So, this would be my first post on my brand spankin' new blog. How do I feel? Uncertain. I have been wanting to start a beauty blog for awhile, but considering my track record with blogging, I am not so good with updating. Even my personal blog; I used to be so good at updating it with boring, everyday crap that nobody except the most loyal of followers want to read, but now? Pfff.
But I hope that I keep up with this one, because it seems like it will be fun!
Anyway, for my first post, I figured I would make it about ~*staying beautiful*~ on a budget. And by budget, I mean, a university's student budget. Well. A university student's budget that can afford the odd splurge every now and then, because I personally am not at "eating-ramen-everyday" level, but not "MAC-is-practically-my-middle-name" level, either. Basically, this post is sort of documentation of my past experience - where I generally skimp on cost, and where I have found it best to save my money and splurge. Because as we all know, there are some quality drugstore products out there, but also quite a few that don't measure up to those which are higher-end.
So, without any further ado...
1. Mascara
Pretty much an essential, am I right? But it is so hard to find the holy grail of mascaras! At least I personally haven't found mine, despite having been wearing makeup for close to half my life at this point.
Mascara is one thing that I have found that I can generally skimp on as far as costs go. The more expensive formulas are definitely tempting, and can be worth it, but personally? At the moment, I own a mascara that I paid $30 for (DJV Beautenizer Fiberwig LX, for those wondering) and a mascara that I paid $6 for. Guess which one I like the best? Granted, the formula of the DJV is more superior, but the brush? Meh. And for me, it is all about the brush. Plus, mascara is something that one should be replacing every 3-6 months anyway. With that short of a shelf life, if you don't have the cash to spare, skip the expensive stuff.
My picks:
Cover Girl Lash Blast Fusion. I personally was not crazy about this one when I first picked it up, but it grew on me. To tell you the truth, I like layering it with above mentioned DJV Beautenizer, but haha. If you had to pick ONE of the two, I would choose this one. Fraction of the cost, with better volumizing effect.
I also recommend Hard Candy's Ginormous Lash mascara. It's the one that I am currently using, and it gives me volumizing, thickening, lengthening, and all of that fun stuff, and again, is a fraction of the cost of higher-end brands. You can find Hard Candy cosmetics at Wal-Mart.
2. Foundation
To tell you the truth, the jury is still out on this one for me. I have tried only one higher-end brand of foundation, and it didn't wow me, so I quickly went back to my drugstore favourite (Cover Girl TruBlend, for those who are curious). However, after becoming a BB cream convert, foundation has pretty much disappeared from my makeup routine, so again... I don't particularly have a strong opinion on this one. I think it all depends on how important foundation is in your everyday routine. For me, I don't particularly need or want a lot of coverage, therefore lightweight foundations like the TruBlend or BB cream are adequate for me. I also usually have no problem finding formulas that match my skin tone. So I think that whether or not it is "worth it" to splurge on a foundation differs from person to person.
So, I offer potential pros and cons:
High-End:
- Often a better match for your skin tone, due to the fact that counters usually have someone available to "professionally" match your skin (I say "professionally" because sometimes they still mess up, but I digress).
- Some offer superior coverage, often with a "less is more" philosophy, allowing you to get more usage out of the product
- Con: expensive. Sometimes ridiculously so.
Drugstore:
- Cheaper
- Certain formulas are comparable to those that are higher-end, with comparable coverage, etc.
- Did I mention cheaper?
There is also the whole powder vs. liquid debate. I am of the opinion that if you're going powder, drugstore gets the job done, and therefore isn't something that necessarily needs to be splurged on. But I currently don't even own a powder foundation, so again, I am not an expert. Any foundation experts out there that can weigh in on this pressing issue? Haha.
3. Concealer
With concealer, I think that if you have the money to spend, go for the higher-end stuff. But if you don't? I wouldn't splurge on it. There are definitely drugstore concealers out there that get the job done and offer comparable coverage and lastability.
