I mean… in terms of priority. What products do you think are worth splurging more cash on?
For me… I’ve always said that I’m happy to spend more on quality foundations and whilst this is true, I can’t say that it’s done me any good. I realised just the other day that out of ALL my foundations, the one I reach for most days is my Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in #51 Light Vanilla. That’s not to say it’s perfect… it’s not. It lasts about as long as me on a ‘no spend’, i.e. about 5 hours but it does give me a great natural finish with a nice amount of coverage.
How about what I begrudge paying good money for?
Hmmm… a few years ago, I would have said blusher – simply because I never used it. But that’s not the case anymore… so I’ll have to go with haircare. My recent experiences with brands like Pantene and The Body Shop (hello Banana Shampoo!) have made me less willing to lay down more than £10 on anything barnet-related on a regular basis. OK, I still get tempted by hair ‘treatments’ but on frequently repurchased items? I just can’t always justify the splurge.
Tell me, where do you spend and where do you save?
Things I like spending more money on (and therefore do): concealer, lipsticks, eyeshadows, serums and moisturisers.
Things I dislike spending money on (because there are so many great, cheap options): mascara, haircare, body products, eye make-up remover.
I spend the most on powders, hands down. My skin is really oily so it is a MUST. I recently picked up some mineral foundation from Elemental Beauty and it has actually CHANGED MY LIFE.
I save on haircare after I realised that all that mousse I used to pile into my locks just served to turn it into a big straw mess. Actually, I save on anything, unless it’s chocolate flavoured and can be stuffed into my face.
I justify splurges on skincare mostly. Makeup wise, I still prefer high end stuff, simply for that extra pleasure because I know it costs that much more, but I’m not as strict about that – Nyx is so lovely that I can’t not reach for it every day!
In terms of haircare, I used to be (and still am, tbh) very relaxed and low maintenance. I do splash out for more expensive protectants like Chi Silk Infusion and I just bought the Moroccan Oil (featured in my new post London Haul). However, I’m quite happy with a £5 shampoo since I find it makes little difference to my hair.
Sometimes though, I really wish I’ve not splurged so much as if I added most the of stuff together, I could have easily gone for a designer bag instead. After all, I’ll never be able to use up ALL the products I’ve bought!
http://shimmerdreamz.blogspot.com/2011/03/london-haul.html
Cassie x
I spend on mascara and foundation as those products I always use no matter what. I do tend to save on haircare and normally buy what’s on offer at the time.
xo
I guess I spend more on the areas that NEED spending on. I have very high colouring and millions of freckles, so I’d rather spend a lot on foundation and redness correctors than on things I rarely use like blusher. I’m quite happy to spend a lot of money on mascara and eye shadow because I like my peepers.
Strangely enough I have about 6 Urban decay palettes (as well as a gazillion other eye shadows) yet at the moment am just going with a sweep of good ol’ Sleek liquid eyeliner at about £3.50. Go figure!
Oh and hair? Toni and Guy cut, home colour (henna, I’m allergic to hair dye). Gotta have a good cut.
I’m very much afraid I splurge on everything. Although for skincare, I prefer pharmacy brands (Avene, LRP…) that are here much cheaper than say Biotherm, Chanel, Lancome and all that jazz – so I do make savings there.
I definitely spend a lot on foundations, that is so important to me that I can’t deal with something that’s not perfect even if it’s a good deal price wise.
I spend on hair care, not that the products I use are expensive, but the AMOUNT I have to use for frizz free, soft locks is daft. I have shampoo, conditioner, deep treatment conditioner, hot oils, leave in conditioner, anti-frizz serum and heat protection spray. It all adds up! I wont spend on face powders, lip glosses or nail polishes, in my experience price never indicates quality for these.
i like to spend money on foundations and lipsticks, although with lipstick i will buy cheap ones also.
i hate spending money on mascara. i find absolutely no notable difference between high end and cheap ones, and at the rate i go through it, i’ll stick to drugstore.
Much as I want to save and try to, I love to splurge. Terrible for my wallet.
