Is Expensive Makeup Worth It? The Benefits of "Benefit"

So I've gotten a lot of questions about my makeup and why I spend so much on it. As some of you may know, I went on a little shopping spree about a month ago (the amount I spent has been kept a LARGE secret.. who am I kidding everyone in Tridelt knows) at my FAVORITE store besides Anthropologie:

It is amazing, I know. 

Now most of you understand that makeup is to me like what shoes are to Andrea, (shout out to Shoe Crush!) and I am willing to spend a lot on something I absolutely love. I do want to explain, though, the benefits of splurging a little on makeup and maybe (if you have a really tight budget) the items to invest in and the items you could buy at the drugstore instead. 

First, I am going to introduce you to 3 MUST HAVE items in your makeup bag, regardless of whether or not you wear them regularly. These can be bought at both a drugstore or Sephora. Either way, they are a must.

Must have item #1: Sunscreen

You've heard it a thousand times: wear sunscreen!!! I'm guilty of this one. I don't wear it regularly and I should take my own advice more seriously. Even if you don't think you'll burn or even if its cloudy, this will prevent premature aging and sun spots so that when you put makeup on you will have a nice clean palate to work with. 

I at least recommend getting a face moisturizer with SPF 15; but when I want extra protection (since SPF  15 will only protect for about 15-20 minutes in the sun) I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Protection in SPF 55 or 70. This isn't greasy at all and goes on right under my moisturizer; it wont turn your face white either!! Thank god. 

You can buy it in SPF 70 here from CVS, or in any store selling Neutrogena Products.  

Must have item #2: Primer (for Face and Eyes)

This is more towards the makeup part of a must have. Sure you can splurge on a TON of really expensive makeup, and a lot of it is expensive for a reason. More expensive brands of any makeup product tend to blend with the skin better and stay on longer without smudging. In essence, you are paying for the quality. 

BUT, here is what I have discovered..

You can actually survive on a lot of drugstore makeup, as long as you provide a nice clean slate to work on. This of course requires certain prep for before you put your makeup on (more details on this prep will come in a blog in the next few days) but after that prep and right before foundation, primer is essential. 

Primer will not only fill in pores that would actually look LARGER when covered with foundation, but will also allow your makeup to stay on longer even after a longggggg night of dancing. 

We've all had those nights; your makeup looks fabulous for pictures before and even at the beginning of the night and by the time you get back, you look in the mirror and go "what the hell happened to me." 

I'm definitely guilty of looking like this chick at some point...

You see, primer can fix this!!! 

AND, you don't have to spend a ton of money on primer. My favorite that I use is a drugstore find and is by the L'Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Professionals Line called "Secret No. 1." My best friend Allison introduced it to me, and I use it everytime I put on foundation. 

Again, you can get it here at CVS.

The next type of primer is eye primer. It is usually your eye makeup that is more noticeable when it comes off, and primer CAN FIX THIS. I swear, it is amazing. 

Everyone needs Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion (here at Sephora). 

Primers are good even for everyday use and even if your face makeup or eye makeup isn't going on that heavily; all it does is provide a base for colors to stay put ALLL day long. No more touch-ups and black rings around your eyes by 5 pm!!

Now.. must have #3.

Must have #3: Tinted Moisturizer

Behold, the most incredible invention of this generation:

This has become my go-to everyday. Because I am really prone to breakouts and I am really lazy, I discovered tinted moisturizer. It is like 3 in 1; after I rinse my face off in the morning I just put some of this on and PRESTO! I've got my moisturizer, my coverage AND my spf 20 all in one. 

My experience with this Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer has been a dream. It goes on so smooth and is not too thick or thin. The coverage is great (even over my redness and acne) and is SO much more healthy for your skin for everyday use. Some girls are just able to wear foundation every day; I am not one of those girls.

I know many of you don't wear foundation and don't need to. This tinted moisturizer, if you are looking to maybe start evening out your skin tone, is so fantastic. It comes in oil-free and regular, depending on if your skin is dry or oily.