My pick:
To be honest, I have only really ever used one concealer religiously, and that is Cover Girl's CG Smoothers. It is moisturizing, provides good coverage, lasts a decent amount of time, and does not break me out. This is THE concealer that I have been using since I was 12. I have also heard really good things about Hardy Candy's Glamoflauge concealer, though I have yet to pick up a tube. Apparently you barely have to use any of it, and it covers almost anything.
4. Eye Liner
I do have a couple of high-end eyeliners on my wishlist, but honestly? So far, the best drugstore holy grails that I have found are most definitely comparable to higher-end liners as far as overall quality, pigment, and staying power.
My picks:
Pencil: Annabelle Smoothliner - Unfortunately, as far as I know this brand is only available in Canada. I say unfortunately because these liners seriously ROCK. Not only is application super-smooth, but they are nice, soft, and smudgeable, with excellent staying power. I own one in brown and one in black.
Liquid: Rimmel Professional Liquid Liner - Nothing overly special, but it has a nice brush, good staying power, and is easy to get off. It also lasts a long time without getting clumpy!
Gel: Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner - This stuff has excellent staying power. It was my eyeliner of choice for New Years Eve, and was STILL on my eyes the following morning! It was a bit of a wild night, so it didn't look QUITE as pretty, but that was mostly because my false lashes were popping off. Heh. Anyway, I still need to compare it to Bobbi Brown's gel liner, as well as the MAC Fluidline, both of which I've heard are a-m-a-z-i-n-g, but if you don't have the money to spend on a high-end gel liner? This one is definitely comparable.
5. Eye Shadow
This is one thing that I feel is DEFINITELY worth it to splurge on. Granted, drugstore formulas have gotten a lot better over the years, considering they now offer way better pigmentation than they used to. Primer can also help bring life to poorly pigmented shadows. That aside though, I have found that I personally have stopped buying drugstore eye shadow all together. It is tempting to stock up on a crapload of drugstore trios and quads, because they're just so cheap, but stop and think about it for a second. You can buy a lot of cheap quads for the price of one higher-end brand palette, but which offers better quality? Again, the less is more philosophy.
That's not to say that higher-end eye shadows are always better than their drugstore counterparts, but I have found myself a lot more willing to splurge on eye shadow, because generally? The high-end stuff is better. Not to mention, eye shadow has a pretty long shelf life, so you would definitely get plenty of mileage out of it.
A great cost-saving way to own high-end shadows? Go with palettes. They may cost more money than single pans in the short term, but in the long term, they're a better value.
My picks:
Urban Decay's Naked Palette - A cult classic, this palette has 12 (? I think it's 12) shades that take you from day to night. All shades are pretty much universally flattering, and INCREDIBLY wearable. There are some shades that I have definitely used more than others, but I have used every single one on at least one occasion. Not to mention, it is a great value, as it comes with not only an Urban Decay shadow brush, but a bonus mini-primer potion (also a cult classic, and ALSO amazing).
Too Faced Natural Eye Palette - Another palette that takes you from day to night, with very wearable shades. I don't like this one quite as much as the Naked palette, but it is probably the palette that I use second most often, and is also slightly cheaper!
6. Lips
Again, this all depends on how important lip products are to your everyday routine. I do feel that having at least one high-end lipstick or gloss is a must, though. Not that the formula is vastly superior to drugstore counterparts or anything, but there is just something so satisfying about slicking on an expensive lipgloss. Or maybe that's just me. But in any case, higher-end brands often are longer-lasting, though there are also long-lasting drugstore formulas on the market (Cover Girl's Outlast line comes to mind) that will also get the job done.
Anyway, my picks (for both high-end and drugstore):
I am a pretty big fan of Rimmel's lipsticks, actually. I found my perfect coral shade (Soft Coral) in their Moisture Renew collection, the perfect "my lips but better" shade in their Lasting Finish collection (Airy Fairy), and the perfect red, also in their Lasting Finish collection (Alarm). Not to mention, the Lasting Finish collection smells AWESOME, and totally not lipstick-y.
