What’s Worth Spending Your Hard-Earned Dosh On: The Makeup Edition

What's Worth Spending Your Hard-Earned Dosh On: The Makeup Edition

Β© cofeee

I’ve tried a good amount of makeup over the years. A lot of them were from the pharmacy and some of them from high-end brands. Today, I’d like to share with you the more expensive makeup that I believe is worth spending your hard-earned money on. I’m very particular of the expensive makeup I splash on so I have to make sure they’re worth the money. After trying and using these for a good amount of time, I can safely declare that these are definitely worth the money.

You’ll notice that when it comes to makeup, I much prefer to splurge on face makeup than anything else. I don’t find myself drawn to eye makeup much unless they’re so damn beautiful on the palette that I cannot resist. Most of the time, I do. It’s face makeup that draws me like a moth to a flame every time. I love trying out new foundation and any sort of powders.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you’ll have heard me mention some of these several times. I can’t help it; I love them that much!

What's Worth Spending Your Hard-Earned Dosh On: The Makeup Edition

Guerlain’s Meteorites. The original ones, not the limited edition ones. The compact versions are lovely too. I’ve used several limited edition ones over the years and so far, the best and most reliable I’ve used is still the one from the permanent collection, the Teint Rose. They’re certainly beautiful enough to collect but if you’re only going to buy one, I recommend checking out the permanent collection instead of the limited edition ones.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. Hands down, the best face makeup primer I’ve used. I’ve used this to last me 2 weddings and goodness knows how many full-days and this keeps my makeup looking fresh and fade-free.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. By powders, I mean the setting powders, blushes and even bronzers. These are beautiful. Personally, I find them just as good as Guerlain’s Meteorites (the latter looks better on my vanity area though, but that’s just me). I love travelling with these because even though they look deceptively heavy because of their shiny compacts, they’re very light. And they make the skin look positively luminous.

Hourglass anything really. I love their eyebrow pencils, liquid eyeliner, lipsticks. Seriously, Hourglass, can you do no wrong? Okay, maybe you can with the recent eyeshadow palettes but still. Everything else? Gorgeous.

Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist Youth Infusing Foundation. I didn’t think that one of my favourite foundations would actually be one from Estee Lauder that isn’t the very famous full-coverage Double Wear. I love how beautiful and radiant this makes my skin look. All the positive reviews (and they are heaps of them) I’ve read about this foundation were spot-on.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. Surprisingly, I didn’t think this was all that fantastic when I started using this a year or so ago. I thought it was good but not an omg-holy-grail-stuff-can’t-live-without-it sort of foundation. However, the more I used this, the more I liked it. I save this for use in the evenings due to its lack of SPF but really, it can be used any time of the day. It doesn’t make my skin look as luminous as Estee Lauder’s, but it’s still a very good foundation.

YSL and Tom Ford lipsticks. To tell you the truth, I’m not a fan of Chanel lipsticks. Years ago, I used to be, and I’d buy a number of Chanel lipsticks to not only wear, but to prettify my vanity area. That was until I tried YSL’s Lip Volupte Shine lipsticks. I was hooked. The packaging looked much better than Chanel’s lipsticks and they wear better on me too. They’re not everyone’s favourite; some found it drying on the lips but they work very well for me. Tom Ford’s lipsticks would also be amongst the top of the range when it comes to creamy lippies and punchy colours.

Urban Decay NAKED series eyeshadows. I love the quality of Urban Decay’s NAKED eyeshadows. With the exception of the NAKED Basics, which I’m not a fan of, their NAKED eyeshadow palettes are very good. It’s more sensible to splurge on just one NAKED eyeshadow palette in which all shades are high quality, richly pigmented and buttery smooth than several cheap alternatives with only a handful of workable colours.

By Terry Ombre Blackstar cream stick eyeshadows. I’ve tried different high-end cream eyeshadows by Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier but nothing beats the By Terry Ombre Blackstars. The colours are stunning and they stay on my oily eyelids very well (with primer on. I never use any sort of eyeshadows without primer). Worth the hype? Most definitely. I have a feeling I’m going to get every single shade in the range. My wallet isn’t going to be happy to hear that!

NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base. I’ve used Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Urban Decay’s Primer Potions for many years and while I think they’re great, I find the NARS Pro Prime just a notch better. It’s creamy, blends very well and makes eyeshadows stick on my oily skin like glue.

Shiseido eyelash curler. I don’t like the one by Shu Uemura (horror of horrors!) but I adore the Shiseido eyelash curler. It fits my eyes much better than Shu Uemura’s and I get less accidents of clipping my lids with this one.

Hakuhodo makeup brushes. Terribly expensive but worth every cent I splurged on. I don’t actually have any eye makeup brushes from Hakuhodo. Personally, there are equally great eyeshadow brushes that are cheaper and does the trick (e.g. Real Techniques, Makeup Geek, Royal & Langnickel) but when it comes to the face, that’s when I splurge. The face brushes, whether it’s a large, fluffy face brush or a smaller blush brush, they feel like brushing feathers on your skin. I would much rather save the money on buying a whole set of Sigma brushes and splurge that on just a single Hakuhodo face brush.

I’ve got more but I’ll stop here for now. I’ll be sharing the second part of this “worth spending your dosh on” mini series on skincare very soon. I learned a very valuable lesson the hard way over the years of trialling makeup (either sent for editorial consideration or purchased with my own coin) and it’s this: it’s far better to buy 1-2 high-quality foundations/powders/blushes/eyeshadows/whatever and stick to them until they’re finished than to buy many bottles, palettes, lotions and potions that may or may not even work, especially if you’re on a tight budget.

Erm, remind me of that lesson I told you about when I keep buying new ones to try out, okay? πŸ˜›

What about you? What makeup/makeup tools do you believe are worth spending your hard-earned money on?

For weekly updates, news and heaps more fun stuff, do subscribe and join the awesome BA Insider community!

Join the BA Insider Community

Previous:

Next:

20 comments… add one
  1. Norlin

    I am putting Hourglass powders on my wishlist. Have been eyeing them for a while and reading so many positive things about them. Christmas present I think? πŸ˜‰ and I’m definitely there with you when it comes to the UD Naked series. Love love love them!!
    Norlin recently posted..Random Monday: Gold Coast Long WeekendMy Profile

    1. Tine

      I definitely recommend trying some stuff out from Hourglass. If I have to choose, I’d go for the powders. The lipsticks are good but they’re not a must-have. The Ambient Lighting stuff? Oh yes. πŸ˜› Get the palettes instead. You get more to play with. πŸ˜‰

  2. saumya

    +I really wanna try the Hourglass blushes. Which shade of the ambient lighting powder will you recommend for my NC40 skin as an overall powder ? Tom ford is on my list too. OMG Tine such an enabling post πŸ˜‰
    saumya recently posted..The Winter Flush !My Profile

    1. Tine

      The Ambient Lighting Powders are pretty translucent. They don’t really have a particular shade. Each powder is different from different sort of “lighting” effect you want on your skin. The one I have is in Mood Light (apparently it’s to create low “mood” lighting on my skin). Each powder has different undertones as well. I think it’s best to check the powders out yourself and get a makeup artist or sales assistant in store to help you out with. Don’t be surprised if you’re confused by how similar all of the powders are. I didn’t plan to get the Mood Light because, quite frankly, I didn’t know what the heck to get, and so I just went with the makeup artist’s recommendation. πŸ˜›

      I’ve enabled you? Bam! Did my job! πŸ˜€

      1. Saumya

        Thanks Tine, I will check them out. I am really keen on the LE palette thats coming out, gives a good idea to explore blushes and powders both

  3. MonicaP

    Oh, yeah the Hourglass primer is worth every dime! For me, I prefer to spend money on skincare and/or spa services such as facials.

