Beauty Products Worth the Splurge

I am a big fan of saving money where I can. I'm a huge fan of drugstore products and love testing out new ranges that don't reach the $20 range as the price minimum. However, at the root of it, I'm just a big fan of makeup in general and that includes the more high-end ranges as well. While you could most certainly have an entire arsenal of makeup that is all from the drugstore or from more affordable websites from independent beauty brands, there are some products that are just worth the extra money you put into them. I've been trying to stick to a pretty drugstore based life for the sake of saving money, but if my entire makeup collection vanished (I just shuddered, what a nightmare that would be to replace), there are a few things that I would need to rush to Sephora or a makeup counter to replace as soon as humanly possible.

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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders

The thought of setting my foundation with anything but the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette honestly makes me nervous. For my days where I'm not doing anything but shooting for the blog, I do tend to use my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder instead to savor the palette, as it is pretty pricey at $62.  The single powders come in a variety of colored finishes, but the palette mixes three of the shades for the perfect setting powder shade. It doesn't have any color to it, per se, but they all have different lighting finishes as per their names.

The powders have an illuminating effect but don't be fooled, it's nothing like putting straight up highlighter on your face. The powders diffuse and soften the look of your skin through translucent coverage by filtering out harsh lighting. It's not so much as a glow as it just is an all over subtle radiance to the skin. I haven't found a drugstore setting powders that gives me the same finish as these powders so until then, I suppose I'll be dishing out the $62 for a new palette. Luckily, they last a long time. I've had mine for a year or two now, at least, and I haven't hit pan on it yet. It took me over a year to go through it the first time as well and that was when I was wearing makeup literally almost all seven days of the week.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

I will admit, I can't be bothered with primers 99% of the time because I don't wear my makeup long enough at the moment to need one. I can hear my friend Hannah yelling at me all the way from South Carolina, but it's chill. I still get scared with liquid face products and my skin, so I try to avoid trying them at all costs, hence why I tend to stick with the same concealers and foundations. I haven't had any reactions to anything as of late, but it's always in the back of my mind after struggling with things not breaking out my skin in high school and early college.

However, I miss the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and I might need it back in my life. I know I'm talking about a lot of Hourglass products, but truly, this brand is fab (I haven't tried enough of their lipsticks, but the ones I have are so comfortable, it's unfair how lovely this brand is). This is an oil-free primer that is meant to reduce the look of redness, pores, and wrinkles. I tend to need it more for the redness portion, but my pores have their days when they're particularly large and need a little help being filled in. The primer has a silky texture and obviously helps extend the wear of your makeup as well as the things I just listed. It doesn't make you feel greasy at all and is super lightweight, which is really important to me. I wear a lot of face makeup so that last thing I need is a heavy primer to make my skin feel like it weighs one hundred pounds. It also contains an SPF 15, which I am a huge proponent of. Protect your skin, guys. It's super important. 

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner

This one is a toughie because I do really like the NYC Epic Ink Liner, which can obviously be purchased at the drugstore. However, in terms of which products is easier to work with, my trusty Kat Von D Tattoo Liner has never let me down. I don't know how much I can say about a liquid eyeliner, but it's black and precise and I've personally had no trouble with it not staying on. I do always have primer on my eyes and usually eyeshadow beneath it and I set all of my liquid eyeliners with black eyeshadow because I am very, very cautious of it shifting throughout the day, especially since I do get watery eyes.

Sunday Riley Martian Mattifying Melting Water Gel Toner

Sunday Riley is very expensive, I totally understand, but for me my skin is worth the price. I've had bad acne since I was thirteen, yada yada yada. We know my acne story by now, I talk about it almost as frequently as the boybands that I love. I bought this after seeing Zoella talk about it in one of her videos and it's my favorite toner. I will warn you, it smells kind of like vomit. The scent was really off-putting at first, but it really helps with two things with me: keeping excess oils away from my skin so it doesn't encourage more acne and keeps my skin matte. 

I highly recommend reading the product description because it will do a much better job at telling you what each of the main ingredients does for your skin. But, in short, it's a cooling gel that turns into a water toner that clarifies, removes oil, and tightens pores to give you clear, matte skin. I love using toners after I cleanse and this has been the most effective I've used, by far. You just have to get past the smell and learn to live with it.

YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipstick

It wouldn't be a makeup list of mine without mentioning a lipstick. Truthfully, there are more I would like to add, but I think realistically if you searched hard enough through drugstore products, you'd be able to find dupes. But there's nothing that is as smooth and luxurious as the YSL lipsticks. I mean, just the tubes themselves are worth the hefty price tags. It also helps that these are some of the most comfortable lipstick formulas I've ever tried out, the Rouge Volupté Shine Oil-In-Stick Lipsticks specifically. 

These aren't matte, which goes against everything I believe in lipstick wise. They have a silky finish, but depending on the color you get, they are pigmented and give you an opaque layer of coverage. My favorite shade is older, so I'm not sure if it still exists or if the name changed, but it's called Fuchsia In Rage and it still remains one of my favorite lipsticks I own. The color transcends seasons and the formula is so weightless. The oil in the lipstick is what makes the formula so comfortable and easy to reapply. It doesn't stay on forever, but if you need to put on another layer, it doesn't cake up or get patchy. If a lipstick isn't insanely long wearing, I always make sure that when applying another layer, it doesn't start gathering up and looking dodgy.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter Pressed

I specifically own Opal and Champagne Pop, but seriously, this goes for the whole line. There isn't another highlighter, drugstore and high-end, that gives me the same glow that the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecters give me. Now, I'm sure they exist, don't get me wrong, but these powders are too incredible not to mention. They give you glow without depositing glitter onto your cheeks. You do have to apply when with a light hand though or else you will have streaks of straight up shine on the tops of your cheekbone. If you're still into strong highlights, I highly recommend trying out one of these. They even have smaller versions for half the price if you don't want to commit to a full-sized version.

What's your favorite beauty product that you'll always make the splurge for?