Drug Store Superstars Vs. Where to Splurge

Hey there my little makeup love bunnies!! This is a question I get more often than almost any other. Which products are worth spending my money on. I tell them first and foremost skin care. Read my last blog for the low down on the best and brightest in the skin care world right now for every type and all ages. As far as makeup goes I will go by category. I will tell you which are worth saving your pennies on, and which are worth dishing out for, and which brands really work for me. 

~For Your EYES Only~ 

Mascara: Save your money. Yes there are some really nice upper end mascaras, but in the  end they are hardly any different than the ones you see in the drugstores. Sometimes the   drugstore versions even out perform the high end ones. There are a couple I like a lot and use regularly. I like a lot of the Loreal's mascaras. One I really like though is their Waterproof Double Extend Bold Lash Fortifier & Extender. It's a two step process, that first primes lashes then the second coat adds the deep color and length. Its really amazing what a difference it makes than just plain mascara. 

    
 Shadow: This quite honestly is a tricky category. Because you can find great shadows that are cheap, but you can also find a whole lot of really bad, chalky, unpigmented ones as well. I recently got a huge palette from ELF that had a truckload of colors in it. I was so impressed with the quality of these shadows! They are creamy, pigmented, gorgeous in colors, shimmers and mattes. You could not get more for your  money if you tried. I think it cost me $15 for the whole thing? That's the cost of a  single  shadow with some companies. So my rule of thumb is to check it out on your  hand. If a  shadow takes several swipes to get the color on your hand, or doesn't look the same on  you as in the pan, SKIP IT. Where ever you are. Palettes can be a great buys as long as  you really like all the colors because you can get an entire look in one neat, travel  friendly, kit. One of my favorite recent buys has been from Too Faced Cosmetics. Its the  Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Collection. And yes, it does actually smell  like chocolate.  The colors are lovely, wearable, and pigmented. Its  a nice combination of  mattes and shimmers. These are great for every day, but also can transfer into a nice smokey eyed evening look easily and beautifully. 

Liner: Here's a little secret just between us girls...there are only a few manufacturers           that make ALL the liners for ALL the companies that sell eye liner. So  its basically the same product with different labels. Ugh. I I know. So yeah. Go drugstore all the way on this. I recently discovered an exact dupe for Bobbi Brown's  Gel liners, a staple I thought I could not do without until I found this. Its Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner. It comes in 4 different shades, Blackest Black,  Brown, Charcoal, and Eggplant. They are all lovely. But don't count on the wimpy little brush it comes with to apply it. Use a nice fine eye liner brush. 

~For Your Lovely Face~      

Foundation: This is the one area I tell my clients to put their money. Foundations           have come a long way. There is a lot of science that goes into making them. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to foundations. Its the thing that is the most noticeable when it goes bad on someone. Sephora has a nice service now where they have a fancy new device that will color match your skin tone so you never make the mistake of wearing the wrong color foundation again. I highly recommend trying that out. Its a totally free service. Of course the type of foundation you need depends on the skin type you have. If you have oily skin you are going to want to go with a more matte foundation. One I really like for that purpose, that also is supposed to be very healing to problem skin comes from Hourglass. Its  their Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation Mattifying Oil Free Foundation.

For those who prefer a dewier look, and have drier skin like I do, I have a few other suggestions. The one I use on myself practically every day is YVES SAINT LAURENT LE TEINT TOUCHE ÉCLAT Illuminating Foundation SPF 19. I love the look of it on the skin. Its illuminating, covers any redness, and never settles into any fine lines. Its amazing. And the SPF in it is always helpful!!

Another that is quite good that I also use regularly is Chanel's Vitalumiere. It has the same ability to mimic real skin. It looks light and dewy, and fresh on the face. Luminous. Isn't that what we all want? Yes. The coverage is medium, but buildable. I quite like all Chanel's foundations though, they are just different. Depends on what you want.

  Blush: I personally also think this is an area where I prefer to spend a little more. Because it falls into the category of things that need to look natural on the skin, the  higher the quality the better. I tend to prefer cream blushes for this reason, as they blend more seamlessly into the skin than powders do. They give you that lit from within look. Powders tend to just sit on top, and and can actually age you. There are quite a few different brands that I have and use on a daily basis, so I'll just throw of  my very favorites out there to cover most skin tones. One of the best comes from famed  makeup artist Kevyn Acoin's line. Its called Creamy Glow in TanSoleil.  Its a lovely coral-ey peach color that is flattering on any skin tone. 

I find that if one has a coral blush and then a nice pink toned blush, that is a nice                      base. You will rarely want for any other color. So here is a pink toned one from the              same line, Creamy Glow in Pravella. These blend out so lovely, and give you that                  glow that looks like you've just been to the beach or out for a walk in the sun. So                      pretty! If you worry about it sliding off, top off with a finishing spray like Urban                      Decay All Nighter so you don't lost that pretty glow like you would if you powdered over it. 

~Its in Her Kiss, Read My LIPS!~

Lipstick/Liner: So while I love a gorgeous Tom Ford lipstick once in a while, they really     are seriously cost prohibitive and are they THAT different from ones you'd find on drugstore shelves? Well aside from a few lux moisturizers that come in the Tom Ford lipsticks, no not really. So buy a few high end ones in colors you really like that make you feel good, but there are a lot of others out there on the lower end that will give you a lot of bang for your buck. For instance. ELF makes some great ones. I love e.l.f. Essential Lipstick in Fearless.

So hopefully this was helpful for you. I know it can be hard trying to decide what's what spending your hard earned money on, and what isn't. What it boils down to for me is buy what makes you feel good about yourself. Who cares what the label says. No one knows once its on your face anyway. I'd be happy to answer any questions you have any time. Also any ideas for future posts about what you're interested in learning about, I'm all ears!!