Now that Christmas time is over, and your pockets are looking like an empty post holiday clearance rack, now is the time to put those gift cards to good use! We all either ask for money, or gift cards, or we have that one relative that doesn't know what to get you, so they just throw some money on a gift card and call it day. Well thank you to them! Now is the time to buy yourself something that you wouldn't necessarily deem a "responsible purchase", and spend that money on something that you really want! Well ladies, if you're anything like me, that is makeup! Even being a makeup artist myself, I have a hard time convincing myself, my wallet, and my fiancé for that matter, that $40 for a tube of foundation is a reasonable purchase. With that being said, getting a Sephora gift card to me is like getting a big shiny diamond. You may not have a Sephora near by, or your gift card may be to Walmart, Ulta, or any other comparable location that sells makeup or makeup accessories, but all these locations can be equally as tricky when picking the right things for yourself. Now the trick to spending this gift card smartly, and not just blowing it on the next "big thing" that everyone has can be tricky. You don't want to end up wasting your money, when you realize that that same new "it" foundation you just bought, comes along with a lovely face full of blemishes. Keeping that in mind, here a few tips to avoid all of that.
1. Have a general idea of what basic products you want, or need.
Unless you have a full makeup bag already, filled with all of your basic essentials and products you love, your best bet is start at the beginning. Ask yourself a few simple questions, Do I have a good base? aka primer, concealer, foundation etc? Do I wear makeup on a regular basis, or just on special occasions? Do I prefer a good lip or a good eye? All of these questions can help you answer where you should start.
Do I have a good base?- If you don't already have a good foundation, or primer that probably where you should spend the most of your money on. For lack of better words "You can dress up a pig but its still a pig" Not to say that anyone looks like a pig without makeup, haha, what I mean by this is if you have severely uneven skin tone, or skin imperfections, dark circles or any other skin issues (that we all have ladies!) if you don't even it out, and just throw on some eye shadow and lipstick on, your face isn't going to look its best. So why waste your money on an expensive eye shadow pallet, before starting with a base? You wouldn't bake the cake before mixing the ingredients??
Try out different foundations, and see what works best for you and start there! (See my blog about picking the correct foundation for extra help!)
Do I wear makeup on a regular basis? - If the answer to this is no, then I definitely would think about investing first in just a good skin care routine. If you plan to go sans makeup regularly, then your skin should be your #1 priority. There are a lot of gimmicky skin care lines out there that will cost you an arm and a leg, and most of the time do less than a bar of dial soap, and a generic face lotion. I've been sucked in before too ladies, it hard not to be! Do your research, read reviews from real customers, find what fits your skin needs best and go from there. Always make sure there is a good, gentle and course exfoliate, (round exfoliate beads, not made from nut shells!) a brightening cream, and a good moisturizing lotion.
2. Keep in prospective cost vs quality.
Just because Dior came out with a new lip shade at $59 a tube, doesn't mean that it's the best quality, or will work the best for you. We as consumers have a tendency to be drawn towards name brand products, assuming that they are the best, when in most cases, they aren't. I dealt with this exact moment last year, when my main stream fashion magazine, convinced me that Diorshow eye shadow was something I needed, when in fact after spending $30 on this, I was not very impressed with, ended up returning, for a lesser expensive brand, that I still use to this day! So just be careful ladies and do your research!
3. If you absolutely love it, get it!
If you are a makeup pro, or you just want to go for it, and try out a new lipstick, or eye shadow pallet etc, and you're feeling daring, I say buy it! But be sure to try out every single thing you're thinking of purchasing before doing so. Sephora is definitely in the pricier realm of makeup, but every single thing is able to be tried, and even a Makeup Artist that works there, will show you how to apply for free! Test out eye shadows on the back of your hand. How are the pigments? Are they shiny or matte? What is more important to you when wearing lipstick? Do you prefer bright shiny colors? Or a matte long lasting color? All of these things are good to take into consideration before purchasing any sort of larger makeup purchase.
Everyone, myself included, has the tendency sometimes to "follow the trends" and purchase the "next big thing". And I think as long as there is Cosmopolitan, Elle, and other trendy magazines we all will continue to do so, unless we let our knowledge be our guides, instead of our eyes! So good luck with spending those gift cards ladies, and remember, you are your best fashion icon! :)
(All opinions on products within my blogs are just that, opinion and are not meant to sway anyone away from an specific products they may like)
nice! :)
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