Drugstore vs. High End Face Makeup (Part 1)

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to a new blog post, today’s post is all about comparing drugstore makeup to high end makeup. Please note I am not a makeup professional and all thoughts and experiences are entirely my own. I understand others will have different thoughts and experiences, but everything said is based on my own experiences.

I’ve used my fair share of both products and I thought it would be fun to compare the two on different makeup products. I will be sorting it out by face makeup, eye makeup and lip makeup. As the blog post is quite large, I’ve decided to cut it into three sections according to the makeup type. Please note I will only be comparing products that I have personally used.

Primer:

W7 Prime Magic Primer vs. Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

I have only ever used one drugstore primer which is the W7 one. I couldn’t get it to work on my skin. I bought it based on my friends recommendation but every time I used it, it would ball up and my foundation wouldn’t sit on it. I just hated the feeling of it on my skin. After learning more about makeup, I realised this happened because it is silicone based – hence the product balling up.

It retails for $5 and I got it from Chemist Warehouse.

The first time I used the Hourglass primer I was so shocked to see that it made my face purple? But after some rubbing in, I found this was normal and my foundation covered this up anyways. I like that it’s oil-free because I have oily skin and try to avoid some oils in products. It feels nice on the skin and my foundation applies nicely on top.

It retails for $29 (8.95ml), $83 (30ml) and $115 (59ml) and I got it from Mecca.

High end is the winner here. I like the formula of the Hourglass one more and haven’t had any problems in using it in the past.

Colour Corrector:

Revlon Photoready Colour Correcting Pen vs. Urban Decay Naked Skin Colour Correcting Fluid

I first bought the Revlon one when it was on sale for half price. It has a concealer type applicator where you have to twist it at one end and then it comes out and you brush it on – kind of like the YSL Touche Eclat Concealer. I liked the applicator because of it’s convenience at applying the corrector. In terms of coverage, I found that it could be a little more pigmented. I had to use 2-3 layers to cover the redness.

It retails for $24.95 and I got it from Priceline.

I was introduced to the UD one by a Mecca worker. It has a doefoot applicator and I find it is a tiny bit more pigmented than the Revlon one. I don’t need to use a lot with this either.

It retails for $46 from Mecca.

High end wins again. I also found that it’s more worth it to purchase the UD one in the long run. I’m willing to pay a bit more for more product too.

Foundation:

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation vs. Too Faced Peach Perfect Foundation

If you know me, then you already know the winner here.

I bought the Maybelline one a few years ago (before they came out with more shades) and found it very hard to match myself given there were so little shades. After a good 20 minutes, I decided to go with this shade (I forgot the name) and I was happy and went home with my new purchase. However, once I got home and tried more of it on my face, I found it made me really itchy. I’m not sure why because I had patch tested it and I don’t have very irritable skin. To my dismay, I took it off immediately and a few days later I went to return the foundation (I had contacted Maybelline about this issue). I haven’t tried many other drugstore foundations because I find that it’s so hard for me to find a match.

I bought the Too Faced one a few months ago I am in love. It has amazing coverage, lasts so long and feels so comfortable on my skin. Not to mention the shade range! Though the shade I have is a bit warmer than my actual skin colour, I’d rather look a bit tanner than look like a ghost – because that’s how I feel whenever I get mismatched in foundations.

It retails for $55 at Mecca.

High end again (let’s see if we can keep this streak going). The thing with high end products is that because shops like Mecca gets the products from overseas, the prices are often subjected to change. The last time I saw this, it was $52 and a few days before I bought it, it had increased to $55. Whilst it is quite expensive IMO, I think it’s worthy paying for because I love the formula and the shade.

Concealer:

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer vs. Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Concealer

I’ve used two of the Wake Me Up Concealers so far (first time was in a giveaway and second time I purchased it) and I did like the formula. It wasn’t the fullest coverage but it did a good job. It is a doe foot applicator. The downfall to this is the shade range! The one I won in the giveaway was in Ivory and the next time I purchased it was in Soft Beige – it was from Coles so I didn’t get to test it. After going home to try out my new concealer, it’s too pink based for me. I still finished the product though and I wanted to purchase the next shade up, only to find out that that was the highest shade! I was pretty disappointed considering that I did like this.

It retails for $14.95 from Priceline.

I was recommended this by a Mecca worker and I gave it a go. A little goes a long way with this one and it is so pigmented. I wanted to find a concealer similar to my foundation shade but the ones I tried were too light or too dark for my shade. As this concealer is intended to be multi-purpose, the shades don’t match up to the foundation shades.

It retails for $44 from Mecca.

I don’t think there’s a winner here. I think they are both pretty good, but unfortunately aren’t in shades that I would like. The formula from both are great as well though!

Blush:

The Balm Frat Boy Blush vs. Too Faced Love Flush Blush Love Hangover

I love this blush! It comes with a mirror and has super cute packaging. The blush itself is massive, it took me so long to hit pan and I love the natural flush to it. Although this was sold at Sephora AU for a while, I first came across it in Target so I’m going to classify it as drugstore.

It retails for $27.95 from Target.

I started using this blush last month and was overjoyed to see that it’s long lasting but I was a bit disappointed because I felt it didn’t live up to the hype. However, it’s super cute, I love the packaging and the shade as well. I find it complements my foundation shade and gives a nice flush of colour.

It retails for $40 at Mecca.

