Especially for makeup newbies, I know how intimidating it can be to walk into a department store looking for a certain product – say, an everyday blush color – without knowing which brand to check out first. Knowing which beauty products to splurge or save on can take a lot of research, years of experimenting, and most likely, a significant amount of money. I've put together a short guide based on my experience to offer you some perspective to help you decide which products you can splurge, or skimp on.

Skincare: Splurge

Good skin is an investment. If you have good skin, anything looks good on you – that's my belief. Good skin means you can get away with wearing as little makeup as possible. In the long run, this saves you a lot of money and prep time in the morning. Department store brands (i.e., higher-end brands) offer a wide range of skincare products catered to different skin types. Skincare products which are formulated for a particular skin type work better than generic products. So, go on, splurge on this one.

Foundation: Splurge

Next to skincare, I think foundation is the beauty product most worthy of a splurge. Sadly, not all of us are blessed with good skin, even if we use very good skincare products. The good news is that we can cheat using a good foundation! Higher-end brands offer a wider shade range with varying finishes – from a more natural finish to one with more coverage. More importantly, higher-end products generally use better, skin-loving ingredients, so you can be sure your foundation isn't making the condition of your skin worse. As with good skin, if you have a good base (i.e., foundation), the rest of your makeup will look good.

Concealer: Save

Save your money on this one, ladies. If you have a good base, then concealer should just be an 'add-on' product to enhance your look. (Think: extra fries to go with your burger.) I find that drugstore options are sufficient to give you that extra kick of coverage or brightness and to hide that zit! 

Blush: Splurge

For the most part, department store brands offer a wider variety of blush colors in different formulas and finishes. My experience with blushes from the drugstore have not been all that great – they either lack pigmentation or come across as chalky. If you find a good blush with a good formula, you won't need to pile on layers upon layers upon layers just to get the color to show up. In this way, a pan of blush will last you forever, so I think it's worth the splurge.

Lipstick, Eyeshadow, Eyeliner: Save

Once in a while, it's fun to experiment with a new lip color, eyeshadow shade, or eyeliner formulation. If you want to try out say, a new lip color, and maybe you're not quite sure if you'll end up liking it in the long-run, I suggest to scout the drugstore for more wallet-friendly options. This way, if it doesn't work out for you, then you won't feel that bad about not using it up. Also, when it comes to these three things, drugstore brands have it pretty much up to par with department store brands in terms of color variety, as well as quality.

Mascara: Save

The shelf-life of any mascara is at most six months, no matter how much you paid for it. The insides of your mascara tube are dark and damp, and because you're constantly opening and pumping air into it, it becomes susceptible to bacteria growth. For this reason, I advise against stretching out its shelf-life. Because this is something you're constantly tossing out, it's definitely more practical to pick up your mascara from the drugstore. Besides, I've found a number of drugstore mascaras to work just as well (if not better than) department store brands!

I'd love to hear which products you usually splurge on! Let me know in the Comments section below.

❤,

N

Disclaimer: This is a re-post. My original post is published on Zalora PH Community. All images used in this entry are from the original. (View post here)