High End Products Worth The Splurge
I did a blog post a while ago called "What Does £100 Worth of Make Up Look Like", which highlighted the massive difference between what you can get for £100 in the most affordable brands, the mid-range drugstore brands and high-end brands. You can see from that, high end make up quickly adds up and it is often a lot of money to splurge in one go, and sometimes, there are super affordable dupes for high end make up. But sometimes, the products are just so good, they are worth the money! These are some of my favourite high end products that I think are worth the splurge!
1. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer - £19.00
- This concealer without a doubt is one of my absolute favourites and is worth every penny in my opinion. This has been a cult favourite amongst beauty bloggers, youtubers and make up addicts everywhere, and for good reason! One dip of the wand into the tube and you have enough concealer to cover your under-eye area, down your nose, on your chin and forehead! The applicator is longer than a doe-foot applicator and is flat on both sides, which I personally like. The concealer itself has very good coverage, blends out beautifully and doesn't crease or melt away throughout the day. And even better, it comes in really pale shades! This is a must have for any make up collection in my opinion!
2. Marc Jacobs Remarcable Full Cover Foundation Concentrate - £37.00
- If you've been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I absolute love this foundation - especially mixed with the Dermacol Make Up Cover. It is (to my knowledge), the most full coverage foundation on the market. A few drops will cover your whole face! It has a very matte finish, blends out easily and lasts a long time on my face - however, the only down side to this foundation is that I do find it sinks into any fine lines on your face (I'm only 22, but this sinks into my smile lines after a few hours). The shade range of this foundation is great - I have the palest shade (Ivory Light) and it is a tad too pale for me (and I'm paper white!). You do only get 22ml of product, however, as I said, a little goes a very long way! It comes in a frosted glass bottle with a strange dropper-like applicator. There are no foundations that even come close to this one, so in my opinion, this is worth the money!
3. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water - £22.00
- I really didn't expect to like this primer - it's just water, right? Wrong. This is actually a really good primer and in my opinion, is worth the money! It is so easy to apply - just a few spritzes onto your face and leave to sink in. It smells fresh, kind of like cucumber water and the spray nozzle gives you a nice mist. It also sinks into your skin quickly. You get 116ml of product in a plastic bottle, but you use so little to prime your face that it lasts forever! It gives you a smooth base to apply your foundation, leaves your skin feeling fresh and hydrated and it visibly blurs your pores. For the amount of product you get, it is definitely worth the money.
4. Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream - £22.00
- I have the travel sized version of this eye cream, which I got as a free sample a while back. The first time I used it, I fell in love with it. As I mentioned, I'm only 22, so I don't have any wrinkles or fine lines around my eyes, but I also have a bad habit of staying up stupidly late at night, so I do get quite dark circles under my eyes and some puffiness, especially when I first wake up. This eye cream feels cooling on the skin, which is great when you've just woken up! It has a relatively thin consistency, sinks in quickly and leaves your under eyes looking visibly brighter and less puffy. In the full sized product, you get 15ml and again, you don't have to use very much product so it should last a while. When I run out of the sample, I will definitely be purchasing this product!
5. Make Up Forever Ultra HD Concealer - £20.50
- I've talked about this concealer before, in my favourite concealers for pale skin blog, because this is the lightest shade of concealer that I own! I have the shade Y21, which is the lightest shade in the range. It is super difficult to find a concealer that is lighter than your foundation when you are as pale as me and using foundations like the Marc Jacobs Remarcable and the Kat Von D Lock It Foundation, that can brighten your under eyes and highlight your face. If you are struggling to find that, this is a concealer you need to try! It provides good coverage, you don't need to use a lot of product and it blends out nicely with a beauty sponge. I'm not so keen on the packaging - which is a squeeze tube instead of having an applicator. It makes it quite difficult to squeeze out a small amount of product, but the product itself is great in my opinion. Well done Make Up Forever for having such a pale shade available!
6. Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - £32.50
- This is another super popular product, for good reason. This foundation has a great shade range, which goes pretty much pale enough for me! It comes in a glass bottle, without a pump, but the Mac pump does fit on the bottle (which is what I have on it). It is quite a thin formula, but still gives good, buildable, high-medium coverage and it lasts a long time on combination skin. I have the shade 1C0 Shell, which is slightly yellow toned and is a close shade match to my skin. This foundation gives you a smooth, semi-matte finish and it applies nicely with either a beauty sponge or a brush. The bottle comes with 30ml of product. This is a great high end foundation so it is worth the money in my books!
7. Illamasqua Brow Gel - £18.50
- Although I do have an affordable dupe for this product, it is a great pomade type gel. I have the shade ....., which is quite a dark brown shade (which I like). My eyebrows are relatively thick naturally and I don't have any issues keeping them in place, but they are blonde and my hair is dyed dark purple. I use this to effectively colour in my brows and shape them more. This product is super pigmented, glides on easily (I use a slanted eyeliner brush) and I use a clear brow gel to set them in place afterwards. To me, the consistency is kind of like a pomade crossed with a gel, it is more liquidy and gel-like than a traditional pomade. I love this product and I think it is definitely worth the price tag.
8. Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer - £25.00
- This was the first high end bronzer that I tried and I had heard all of the hype about it so had to buy it for myself! Firstly, if you hadn't guessed by the name, this bronzer smells like chocolate - or at least, it's meant to. To me, it actually smells like vanilla, but I like the scent anyway. If you don't like scented products, you probably won't like this. It comes in a sturdy compact, which has a mirror. This bronzer comes in 3 different matte shades, 'Milk Chocolate' being the lightest shade, 'Chocolate' being the original, medium shade and 'Dark Chocolate' being the darkest shade. This is a very pigmented bronzer, so especially if you have pale skin, you want to use a light hand with this. It blends out beautifully and doesn't look patchy when applied to the skin, so for that reason, I would say it is worth the splurge!
9. Mac Prep & Prime Fix+ - £18.00
- This is another crazy hyped product that everyone and their dog has heard of. I bought the small version of this (30ml for £10), because I predominantly intended to use it on eyeshadow brushes to make foiled / metallic eyeshadows pop. It really does make any foiled / metallic eyeshadow 5 times more pigmented and easy to apply. It has a fresh scent to it and doesn't make my eyes sting when I use it with eyeshadows. I've tried other setting sprays on my eyeshadow brushes to see if it has the same effect and I generally found that other setting sprays were too chemically and made my eyes sting! Recently, I also tested this out as a primer and setting spray for another blog post and it worked really well as a primer - to hydrate and smooth out your skin. It didn't do anything to extend the wear of my foundation, but it also doesn't claim to do that. If you don't want to splurge on the full sized bottle or just want to use it on eyeshadows, you can buy the smaller size and it is definitely worth the money!
10. Kat Von D Lock It Liquid Foundation - £27.00
- This is a foundation I only recently purchased based on it's reputation for good coverage and very pale shades. I tested a few different shades at the new Kat Von D beauty counter in Debenhams in Glasgow and the L42 was the closest shade match to me. The L43 was really yellow, and I mean really yellow! and the L41 was way too pale for me - and that is saying something! This foundation has a thick consistency and a lot of people claim it looks cakey on them - I disagree, because when applied with a beauty sponge and blended out properly, it doesn't cake up on my skin. It has a matte finish but I set it with a powder and it has reasonable lasting power on my combination skin. It does give a good coverage, no where near as full coverage as the Marc Jacobs foundation but it is still a great product. I love the packaging (as I'm a secret goth at heart) and it is easy to pump out a small amount of product.
11. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray - £23.50
- I've had this product for a while (as you can tell, because the packaging has now changed), but I recently tried it out properly for a blog post, using The Ordinary Colors Coverage Foundation, which I love but find that it only lasts around 4 hours on my skin before it breaks down into an oily mess. This setting spray was the best of the bunch that I tested, without a doubt. It made my make up last longer, it gives a nice mist over the face and it doesn't smell nearly as chemically as all of the other setting sprays I tried - it actually smells quite fresh. It sinks into your skin quickly and doesn't alter the look of the foundation. I purchased the travel sized version of this product to see if it was any good and it definitely is worth the full sized price - I will be purchasing that as soon as the travel size runs out.
