The princess tag. The principle? List the most expensive item you own in each category. I own quite a lot of make up and it goes from cheapy drugstore brands to high end couture brands. Of most of my products I don’t exactly remember how much they were so I went with those products which I suspect are the most expensive items. I won’t give exact prices for all these items, again since I don’t remember them, but I’ll give an estimate to the best of my abilities. I’ll also describe each item so you’ll know whether they might be worth your while.
FOUNDATION & CONCEALER
MAC Face & Body foundation in C1 (around €20) and Benefit Erase Paste (around €30)
Not much of a foundation and concealer girl, so I don’t have super duper high end products in these categories. However, MAC and Benefit don’t come cheap, so I figured this would count. I used the MAC foundation all throughout last winter. The texture and finish are great, though the color a tad too dark and yellow for my complexion, however this was the lightest one they do. Right now I’ve decided to try something else this winter, but this definitely was worth it and there’s only a tiny bit left in the bottle too. Erase paste is a great concealer to cover under eye circles as it has a salmon pink hue. It is not so good for spots though and the pot is a bit annoying.
FACE POWDER & EYELINER
Dior Waterproof Eyeliner pencil in black (approx. €25) and MAC Prep + Prime Pressed Transparent finishing powder (approx. €30)
I used to swear by this Dior eye pencil until I discovered the Urban Decay 24/7 liners. It’s not that this one isn’t nice though, it is: it’s smudge proof, goes on fairly smoothly (but not as smooth as UD!) and the black is actual black. I still use this when I want to make an intense smokey eye, as it’s much easier to blend than the UD ones, but UD takes the cake when it comes to eye liner pencils. Again not much of a foundation girl, and hence not much of a powder girl either. I have one powder which adds color and this one is transparent. It’s pressed, it’s super finely milled, gives a really nice finish and lasts all day. It lasts quite a long time (I’m still finishing up my first one after having used my MSF Natural all summer) and I would say this powder is well worth the money.
BRONZER
NARS Laguna bronzer (approx. €30 – €35)
The rolls royce amongst bronzer is done by Guerlain, the next best thing? NARS. This bronzer is raved about till no end on Youtube and in my opinion it’s not worth the money. Yes it blends nicely, it’s matte and works on lighter skin tones, but I think you can find cheaper options in the drug store (NYC does a nice one!) that work just as well. And I shouldn’t forget to mention that I am quite hopeless with bronzer…
BLUSHER
Shisheido blush in RD103 (approx. €30 – €35)
When going through blush I instantly thought of my NARS Orgasm blush, but I think this one takes the cake. I remember this blush costing around 32 or 33 euros. Luckily though it is one of my favorite blushes. It’s a great peachy pink shade and matte too. I love using this in spring and summer time to warm up my face and give it more of a glow.
HIGHLIGHTER
Too Faced Candlelight illuminating translucent powder (approx. €25)
The most expensive highlighter I own must be this Too Faced one. Especially since this can be used in no other way but as a highlighter. I used to dust this lightly all over my face and that’s okay in daylight. Add some artificial lighting and you light up like a Christmas tree, let alone use this with flash photography. For a highlighter I find the effect a little too subtle and that’s why I hardly ever use this powder. It is however, very pretty looking so I don’t have the hard to give or throw it away.
EYESHADOW
Dior Cannage eye color collection (approx. €50 – €55)
If you know me, you know I like my eyeshadow palettes. This may not be the one that cost me the most per se, but it is the most I remember paying for an eyeshadow palette with only 8 colors in one go. I love Dior eyeshadows though and this palette has some great colors. My main reasons for purchasing this palette in particular? The dark blue and purple shade with the golden shine. But this also makes for a great neutral eye look.
BROW PRODUCT
Anastasia brow powder in Taupe (approx. €20 – €25)
I used to use MAC Omega eyeshadow for my brows. Until I found this. The texture is better, it makes my brows look more natural and it stays put a lot better I find. Is it worth shelling out the extra money for? Only if you have the money. If you don’t you might as well use a cheap brow kit from the drugstore or any eyeshadow that matches. It’s not a must have.
LIPSTICK & LIPGLOSS
Chanel lipstick in L’Eclatante & YSL lipstick in Tropical Pink, NARS lipgloss in Dolce Vita. (Prices range around €30 each)
There are two things I purchase to spoil myself: OPI nail polish & high end lipsticks. My favorite brands are Chanel & YSL. Their lipsticks feel luxurious and they have a great color range. Added bonus are the lovely textures and great staying power. I don’t wear a lot of lipgloss, but this one is the exception to the rule. It’s my ‘my-lips-but-better’ shade and it’s the only lipgloss that gets a lot of wear. Nice color, not too sticky, yet it lasts long (for lipgloss that is). Great texture, though mighty expensive.
NAIL POLISH & MISCELLANEOUS
OPI nail polish in Designer… De Better (approx. €15) & Chloé original perfume (approx. €55 for 30 ml)
Like I said previously: my other guilty pleasure are nail polishes and especially OPI. I love their shade range, the brush, the texture, just everything. The only thing I don’t always like is the price tag: at almost 15 euros they are pricy for nail polish because so many drugstore brands do great polishes for less than half the price. I decided to go with a perfume for my miscellaneous item. Perfume never comes cheap and if you want one that truly lasts you pay even more. There are more expensive perfumes around, but this one I remember thinking: oomph that’s expensive, when I bought it. It’s a great perfume though, but I only use this sparingly as it can give me a headache.
This tag consists of a few categories I didn’t mention: mascara and lip liner. I don’t use lip liner and I haven’t used a high end mascara in 5 years.
What is the most expensive item in your make up collection?
2 responses to “Princess tag”
I luuuurv my Erase Paste. Pretty sure MAC does a lighter foundation too, though!
The most expensive thing I own is probably my perfume stash, but my father gives me a bottle each Christmas and I’m frugal with the smellies. I’ve got some Agent Provocateur signature eau de parfum for when I want to smell like a boudoir hussy (which is often). Then I have some weirdo Muegler Alien (the leather edition) for when I want to smell like tanned hides. Also some Margiela Replica (the flower market one), which everyone online seems to think is best described as “meh” – but they’re wrong because it smells like an actual flower market (almost wilting flowers and that sludgy green water in the bottom of a vase and some…traffic?). It sounds gross, but it compliments my natural catlady smell. Oh. and some Opium for when I want to smell like an extra on The Golden Girls (I see myself in the role of Blanche Devereaux’ high school frenemy who married an oil baron and founded a highly successful chain of dog grooming salons).
That right there represents about my monthly rent!
Then there’s the stuff that I actually bought with my own money, which my girlfriend usually describes as: “two vacations and a new muffler for my car.”
Wow nice perfume collection. I have a perfume for every occasion as well. And yes, MAC even does a white foundation, but in the F&B line this is the lightest shade they do.