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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Long Lasting Make-up tip? Yes Please

For some reason when I think of long-lasting make-up I envision a model with a ton of matte make-up on her face. This post is not going to be that. Instead this post is based on a more realistic and accessible way to get make-up to look as though it hasn't melted away during the day. 

I want to say, and this is from my personal experience, that less make-up is better if you want to look semi-decent at the end of the day as you did in the start. I find that if I wear less eyeshadow, less blush, less foundation, I look more like the woman who left the door at 8am. If I put more make-up on then when I come back 9 hours later, you can really see how much I tried in the early hours of the morning. 

I really have been encompassing this idea into my daily life, on Mondays I have a 9-6 day at uni, and so I am out the door at 8am and back home at 6.30pm, so I really try to use a minimal amount because God knows my head will be in my hands at the end of the day!

My Monday make-up routine consists of me firstly priming my face with the L'Oréal Infallible Primer (£7.99/45g), then I go in with my NARS All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation (£32.00/30g) - I add half a pump to my face, trying to just even out my complexion rather than masking my face. I then fill in the sparse areas of my eyebrows with the Mono Eyeshadow 'MMMM' from Makeup Revolution (£1.00/2.3g), (this is quite warm toned, and it does a good job but I've recently discovered a new favourite!). My next step is to add mascara, my currrent one is the Loreal Million Lashes Waterproof (£9.99/2ml) and it's awesome! I then proceed to set my make-up with the Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder (£36.00/30g), and then add a bit of the bareMinerals Pop of Passion Lip-Oil Balms (£16.00/3.1g) - these are great because they reduce down into a stain and so actually do great for making your lips look naturally pigmented! 

For some reason, this sounded like a lot of steps, but I swear I can do it all in around 5 minutes! Also I try to make things as sheer as possible! 

I would love for you all to try to minimise the make-up that you have on on your crazy busy days, I can guarantee that you will notice that you don't look quite as worn down by the day, because you didn't look so done up at the start of the day! It's about reducing that gap. To me, when I look at the mirror when the day is almost over, I don't have to deal with creased eyeshadow, smudged liner, or blush that is half way down my face and although I love make-up, I don't enjoy looking like that!
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Review: Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder

Since you guys all know how much of a beauty lover I am, I bet you could guess my reaction when I finally bought my first Chanel product. This thing has kept me happy for days, I swear it has it's own gravitational pull. I've been testing the Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder (£36.00/30g) in the shade 40 Doré for the past two weeks and I think it's time to share this with you all!

First of all, can we please all admire the packaging, I love the simplicity of Chanel, it just oozes sophistication with the monochrome logo. This product is quite sturdy and big, so it's more of a dressing table staple than an on the go touch up. The product has a sift, which is practical so all the product doesn't spill out at once and also contained a puff which is so so soft!

So the Chanel Natural Finish Powder is, like the name suggests, more of a natural finish powder but as it is a powder it does slightly mattify the skin. Although I have oily skin, I like the idea of a setting powder that won't interfere with the finish of my foundation, so this product is great for those who love dewy or satin finishes, as this won't excessively mattify the effect you were trying to create. This is more of a setting powder, rather than your mid-afternoon blot as it's a very fine powder, and it's so lovely to smooth over the skin, it just feels like silk and is so weightless that you forget that you've even applied it! I put a light dusting over my face with a fluffy brush as I prefer the ease of application when using a brush, the puff that comes with it is better for if you want to work the powder a bit more into your skin.

When this product has been applied,  I've noticed a slight evenness in my complexion, although this isn't a powder that provides a lot of coverage, it does add something, which makes you look a bit healthier and just more even. This sets my make-up nicely and for a light powder this is pretty good on the longevity front, I still need to blot, but I know that if I hadn't applied this product then I would be blotting more throughout the day. 

Even though Chanel Products are not exactly budget friendly, I think it is amazing quality for the price, this product contains 30 grams of powder, which is a lot! For reference bareMinerals Original and Matte foundations contains only 6g and they are £25.00. So for Chanel to be doing 5x more product for around £10 more, it's a very good steal! Plus I actually got this from World Duty Free so I actually paid £30.00. 

This is a product that I use on the daily, and that's exactly what I wanted from anything I bought from Chanel, something that was worth the money. I would seriously recommend this if you are looking for a new powder to set make-up with as this does do a lovely job, but I would also recommend this for those days where you don't wear much make-up since the colour-correcting aspect is very beneficial!
What's your go-to powder? I would love to know, so be sure to leave me a comment down below! Also any more recommendations from Chanel! I would love to explore more products!

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