Should You Splurge? 7 High-end Items that May or May Not be Worth the Hype.
So sometimes we all want to feel a
little extra special, so we buy those products that might cost a little too
much and might be a little bit out of our normal price range. Here are the six
splurge items in my beauty collection that I bought with my own money, not on clearance,
and did not receive in a subscription service. I've had these products for at
least a couple weeks and for some of them I've had them over half a year now. I
think that’s a good amount of time to give at least a decent review of them.
$27 – 1 fl.
oz. (Macy’s)
I got this
foundation back in December because I was looking for a higher end foundation
with medium to full coverage and a shade that actually matched mine. So while I
was at Macy’s I decided to look at the Clinique foundations. I will say I do
love this foundation, but it was not what I was looking for. I don’t even think
they sell this shade anymore. According to the packaging this is a
dermatologist developed product, allergy tested, and 100% fragrance free. It’s
supposed visibly brighten and restore even tone to the skin.
This is not
a medium to full coverage foundation like the sale’s lady stated it would be.
It is sheer to medium coverage. I do love this foundation in the summer because
it is very close to my natural skin color in the summer. However, this is the
completely wrong shade for me in the winter but when we tried it she only put a
little bit on my chin so I wasn't able to tell. I do love that this is allergy
tested because I have a lot of allergies and would hate for a makeup this
expensive to be one of them. I’m not sure I regret buying this foundation but I
think for I could have found a better one for what I was after. However, I do
like it and I do use it every so often. I can’t say I've seen any difference in
brightening or restoring even tone to my skin.
2. Kiehl’s Since 1851 Panthenol Protein Moisturizing Face Cream
$26 – 4 oz.
(Bergdorf Goodman)
I’ll admit
I cheated a little bit with this one. I got it for $1 because I had a $25 gift
card to Bergdorf Goodman and this was what I purchased. However, I still think
of that as $25 of my own that I could have spent on something else from the
store so I included it.
I love this
product; it’s definitely one that I use as a night cream because of its thick
consistency. My acne routine includes a face moisturizer but it doesn't
moisturize all that well so I like to apply this after the other moisturizer
dries. I didn't know what panthenol was till I googled it, apparently it’s a
moisturizing and skin softening chemical that’s used in shampoos and
conditioners and some tattoo artists even recommend putting panthenol on as a
post-tattoo moisturizer.
3. First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser
$20 – 5 oz.
(Sephora)
So I
totally got this because it’s MissGlamorazzi, (aka Ingrid Nilsen) who is my
favorite YouTube beauty guru, favorite cleanser and I figured if she loves it,
it’s got to be great! I use this as a morning face cleanser, since I use my
acne medicated one at night. According to Sephora’s website it’s supposed to
calm redness, is pH-balanced to maintain natural acidity of the skin. They also
say its daily use will result in fewer flare ups and reduce skin reactivity.
I can’t say
for certain if my acne and redness has gotten better because I've recently had
a certain time of the month hormonal imbalance causing an influx of acne. I
love the feel of this product on my face, it’s very light and when I’m done
washing my face it feels clean like there was no residual product left on it.
The product’s packaging states that the cleanser is safe for sensitive skin and
I can confirm that one. I have fairly sensitive skin and this doesn't not burn
or react at all in a negative way. It does contain aloe which I’m allergic to
but I haven’t really reacted to that at all.
4. Benefit Cosmetics The Porefessional
Once again I’m kind of cheating on this one, because I received this by using my Birchbox points to receive this. I like this product; I’m not in love with it like a lot of the beauty gurus on YouTube are. I don’t think it minimizes my pores at all, but I do think it keeps my makeup on longer. I don’t think I’d repurchase this again simply because of the price. However, I've just finished a mini sample of this, so I haven’t really touched the full-size product that I have. The mini-sample has lasted me forever since I don’t do my makeup every day, which gives me high hopes that the full size will last me forever.
I would definitely suggest getting the sample size when it’s in stock at Sephora.com (not sure if it’s in stores or not) if you really want to try this product to see what all the rave is about. I wouldn't suggest shelling out the $30 it costs only for you to not like or even love the product.
5. Lush’s Fresh Face Mask in Cupcake
$6.95 – 2.1
oz. (Lush stores only)
So you’re
probably thinking $6.95 isn't that much, why is this a splurge? Well it’s only
2.1 ounces and as you can see from the picture compared to my Dead Sea Mask
(6 o.z for $4.49 at Walgreen's) it’s extremely tiny, which means much less
product. Also this product is one that has to be refrigerated and the closest
Lush store to me is two hours away.
It was made
for oily and spotty skin, which if you didn't know is my skin. The only area on
my face that isn't combination normal/oily is my nose with is for some reason
ridiculously dry. I absolutely love the smell of this and I can see why almost
everyone on YouTube seems to love this. It’s all natural ingredients and does
not contain any animal products (aka eggs, milk, etc). My face feels amazing
after using this. So it was definitely worth the purchase.
Also if you bring back 5 of the lush pots that have a certain label on them you get a free fresh face mask. Which to me is kind of cool, because it's an incentive to buy more but also to recycle the packaging instead of it just going to the local dump. I figure that when I'm done with this one I'll use the packaging until I can get four more. Maybe I will do a what to do with your lush pots!
Also if you bring back 5 of the lush pots that have a certain label on them you get a free fresh face mask. Which to me is kind of cool, because it's an incentive to buy more but also to recycle the packaging instead of it just going to the local dump. I figure that when I'm done with this one I'll use the packaging until I can get four more. Maybe I will do a what to do with your lush pots!
6. Lush’s You Snap the Whip Body Butter (Shower Scrub)
$10.95 – 3.3 oz. (Lush stores or lushusa.com)
So as to
why this is on this list, it’s basically for the same reason that the face mask
is. I wanted a shower scrub that was moisturizing but also had charcoal in it.
One of my favorite face exfoliators has charcoal in it and it does wonders for
my face, so I was hoping for a product that would do the same for my body. I
compared this slightly to my African Black Soap ($3.74 for 5 oz. at Walmart),
since I love that product so much. These do very different things.
The African
Black Soap does wonders for deep cleaning my skin. This Body Butter however
acts as an exfoliator and a moisturizer all in one. I actually wash my body
first with the African Black Soap and then go back over it with the Body
Butter. I only use this about once a week so it’s not too harsh on my skin.
This product also does not contain any animal products.
It’s
recommended that if you take hot showers to keep this in a tin that you can buy
at lush because it does melt under heat and hot water. After every shower I was putting it in the freezer, that's why the picture has a white color to it now. Instead, I've started putting in the fridge next to my Fresh Face Mask. Also the smell of
this is amazing!
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