When it comes to beauty products, where do you cut corners? Where do you skimp?
Body care – I don’t buy high-end lotions, creams, exfoliators, body washes, etc. I’ve certainly tested some, but it’s not an area where I’d spend a lot of money on myself.
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Same, bodycare. I use drugstore body-wash and mid-end body lotions, such as Crabtree & Evelyn or Philosophy.
I don’t ever (or rarely) buy high end mascara….
Hair conditioner, face masks, lotions. I find coconut oil to be the best hair conditioner and moisturizer for body. Face masks, I have tried a boscia peel off mask, whch was the worst $40+ I had spent. I find Lush’s fresh face masks and home made masks the best!
Shampoo, I use head and shoulders because its the only shampoo that does t make my hair oily!! And eyebrow pencils. I use the ones from anabelle and theyre around 3 CAD, they also happen to be the best
I usually don’t buy higher end mascara. I’ll shell out for eyeshadows and liners, but I’ve always had luck with drugstore mascaras!
I go low budget with mascara and my favorite eyeliner is a drugstore brand… but I love splurging on foundations, blushes, lipsticks, etc. 🙂
Mascara and liquid eyeliner, also face care items such as face wash and moisturizer. I don’t have acne issues though, so I don’t need stuff like that.
For me, it’s typically mascaras and lipsticks. I almost never buy makeup without using a discount or coupon. In NYC, there’s a store called the Cosmetics Market (37th St. b/n 5th Av. & Madison) that sells high end makeup for cheap. I’ve gotten Bobbi Brown, Stila and Clinique makeup there at low prices!
Ha! I know that place! Worked near there years ago in NYC and was in there ALL the time buying good makeup at a discount! 🙂
I try to time purchases to get the biggest discount or the best GWP (friends and family, VIB week, etc). I also only redeem 500 point gifts when it’s something I really want – the Too Faced palette, full-sized Benefit Dandelion – recently I got the Fresh gift because it had a deluxe sample of the Sugar Rose tint that I really like.
I also try to wait for value sets. My favorite/only lotion is from Bliss and they have a value set that has it with a full-size shower gel and shower pouf (mine needs to be replaced anyway!) for only $1 more than the full-size lotion!
As far as buying cheaper things, usually just makeup remover and small things like nail files/cotton rounds/hair ties. Oh, and I’m pretty happy with shower gel from Bath and Body Works unless it’s a specific scent!
same i dont care for bodywash and such, also i dont use foundation so it doesnt apply to me
i can spend some big bucks on eyeshadows blush and anything pertaining to the eyes though hehe
Mascara and recently my foundation. I switched from MUFE Matte Velvet to L’oreal. My hair care is also L’oreal instead of the Redken I use to buy. I’ve been using lots of free samples from the big Neiman Marcus beauty sale they had a few months ago.
…Everything? The most expensive thing I’ve bought in the past months was a ten-dollar eyeshadow palette, and I don’t own anything I would call high-end or luxury.
Foundation and concealer are worth – whatever.
Lip, eye and cheek color I tend to buy mid priced stuff or even Drugstore stuff. I tend to use Drug store skin care because I have never felt the high end stuff is worth it. Your skin is a certain age and the best you can hope for is it look well cared for.
I fully agree with you Christina 🙂 Do you think there’s any difference between high-end and drugstore body products?
handcream from Curel. and basic lipbalm…but do use fancy lipsticks
I don’t spend much money on high end mascara and body care…at the most I buy The Body Shop products.
Body lotion and Perfumes
mascara – I use Maybelline Full N Soft
oil blotting papers – clean and clear for me, I LOVE these!
eyebrow gel – absolutely no reason to shell out a lot of $$ for this!
I definitely cut corners on body products — same as you, Christine!
I’m not a huge mascara fan, I’ll generally use whatever comes with a kit or sample.
Most toners seem overpriced for what they are.
Stuff I don’t buy at all: Make-up remover (I use olive oil or grape seed oil), lip exfoliators, lip primers, and colourless lip gloss.
Body care stuff, face wash, liquid eyeliner
same here. body wash and lotion. Mascara as well. I prefer drug store over high end. There are a lot of good ones out there that give the same results
Marcara. I got one benefit bad gal because a friend bought it as part as a gift, but would i repurchase again? no, my collection 2000 mascafras are just as good.
Liquid liner, the best liquid liner in my opinion is by warcraft cosmetics (w7) and only £1.00
I agree with you, Christine. While I like high-end stuff, but I don’t spend too much on body care. I like Kiehl’s and REN….that’s like mid-end.
No high end mascara (it usually dries out before I finish it anyways), body care (soap, lotion, etc.) or face wash. I’ve slowly been finding amazing dupes for my “regular” products (eyeliners and tinted moisturizer) so I’ll probably be going all indie and drugstore soon! ^_^
Alice
Nail polish. Even if it’s a terrible disaster, my nails will grow back fairly quickly – I’m not nearly so cavalier with my hair and skin.
