Where to Spend: Makeup Edition

So recently I wrote about 'Where to Save: Makeup Edition' which showcases the products I believe you can get right without becoming bankrupt. Today, I'll be talking about the opposite - products that I do think are worth the money. Like the last post, I will outline a few of my favourites that I have tried and tested too.

Foundation 

Foundation is the base of any makeup look so it's important that it looks seamless on the skin. With high-end foundations, there are usually more shades, variations in both coverage and formulas so there will be a foundation for the most palest, driest skin, to the more darker, more oilier skin. With purchasing high-end foundations, comes testing in store which is an experience that can really sell the foundation to you. I'm sure most people have picked a foundation in the wrong shade, texture and longevity - so trying before you buy leads to a much more informed decision, which means you will more likely be happier with your purchase! I've stuck with the same foundation for around 4 years now and it's still as good as when I first bought it! 

- NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation (£35.00/30ml)

- It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream (£31.00/32ml) 

Powder
Like foundation, it's important to have a good quality powder to set your makeup otherwise it can lead to a really cakey finish. Some high-end powders can initially seem like a bit much however I find that I don't tend to run out of powder quickly and so I'm happy to spend a bit more if it does last me longer. Also for products like this that I don't buy as regularly, the airport can really come in handy!
I tend to go more for translucent powders that I can use for baking and just setting my makeup. I've been using my Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder for the past few years and it's everything I look for in a powder, it sets my makeup without drying my skin out, blends into my skin seamlessly, and provides a really natural finish.
- Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder (£40.00/30g)
- Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder (£30.00/29g)

Blusher

With blusher, I think it's about getting the most for your money. You can keep powder products for two years and so if you had a go-to blusher that you used everyday, that was easy to blend, pigmented and lasted all day, then I think that's all you need! Again, the shade range in high-end brands tends to be better and as a person who has darker skin, it's really important to find shades that compliment my skin tone, so the more mauve, deeper shades rather than bubblegum pink that I tend to see on the high-street. 

- NARS Blush (£25.00/4.8g)

- M.A.C Mineralised Blush (£23.00/3.5g) 

- BareMinerals All Over Face Colour Warmth (£22.00/1.5g)

Highlighter

A few years ago, this probably wouldn't have made the list because it wasn't on anyone's radar as much. Like blusher, a highlighter is something that will last you, as a little goes a long way and so with that in mind, spending more money on a highlighter makes more sense, as you can just buy one and chances are that it'll last you for more than a year. More luxury highlighters tend to be more finer in formula, looking less like chunks of glitter and more like a glow from within. Becca is renowned for their highlighters, and I wholly recommend getting their highlighters due to the their formulas, shade range and build-ability. They also come out with mini sets, so you don't have to splash out on a full-sized version. 

- Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter (£30.00/8g)

- Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (£30.00/30ml)

Eyeshadow 
The first luxury make-up product that I spent money on was the super iconic Urban Decay Naked Palette. To this day, I still believe people own a palette like that. Good quality eyeshadow is important, as a person with super oily skin, I do find that more luxury brands do tend to last longer and also don't tend to crease as much. Palettes are also a great way to get more bang for your buck, rather than just buying singles. More premium shadows tend to blend better, have less fallout and tend to be more pigmented which means that you tend to use less product anyway!
- Urban Decay Naked Petite Heat (£18.20/6 shades)
- M.A.C Burgundy Times 9 (£26.00/9 shades)
- bareMinerals Bare Naturals Palette (£39.00/ 14 shades) - Not currently sold

That's my round up of all the products I think is worth spending a little bit more on. It's mostly due to the products generally lasting longer and due to the choices in shade ranges. I'm also of the mindset that I would rather spend more and know I will use it most days, then spend less and not use it all due to it not being 100% what I wanted. I would love to know what products are on your own lists, what do you tend to spend more money on and why?
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Products I Regret Buying! #3

Trying and buying so many products sounds like the ideal life, however half the time the products that you come home with don't deliver which sucks. Luckily, even though I dislike hating on a product, I do love to use this chance to tell you guys why I didn't like a product. So here is products I regret buying #3!

Urban Decay Setting Sprays are cult favourites and I was really looking forward to try something that would help my make-up stay put and control my shine for a few extra hours. This was the first setting spray I tried, and it is actually one of the worst. I got the Urban Decay Deslick (£22.00/118ml) because it is tailored towards oily skin. It just didn't work for me, my make-up acted the same as when I didn't wear this product, so it really was a waste of money for me. However, I still want to try the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray because I know that is more popular and has had great reviews. In the mean time, I think I found my setting spray love in the L'Oreal Paris Infallible Fixing Mist (£7.99/100ml), it's a great price and works really well!

Another high end product I didn't exactly love was the Lancôme Grandiôse mascara (£25.00/10ml). I'm super picky with mascara, my eyelashes just don't hold a curl if the weight of the mascara is too wet or too heavy. This mascara can work for me if I am super careful which means I can't apply more than one layer otherwise my lashes will drop. I usually apply this as a last step on occasions to thicken my lashes after my mascara has dried so that my lashes look extra thick and black. I regret buying it because of the effort I have to go through using it, so even though I can make it work, I wouldn't purchase it again. 

