Splurge Or Save?

I'm sure we'd all love to have a mahoosive collection full of the most luxurious high end makeup that we could indulge ourselves in every single day, but the reality is for the majority of us this is way out of reach! Sometimes though it is nice to treat yourself to the odd luxury product whilst keeping our stash topped up with those drugstore gems. But where's best to invest those hard earned pennies, and where should we be saving our money on the drugstore alternatives? Here's a breakdown of the products I like to both splurge and save my money on.


Brushes - Whilst I do love my MAC eyeshadow brushes now that I have them, I don't really think I needed to have them, and have since found cheaper alternatives that work just as well, and would definitely repurchase drugstore brushes over these. For me, the best brand on the high street is Real Techniques. Their face brushes in particular are such good quality and last a really long time. Zoeva is another really good brand, which is a little difficult to get hold of in the UK, but definitely worth it if you can get your hands on one of their brush sets. They may look a little pricey at first glance, but when you break it down to price per brush, it's actually really reasonable. Verdict: Save

Base - I've got quite a mixture of both drugstore and high end base products in my collection, but the ones I love the most are definitely my high end products. If you're pale skinned like me, you'll know the struggle of trying to find a foundation shade that doesn't make you look orange and, whilst some drugstore brands have gotten better at catering to us, it just doesn't compare to the shade ranges you get from the more luxury brands. I think it's also worth investing in a really good formula that's going to sit well on your skin. My current favourites are NARS Sheer Glow and Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue. Verdict: Splurge

Cheeks - Whilst my all time favourite blush does come from one of the more expensive brands, Benefit, I wouldn't say I'm a massive spender when it comes to cheek products. There are so many good blushes out there from the likes of Collection, Rimmel and Sleek (their blush palettes are amazing) that it would have to be something pretty special for me to went to part my cash with a more expensive one. The drugstore are even starting to rival their higher end counterparts with some great contour products, which I'll be honest I don't bother with all of the time anyway. Verdict: Save

Brows - This one was a really simple answer for me. I am yet to find a product that beats my beloved Benefit Gimme in terms of results. Whilst I have now at least found one drugstore brow product that I actually like, I still don't think it's quite as good, so will definitely spend the extra money to get the look that I want. Verdict: Splurge

Eyes - A new eyeshadow palette is probably the most exciting beauty purchase to me. I love experimenting with different colours and looks when I'm sat at my dresser (some look better than others!) so I like to have the best quality shadows at my disposal. Whilst there are a lot of great drugstore palettes on the market at the moment, nothing quite compares to Urban Decay for the quality and pigmentation of their shadows, so I would choose them every time. Verdict: Splurge

Lashes - I rarely ever buy a high end mascara. It's a product that just doesn't last long enough for me to justify spending so much money on it. Whilst there are a couple that I like, they are very much bought as occasional treats, and I mainly purchase from the likes of Maybelline, Max Factor and L'Oreal. To be honest, I don't really see much difference between a lot of drugstore and high end mascaras - other than the price of course! - and some high end mascaras can be very disappointing. Verdict: Save

Lips - This one was tough. As you know (and if you don't, where have you been?!) I love MAC lipsticks. Whilst these are considered high end, they are definitely a lot more affordable than other similar brands, which charge £10+ extra, so they are kind of middle ground in my eyes. They're soon as a bit of a collectors item to many beauty lovers, especially if you get your hands on a limited edition collection, and they're such good quality, so it's definitely worth treating yourself to a few if you can. Other than MAC, the vast majority of the rest of my lipstick collection comes from drugstore brands. There are so many fantastic lip products on the high street; Revlon Matte Balms, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets and Seventeen Stay Pout are just some of my favourites. Verdict: Save (but treat yourself now and again!)

Nails - Like mascaras, I really don't see the point in spending a lot of money on nail polishes. I had a bad experience with a high end nail polish - it was just too thin and watery, it took forever to get an opaque finish - that I'd never go back. With the likes of Essie and Barry M available on the high street, there's no need to go anywhere else! Verdict: Save

What products do you like to splurge on?