Ditto, I opt for drugstore brand body care products, as opposed to high end. If I had skin ‘issues’ (like eczema or stretch marks or something like that) I probably would buy high-end items, but at this point in my life I am doing okay in that department 😛
Body wash (though I do need pharmaceutical brands of lotions because I could have bad problems with dry skin in winter), mascara, I’ve used both high-end and drugstore products for my brows, I use only homemade masks, I really love the Maybelline gel liner that I own (though just because the price difference isn’t big here in Belgium, I’m willing to try MAC or Bobbi Brown next time), and after owning enough high-end eyeshadows, I’ve tapped into drugstore gems 🙂
Shampoo, body care like yourself, and moisturisers. Revlon’s “Eterna” moisturiser is easily the best I’ve ever used – but I’ll spend more on cleansers (Skyn Iceland is to die for!). I’ve never felt the need to exfoliate below the neck. 🙂 And I’ve found that my hair is very happy with thorough-but-gentle drugstore shampoos when they’re teamed with a hydrating Fekkai conditioner. Soap is soap, but a good conditioner will nourish.
…. oh, and mascara. Like everyone else, by the looks of it. 🙂
Moisturizers and mascara for the most part. My favorite moisturizer comes in a pretty big sized bottle and only costs four or so dollars at CVS. Mascaras tend to be better from the drugstore in my opinion, and they’re certainly cheaper. However, that won’t stop me from buying Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! I think shelling out on foundation, eyeshadows, and lipsticks can certainly give you effective results.
I have to agree about the body care and would also add mascaras (love L’Oreal), eyeliners (Prestige, Revlon) and lip glosses (although I do have a few MAC shades). I just can’t see consistently paying over $5 for a tube of lip gloss unless it’s a totally unique shade that I just can’t find anywhere else. Illamasqua immediately comes to mind… But I’m not a lip gloss fiend so that may explain it, too.
Face wash – I swear by Cetaphil
Mascaras – drugstore brands are just as good
I also use mostly Estee Lauder and Origins skin care and buy most of it from the CCO, same with a lot of my makeup. I hate paying full price
Unfortunately my tastes don’t match up to my income, so although I’d prefer to use Khiel’s Creme de Corps (so silky smooth and wonderfully moisturizing), Cetaphil’s moisturizing cream really soothes and comforts my skin, including my face – but it can be oily. I’m using Infusium 23 (the green one) conditioner right now, and it has eliminated 99% of any frizziness from my hair.
For me, it’s hair care. I just use drugstore, or some cheaper LUSH items if I’m feeling like splurging a bit.
Skincare. There isn’t currently a high-end product out there that I have not found a low-end replacement for. In most cases I like the low-end version even more, and at the very least find the effects and ingredients to be comparable. With makeup, I’m willing to pay more for presentation and packaging, because that’s part of the pleasure I get out of using and collecting makeup. I’m willing to spend more on bodycare (though I go handmade/indie rather than high-end) because i find the scent selection and packaging to be far superior to drugstore options.
With skincare, there are no other aesthetic issues to factor in, so it’s purely a case of functionality. What works, works, and I don’t see the need to spend more than I find reasonable.
Mascara, definitely. But I don’t consider it cutting corners, really. I really do love my Maybelline mascaras!
Usually mascara and face cream….I stick to Covergirl Lashblast Volume (the orange tube -LOVE that mascara) and Oil of Olay facial moisturizers. Definitely splurge on everything else, though!
-Nail Polish: I stick to Opi, Essie and China glaze
-Eyebrow products: I really like maybelline define a brow and any brown eyeshadow
I use drugstore skincare products on my face and they work just as well as the high-end products. I’ve looked at the labels and the ingredients are usually pretty similar on the products I use. It’s just the high-end stuff has fancier packaging and (usually) a better fragrance.
I cut corners in body care, hair care (which I should not be because my hair is pretty dry and untamable right now), I own the Olay Pro-X (no Clarisonic for me), I do buy drugstore masks as well. I also cut corners in nail care (I have a nervous habit of bitting my nails so I dont get whats the point), I used to buy only drugstore mascara but I am in the high-end experimental stage. I also only buy drugstore lipsticks (since I rarely wear them). I recently got into skin care and my skin has improved so much. I hate foundations and the way they feel on my skin so I only buy drugstore/heavily discounted foundations (I however splurge on tinted moisturizer).
Revlon’s nail polish beats OPI and Essie in terms of lasting power for me, although its color selection isn’t as great…
Skincare- biore and cetaphil work just fine for me
mascara- maybelline , rimmel , covergirl , loreal are great in my book
nail polish- essie , china glaze,or whatevers at walgreens
Lipgloss-occasionally I will splurge but not too often
Shower gels and lotions= either drugstore ( dove, caress , walmart brand etc ) or bath and body works. bath and Body works is considered my treat, and If I do it right I can get 3 nice size bottles of lotion for 20 bucks + tax
Yeah, some bodycare. But I like testing out drugstore eyeshadows too.