Let me know what your favourite high end make up products are and what your thoughts are on any of the products I've discussed here in the comments section below!
Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x
1. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer - £19.00
- This concealer without a doubt is one of my absolute favourites and is worth every penny in my opinion. This has been a cult favourite amongst beauty bloggers, youtubers and make up addicts everywhere, and for good reason! One dip of the wand into the tube and you have enough concealer to cover your under-eye area, down your nose, on your chin and forehead! The applicator is longer than a doe-foot applicator and is flat on both sides, which I personally like. The concealer itself has very good coverage, blends out beautifully and doesn't crease or melt away throughout the day. And even better, it comes in really pale shades! This is a must have for any make up collection in my opinion!
2. Marc Jacobs Remarcable Full Cover Foundation Concentrate - £37.00
- If you've been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I absolute love this foundation - especially mixed with the Dermacol Make Up Cover. It is (to my knowledge), the most full coverage foundation on the market. A few drops will cover your whole face! It has a very matte finish, blends out easily and lasts a long time on my face - however, the only down side to this foundation is that I do find it sinks into any fine lines on your face (I'm only 22, but this sinks into my smile lines after a few hours). The shade range of this foundation is great - I have the palest shade (Ivory Light) and it is a tad too pale for me (and I'm paper white!). You do only get 22ml of product, however, as I said, a little goes a very long way! It comes in a frosted glass bottle with a strange dropper-like applicator. There are no foundations that even come close to this one, so in my opinion, this is worth the money!
3. Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water - £22.00
- I really didn't expect to like this primer - it's just water, right? Wrong. This is actually a really good primer and in my opinion, is worth the money! It is so easy to apply - just a few spritzes onto your face and leave to sink in. It smells fresh, kind of like cucumber water and the spray nozzle gives you a nice mist. It also sinks into your skin quickly. You get 116ml of product in a plastic bottle, but you use so little to prime your face that it lasts forever! It gives you a smooth base to apply your foundation, leaves your skin feeling fresh and hydrated and it visibly blurs your pores. For the amount of product you get, it is definitely worth the money.
4. Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream - £22.00
- I have the travel sized version of this eye cream, which I got as a free sample a while back. The first time I used it, I fell in love with it. As I mentioned, I'm only 22, so I don't have any wrinkles or fine lines around my eyes, but I also have a bad habit of staying up stupidly late at night, so I do get quite dark circles under my eyes and some puffiness, especially when I first wake up. This eye cream feels cooling on the skin, which is great when you've just woken up! It has a relatively thin consistency, sinks in quickly and leaves your under eyes looking visibly brighter and less puffy. In the full sized product, you get 15ml and again, you don't have to use very much product so it should last a while. When I run out of the sample, I will definitely be purchasing this product!
5. Make Up Forever Ultra HD Concealer - £20.50
- I've talked about this concealer before, in my favourite concealers for pale skin blog, because this is the lightest shade of concealer that I own! I have the shade Y21, which is the lightest shade in the range. It is super difficult to find a concealer that is lighter than your foundation when you are as pale as me and using foundations like the Marc Jacobs Remarcable and the Kat Von D Lock It Foundation, that can brighten your under eyes and highlight your face. If you are struggling to find that, this is a concealer you need to try! It provides good coverage, you don't need to use a lot of product and it blends out nicely with a beauty sponge. I'm not so keen on the packaging - which is a squeeze tube instead of having an applicator. It makes it quite difficult to squeeze out a small amount of product, but the product itself is great in my opinion. Well done Make Up Forever for having such a pale shade available!
6. Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation - £32.50
- This is another super popular product, for good reason. This foundation has a great shade range, which goes pretty much pale enough for me! It comes in a glass bottle, without a pump, but the Mac pump does fit on the bottle (which is what I have on it). It is quite a thin formula, but still gives good, buildable, high-medium coverage and it lasts a long time on combination skin. I have the shade 1C0 Shell, which is slightly yellow toned and is a close shade match to my skin. This foundation gives you a smooth, semi-matte finish and it applies nicely with either a beauty sponge or a brush. The bottle comes with 30ml of product. This is a great high end foundation so it is worth the money in my books!
