Products You Don’t Want to Skimp On

Building a makeup kit, for yourself or your career, can be expensive. As experienced professionals will tell you, however, a high price tag doesn’t always guarantee a high quality product. Even so, you should watch out for poor quality discount brands.

There are certain makeup products that you can get away with paying less for, so save on those when you can. For many of the basics, however, quality is too important to sacrifice if you want flawless coverage, good blending, and a true color match. Skimping on these products isn’t always an option if you want quality.

Here are six products that are actually worth investing in!

1. Makeup brushes

Believe it or not, buying good makeup brushes can actually save you money. Poor quality brushes:

• Lose their bristles, which end up stuck to your makeup
• Can be too thick and too stiff, leaving streak marks and making it hard to blend
• Often break because the heads aren’t attached to the handles well
• Need to be replaced more often as a result

Higher quality makeup brushes:

• Come in a better variety of shapes and sizes
• Have a better range of stiff or flexible bristles for blending
• Are made of finer materials to eliminate streaking
• Only need replacing if they’re lost, accidentally broken, or worn after years of use

Buying the product that lasts much longer and helps you apply makeup better is definitely in your best interests.

2. Foundation

Poor quality foundation is difficult to color match. Many discount brands start their mixture with one undertone and just lighten or darken the color. People with different undertones in their skin won’t find a shade that blends well no matter which color they choose. Higher quality foundations are available in a range of shades and a range of undertones. They also:

• Offer better coverage
• Blend more effectively

Lesser quality foundations are often either:

• Watered down, making them too thin for even coverage
• Thick and goopy, making them impossible to blend nicely

Your foundation is literally the “foundation” of your entire look. Investing in quality foundation is worth every penny.

3. Concealer

If you’re going to spend the money on good foundation, there’s no point in ruining your seamless look with a poor quality concealer. Like foundations, discount concealers:

• Blend less effectively
• Come in a smaller range of undertones for color matching the skin
• Often don’t color match well with foundation shades either

Using a poor quality concealer with a professional foundation will look splotchy and uneven. To cover blemishes well and truly even out the skin, you’ll get the best results with products of a similar quality.

4. Shimmered highlights and bronzers

When it comes to skin products with shimmer, you’re almost better to skip them rather than using discount brands. Poor quality highlights:

• Often appear sparkly instead of shimmery (and not in a trendy way!)
• Don’t stay on your skin as well because they’re less fine
• Can get clumpy if you’re not careful

Discount quality bronzers:

• Are hard to color match to skin tones because of their small range of shades
• Often have an orange tinge
• Apply too thickly and can make you look oily if they have too much shimmer

Bronzers and highlights are accent products, so don’t spend a fortune on them. At the same time, you don’t want them to make an otherwise flawless application appear gaudy. Choose quality bronzers and highlights that dust on lightly for subtle color and a healthy glow.

5. Lipsticks

You’ll face two major problems with discount quality lipsticks:

• Some are badly pigmented so the color barely shows up
• Others are waxy and thick, so they clump easily

In a complete makeup application, the lips draw peoples’ attention right away. You want them to be noticed for their gorgeously smooth shade rather than a waxy appearance or lack of color. Investing in a few basic shades of quality lipstick will make a big difference in your final looks.

6. Eye shadows

Even more noticeable than the lips are the eyes. Buying poor quality eye shadows affects your final look in several ways:

• They’re often poorly pigmented and don’t apply true to color
• They can be crumbly which causes bad fallout onto the cheeks
• They don’t blend well because they don’t apply thickly or evenly

Professional quality eye shadows are:

• Made of finer powders that cling to your brush and the lids well
• Easier to blend and smudge for things like smoky eyes
• Less likely to cause fallout and ruin your foundation
• Better pigmented and true to the color you see in the palette

Quality eye shadows can be more expensive, but they give you the ability to completely transform your look. Swatching different colors and brands on the back of your hand can help you decide which shadows you want to invest in.

Products to save on

Choosing the best quality product available is ideal for any makeup, but that can get pricey. Weigh your options and save on the following things:

• Eyeliner
• Mascara
• Translucent powders
• Lip glosses
• Lip liners
• Blush

For the most part, even discount brands sell these makeup products in a decent quality. If you happen to use one of these and find that’s it’s less than ideal, however, your overall look probably won’t be ruined. Try different brands and learn which ones are good and which ones take a little more care.

Be smart with your budget!

Spend where you should and save when you can. Don’t empty your wallet and purchase things you can’t afford if you don’t absolutely need them, but don’t sacrifice quality if you don’t have to. Read product reviews, speak with other professionals, and make an informed decision about where you invest your money.

Which makeup products do you avoid skimping on? What are your favorite products or brands to splurge on when you can? Tell us about them in the comments!