I rarely splurge on haircare – however I recently caved into Moroccan Oil as I have very dry thick hair and the way people rave about it I thought it was going to change my life. NOPE – John Frieda Frizz-Ease serum works BETTER and is 1/6 of the price. I have been bough expensive haircare as presents and have almost never found them to be any better than cheaper option.
Lipsticks are my splurge – my Chanel Rouge Coco collection keeps on growing but even I draw the line at Tom Ford Prices. Having said this I love a cheap and cheerful lippie too. Fragrance is another thing i prefer to spend on – cheaper fragrances smell cheaper – end of. Mascara, foundation and anything else are variable – if the product is worth it I will splurge but generally I find a viable cheap option too. x
I’m trying to not spend money on products in general and try more treatments, facials, etc. For me personally, I can get good skincare, makeup and haircare for the most part, at the drugstore. Though I’ll admit, if Px came back to counters, I wouldn’t resist the $65 custom mixed foundation that was the most perfect foundation match I’ve ever used.
I’m happy to spend money of things that I like and work. I used Meow Cosmetics for most of my face make up because it suits my skin, but I do cringe at the cost when I start to run low! I try to buy when there’s free postage or an offer on, but because they suit me I will happily part with my money.
I don’t tend to buy anything that I don’t already use. I don’t want to buy something to try it and end up feeling like I’ve thrown my money away when I don’t like it. Also, I stick to pretty basic hair care because I find the cheaper shampoos are more likely to keep my hair from getting greasy, I guess because they strip my hair, but at least I’m not greasy! 😛
I usually splurge on mascaras, foundations and hair serums, and save on eye shadows, lip products and nail varnishes. Saying that, I’ve developed a Nails Inc. habit of late, which isn’t exactly cheap! I balance it out with lots of e.l.f purchases though.
I spend the most on my hair, because it’s long and highlighted so thats £100 down the plughole every 6 weeks when I need my roots doing. Or, um, every 4 months as it currently is. And I use Moroccanoil and Bumble & Bumble thickening spray to style, which are both well over £20 a bottle. Shampoo and conditioner are of the Pantene / Aussie / Tresemme ilk, though.
Other than that, I have an Estee Lauder Idealist habit I just can’t kick. £50-odd a bottle and I’m onto my third.
BUT I do buy cheap mascara. Rimmel & Maybelline mostly. Does that cancel the rest out?!
I splurge mostly on make up because I just enjoy using it more if it comes in a pretty little box.
I save on hair care and cleansing. I’ve got my hair care routine down after trying a huge range of colours, shampoos, conditioners and treatments, but my favorite stuff has mostly been costing under £5 I do use tigi conditioner but I got that cheaply too.
Face creams just never seem all that great with my weird combination skin so I really resent spending money there. The best moisturiser I found recently cost about £4 but I couldn’t find it again, I think they stopped making it.
I begrudge spending a lot of money on nail polish. With foundation/foundation primer I feel almost as if money is no object. xD
I don’t like spending a lot of money on anything; I think inexpensive products are just as good. For example, my MUA eyeshadows are far more pigmented than the MAC eyeshadows I own.
I look at it as ‘It’s just make-up’.
After years of compulsive MAC hoarding now I don’t like spending more than a tenner on anything, now when I want to try something new I’m pretty happy with Essence and Kiko (low-cost Italian makeup range) stuff.
I only splurge on eye creams but they last so long it doesn’t make me feel that bad.
i’d happily spend on concealer coz my under eye circles are a nightmare, but like you, I wouldn’t splurge on hair products but that’s because I wear a scarf! 😉
I do however spend a lot on eyeshadows and eyeliners (I bought the UD anniversary set!!!) but that’s coz I love brands like UD, with great pigmentation and quality.
Blushers I wouldn’t splurge on tbh, coz Sleek do nice enough ones and tbh I do believe that they end up looking pretty much the same shade of pink after a couple hours of wear.
<3
I’ll spend money on good haircare stuff, quality foundation and OPI varnishes.
