Makeup | Splurge or Save?

I'm sure professionals would agree with me that you don’t always have to break the bank to get what you desire from your makeup and a high price tag doesn’t always mean the pick of the bunch. However, there are some products worth splashing a little more on and it’s not for the look of luxury but for getting the most for your money, looking after your skin and having bomb makeup for any occasion. So how do we know where to splurge and where to save? I’m going to break it down for you with information I’ve gathered through my own personal experience and research I've done on professional opinions. 

Foundation

Let's start with the base. To put it simply, anything that comes largely into contact with your skin you should spend more money on. So many girls every single day waste money on foundation that do not match their skin tone. Department store brands have far more shades to choose from, and they are trained to match you to a shade that compliments your complexion. You are not going to get this large colour range from a drugstore brand. If you suffer from skin conditions such as acne or sensitivity then it’s important to seek a Department Store specialist’s advice in finding the right foundation for your skin type. 

Expensive foundations generally contain better-quality ingredients, meaning the formula is going to be more silky, the foundation will apply more evenly, create less creases and last longer. I have had my fair share of “24 hour” drugstore foundations which do not live up to their promise. I’m not saying don’t buy a drugstore foundation, but if you have a budget where you can spend a little more on certain products, foundation is one of them.

BOTTOM LINE: SPLURGE

RECOMMENDATION: Estée Lauder Double Wear is my newest venture and I have fallen in love with this product. It’s the only foundation I have ever used (and I have tried a lot) that has stayed in place all day and hasn’t budged even in the pouring rain. I deliberated for a long time between this and Chanel’s 'VITALUMIÈRE AQUA' so I think I am going to try that one too and I will let you know my thoughts. 

TIP: No matter what foundation you use, always, always, ALWAYS use a good quality primer underneath. This is going to ease your foundation application and make it last a lot longer. 
(EDIT: I have has of recent found out this actually isn't true so there ya go)

Concealer

Concealer is one of the most important things we carry in our makeup bags. They hide our scary dark circles under our eyes, cover any unwanted spot, they’re basically a girl’s best friend. Much like foundation, your high end concealers are going to provide a wider variety of colours, a more natural looking finish and generally give you more flawless looking skin. The only drugstore concealer I’ve gone through a real stage of is Collection Lasting Perfection which does do the job, but since switching to more expensive ones I can’t see myself going back.

BOTTOM LINE: SPLURGE

RECOMMENDATION: Urban Decay Naked Concealer is simply amazing. I shall continue to top it up and I’d also really like to get my hands on NARS’s Creamy Concealer next too.

TIP: If you don’t want to spend much on an eyeshadow primer you can use your concealer and it does just the same job. Set it with a little pressed powder and your eyeshadow will appear more vibrant and stay in place.

Mascara

Mascara is a product we dispose of far too often to continue replacing it with an expensive one. After a few months, mascara actually builds up a lot of bacteria so to avoid bacterial infection it is really important to replace it. The most important factor when it comes to mascara is the wand, so don’t feel the need to give into all the “Ultra Extra Extreme Black” advertisements - if it has a good wand, it’s a good investment. I gave into Benefit’s 'They’re Real' and hated it, while Too Faced’s 'Better Than Sex' is similar in price and one of my staples. I’ve also had a few different Max Factor mascaras which do just as good a job.

BOTTOM LINE: SAVE

RECOMMENDATION: Max Factor False Lash Effect is a great mascara at a great price and really gives that length to your lashes. 

TIP: Curl your eyelashes before applying mascara to nicely shape your lashes.

Face Powder

Powder is another product that comes into full contact with the skin and that we use more or less on a daily basis. High quality, expensive powders are more finely milled than that of your drugstore brands, meaning it will layer on more naturally and never leave you with a cakey finish (ew). Like foundation, high end face powders are made with better quality ingredients whereas many cheap powders spare on these and use talc as a filler. Talc isn't great for your skin and can really clog up your pores, something I have found in using my newest drugstore powder. 

BOTTOM LINE: SPLURGE

RECOMMENDATION: I am yet to have come across a powder that I can swear by and confidently recommend as it isn't something I have branched out on hugely. I have seen some great reviews on the Bobbi Brown 'Sheer Finish Pressed Powder' so I'm tempted to give it a try.

TIP: Use a translucent powder to set your makeup as it works with any complexion and leaves the most natural looking finish.

Eye Shadow 

Ugh, this gets a little tricky for one little reason which I will reveal later. When it comes to eyeshadow, you're going to find that the expensive ones are far better. Firstly, the pigments in expensive eye shadows are of much higher quality (aka the colour in the pan is going to look just as pretty and vibrant on your eyes). With cheap, drugstore eye shadows the colours may look beautiful in their palette, but they tend to transfer dully onto your eyes. Here is my one issue. I bought a cheap drugstore palette for £8 or something after a friend and I watched a tutorial and wanted everything used, and I threw this out pretty much the next day. I had to pack on the colour to get not even the colour I desired and their staying power was awful. Moral of the story - don't buy cheap eyeshadow. However, about 6 months ago I discovered Makeup Geek eyeshadow. Ridiculously affordable yet almost identical in size, shape and pigmentation to MAC pans. These are I think the only cheap eye shadows I have purchased which could fool you for a high end product. Other than that, head to the department stores for your eye shadows girls. They will last much longer and blend better which is c r u c i a l. 

BOTTOM LINE: SPLURGE/SAVE SOMETIMES

RECOMMENDATION: I love love love everything Too Faced, and their eyeshadow palettes.. to die for. I could buy them for their packaging alone but they are amazing, the colours are all so beautiful, they stay in place all day (literally) and they have a whole range of products that smell like freaking chocolate. Go, spend. 

TIP: Prime your eyes to intensify the colour of your eyeshadow and help it last for hours on end. 

Brushes

The last thing I am going to speak about (promise). You could have a cupboard full of the most amazing, expensive makeup from foundation down to the perfect brow gel, but do not even bother if you use cheap brushes. Good brushes are key. I know it makes you want to cry when a single MAC or Bobbi Brown brush costs you about £30 but long-term, splashing on brushes will save you money. Cheap brushes generally have blunt bristles that do not blend out pigment evenly. Expensive brushes are softer and less harsh on your skin. Good brushes don't need to be made with animal hair. Zoeva do great synthetic brushes for actually pretty decent prices. Synthetic brushes are also much easier to clean. Get your brushes right and even with cheaper makeup, you'll be left with a much nicer finished look. 

BOTTOM LINE: SPLURGE

RECOMMENDATION: The majority of my makeup brushes, and I kinda have a lot, are Zoeva. I love them and even though they are great quality, they aren't the most expensive out there.

TIP: The MAC 217 is going to be your best friend when it comes to blending eyeshadow. Purchase 2 or 3 over time (or as many as you damn please) so you always have a clean one in your pot. 

So there you have it. I know I haven't covered everything in your makeup bag but if I did I would be going on and on forever, so I have tried to cover pretty much all the main pieces. I hope you have learnt a little from this and it has helped even one person with the way they plan out their purchases. I really love to try out new makeup and I must confess I tend to go more towards the expensive products on the shelves and from my experience, they haven't let me down so far. Let me know if you'd like another similar post covering some of the products I haven't mentioned as I would happily do it. 

Love Jess ♡

I'd just like to add as an end note that I am not a makeup artist nor an expert, just someone who loves to hoard cosmetics and I wanted to share my thoughts/findings/experiences to help others who may be unsure what products to buy and how much to spend. Or simply just offer some information that nobody needs to take on board which is fine. Thank you everyone who continues to read my posts. Mwah X.