Okay for very little funds you can get the following-
Vest style maxi dress in black,navy and grey. These are on eBay for about £6 each.
Cropped denim jacket. I have seen these in Peacocks for about £15.
New look do converse style pumps for about £10. Also their ballerinas are about £6, very comfortable and in an array of colours.
Hit Primark for scarfs and bangles. These are around £1-2.
Pick up a couple of cropped cardigans for dressing up the dresses for work etc. These are around £8. If you have a Store twenty-one they have loads in there at the moment for £4. They do scarfs/bangles etc too. Also front tie Cardigans work for a smarter look with these sort of dresses. They are about £4 each.
Cropped tops that are a bit slouchy go well. Loads of these on eBay as well.
This should form part of a very easy basic wardrobe that you can tweak according to whether you are feeling rock chic or classic.
With respect to hair dye I have tried just about every other brand of hair dye but I really rate the Schwarzkopf stuff. It stays put and the colours turn out really nice. I costs about £2.50. Total bargain. For a realistic red that doesn't turn dinner lady from the eighties burgundy- try highland chestnut or their Cognac shades. It's the Country Colors range.
Re make-up MUA is REALLY good. It keeps running out where I live... The nail varnishes are good as are the eye shadow palettes. Lipsticks are a bit hit and miss but it's worth a look. Superdrug for that one and most of it is a pound. The eye palette is said to be a dupe of a much more expensive brand and the pigmentation is said to be better. I got mine for around £4 from memory.