High End Worth Their Buck

I'm not one for only buying highend makeup or drugstore makeup, I much prefer to have a mix and be more well rounded in my makeup knowledge and products and plus I really don't see the point in spending at least double the amount of money on a product when there is an equivalent or an even better 'drugstore' alternative. Many products out there have affordable alternatives but the so called dupes might not match their high end competitor in standard and quality. Therefore there are a few products that I am willing to shell out the extra few pennies to get a bit better quality (in theory) and here are a few...

Chanel Mat Lumiere- I've raved about this enough on my blog but this is my everyday go-to foundation and the closest I think I've ever come to a Holy Grail base product. I've tried many drugstore and highend foundations but nothing has pleased me enough to reach for it everyday for a long period of time. My Lumiere in B20 is a perfect match for me, great medium coverage for everyday and doesn't leave my skin feeling heavy or cakey. It lasts really well on my combination skin and most of the time I don't even bother touching up or powdering especially now that it's cooler weather, my makeup isn't sliding around in the heat.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer- again a product I've talked your ear off about so I won't say much but if you're in Australia, have a Mecca Cosmetica counter near you, have combination skin and are looking for an all round primer; go and ask for a sample. This purchase made me wince handing over my card to pay but I haven't regretted it a day since. I use it everyday regardless of whether I'm going out or to work, it makes my make up last for hours, controls oil and has light diffusing qualities making your face look closer to flawless and even textured. Who doesn't want that?! 

MAC Eyeshadows- my 15 pan palette has one lonely spot waiting to be filled but I'm waiting to find that shade that I must have to take my eye. MAC shadows get lots of rave and review because really, the quality is that good. I have a mix of matte and shimmer shades, none of which I've ever found chalky or patchy, they're smooth to apply and the pigmentation is always there. Even their black (Carbon) is proper black not like grey/black that a lot of matte black shades can be. The brand speaks for itself really and they have a reputation for a reason. I'm no MAC devotee but ill spend the extra dollar on their eyeshadows and lipsticks because the quality is worth the price point. 

NARS blushes- Now I only have two shades in their blush range but again, like MAC these blushes get the hype for a reason. The shade range has a great variety of matte and shimmer blushes and shades to suit all skin tones. The pigmentation is phenomenal to the point where the lightest of hands is necessary to not overdo things. So in doing that these pretty little blush pans will last you a very long time which makes spending that bit extra worth it I think. The blushes blend beautifully, are super soft and buttery and have great lasting power on the skin. 

MAC lipstick- As I mentioned before there are only a few MAC products that I will pay Australian prices for and their lipsticks just make it into that category. I still don't enjoy paying the $36 but the formulas (plural because you have such a diverse range at MAC) are really worth it and of course their infamous shade range displayed on the tiered shelves gets me every time. My favourite of their formulas are the matte and creamsheen ranges- matte because they're super long lasting without being overly drying and creamsheen because they have just the right amount of moisture and sheen look to them which makes it a great formula for those everyday shades. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder + Blushes- the launch of the Lighting Powder Trio palette had many a makeup maven in a tither, myself included. The day these launched at Mecca I had mine put aside to make sure I wouldn't miss out and boy am I glad I did. At $60 each for the single powders, paying just over $100 for the palette seemed like an amazing deal to me! Plus one of the shades was limited edition if I'm not mistaken but I mainly bought it for Dim Light which blurs imperfections and has light diffusing technology to make everything seem beautiful and airbrushed. The beauty of makeup I tells ya! After my success with their powders, the rumours of a blush line had me equally as excited. Teasers on instagram of the shade range showed that they are quite a unique blush with colour and a more neutral tone marbled together to create a blushing beauty. From what I've seen, these have received mixed reviews but personally I'm a big fan. Coming in at $50 at Mecca Cosmetica they're a pretty similar to that of NARS and other high end brands but to be honest I was pleasantly surprised with that, I was definitely expecting a higher price point. At the moment I just have the shade Dim Infusion which is a beautiful coral but I've got my eye on Mood Exposure for the Winter time.

This is my brief roundup of highend products that I love and use if not on the daily then super regularly. There are lots more products that I've spent the extra money on and I've loved and many that I haven't loved but these bits will be in my collection for the foreseeable future.. sorry bank account.