While we are on the subject of mascara, the L'Oreal Mega Volume Collagen Mascara (£9.99/9ml), just didn't work for me at all, my lashes dropped within a few seconds of applying it. It's quite a thin formula, but it's not waterproof so I reckon that's why it doesn't hold a curl! It's super quick to tell if a mascara will work for you or not, so after I knew I just passed this onto my sister so it'll at least get some use.

A product that I have forgotten that I owned is Pixi Mesmerising Mineral Palette (£15.00) which is a stunning eye-shadow palette, I actually love these colours and each shadow is pigmented and unique. Unfortunately, the formula is quite thin and so creases really easily on me and so this simply doesn't get used a lot because I reach for the shadows that do last on me instead. When you own so many eye-shadows, you do begin to favour some things over others, and you tend to just go with the ones that deliver all the time. 

The last regret I have is Benefits Posytint Lip and Cheek Stain (£24.50/12ml). I've heard people say so many good things about this product and so I was excited to try it out when I purchased this as part of a mini set. When I tried this I was so disappointed, I dotted it onto my skin and blended immediately and although the colour spread a bit, you could see the stain where I had originally applied the product. no amount of blending got rid of it. On the lips it's nothing special either, and so I don't think that the price of this product is worth the formula at all.

I have to say that although I regret buying these products, they might work wonders for you. the eye-shadow palette, setting spray and mascara's are due to my awful lashes and my oily face. So if you share some of the same issues as me, then I wouldn't recommend these products! If any of you have had any luck with these products, I would love to know so be sure to comment below and also let me know what your current regrets are!
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Review: Urban Decay Deslick Make-up Setting Spray

Being an oily skinned person, I think its only natural to assume that I am going to try everything in my power to prevent my make-up from melting off everyday. Just under two months ago I saw that Debenhams actually did a mini travel size of the Urban Decay Deslick Makeup Setting Spray (£9.00/30ml) annnnd I absolutely could not resist in purchasing it!

So this is actually a really lovely size, it's perfect for travel and the spray itself is actually perfect, it adds a bit more product than a mist, but does distribute nicely, which makes it feel like less of a shock! 

                                               

As for the product, I wasn't totally wowed by it, I used to apply this after I had finished my make-up, and you can feel it a bit on your face (but that feeling goes away after around 30 minutes). I noticed that my face would be fine for two hours, and then suddenly it would look really really shiny and greasy, it doesn't help that I'm not exactly wearing the most mattifying foundation, but still! Recently I have been applying this after I have applied my primer, and that made more of a difference, it has a good three to four hour period before I start to look like my normal greasy self. Maybe my face is just too oily? It would be my luck. So I think this would be perfect for combination skin, but not oily skin. I also think it's best if you spray it before and after your make-up for more longevity.
I'm glad I tried it but I wouldn't repurchase it again - I have my eyes set on the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray (£21.00/118ml) to see if that one is better for me, but I will try to test it out in store before purchasing. I will continue my search for my perfect setting spray!

I would love to know if you have tried this setting spray - did it work for you? Or do you have any tips on how to use it so it works better? Just leave me a comment below and be sure to subscribe and  follow me on Bloglovin' so you don't miss out on any of my posts! I would love to see you around!

Mini High End Haul!

I recently posted a highstreet haul and not even a week later I already collected all the products for this haul, it was accidental, I swear, I was just in need of a few things...all of which I am blaming on my trip to India. You'll see why....

For a while now I have been meaning to buy a makeup setting spray, and I've had my eye on Urban Decay's collection since they are partnered with Skindinavia (who make bridal setting sprays) and when I saw online that Debenhams did a mini travel size I couldn't resist buying it as I could try the product without investing too much money in it. I ended getting Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray (£9.00/30ml) which is specifically an oil controlling spray since my face is a greaseball in England so it'll be interesting to see how this holds up in India.

Whilst I was on the Debenhams website I also saw that Make Up For Ever also had a travel size version of their new primers and again I couldn't resist since I have always wanted to try the brand and I did want to try a new primer, that could deal with my oily skin. The Make Up For Ever Step 1 Mattifying Primer (£15.00/15ml) sounded like a good choice especially when Claire Marshall mentioned it in a video a few months back, I knew I had to try it.

The last thing in this haul is actually a gift from my sister, we went into Selfridges, since she wanted to buy the same foundation as me (I've totally enabled people to buy it!). While we were at the NARS counter, I wanted to try some blushes, as I find it difficult to select a shade that looks nice with my skin tone, but is still wearable for the daytime. Since I was being so indecisive about which one to buy, my sister bought me the one that she thought looked the nicest on me. As you can imagine, I was totally ecstatic to receive the NARS blush in the shade LibertÉ (£23.00/4.8g) for freeeeee. NARS describes the colour as a burnished apricot which is actually a perfect description, and although it looks quite strong, you only need to use the tiniest bit, I have really fallen in love with it and I don't know how I ever doubted it. You can totally expect a full review coming your way in the near future!

This haul was really short and sweet, but I was really excited about these products and wanted to let you guys know what reviews will be coming your way in the future!

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