Makeup - Budget or Splurge?

[lisaross]

The new year approaching always makes me like to start fresh with makeup. I am not a makeup person at all. Presently i throw on Bare Essestials Veil Powder - but i don't feel like it does anything for me. Thinking of trying another foundation. I know everyone talks highly about MAC - thinking of going and asking them for their opinion - wonder if they'll give me a sample to try for a few days.

Anyway what makeup do u buy?

 

[SaraJayne]

After wasting a bunch of money on drugstore brands, I tossed it after a week and bought Clinique.

 

[lovemygoofy]

The new year approaching always makes me like to start fresh with makeup. I am not a makeup person at all. Presently i throw on Bare Essestials Veil Powder - but i don't feel like it does anything for me. Thinking of trying another foundation. I know everyone talks highly about MAC - thinking of going and asking them for their opinion - wonder if they'll give me a sample to try for a few days.

Anyway what makeup do u buy?

The BE veil powder isn't really a foundation. It's a finishing powder though I do put on a touch before my foundation to help with any shinyness.

I wear BE makeup and love it. I can get great deals through my local Ulta and Sephora store. I get alot of coupons and email deals through my email.

 

[rcraw45425]

I'm currently bouncing back and forth between Aveda tinted moisturizer and a Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer. The Mercier one is very pricey, like $40 a tube, but I got the first smaller tube of it in a kit of favorites from Sephora, the bought the LM Flawless Face kit for $65 with another smaller tube (it's still quite generous sized), tube of primer, their concealer kit, two concealer brushes a sponge and a puff all in a zipper bag. I apply it by dabbing a minimal amount on and using a damp foundation brush so it will last a long time and gives a great finish. I'm very fair so if I find a color that looks good I don't care about the cost. The Aveda products a less pricey but still quality products as well.

 

[java]

On makeup it depends on what it is - I budget Mascara(pink stuff that I have used for years) And cover sticks- budget

Foundation I have yet to find one that I love. But I think that's an area that I would spend on. Bobbi Brown makes a tinted moisturizer but the lightest shade is still too dark for me.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

The new year approaching always makes me like to start fresh with makeup. I am not a makeup person at all. Presently i throw on Bare Essestials Veil Powder - but i don't feel like it does anything for me. Thinking of trying another foundation. I know everyone talks highly about MAC - thinking of going and asking them for their opinion - wonder if they'll give me a sample to try for a few days.

Anyway what makeup do u buy?

Definitely splurge! But you don't have to go crazy--many department store brands are fairly reasonably priced. In addition to better quality, you'll be able to try before you buy, get samples (most any of them will give you a few day's worth of foundation to try), get advice, get gift with purchase. It's totally worth it to me.

 

[delmar411]

I've been using the BE foundation and I'm really liking it. The mineral veil isn't a foundation though OP, it's like what you'd use from a powder compact as a finisher.

Maybe go in and try the foundation to see how that looks?

 

[wdw4rfam]

SPLURGE!!! Like OP said- mineral veil is supposed to go OVER the foundation. I switched to the sheer cover- LOVE it. I got the trial, and was hooked- still love BARE also- just like it a little better. My mom is sold on the Avon version- so thats a little cheaper too.

 

[Kae]

I went back to Mary Kay foundation this year & mineral veil. I also like the True Match by Loreal. I used to swear by Lancome. I buy at CVS because you can return it if you don't like it. I have tried a few Sephora brand stuff & have liked what I have tried. Love the Full action mascara.

Kae

 

[walkdmc]

I have tried budget foundations and always return to the dept. store brands. I currently like Cliniques Almost Powder. My neighbor gave me some Laura Geller Phenomenal foundation she got from QVC and didn't like which I love.

For eye shadows and liners, I stick to Urban Decay or MAC.

For lipstick and mascaras, I use budget brands, like Maybelline or Revlon.

If you plan on using makeup regularly, I recommend investing in good makeup brushes. I have 7 year old MAC brushes that were a small fortune to purchase but they are still good as new. I've tried cheaper brushes which lost their bristles or became mishapen over time.

Have fun picking out makeup!

 

[edk35]

I am a Bare Minersals girl too. Just as others have said...the mineral veil is not a foundation. However you can used it before, or after foundation. I used Clinique for many many many years but am a total convert to Bare Minerals. I use their skincare now too. Love everything, their eye shadows, blush, eyeliners and mascaras.