This is a close one! I like these both, but…I think I’m going to have to go for the drugstore one here. Whilst The Balm is a bit more expensive for what most consider drugstore, I think it does a great job and compared to the Too Faced one, I would save my money here haha. For blushes I think the difference between drugstore and high end is not a huge one. I haven’t tried a lot of high end ones, but I think drugstore ones are pretty good for the price. Take Essence for example, they do amazing blushes (from what I’ve heard, I’m yet to try myself) and they’re only $5!

Bronzer:

W7 Very Vegan Matte Bronzer* vs. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer

I was gifted the W7 bronzer and it is very affordable given the size of the product. It’s a nice shade (Sunkissed) but it might be a bit too dark for me. I don’t wear bronzer very much just because I haven’t gotten the full hang of it, nor do I feel the need to – my foundation shade gives me a nice tan already. However, the formula is quite nice on this one.

It retails for $5 from Chemist Warehouse.

This smells really good and it’s super compact and has nice packaging. It is a nice shade as well, but it’s a bit pricey to be honest.

It retails for $23 (2.55g) and $46 (8g) at Mecca.

It’s hard to say which is the winner here because I don’t use bronzer very often so there isn’t really one product that I gravitate more towards. So it’s a tie. I think they’re both pretty good, but if you’re looking for something more affordable then I’d go for the W7 one.

Highlighter:

W7 Glowcomotion vs. Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Skin Liquid Lighting – Candlelight

I’ve been using this highlighter for years to be honest. It is sooo good! It’s so affordable as well and it can be used three ways – shimmer, highlight or eyeshadow. It’s a golden type of highlighter – they released a pink version not too long ago. I just love this, it lasts all day on my face and really ups my highlighter game – my cheek bones are still so shiny even at the end of my shift. It’s pretty buildable in my opinion, you can pack on a little or pack on a whole lot – it’s up to you!

It retails for $5 at Chemist Warehouse.

First off, this is so beautiful. I love the shade candlelight, it gives a very subtle and natural glow to my face. It’s a liquid highlighter so a little goes a long way with this one. I found that it wasn’t as buildable as a powder highlighter, but neverless it would be great for days when you want to go for a no makeup makeup look + you can pump some into your foundation for a glowy look.

It retails for $80 at Mecca.

This is actually another tie. I love these both because of their different properties. I just wish the Kevyn Aucoin one wasn’t so expensive. I think there’s a similar product in Rimmel which I’ve tried out as well, but I just found the Kevyn Aucoin one to be better in my opinion.

Loose powder:

Rimmel Transparent Loose Powder vs. Too Faced Peach Perfect Mattifying Setting Powder

I was so confused at first when I opened it because I didn’t realise the holes needed to be poked haha. I tried this out when it was half price and it was pretty good! It was my first time using a loose powder and I much prefer transparent one’s as opposed to coloured ones. This was silky smooth and didn’t have any flash back, nor did it wash out my face. It lasted me some time as well (to be fair I don’t wear a full face everyday) and I don’t have any complaints about it!

It retails for $15.95 from Priceline.

I picked this up when I bought the foundation and wow I am blown away by it. It smells amazing, it’s quite a large size (35g), and has great packaging. It sets my foundation so good that I don’t feel the need to use setting spray at all!

It retails for $49 from Mecca.

High end wins here, but it was a very close call! I love these both because they both get the job done. However, the Too Faced one just does a little bit more for me which is why it’s the winner. I still highly recommend the Rimmel one though! Works a dream and very affordable.

Setting spray:

Rimmel Insta Fix and Go Spray vs. Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray

I think I won this in a giveaway a while back, it claims to be a 2 in 1 spray – primer and setting spray. I used this as a primer a few times and I hated it, it just made my face feel kind of gross. As for a setting spray, I don’t think it really helped in setting my makeup/making it last long. It smelt of cucumbers, but there was kind of a chemical scent to it – like off cucumbers I don’t know, but I just didn’t like the scent.

It retails for $13.95 from Priceline.

I first bought the small size to try out and it lasted me some time because I really just bought it for like one occasion I think, but once I got more into makeup, I started to use it more. I used this when I went to a festival (that may have been the occasion) and it really made my makeup last so long! I was so sweaty that day too because I was basically standing in the sun all day long, but my makeup was immaculate throughout it. I’ve kind of stopped using setting sprays because I find that the Peach Perfect foundation and powder do an amazing job at keeping my face on throughout the day haha.

It retails for $23 (30ml) and $49 (118ml) at Mecca.

High end wins here, hands down! Like I said, I didn’t really like the Rimmel one, it just didn’t work with me. The Urban Decay one is a cult classic so I definitely recommend it if you’re in the market for a new setting spray. The 30ml does last quite some time because you only need like 1-2 sprays IMO. I’ve also heard that the NYX one is pretty good, but I am yet to try it…not sure when that will be, maybe when my foundation and powder runs out haha.

High end scores – 5

Drugstore scores – 1

Ties – 2

In conclusion, for face products I think when it comes to blush, bronzers and highlighters there is not a massive difference between them. If you prefer the high end one then get the high end one. If you prefer the cheaper alternative then go for that one. If you’re looking for something that has more shades for products such as concealers or foundations, then I recommend having a look at some high end products. Honestly at the end of the day, the price of the product doesn’t matter. Just because something is more expensive doesn’t mean it’s ‘better quality’, it’s all about how you use and apply that product that makes it work for you!

Stay tuned for part two where I compare high end and drugstore eye products!

Have a great week friends!

With love,

*Those marked with an asterisk were PR gifted. I am not being paid in any way to mention them. This is not a sponsored blog post.