For higher end, both of my picks are actually glosses. I really like NARS' lipgloss - it has a nice, long-lasting formula, and isn't too sticky. I also am a huge fan of Benefit's Ultra Shine gloss. The formula is awesome, and it smells and tastes like fruit punch. Can't go wrong with that.
7. Blush
Hands-down, I prefer higher-end blush. The pigmentation is just so much better, and again, less is more. Plus, blush is one of those things that you really only need one of - it is nice to have a selection, sure, but once you find your perfect shade? You're golden.
My picks:
NARS blush in Orgasm - this looks intimidating in the package, but is pretty much one of those shades that is flattering on everybody. Not to mention, NARS blushes are just LOVE in general; pricey, but worth it. I can't wait until I can get my hands on another one!
Mary Kay blush in Sunny Spice - I have owned this one for a couple of years and have yet to hit pan. The shade is super flattering on me, and barely need to swipe my brush through it in order to get good coverage.
8. Bath Goods
I used to not really care too much about my body wash, soap, or any of that. If it made bubbles, then whatever, that was good enough for me. Grandma's gift of Wal-Mart value pack body wash at Christmas? Ace.
I have become a huge fan of indulging on bath products, though. I admit it. I am now a total whore for Lush's bubble bars, as well as their Honey I Washed the Kids soap. I was also recently gifted with a Philosophy body wash (it seriously smells like CINNAMON BUNS), and I don't think I can ever go back to Grandma's Wal-Mart value packs now. I still am a fan of Dove soap though, for what it's worth?
So if bath products are your thing, go for it. Just don't go too crazy. If they aren't, stick to your Dove soap.
9. Nail Polish
My nail polish usually chips super fast, so I personally am a fan of more expensive brands like OPI, Essie, and China Glaze, as I find that they have better formulas and remain chip-free a little longer. But I think that one can generally get away with cheaper polishes, particularly those by Sally Hansen, provided that you have a nice top coat.
My pick:
It smells horrible (kind of like paint thinner), so I am sure there are some interesting chemicals in there, but it is an awesome top coat that dries super fast, is nice and shiny, and lasts. The only downside is that once you get halfway through the bottle, it kind of changes consistency and gets rather gloopy. This can be fixed with a nail polish thinner, which will restore it to its original consistency.
10. Cost-Saving Services
Love trying out new high-end products, but don't exactly have the money for it? Services such as Luxe Box, Glymm (both only available in Canada at the moment), or Birchbox (US only) offer a monthly service which delivers 3-5 deluxe beauty samples to you for a low price of $10 - $12 a month. I personally can't speak for Glymm or Birchbox, as I will not be receiving my first Glymm box until September (due to the August box selling out SO fast :( ), and do not live in the US. However, LuxeBox? TOTALLY worth the money. In both the June and July boxes, I received one full-sized product which made the box more than worth it. In June, I received a full-sized Laura Mercier eyeshadow; July, a full-sized Essie nail polish. Again, this is in addition to the other samples I received, which were definitely deluxe enough to last awhile. I have gotten two of my friends hooked, both broke university students like me. So I'm tellin' ya, this stuff is worth it!
There are also shops such as All Cosmetics Wholesale, StrawberryNET and NailEtc, which offer full-sized products for wholesale/cheaper than what you would pay in a store.
In Sum:
Definite Splurge: eye shadow, blush. It's usually worth the money, and you will generally get more use out of it.
Splurge/Save: foundation, bath products, lip products. For the previous three, it really depends on the level of importance it is for you in your everyday routine, as well as factors that you look for in them. Nail polish top coat is also generally a good one to splurge on.
Definite Save: mascara, concealer. I don't know, maybe I need to see the light as far as higher-end mascaras and concealers go, but for me, drugstore gets the job done well.
Also, consider subscribing to a deluxe sample service if you are a bit of a product whore, but don't have the money to go through trial-and-error with full-sized products!
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