, however.1. The first is good quality mascara. “If your eyelashes break, they break and eventually they will get shorter,” she said.2. The second splurge is an oil-free foundation. A poor quality foundation will only lead to blemishes and more money spent on beauty products to hide them.

3. Her third big spend would be on an oil-free moisturiser.4. Finally, a lip gloss with an SPF.But even following these tips wasn't enough if you didn't have good skincare, Ema said.“Always, every morning and night, I cleanse my face … sometimes three or four times a day,” she said.She also said it was important to make a habit of taking your make-up off before you go to bed each night, otherwise the make-up will seep into your skin and cause outbreaks.

Make-up artists for Jane Iredale, Nicole De Monte, takes a slightly different view to Ema on how you can do make-up on a budget.Nicole suggests finding the best-quality mineral make-up products available - preferably lines without any trace of chemicals - because they will give you better coverage, and they will last longer.

Some mineral make-up, without chemicals, also has an infinite shelf-life, so if you haven't used it in three years, there is no need to bin it.Nicole also suggests investing in good brushes because they will cut down on the cost of replacing product in the long run by not wasting product.

“The more you spend, the less you'll use. So you're saving in the long run,” Nicole said. “If you're on a budget, you're better off to get one good product that's versatile so you can utilise it all over.”“For plump lips use a lip liner with an orange tinge.”