7. Illamasqua Brow Gel - £18.50
- Although I do have an affordable dupe for this product, it is a great pomade type gel. I have the shade ....., which is quite a dark brown shade (which I like). My eyebrows are relatively thick naturally and I don't have any issues keeping them in place, but they are blonde and my hair is dyed dark purple. I use this to effectively colour in my brows and shape them more. This product is super pigmented, glides on easily (I use a slanted eyeliner brush) and I use a clear brow gel to set them in place afterwards. To me, the consistency is kind of like a pomade crossed with a gel, it is more liquidy and gel-like than a traditional pomade. I love this product and I think it is definitely worth the price tag.
8. Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer - £25.00
- This was the first high end bronzer that I tried and I had heard all of the hype about it so had to buy it for myself! Firstly, if you hadn't guessed by the name, this bronzer smells like chocolate - or at least, it's meant to. To me, it actually smells like vanilla, but I like the scent anyway. If you don't like scented products, you probably won't like this. It comes in a sturdy compact, which has a mirror. This bronzer comes in 3 different matte shades, 'Milk Chocolate' being the lightest shade, 'Chocolate' being the original, medium shade and 'Dark Chocolate' being the darkest shade. This is a very pigmented bronzer, so especially if you have pale skin, you want to use a light hand with this. It blends out beautifully and doesn't look patchy when applied to the skin, so for that reason, I would say it is worth the splurge!
9. Mac Prep & Prime Fix+ - £18.00
- This is another crazy hyped product that everyone and their dog has heard of. I bought the small version of this (30ml for £10), because I predominantly intended to use it on eyeshadow brushes to make foiled / metallic eyeshadows pop. It really does make any foiled / metallic eyeshadow 5 times more pigmented and easy to apply. It has a fresh scent to it and doesn't make my eyes sting when I use it with eyeshadows. I've tried other setting sprays on my eyeshadow brushes to see if it has the same effect and I generally found that other setting sprays were too chemically and made my eyes sting! Recently, I also tested this out as a primer and setting spray for another blog post and it worked really well as a primer - to hydrate and smooth out your skin. It didn't do anything to extend the wear of my foundation, but it also doesn't claim to do that. If you don't want to splurge on the full sized bottle or just want to use it on eyeshadows, you can buy the smaller size and it is definitely worth the money!
10. Kat Von D Lock It Liquid Foundation - £27.00
- This is a foundation I only recently purchased based on it's reputation for good coverage and very pale shades. I tested a few different shades at the new Kat Von D beauty counter in Debenhams in Glasgow and the L42 was the closest shade match to me. The L43 was really yellow, and I mean really yellow! and the L41 was way too pale for me - and that is saying something! This foundation has a thick consistency and a lot of people claim it looks cakey on them - I disagree, because when applied with a beauty sponge and blended out properly, it doesn't cake up on my skin. It has a matte finish but I set it with a powder and it has reasonable lasting power on my combination skin. It does give a good coverage, no where near as full coverage as the Marc Jacobs foundation but it is still a great product. I love the packaging (as I'm a secret goth at heart) and it is easy to pump out a small amount of product.
11. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray - £23.50
- I've had this product for a while (as you can tell, because the packaging has now changed), but I recently tried it out properly for a blog post, using The Ordinary Colors Coverage Foundation, which I love but find that it only lasts around 4 hours on my skin before it breaks down into an oily mess. This setting spray was the best of the bunch that I tested, without a doubt. It made my make up last longer, it gives a nice mist over the face and it doesn't smell nearly as chemically as all of the other setting sprays I tried - it actually smells quite fresh. It sinks into your skin quickly and doesn't alter the look of the foundation. I purchased the travel sized version of this product to see if it was any good and it definitely is worth the full sized price - I will be purchasing that as soon as the travel size runs out.
Let me know what your favourite high end make up products are and what your thoughts are on any of the products I've discussed here in the comments section below!
Sarah (aka. Pale Princess) x
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