You can get it here at Sephora! It is a splurge but worth every penny.

Now on to the main event!!!!

Investment #1: Foundation

This is something that I cannot stress enough. Foundation provides the clean slate for your work of art and with that clean slate being your delicate face, you want to be sure that you are putting quality products on it.  

Not only will a more high quality foundation last longer throughout your night and day, (with primer!) but the application will look better and more natural; without cakey-ness or a powdery finish. 

I am currently using Sephora's professionals line called Make Up Forever HD. I am SO picky with foundations and found this one that is super-moisturizing, (I have really dry skin) has great coverage, and is affordable. 

Get it at Sephora yay!!

There are two foundations that far exceeded my expectations and are very pricey but worth the money.

The first is La Mer's 'The Treatment The Fluid foundation'... It is $85 a bottle (SO painful) but honestly looks like a second skin on my face. 

The other one exactly like this that is more affordable is Armani's 'Luminous Silk' foundation at around $60. Not bad, but still a little much. 

As long as you have a good clean canvas to work on, everything is 'smooth sailing' from there (Molly McKinney shout out!) 

Investment #2: Brushes

Brushes are another thing that, like high quality foundation and primer, are SO IMPORTANT. From everything to putting eyeshadow on to putting foundation on, brushes allow you to blend to perfection and not have to use your fingers or *gasp* the foam q-tip things that come with eye shadows (these are horrible and don't ever let me catch you using them for anything other than highlighting your eyes). 

Nice quality brushes for powders and eyeshadow are made with natural hair. Synthetic brushes are for any liquid (like liquid foundation) and should NOT be used for shadows and powders (like blush). 

Natural hair will pick up the color better and distribute it evenly on your face, whereas I have found with synthetic brushes the color and distribution look uneven and are minimal.

This doesn't mean that you can't find nice affordable brushes; my mother uses Sonia Kashuk's brushes from Target and they do just as good of a job as my Sephora brushes. They are made with natural hair and still blend pretty well.

When you want a splurge you should check out Sephora. They carry everything from Too Faced and NARS to their own Sephora Professionals brand (they have an entire wall full of brushes there too!). 

In a later post I'll go into what brushes are essential and what you don't really need (unless you are a professional makeup artist). 

Investment #3: Cream Blush

So this last investment is my own opinion and comes from personal experience in dealing with blush. 

Blush can be tricky and a pain in the you-know-what. If you put too much on and in the wrong place, you end up looking like a clown. Then if you don't put enough on, by the end of the day or night there isn't any blush left on your face (blush is actually the first thing that comes off/fades). 

But don't fret ladies! I give you cream blush. It is applied after foundation and blended in to stay ALL NIGHT LONG.

Here is my solution to the fading blush problem.

These two products are the infamous "Orgasm" Powder Blush and Multi-purpose Blush Stick from Sephora. (The color is amazing and works with almost EVERY skin tone; the pink is so cute and the gold in it gives you an amazing healthy glow)

The trick to keeping blush on is to double-up. First, sweep on the cream blush on your cheeks. (In a later post I will go over how to apply blush in the right place for your particular face-shape.) 

This NARS blush stick goes on like silk so you can swipe it on with the stick first and blend with your fingers. Using your fingers actually warms up the cream so that it blends evenly, so I really recommend using your fingers.

Then, go over the same area with the powder blush. The powder, like a mineral powder for your foundation, will actually set the blush and keep it on longer! 

Investing in this blush, or even the MAC cream blush in "Ladyblush" is SO worth the money. I've tried cream blushes from the drugstore and NONE of them match up to these ones. 

To wrap up..

Investing in these three items will change the way your makeup goes on and stays on. This is usually the issue with drugstore makeup; it either doesn't stay on or doesn't apply well (or blend well). Investing in higher quality brushes will make ALL the difference, as well as investing in foundation that goes on smooth and a cream blush that will give you that "I-just-got-a-healthy-workout" glow (in a good way). 

Toodles! And stay posted for more. :)

<3 Alicia