It's not an exaggeration to say that products that are more expensive do tend to be of better quality and therefore you reach for them more often, or you go back to them again and again. When you're doing someone's makeup, as well, you use products you want them to buy (and make commission off of, if that's your jam. The pricier, the better). Walking into a drug store or a beauty store, any beauty advisor is going to recommend products that brands are pushing them to sell, or products that might benefit them from your purchase too. Some are worth the money, some just aren't. If you can save, you definitely should.
Here are products that I think are worth spending a little more on:
A face primer is in incredibly good investment, and quality isn't always cheap. I've found that if you're willing to spend a little more on a primer, the results are amazing. Not only that, but if you've got a good base (primers keep your foundation lasting longer and help keep it even) you can cheat a little bit and opt for a cheaper drug store foundation. There are some amazing drug store foundations on the market that can look like a million bucks with a nice primer. (I recommend Revlon Colorstay).
You don't even need to use a primer strictly as a prerequisite to your foundation routine. Primers make your skin look great no matter what. They're mattifying and pore minimizing, if it's hot and you're feeling oily and a little red, throw on a primer with SPF and you're good to go. Au naturel, smaller pores, and a matte finish without feeling cakey with a foundation.
If you're interested in my recommendations, I'd marry and have many babies with Smashbox face primers. Smashbox is a cosmetics brand that stemmed from a photography studio (Smashbox Studios, the more you know) and was created by two brothers who wanted a brand that not only photographed well, but lasted all day and didn't need retouching. The primers were one of their first product lines, and they've grown so much. The line of primers from Smashbox is incredibly extensive, whatever issue you've got, there's a primer there that will work for you. I personally use the colour-correcting green tinted primer, it's incredible. These primers range from around $44-50, and a little bit goes a long way.
Another great primer, particularly created for reducing the appearance of pores, is the Porefessional by Benefit. It retails for $37 at Sephora, prices don't range much from that anywhere else, but it is a great product. Again, a little bit goes a long way.
There are so many great face primers out there just waiting to be bought, and there are many more I neglected to mention. I won't recommend any that I haven't used and abused, though, so those two are my holy grails.
Have you ever gone out for a long night and looked in the mirror after a few hours of being out and noticed your shadows just look creased and faded and not at all how they looked when you put them on?... we all have. It's unpleasant. A good primer will prevent that from happening and make your shadow-applying experience better. You use less of your eyeshadows when you have a primer on because you don't need to pack on the product to get good colour payoff or good pigmentation. I think if I were to recommend ONE expensive product that everyone should have in their collection... it would be an eyeshadow base or primer. That's hard for me to say, but it's true.
In my experience the best eyeshadow primer is the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. It is silky, it makes your shadows just glide on, blending is an absolute dream, and it's just the best product. For a larger-sized product, it retails for about $25. Sephora sells the smaller sizes for $14 (0.2oz), which is what I purchased along with the Naked 3 when it came out and that primer lasted me months. Worth the hype, worth the money.
Palettes are great for travelling, they're amazing for creating an abundance of different looks, and spending a little shinier of a coin on a good palette will brighten your life. As pictured, the Urban Decay Naked palettes are incredible if you want to dabble with more neutral looks. The Naked 3 palette leaned entirely more toward rosey shades and rose gold tones, if you're into that. Too Faced also has a Chocolate Bar palette with amazing neutrals. There are many different brands as well that allow you to create your own palettes (MAC, Anastasia Beverly Hills...) and while they're slightly pricier, being able to pick all the shades you want ensures you'll use every colour in that palette.
So that's it. These are my personal opinions on products that I think are worth splurging on. I think with many things, cheaper alternatives offer just as good (if not sometimes better) quality than their more expensive counterparts, but there ARE some things that I would spend a prettier penny on any day.
Credit to DeathtoStock for the header photo,
C xx
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