Does expensive equal better? Or "you get what you pay for"? Well...not always and for the most part its the not. Your favourite skincare and makeup products are most likely all made in the same factory, except the labels are different. That's not to say that all products are created equal because they're not. However, with so many products out there promising more or less the same thing, one has to wonder exactly how many formulations actually exist and except for minor tweaks that cost major dollars, is there a major difference in products that justify the price tag? Some would argue yes, however, be it that I'm no chemist or imply that I am, I am one major beauty junkie and as a consumer of such products sometimes le$$ is more. The major players in the beauty industry are; the Estee Lauder Companies Inc., which owns; Aveda, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, M.A.C, La Mer, and numerous more. L'Oreal which owns; Biotherm, Kiehl's, Lancome, Shu Uemura, The Body Shop, Maybelline New York, Garnier, Vichy, and more. After all that rant I will have to add that there are certain items that unfortunatly you just can't find at your local Walgreens or PharmaPlus (mainly colour selection in foundations and concealers).
Above are a few of my budget faves that are found locally at your nearest big box stores (i.e WallMart) or pharmacy (excluding Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Boutique locations).
Face Wash:
wash cloths (most brands I've tried are pretty good, especially for travel)
Aveeno makes some really good cleansers:
Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser
Clarifying Cleanser with Soy-not pictured (which I believe is being replaced by the Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser) the one that I liked can still be found in some stores
Johnson & Johnson Head-to-toe Baby Wash (yes I've used this before as a face wash & works effectively at taking off makeup)
Body Lotion:
Basically any scent you like will work. This of course is a personal preference. I like several different body lotions by different brands but one that always works is Johnson & Johnson's Body Lotion with Shea Butter.
Makeup Brushes:
Quo Cosmetics or your local craft store, check out my post about makeup brushes.
Eyeliners, Lipglosses, and Lipsticks:
These are so disposable that any brand will do, especially for eyeliner. Kohls are my fave & Rimmel has a good one.
Lipglosses; I'm loving Maybelline's Shine Seduction (no scent & not sticky)
Lipsticks; for shade selection I love Revlon, especially their nudes.
Eyeshadows, Blushes/Bronzers:
Annabelle eyeshadows & blushes (a Canadian brand), L'Oreal's HIP eyeshadows, Milani Blushes, and Revlon has some good cream blushes, and Rimmel for bronzers
Foundation and Concealers:
I can't rave enough about Chanel Vitalumiere foundation because this is my HG (holy grail) BUT for the winter months when my skin is drier. OK, that being said and this is all about the budget, Revlon's Colorstay Foundation is my runner-up. As for concealer I haven't found any faves on a budget (yet)
Mascara:
read my post here
Moisturizer:
My favourite morning moisturizer at the moment is Olay's Total Effects 7 in 1 Daily Moisturizer
What are some of your favourite budget finds? Let me know in the comment section.
this is such a greta post and I don't know why i missed it for days! vacation is doing my brain no good...
ReplyDeletei do believe you get what you paid for in MOST cases especially when it comes to makeup. However, i believe using simple products for skin care, especially if it's natural or organic. thus, all my skin care HG are grocery store stuff, including coconut oil and apple cider vinegar. :)
but when it comes to makeup, i often find drugstore products are of lesser quality, be it western or eastern brands. I have found a couple of exceptions such as La Femme eye shadows and blushes and my ultimate HG, Maybelline Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner (which unfortunately has been discontinued in Malaysia). Grr...