The world of beauty can be pretty daunting, especially if you’re fairly new to it. There are so many different beauty products, many of which have self-professed life changing claims whether it be that you’ll have a huge boost of hydration or never have a breakout again in your life. Having tried and tested various different beauty items from different brands at a range of price points, I’ve come to a conclusion about where I personally, like to spend and save on beauty. Of course there are some exceptions to the rule, but for the most part, this is what I adhere to regarding my beauty purchases as it’s not necessary to splurge on certain beauty products when the drugstore has some just as good, if not better contenders!
WHERE TO SPLURGE
YOUR BASE: When it comes to your foundation, it’s so important that you have a good base to apply the rest of your makeup picks onto. There’s no doubt that the drugstore has some amazing base picks, but when you pay more for your foundation and concealer etc. you also tend to get a more extensive shade range and formula in general. You can save on products such as blusher, bronzer and lipstick products etc. however if you don’t have a good base to start off with your makeup won’t apply nicely or have increased longevity. A personal brand favourite of mine for my base products is NARS – their formulas, shade range and accessibility are just on point and it’s no secret that the NARS Sheer Glow foundation and Radiant Creamy Concealers are absolute staples of mine!
FRAGRANCE: Fragrance is one of those things where I believe you can tell right off the back whether it’s cheap or not. Cheap perfumes just remind me of being around 7 years old and getting those cheap fragrances like Hannah Montana and High School Musical perfumes that were so disgustingly sweet and had the worse lasting power – maybe it was a blessing in disguise, because they were far from nice! I have been an avid fan of Jo Malone ever since I was in secondary school. It’s my go-to and ultimate favourite brand when I’m looking for lovely cologne. They have so many scents with a variety of base notes to suit different preferences. I personally love Peony & Blush Suede, Pomegranate Noir, Wood Sage & Sea Salt and Lime Basil & Mandarin!
THE GREY AREA
SKINCARE: Many people would say that you should definitely splurge when it comes to skincare, but it’s such a hard one to gage. I know so many people who have amazing skin and then when I ask what skincare products they use, they mention brands such as Simple and Nivea, but in the same breath someone may have problematic skin, despite using more expensive products. I think skincare is one of those things that you just have to go by trial and error and merely figure out what works for you. My personal skincare routine consists of both expensive and affordable products. Some of my favourite skincare brands are Sarah Chapman, Pixi, Sunday Riley and E45.
WHERE TO SAVE
MASCARA: Mascara is one of those things that I believe is one of those pretty bog standard make up products to produce when it comes to makeup. Whether you spend £30 or £8 on mascara, there’s not that much room for it not to perform. With mascaras, what determines whether you like a particular one or not is usually the wand. I’ve bought a high end mascara before on an impulse and as soon as I got home, I thought to myself, why on earth have I just spent £25 on a mascara that’s only going to last up to 3 months away – should’ve bought a lipstick. My favourite brands to buy mascaras fro are Maybelline, L’Oreal and Max Factor – ranging in prices between £8 and £12 and also mean that I get a few Boots points when purchasing!
NAIL POLISH: You really don’t need to spend lots when purchasing nail polish I don’t tend to spend anymore than £15 on a nail polish and that’s for a specific gel nail polish for an LED Lamp, however for normal nail polishes I tend to only really purchase Essie. I love the formula, the array of shades they have on offer and the sleek clear bottle and white lid with a wide brush for an easy application. Other particularly good drugstore nail polishes that I’ve found to be particularly good in the past are the Barry M Hi Shine, L’Oreal Colour Riche and the Maybelline Colour Show nail polishes. My collection of nail polishes doesn’t stem from many brands other than those.
CHEEKS: As I said previously, the cheek front is an easy place to save on. You don’t need to spend an arm and a leg on blushers and highlighters. There are so many products on offer, many of which are especially good for their price. The only things that can determine certain factors about cheek products is the longevity and how well its blends. For everything cheek related, Sleek is the brand to go to, as it’s never let me down. They have great blushers, stunning highlighters and bloody amazing contours (even for dark skintones). I’ve always purchased their contour kit and their Solstice highlighting palette!
What’s your stance on this? Where do you like to splurge or save when it comes to beauty?
