Serums/moisturizers (but to a point–I want a good texture but I’m not sold on a lot of marketing claims), perfume, eyeshadow (with superb texture + pigmentation), foundation (when it sits beautifully on skin all the time/great color match), and very blendable blush. Oh, Japanese makeup brushes, duh.
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Perfume (bc I only wear one scent) and lipstick (because I often wear just lipstick and no other makeup).
As I’ve gotten older, I spend more on skincare and I’ll splurge on spa skin services like chemical peels, which makes a huge difference in my skin. Basically, I do buy the higher end cosmetics, especially foundation. I will try cheaper mascaras (although I’m loving Lancome Hypnose Drama right now) and lip glosses but I love a good quality eyeshadow that applies well and blends well into my skin. Pat McGrath is wonderful for this. I also love Lancome’s Hypnose 5-color eyeshadow palettes, which don’t get very much love but they are fantastic. They apply like butter and blend like a dream and the color choices are beautiful. I have three of them and I would like to collect all of them.
Thank you for reminding me about my bunch of Pat McGrath and Natasha Denona eyeshadow palettes, and my one PERFECT Chanel quad I own, Leslie!
Lipstick, cause it’s my favorite category of makeup! Oh and cream/liquid blush; I haven’t found great options at lower price points other than the Flower blush bombs (but I don’t love most of the actual colors they have lol. formula is great though!)
Serums and moisturizer for skincare. Foundation, blush, eye shadow , good brushes and lipstick for makeup.
Definitely skin care but also a great foundation with perfect match….I have found so many foundations that I love the formulation and look but the color match is off…..eyeshadows that blend well. Of course really top brushes make a big difference…
Foundation, because I’m extremely pale and also have a lot of contact allergies. I have a staple foundation that matches and doesn’t irritate, and I truly don’t care what it costs. It’s high end but I don’t go through it quickly, so I buy it without a single qualm.
Do you mind sharing what foundation you use? I too am extremely pale, and in addition to fragrance/odor sensitivities which I have dealt with for 20+ years, my skin has recently become extremely sensitive.
My skin is very picky when it comes to foundation, so that is the one product I’m most likely to splurge on.
1.) Nighttime moisturizer, eye serum and eye cream.
2.) Daytime SPF moisturizer sunscreen for my face and neck.
3.) Foundation, because finding a really good skin tone/depth match isn’t always easy!
4.) A truly wonderful lipstick formula in “a perfect for me shade” can certainly get my wallet.
5.) So can the perfect perfume, but less frequently.
6.) And my “after shower” skin cream has become an addiction!
7.) Only other thing that I can think of is some of my hair products/treatments.
8.) Pat McGrath and Natasha Denona, plus one Chanel quad Empriente do Desert!
*du, not do! My phone is drunk!
Foundation — I have not found a drug store product that compares to the many, many good high end options (I also have allergies that eliminate many cheaper foundations). Over time, I find myself gravitating to mid range and high end blushes as well as eyebrow products, because the quality is so much better there as well.
Perfumes are my most expensive beauty products, then eye shadows, concealers , and lip sticks , Occasional splurge on a expensive blush.
Everything… 😅 I mean, I buy only one item of each and finish all my products, so for me it’s not a big issue to splurge. If I own one foundation and eyeshadow palette, be sure I’m splurging on them.
But in general I will always splurge on base products, foundation, concealer, powder. I don’t feel so strong on the need to splurge on mascara or blush; and if I have a good eye primer I can skip splurging on eyeshadow.
When it comes to skincare, treatments and SPF are definitely on my splurge list. Cleansers don’t need my extra coin.
And I splurge on food. I’m not a big eater, but my food needs to be top notch quality. Especially meat, eggs, dairy products; great quality and fare animal treatment is important to me, I prefer to eat less animal products than buy cheap factory farming products. I could say I splurge on produce, but I buy locally and in season, so it doesn’t end up as a splurge.
And on travel; if I’m travelling I need to fly and sleep in comfort. I’m no business class or 5 star hotel, but I’m not choosing the cheapest option to sacrifice time convenience and location. I’ll spend double to have decent flights times and to stay in a hotel near the city center.
Wise choices!
Dior perfume. Mercier powders. lipsticks, but I cap those at $45. I can’t justify buying a $90 lipstick. I draw the line !
Skincare, foundation, fragrance, eyeshadow, multichrome eyeshadows and highlighters.
Niche Perfume!
I’ll splurge on eye shadow- I’ll drop $50.00 on a palette but wouldn’t think of doing that for anything else! I also have one mid range blush and one high end highlighter I bought special for my wedding last year. Everything else in my drawer is budget or drugstore.
The only real beauty product that I splurge on is eyeshadow palettes. Nearly everything else I get on sale -including skincare, lipsticks etc.
A moderate splurge is on blushes, mainly because the DS ones are pretty average.
If we’re talking makeup, foundation is my one consistent splurge, but it has to sit just right on my skin. I’ve bought high end eyeshadows, but they last forever and I have enough that I’m not buying more. I will splurge for skin care-I want it to work and I do like certain textures and fragrances that make the experience feel calming, but indulgent.
Night creams. It’s the skincare product that seems to provide the most noticeable results for me so I’m willing to spend a little more for a quality night moisturizer.
Skincare, especially moisturizer and spf. The most expensive item is Skinceuticals Triple Lipid cream, it’s amazing for irritated, parched skin. For makeup, concealer (using LYS so I don’t have to buy Nars as much, that’s a big savings) and recently getting into more cream bronzer, blush and highlighter. I’m having fun layering creams and powders, so I splurged on two BK Beauty brush sets and a couple of Hourglass palettes. The splurge was worth it as it’s easier for me to achieve a glowy, satin finish that actually lasts all day.
Pretty much anything, if it has a really good rating. I was thinking that I’m less likely to splurge on facial cleansers and moisturizers because I have several that are reasonably priced but perform really well but then I did splurge on quite a few of each of those types of products even though I know (with regard to cleansers) cleansers aren’t on my skin long enough to matter much and that the pricy Tatcha face cream I recently purchased is no better than Embryolisse or Astral cream. So really, if the whim takes me, I’ll splurge on pretty much everything and anything.
I spend on fragrance (Jo Malone), facial skincare and foundation. I find the more expensive foundations are more likely to have a broader range with the yellow undertones I need.
Moisturizer for sure (IT cosmetics 4oz jar my beloved).
Mascara, because I’m allergic to SO MANY of them!
Perfume sometimes. Though my splurge is NEST so it’s still mid-range compared to a lot of the luxury brands out there!
I used to say eye shadow and lipstick, but with the rise of excellent indies and so many of my fav mid-to-high end-range brands fumbling, I’m less likely to do that now.
Even if you are able to find eye shadows for less and that are very good quality, there’s something about a well-designed eye shadow palette that entices me to spend more. The color scheme, the unique colors, the quality and the packaging, together feels like you’re being an item of art.
I note that I haven’t bought an expensive eye shadow palette in about three plus years, but if something draws me in to pay over $50, it would be a palette.