I generally buy mid-range make up, L’Oreal, Max Factor etc, but I think where I save is that I buy key colours and looks that I’ll wear lots, especially with nail colour, and I try not to buy things that are too similar.
Also save on moisturisers just because I know what works for me, and lipstick – really not a lipstick girl!
I love to spend money on blushers mostly cause I’m always on the look out for new products that give me the nicest glowing cheek bones! I actually spend more money on make-up then clothes lol!
http://www.blushmebeauty.blogspot.com
I like to splurge on ALL my make-up 🙂
I only wear make-up 2-3 times a week…so it takes me FOREVER to get through a product. Because of that, I’d rather be using something high quality with beautiful packaging – because it makes me feel like I’m pampering myself when I use it.
The items I save on are “experimental” items…I’ll try the drugstore version – and if I like it – I’ll pay up for a high-end one…like my brown gel eyeliner. I wasn’t sure if I needed a brown gel liner, since I already own a MAC black one…so I bought an ELF one to see if I liked the look. And I LOOOOVE it…so when this runs out, I’m getting a MAC brown eyeliner.
But although I like getting “department-store” make-up…I won’t pay for something JUST for the name…I’d want the item that works the best – even if it is drugstore. So my mascara is drug-store (maybelline FALSIES) and so is my skincare (cetaphil and neutrogena).
Both full coverage and color match will make me spend on foundation.
I ought to spend more money on my hair, since it’s just a big old hot mess!
I always splurge on:
Anything pigmented – lipsticks, eyeshadows, blush etc – Mac especially – the colour is strong and longlasting, so I figure it’s better value (I have an interesting sense of ‘logic’)
Serum/Moroccan Oil – I have such thick thirsty hair I need heavy duty stuff – and I’d rather buy something pricey that I have to use half as much of.
Nail Varnish – especially Essie, for no reason, I’m just a snob.
And I hate spending money on:
Mascaras (they run out so quickly it’s not worth my while spending 20 quid…though high street ones are now a tenner which makes me a little queasy)
Shampoo/Conditioner – Herbal Essences works amazingly on my hair, better than a lot of the pricier stuff!
Skincare – I’m happy to buy a massive bottle of Clinique if it will last me a year, but other than that, I’m happy with Simple.
I hate spending money on Mascara and Foundation, mainly because they’re the items that I wear the most, so I need to buy them more often. Unfortunately, the decent ones seem to be more pricey, and I really hate paying a lot of money for things that I get through quickly!
Weirdly, I love buying things like eyeshadows, even though they’re more expensive. I think eyeshadows say more about a person that mascara and foundation, and the colour can really bring an outfit/image together, which I guess is why I prefer splurging on them. And they last longer, because I have so many of them!!
Yeah, I don’t spend much on my hair either (and it shows?). I regularly use Elseve shampoo and conditioner, mask and frizz serum by L’Oreal. I use Nice n Easy haircolour and do it at home, have my hair cut twice a year and that’s it. I also don’t bother with expensive shower gel (usually Palmolive), unless I get a set with a perfume, same with body lotion, face cream, eye cream, etc. I do have a hugely pricely Guerlain Orchidee Imperial face cream and have had the serum in the past, but I don’t think I’ll bother again to be honest.
Make up on the other hand I will throw my money at with two hands. I used not to buy high end make up at all (4 years ago), then got into it and now I buy everything high end, even mascara which I swore I wouldn’t. My go to mascara is Guerlain Le 2, it’s fantastic, but it does cost a fortune (£24)! I love everything make up related, but my absolute favourites are eyeshadows, eyeliners, shimmer powders, pretty blushes, mineralize anything. <3
I’ll happily spend on blushers, palettes, lipstick etc if I REALLY REALLY want it. However I refuse to pay over £10 for a mascara in Boots/Superdrug 😐
I save most on shampoo, skincare stuff by only buying when it’s on offer
Recently I’m splurging on pretty much everything :/ although I do stick to cheaper mascaras. I used to swear by Lancome Hypnose but now I much prefer some of the Maybelline ones. Also, skincare. Which seems a bit daft as you’re skin is one of those important things that it’s better to invest in. But I get brilliant results with my Simple toner and Clean & Clear £4 moisturiser (seriously, no other moisturiser comes close for me!!).