    Monica.
    MonicaP recently posted..A blazer, jeans shorts and heelsMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Me too! Skincare and spa services … that’s where most of my $$$ go to. πŸ˜›

  4. Beauty Box

    Good advice Tine! Will def check out all your recommendations. Have been wondering if the Hourglass Ambient powders are worth it – sounds like they are!
    Beauty Box recently posted..Glam Glow Youthmudβ„’ Tinglexfoliate Treatment ReviewMy Profile

    1. Tine

      For me and the many people who raved about them, the Ambient Lighting Powders were definitely worth the $$$. πŸ˜›

  5. Asha

    Ooh, must admit haven’t tried the Tom Ford lippies, must check them out next visit to Mecca! Also was waffling over the Ombre Blackstars now I think I’ll take the plunge! What are you’re recommendations for ‘bomb-proof’ lippies, Tine, i.e., the ones that stay through a meal and then some? The best I’ve found so far are the Maybelline Colour Drama lip pencils (how I wish those came in more colours!) but you probably know of other, better ones.

    1. Tine

      OMG the Ombre Blackstars. All that hype is real! Bomb-proof lippies? Bourjois Velvet Rouge Edition, like the ones we discussed about at lunch. Those puppies don’t budge, not one bit. Which also means it’s a pain in the ass to remove.

  6. Robert C

    I agree with everything with the exception of the Luminous Silk Foundation. It just didn’t sit well on my skin, it creased and sunk into pores on me, which is sad because I wanted to love it. I usually spent a lot more on base products as well so kinda disappointed. On the topic of brushes, I’m on the bandwagon that prefers quality over quantity (and I’m not really a fan of RT brushes sadly). Most of my brushes are japanese-manufactured. They really know how to make good brushes! hahaha
    Robert C recently posted..[thoughts] Animal Welfare in the World of CosmeticsMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Aww sorry to hear the Luminous Silk Foundation didn’t work for you. I thought it was okay at first but I’m actually loving it sick now. Quality over quantity brushes any time. You’ll be seeing a post on my makeup collection some time this week and you’ll see the amount of cheapie makeup brushes I have that I don’t even use anymore. I noticed that people either really like the RT brushes or they don’t like them at all. I think most of them (not all) are pretty good.

  7. Niva

    LOVE Hakuhodo brushes! I bought my first one from IMATS and then loved them so much I purchased some online. I actually don’t think they’re that expensive and mine has lasted for ages now! LOVE THEM! Also putting Hourglass ambient powder on my wishlist! Thanks for a great post!

    1. Tine

      Hakuhodo brushes are worth the $$$ anytime. They’re seriously good. Take good care of them and they’re last you a very long time. I used to think that my MAC 150 brush was good but compared to my Hakuhodo brushes, it feels like a broom on my skin.

  8. Catherine P

    My orange-y YSL blush in its serious gold-toned compact makes me feel so grown-up. Because of its strong pigment (and my stingey use) it is still going strong after 8 years.

    1. Tine

      Oooh that sounds so good! YSL’s makeup packaging are always so classy. Very grown up indeed! πŸ˜€

  9. gio

    Great picks! I’ve just tried a sample of the Hourglass primer and it has blown me away. Must try the blushes next, they’re gorgeous!
    gio recently posted..Are You Removing Sunscreen The Right Way?My Profile

    1. Tine

      Definitely give the Ambient Lighting blushes a go. You’ll LOVE them!

Leave a Reply

Share your latest blog post with us!

Scroll To Top

Not another bloody pop-up! I know. But now that I've gotten your attention (because this is how I roll *ahem ahem*), come join the BA Insider community! Sign up for a weekly newsy letter for your beauty and lifestyle fix. Straight to your inbox.

Because I love you for reading this and not closing the pop-up just yet, you'll also receive a FREE Skincare Cheat Sheet where I share some of my tips for taking better care of your skin. Let's keep that gorgeous mug of yours glowing!

We hate spam as much as baked beans. We also won't share your details with anyone because we're selfish like that.