If you’re into make up like me, you know that it can be quite an expensive habit. From cheap drugstore make up to crazy and outrageous prices, make up is offered for every budget at every price. I thought it would be good to show you my recommendations when you have saved up a bit of money and/ or are looking to splurge on some high end products. I am talking Chanel, Dior, Estee Lauder and the like. I also threw in some MAC and Too Faced, which isn’t all the way up there, but still quite expensive.
What 10 make up products making a nice dent in your bank account are worth the splurge?
I will be showing you these products in the order in which I would them apply them. You will notice that some products or brands are missing. I have only just begun to try out some high end concealers, so they are not featured here. Other categories for which I had trouble finding a good high end candidate for were brows and face powder. I tend to love my drugstore and budget options there, so for a long time I didn’t feel the need to splurge in those categories.
Anastasia brow powder in Taupe
When it comes to brows there is only one serious candidate to be considered and that is Anastasia Beverly Hills. Of course the line has been branching out with contour palettes, liquid lipsticks and eye shadow palettes, but the start of it all were brow products. Now I am not a brow pommade fiend and for a long time I used a MAC shadow to fill in my brows, but when it comes to brow products and you have a bit of money to spend Anastasia products are the way to go. They have a shade for everyone and you can buy products that all match as well.
My favorite high end foundation must be my Dior foundation. I own a Bobbi Brown one and a Chanel one and I like both of those, but I truly love this one. There is something about the texture and the color match that just works for me. It wears nicely and gives me just the right amount of coverage I like. I wear it in 010 Ivory.
MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural in Medium
I have tried several face powders, but most of them not high end. I am currently use the Too Faced Primed & Poreless powder, which I like, but which isn’t as multipurpose as this one is. This powder can set your foundation, but on good skin days this will be all I wear. In fact, in summer, when wearing foundation just leads to looking like a greasy, sticky mess, this and a touch of concealer is all I’ll wear. Because it has a touch of color to it, it makes for a natural finish that doesn’t look too powdery or cakey.
Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer
Bronzer is a product that took a long time for me to get into. The reason? I am too pale and cheap bronzers never looked right. They were too shimmery or too orange or just too dark. Until I decided to splurge a bit more money. For a while I used the NARS Laguna bronzer, but that is again a tad too dark on me. It only works in summer on my skin tone. The one I can wear year round, is matte and bang on the money? The Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer.
The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter
The last product I added to my face routine must have been highlighter. I own one by Dior which is beautiful and cost twice as much as this one, but a) it was limited edition and b) it is a tad too golden on my skin, which makes me believe it does not get you bang for your buck. This one by The Balm however is a different story. The shade is spot on, the shine is intense and I’ve been using it for over a year and there isn’t even a dent in the pan.
NARS Orgasm blush
High end blush is something you can find plenty of in the offerings of the different brands. I used to love a peachy shade by Shiseido and I also own a Dior and Chanel ones but I hardly ever reach for those. The most expensive blush I own that I reach for often enough to claim you get your money’s worth would be a NARS blush. I own Orgasm and Sex Appeal and especially Orgasm is one of those shades that works for me year round and I get a lot of wear out of.
Marc Jacobs Style Eye-Con eye shadow palette The Starlet
This next one may come as a surprise. Sure, I love my MAC and Urban Decay eye shadows and I love the palettes I hauled in 2015, but don’t forget that for the amount you pay for one of those, you get a lot more different shades then one of the brands I am showing you here. For around 50 euros Urban Decay’s Naked palettes and Too Faced Chocolate bar palettes will give you roughly 12 shades. Now the true high end palette, get you a maximum of 7 shadows for that amount of money. Out of all the high end palettes I own (Dior, Chanel, Charlotte Tilbury), my Marc Jacobs one is the most special as the shades are something the other brand will not offer.
Estee Lauder & Dior eye pencils
During my first steps into make up, I believed that good make up meant expensive make up. So I bought all of my items from high end brands and slowly build up my collection. One of the best discoveries I did during that phase were these Estee Lauder and Dior eye pencils. The Estee Lauder ones are the creamiest pencils I have found. I own Onyx and Coffee: two great basics to own. My very first eyeliner was the Dior one and as you can see I used the crap out of it. It is the strangest mix between a kohl pencil and a gel liner, making it super versatile and great if you’re a make up noob.
Dior DiorShow Extase mascara
Way back in the day, I am talking 5 years or so, my favorite mascara was by Dior. It is the only very high end mascara I ever tried. And then I discovered Maybelline and L’Oreal mascaras and just never went back. But if you are ever looking to splurge on a mascara, have a look at Dior, because they do some great ones.
Chanel Rouge Coco lipstick no. 54 Le Baiser
The ultimate luxury and the high end make up product I like to splurge on most is lipstick. Now, I think that if you buy a high end lipstick it doesn’t really matter whether it is a Chanel, a Dior, an Estee Lauder or YSL lipstick. To be quite frank, it is my high end lipsticks that I cherish and wear the most. I think that if you have to pick one brand, go with Chanel. There isn’t a brand whose lipstick colors and its packaging is more iconic than Chanel.
What high end product do you find worth the money?