Recession Cosmetics: skimp or invest?

When I was giving a makeup workshop for the Miss Boston beauty pageant contenders last Sunday, I was asked a very good question and I think it’s a question that a lot of women have, “which products can I buy cheaply and which should I invest in?”

It’s such a great question because there is a definitive answer (at least I think so). Below is a list of makeup categories and a description about whether you should either invest (over $9.00) or skimp (under $9.00).

EYESHADOW: Skimp. Cheap brands usually carry many colors and finishes. You might have to apply more to your eyelid than the more expensive eyeshadows but who cares.

LIQUID EYELINER: Skimp. There are lots of great liquid eyeliners available and there is no reason to pay more than you have to.

PENCIL EYELINER: Invest. Cheaper pencil eyeliners are difficult to use because they tend to not show up at all on your lid and pressing hard on your eyelid or going over it too many times may irritate your eye area.

MASCARA: Skimp. There is no reason to buy expensive mascara because there are tons of great cheap options. Lash Blast by Cover girl is great. The brush is very stiff and allows you to easily get to your lash root. I like this mascara more than the expensive mascaras I have in my kit.

FOUNDATION: Invest. There’s nothing worse than whitish, cakey or pinkish foundation and that’s what I’ve seen from the cheaper foundations out there (Cover Girl, Maybelline etc.) I’m not saying they are all bad, but I have yet to come across a great cheap foundation. Brands that make great foundations are: Bobbi Brown, Chanel and MAC. I’ve also heard that Giorgio Armani’s beauty line has great foundations but I haven’t tried them yet.

POWDER: Invest. Cheaper powders can contain ingredients that are bad for your skin also, cheap powders tend to look whitish or too powdery. They sit on your skin rather than act to set the foundation.

BRONZER: Skimp. Just make sure it doesn’t turn you orange. Consider buying the lightest bronzer available and only using a very little bit.

BLUSH: Skimp. There is an endless supply of shades and finishes for under $9.