Face wash, body wash, face lotion, body lotions, shampoo, hair conditioner, lip balms, brow gel, mascara, and brush cleanser.
I do find myself splurging the most on foundation, eye liners, eye shadows, and finely-milled highlighters. Everything else in somewhere in between lol
Eye makeup… my eyes are not very sensitive, and I like to experiment, so I usually don’t drop too much on those products. The $1 ELF eye shadow primer is surprisingly decent, the Ulta sets often have a ton of eye shadow colors and with coupons can be had for $20, and I’ve found drug store mascara to be just fine. 🙂
Mascara and nail polish
I stick to drugstore shampoo, body wash, body lotion, face wash, and nail polish. Although I should add that I just purchased three make up items for the first time (in a long time) from the drugstore, the CG Natureluxe foundation, a CG lip perfection lipstick, and the milani eyeliner – which I am very happy with.
Body washes. And skin care if pharmacy cleansers and topical creams count — only doctor prescribed skin care solutions work for my ultra sensitive skin.
Shampoo and conditioner for sure. I think most are the same but I use some-what expensive products in my hair when I style it though (moroccan oil-love it!)
Body lotions, I just tend to buy whatever smells yummy, usually from The Body Shop or Bath and Body Works!
Like many of the previous posters, I stick to drugstore mascara. As for nail polish, I rarely ever buy it–I literally have only three bottles. And almond oil makes a great and cheap body moisturizer.
Seconding the body care. My skin is slightly dry, but I don’t have any major issues that require anything more than a decent generic. Most “brand-name” products are a lot of flash, anyway. You should always read the back of the label to see what’s in it.
As for hair care, shampoo I’ll go cheap on (I only use it every other day, as it is), but my hair frizzes easily, so I will shell out a little extra for a good conditioner. Also, styling gel. I won’t go for a high end, but I will spend the extra cash for a good name brand.
As far as cosmetics go, mascara is the big one I’ll skimp on. My lashes are fairly long, so I can get the effect I want with drug store and have no interest in trying higher end. I also tend to go cheaper with blushes, though I’m willing to buy up on recommendation. Thus far, I’ve only used drug store foundations since I wear it so rarely, but I may consider trying a higher end one this year.
Bodycare and mascara. I don’t use mascara that often and it dries up/expires quicker than other makeup and I find drugstore mascaras do just about the same job as a higher end one would do. Even cheaper drugstore lipsticks do the job. You could do fine with any drugstore/cheaper cosmetics if you do your research!
It’s funny, but mascara is the main cosmetic I won’t skimp on, that and eyeshadow primer. But then I have crappy, straight problem lashes and I need a good mascara like Fairydrops or MUFE Smoky Lash to get them to do anything.
I cut corners with almost everything else, including foundation (Revlon Colorstay), lip products, blush (NYX), facial cleansers (Olay and Cetaphil), and body care (I like buying handmade soaps and lotions off Etsy). And the best conditioner I’ve found is Suave Tropical Coconut, which can sometimes be found for less than a buck. The main thing is, while I do try to save money, the cheaper things I use I buy because they also work amazingly.
I spend alot of money on everything but bodywash/bodylotion. I dont even use bodylotion, and the bodywash is supposed to clean the body and stay on the skin for 30 seconds or so :p
Bodycare. I buy drugstore shower gels and lotions. And although I prefer handmade soap bars which costs more drugstore ones do the job just fine as well.
Hair care. I already found my HG shampoo and conditioner combo and it’s from the drugstore too.
Mascara, eye make-up remover, facial make-up removers (I use baby wipes because they don’t sting my eyes), nail polish remover, cotton pads (I buy the cheapest.)
In general I try the cheapest option first before I try out higher-priced equivalents. Except for eye make-up, my trickiest area since I have sensitive eyes.
For me, it’s mascara. I wear it so infrequently and it has to be replaced in such a short time, that I’d never purchase one of the pricey ones. L’Oreal is fine with me. The only expensive ones I have were either GWPs or gifts from a cousin who is a cosmetics rep.
Body lotions, mascara, lipstick, sometimes eye shadows but rarely, hair gel.
In general I mix high-end and drugstore products, if it works why not?
I can remove make-up with bioderma sensibio, then wash my face with la prarie foaming cleanser, and follow with lets say neutrogena toner or 3in1 anti stress gel. again, if it works why not? I rotate my high-end and drugstore beauty products and I like to experiment, however I never use cheaper products for my eyes.
Several days ago my best friend showed me a super-cute korean beauty shop, she’s using this products for quite a while now, and I’d say all these bb creams, whitening make-up bases, anti-redness primers, and micro-powders are pretty good (so far), brushes are super or at least the ones I chose are of a very nice quality.
Mascaras coz I just don’t buy any !