 

[mjantz]

I use CoverFX powder foundation. I like it because it is in a compact instead of loose powder. I use to use a lot of drugstore brands but now it's almost 100% department store/Sephora. I like that I can try before I buy. My 'grails' are:

-lipstick: Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick
-mascara: Lancôme (it makes my lashes look AMAZING!)
-eyeliner: Bobbie Brown gel & Urban Decay glitter for special occasions)
-blush: NARS Orgasm (worth every penny! Highly pigmented & looks amazing)

I asked for a Sephora giftcard for Christmas so I could buy what I use. I also try & order the minimum for free shipping, use my coupon codes & always get my 3 free samples. It's not cheap but I always feel I look really nice & polished.

 

[Mickeyflower]

IF you are new to the quality make-up world, make a trip to Sephora! It's a make-up WONDERLAND The staff is REALLY helpful and knowledgeable about all the products they sell. What I love about Sephora is they sell ALL the big names, so they aren't biased to one brand, they can recommend one that fits your needs. Once you find it the one you love, you can go to buying it online if there is not a Sephora close by. But definitely make the trip to one! They also have a points program that is free, once you hit 100 I think, you get a deluxe sample! WOOHOO!

 

[lisaross]

thanks for sharing!

I do have a Sephora very close by - i will go in next week and get some samples - will try a few different foundations and see which i like.

I also read some good reveiws for the Smashbox HD - anyone try it?

Being i'm entering my mid-40's i'm thinking i should really start wearing make-up daily..

 

[crisi]

It depends on the look you are going for. A powdered foundation (and not the mineral veil, that isn't a foundation) is going to be less "makeupy" than a liquid foundation. If you are in your mid-40s and just starting to wear makeup daily, I'd avoid a heavy brand like MAC or Lancome - which does the "made up" look very well, and go for a brand that caters to a more natural look (Clinique), after going through a (jar, bottle, tube, compact) you can move up the scale. Or even try a primer and your powder.

Going to a place like Sephora would be a good bet.

 

[skw444]

I was a drugstore makeup girl until recently. I just started using Makeup Forever HD Foundation and I love it! It's pricey at $40 but well worth the money. I get it at Sephora.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

splurge... your face is the first thing people look at!!

i've worn mostly dior since i was 16... so over 12 years... and have worked for them the past 5+. i love it... but also dabble in clinique, too faced, bare, etc etc.

also remember to look into skincare! the makeup is only going to look as good as the skin underneath!!

 

[threeboysmom]

I splurge on foundation, primers, and eye shadows/liners because I feel those are the "basics" that people notice the most.

I have yet to find a pricey mascara that WOWS me so I mostly stick with drugstore brands. They all seem to be similar regardless of cost.

Same thing with my lips. I keep trying the expensive lines at Sephora, but so far nothing has really done anything spectacular to justify the cost. I recently spent $30 on a lip gloss based on reviews but it honestly doesn't look or feel any differently than a $10 gloss.

If you're looking for a foundation, then I'm voting with the SPLURGE crowd!

 

[ToddyLu]

I am 43. I started out with Merle Norman, boy is that stuff thick--think big hair in the 80s. Then Clinique. Now I do Mary Kay. I tried Bare Escentuals but I never could get the coverage I wanted, so I went back with Mary Kay. I have used MK well over a decade now.

I use the Day Radiance foundation applied with a sponge. My new addidtion to my regimen is their foundation Primer. I am sure all companies have them. I first learned about them by watching Bobbi Brown on QVC and MK just came out with one--I love it. I cannot recommend adding a Primer enough. I have fair skin and very few breakouts--but it helps kinda tone my skin before foundation and then really keeps it on all day--it easpecially keeps my eyelid makeup from creasing.

The best skin care line I have ever used was Aloette-which is a European brand sold by consultants in the US. It was expensive and now I find that a daily washing with Unscented Dove is all I need--followed with Aveeno moisturizer.

I remember getting on a bus to DHS one morning (see I can pull a Disney item out of this thread)--and the woman across from me asked how long I had been wearing MK...I said several years..she said...I can tell, your makeup looks fresh and dewey...I smiled and took it as a compliment.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Another Bare Minerals user. I used to use Mary Kay, but I like the B.E. foundation much better.