TAG: Frugal vs. Spendy - The Price Tolerance Test

There are great inexpensive beauty products. There are also products that are worth their ridiculous price point. A couple of days ago, Jenn of A Beautiful Zen wrote a blog post called Frugal vs. Spendy in which she compared the highest and lowest priced items in her collection per category (foundation, blush, eyeshadow, etc.). I thought it would be fun to take a look at my own makeup collection and see what I'm willing to spend to colour in my face. 

// foundation: Guerlain Baby Glow Sheer Makeup* ($60) vs. Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse* ($6)

It has become clear to me that I'm  all about that base. Thus, I'm willing to empty my wallet for a flawless complexion. The Baby Glow was a press sample.  For the staying power, medium coverage and satin finish, the Baby Glow is well worth the big bucks. My most spendy purchase is the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + ($42), my fave "going-out" foundation. It's only a hair more pricey than my repurchased Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15 ($40). At the other side of the spectrum is the Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse  ($6), which is so full coverage that I reserve it for blog photos only. 

// setting powder: Make Up For Ever HD Pressed Powder* ($41) vs. Ben Nye Banana Powder ($12)

Winter has had me laying off the setting powder but in the summer, I hit pan on the MUFE HD Pressed and subsequently smashed it (above is a new one). The Ben Nye Banana Powder is a recent purchase that I haven't quite figured out how to use it.

// blush: NARS Duo in Desire/Hungry Heart I ($20 on blog sale, $27 regularly) vs. Miliani Baked Blush in Luminoso ($8) 

I am not often impressed by drugstore blushes available in Canada. Milani's is an exception. Well worth the fact that it's forever hyped. In general I just haven't been reaching for or spending on blush lately. 

// bronzer/contour: Make Up For Ever Sculpting Kit* ($55) vs. New York Color Bronzer in Sunny ($3)

Fact: I own three bronzers. I use the NYC Bronzer bounds more than anything else and I've hit MAD pan. 

// highlighter: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette ($67) vs. Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter (sample aka FREE!) 

Fact: I also only own three highlighters. I'm still sorting out my thoughts on the Hourglass Palette but the slightly golden sheen of the Benefit Watt's Up works well with my colouring and is going to last forever and a day. A sample backup of Watt's Up is also waiting for me if and when I'm finished my current one. 

// eyeshadow: Shu Uemura Brave Beauty Eye Palettes* ($90) vs. NYC Eye Dusts* ($3) 

Eyeshadow is an area of restraint, since I seldom stray from my neutral eye and I've received some awesome neutral palettes (i.e. Chi Chi) through giveaways and as gifts. The most I've spent on a palette myself was for the Smashbox Photo Op Softbox II ($23, originally ~$40) which is now discontinued. 

// eyeliner: Shu Uemura Lasting Gel Pencil* ($36) vs. New York Color Velvet Eyeliner* ($2) 

Both the frugal and spendy versions of these eyeliners are great! The NYC is more pigmented and the Shu is more long lasting. At one point in time I had the Lancome Artliner ($37) but it expired and since then I've stuck to eyeliners at the drugstore, like Rimmel Scanadaleyes ($7).

// mascara: Guerlain Volume Creating Curl Sculpting Mascara* ($34) vs. CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara* ($7) 

These are the two ends of the spectrum for my opened mascaras. My least pricey purchase mascaras are all from CoverGirl - LashBlast Volume, LashBlast Waterpoof, LashBlast Clump Crusher, etc. 

// lipstick: Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick* ($36) vs. Wet n Wild Mega Last Lipstick* ($3)

I tend to cheap out in terms of lippies because I'm the kind of person who would trade off luxe packaging and spreads like butter texture for a gazillion different colours. The Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks also deserve a shoutout, as my fave drugstore lippie option. 

// lipgloss: NARS Lip Gloss in Turkish Delight (deluxe sample, full size $29) vs. L'Oreal Caresse Shine Stains ($8)

I actually prefer L'Oreal's formula to the NARS. L'Oreals grips on to my lips a bit better. Turkish Delight ain't my colour but I keep it around to lighten my lippies. 

// lip balm: Tata Harper Be Adored Lip Treatment* ($28) vs. EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balms* ($4)

I've purchased and received more EOS lip balms than I could ever need in a lifetime. It's like having a bunch of adorable Easter eggs laying around. Both EOS and Tata Harper are organic/good-for-you, etc. However, I now reach for the Tata Harper more because of it's hint of a rose tint. 

// brushes: Make Up For Ever Artisan Brush* ($58) vs. Eco-tools 5-piece Eye Brush Set ($8)

I thought that the Hakuhodo Yachiyo ($50) was the most pricey, turns out it's my most pricey purchase of a brush but a few from the MUFE Artisan line tops it in price. Eco-tools brushes are an excellent quality for the $$$, though they're not holding up as well as some of my more pricey brushes, but they're not at all costly to replace. 

// polish: Fuse Gelnamel System* ($29.99) vs. Rimmel 60 Seconds Polish ($3)
I veer towards the drugstore for polish options. OPI and Essie are nice formulas but Rimmel, Sally Hansen, Revlon and NYC dry faster, last longer and keep me frugal.

A few general realizations: 

• Yes, I've got press samples for days. This, in no way, prevents me from making a few questionable beauty purchases here and there. 
• I've made my most hefty investments in the areas of brushes, highlighter and foundation. 
• NYC takes the cake for most frugal beauty brand, while it seems as though Shu and MUFE are on the spendy side of the spectrum in my collection. 
• Overall, I'm not a big beauty spender (in my personal opinion) - I test more products than I purchase (watching Youtube Makeup Collections makes me feel better about myself) *surprise, surprise*. I am content with my beauty consuming behaviour. 

How much do you spend on makeup? Are you frugal or spendy? 

Press samples and purchased products featured. Press samples are denoted with an asterisk (*). 

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