Hi pretties! ✨
I love beauty products so much — painting my face, experimenting with textures, soft glows, bold eyes. But over the years I’ve also learnt something important: you don’t need to spend a fortune everywhere. Some products are totally worth splurging on; others you can happily save on without feeling like you’re compromising.
In my beauty routine, I will show you where I choose to save. I will also show where I choose to splurge and explain why. I hope it gives you ideas for your next buy.
Where I Prefer to Save
Mascara
I’ll admit: I’m messy with mascara. I’ll toss it after about three months, and the formula doesn’t always last that long anyway. I found no huge difference between drug-store and high-end in my case, so I save here and invest elsewhere.
Face wash
At the end of the day my face wash comes on for maybe 30 seconds, then I rinse it off. Spending big doesn’t make sense to me when the product only works for that short window.
Lipsticks and lipglosses
Lip color is fun and expressive, but also ephemeral. I find myself re-applying, the pigment fades, the finish dulls. So I don’t feel guilty about saving in this category.
Sheet masks & Regular Masks
Sheet masks are like a little 15-20 minute spa moment, then they go in the bin. Regular masks the same: I don’t want to break the bank on something transient.
Highlighter
I use highlighter sparingly (just a little gleam on the cheekbones). So paying premium for highlighter doesn’t align with how I use it.
Where I prefer to splurge
Eyeshadows
Eyes are my favorite canvas. I’ve tested affordable palettes and found them less pigmented, a little dusty, too much work to build. I prefer to splurge so that the colors pop, blend smoothly, and last.
Eyeliners
A good eyeliner makes the difference between “meh” and “wow”. I found drug-store options often smudge or feel difficult to make work, so I invest in something reliable.
Foundation
When I do wear foundation, I want it comfortable, breathable, color-matched, flattering. The cheaper formulas often felt heavy and made my skin feel odd. So when I buy foundation, I make it count.
Loose powder
Loose powders give that soft-focus finish I love. I found fewer great options in the drug-store. The ones I found didn’t control oil or last as long for me.
Skincare
I’m not a full-time skincare nerd. However, when I do use skincare, I want it to feel good. It should also work well. Affordable options sometimes made me break out or sting. So for skincare, I treat it like self-care and invest.
What about you?
Which categories do you save on, and which do you splurge on? Drop a comment below and let me know your rules. Pin this post if you like, share it with your beauty bestie, and if you’re new here — welcome! I post lots of beauty, lifestyle and blogging tips so do subscribe. 💌
Thanks for reading, pretties — gorgeous inside and out.
Pin it!
English
I pretty much spend and save on makeup in much the same way you do. I usually don’t mind spending a bit more on concealer or foundation as the quality of the blend really does seem to impact how it goes on/looks. I tend to go cheaper on mascara too as I also don’t really find much difference between drugstore and more expensive stuff (especially, as like you mentioned, it gets thrown out after three months). This was a great reminder to be more discerning about what I get—thanks!
Thank you for reading Molly! Glad I’m not the only one who chooses to save on mascara!
It was interesting to read about the beauty products you save on and others you splurge on. That’s a good point about face washes because you literally wash it off after a couple of minutes.
I splurge on eyeshadow too because many affordable palettes are chalky and have to be built up a lot whereas you can depend on high-end eyeshadow to have good pigment.
I used to splurge on foundation and concealer, but now I’ve been using Essence since it is a lot more affordable in Denmark and I also don’t wear makeup up that often.
Thank you for reading Karalee! I totally get the point on affordable eyeshadow palettes, I find them quite chalky myself as well.