I don’t generally like to spend too much on foundation/mascara as I tend to get through it pretty quickly. But for eyeshadows, blush, lip products I know that I will get through them a lot slower so I’m more tempted to spend more, but saying that it’s quality I go for more, I am a big Sleek fan!
i try to get most of my cosmetics under £10, but consider the fact that I bought a lot, then it costs a lot too! sigh..
the only good way is do count how much stuff that i have at home and calculate how much they worth, then i kind of put off to get new stuff for at least a wekk =[]=
I agree with you on not splurging too much on hair care, I have greasy roots and dry ends – weirdness and I used some Redken stuff once but my Pantene is just as good and is normally on a bogof promotion at the moment 🙂
Normally splurge on foundation although £ 62 Dior for capture total I could not justify 😉 but up to £ 30 I could. Urban Decay is easy to splurge on and anything pretty 🙂 and will happily splurge a bit on perfume as well- love Elle by YSL but its not cheap…
I will splurge on a nice lipstick or lip gloss. I also have a weakness for Bobbi Brown makeup brushes.
I try and save on body products and haircare by going for Boots offers and supermarket stuff.
I save on hair products by buying my shampoo and conditioners in Boots when they are on offer (Aussie or Tresemme) and making my own deep treatments. My skincare is where I splurge because I’m loving Clinique and so is my face.
Cosmetics are all over the shop as I have a spread of price ranges in all areas. My most frequent repurchases are Maybelline though, so there’s hope for me yet!
I ruin it by buying designer hair accessories. I tell myself it’s a form of jewellery but that is by far my biggest weakness.
I only buy haircare products when they are on offer and I will never pay more than £2.50 for shower gel! These are items I go through quickly and cannot justify paying alot of money for when I can get them on offer. I’m also horrified at how much anti-persperint and deodrant costs these days so I will now be purchasing brands I like only when on BOGOFF or 2 for whatever!
I’m trying to stop impulse buying makeup and skincare products as 75% of the time I’m not happy with them. I do feel that with makeup and skincare I really should start shopping high-end so I can find what works for me at counters and so on, and then dupe them from “drugstore” products.
skincare, mascara and nail polish is what i allow myself to spend on without feeling guilty; mainly because they’re my most used products so i want the best quality 🙂
I spend minimum money on haircare-V05 Hot Oil tubes (one pack of 4 tubes lasts me 2 months) and some Morrison’s own brand shampoo and conditioner, and that’s my hair taken care of, really.
I don’t spend much money on anything, although I’ve grown to love my BeneFit concealor and I won’t be able to afford to replace it when it’s empty 🙁
I like to spend the most on foundation, concealer and makeup brushes. I also find that high-end blushers really do last on me. I don’t really resent splurging on any makeup items in particular, as I do love the luxury of the posh stuff, although I wouldn’t spend more than MAC prices on individual eyeshadows. However, I will not spend much on nail polish, as I find that Barry M is easily as good as any I’ve tried from Chanel and OPI. I’m also not interested enough in hair and body care to spend more than a basic amount on either- naughty me!
Thank you for saying that the Bourjois one lasts that little on you too, I was starting to wonder what skintype everyone else must have to rate this as “pretty long lasting” (insert questionmark)!
To answer your question, I find that I have no problem is splurging on a good foundation too (usually the higher end ones perform better than drugstore ones on me), and eyeshadow (as better quality equals faster, foolproof application in my eyes)! Haircare is very important too, as I have overprocessed highlighted locks, so can’t be frugal there!
I’m not fussy about stuff like eyeliner, lip products (for the most part), mascara or blusher… there’s good products in all price ranges for these imo, so it’s worth looking into the more affordable options!
Great post btw! xxx