I’m a big believer in treating yourself after a job well done…and just in treating yourself in general, because a treat is something special, and special things feel good. 🙂
My treats of choice are very often splurges on beauty products (and snacks!). “Sweetie,” El Hub says, “do you really need another [INSERT BEAUTY PRODUCT HERE]?”
Yes, yes, I do.
I also like to get a good deal, too, so a lot of the time I’ll splurge at the drugstore, especially on body care stuff.
Body care products
When it comes to body basics like sunscreen, shave lotion, body lotion and body wash — things I use daily and don’t notice much of a difference between high and low end — I prefer drugstore.
But yeah, I still like to treat myself on occasion to something higher end, like a really nice set of products in a scent I love, like the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue line, or a body lotion by Laura Mercier.
Hair care
I tend to buy my hair products at the salon, mostly because I have unruly color-treated hair, and it just seems to do better on salon shampoos, conditioners and styling products from brands like Bumble & Bumble, Kerastase and Oribe.
So those are things I’ll sometimes treat myself with.
Makeup
Ah, makeup… 🙂
For blush, lip products, mascara and eyeshadow, I’ll go either the drugstore or department store routes, but I mostly stick to department stores for foundation, concealer and powder treats — mostly because I have better luck finding things that match my skin at the department store level, and also because it’s just easier to test things at a counter or Sephora.
Skin care
Another common splurge! I usually like to save on my cleansers and makeup removers, so it’s off to the drugstore for those, and then splurge on lotions, serums, treatments and masks.
Fragrances
I tend to wear a lot of Dolce & Gabbana (Those Italians… They just get me.) and Chanel, so sometimes I’ll splurge on those, although I will grab a new body splash from Bath & Body Works when I find one that moves me.
So, my friend, talk to me! What beauty products do you like to splurge on or treat yourself with?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. TGIF!
Skincare definitely. After seeing the interview with Caroline Hirons on Pixiwoo’s Body Talk, I’ve reconsidered where I put my money (which used to be a good foundation). I’ve since switched to better cleansers, toners and serums. While they are more expensive that makeup, I found that I look just as good if not better. Plus, I wear less makeup so whatever I end up spending on foundation goes for much longer!
The only thing I won’t go to the drugstore for is eyeshadow. Moisturizers and fragrances are the other two things I usually splurge on other than that (I like Boscia and Marc Jacobs). If I do go the non-splurging route for those though, it’s Aveeno and Victoria’s Secret, respectively.
Concealer and foundation, definitely! I’m pale as hale and I can rarely find a match at drugstore-level.
I love D&G Light Blue! And almost any of their other fragrances! Foundation is usually my splurge. Or pretty and shiny limited edition items. Nail wise I will splurge on Chanel. My hair splurge used to be coloring it fun colors like an ombre I had going from dark brown to red. The salon gets expensive!!
And I agree about drugstore cleansers and makeup remover! I buy the Neutrogena remover in the blue bottle, Gud (by Burt’s Bees) cleansing cloths and Pacific Seafoam face wash (thanks to this blog!!) and save tons of money vs department store products!
Ahh. I think my splurges are all over the board, but I do tend to stick to high end for foundation, highlighters, and bronzers. Also as a fragrance junkie my retail therapy often seeks out new rollerballs or a new fragrance instead of, say, an eyeshadow palette. Lippies and fragrance are two things that never let me down :3
Due to my allergies I do not vary my skin-, body- and haircare too much and I only buy those to replace them when they’re finished. But I love to treat myself to new makeup! I usually get lipstick, nail polish or perfume.
Hi Karen,
I can’t do the Light Blue, I had a crappy roommate in college who would only use that and now it always reminds me of her. But I do love fresh scents in general. And have you tried the new “Dolce” scent? I love it! I got a tiny bottle from Sephora. The only problem is I feel it doesn’t last very long. I think my next perfume splurge will be Jadore.
I’m with you foundation/concealer/powder. Sonia Kashuk’s liquid foundation in Buff is a close match for me, but other drugstore products are all too pink.
I have no problem spending $$ on eye cream and a good treatment mask since I photograph my face every day. I use a lot of The Body Shop cleansers and moisturizers (though Ole Henriksen is making a quick convert of me) as well as their body gels and body butters.
I enjoy perfume and a luxury lipstick once in awhile (I finally got HG Muse today!) but I am fine with spending less on lip products.
Hair care I’m split – shampoo and conditioner from Nexxus are working really well. But I prefer a higher end mask and styling products (also got Living Proof serum today…whoa awesome sauce for fine hair).
I guess it looks like targeted and specialized products are higher end for me and regular maintenance are more drugstore 🙂
Because we don’t have a lot of money, splurges for me lately are down to about zero. When I have money I always buy quality skincare and supplements. I’m also known to buy really expensive foundation and perfume! When money is tight I prefer to have any splurges be on what I’m eating or any health products. Oh and Peonies. I buy a few bouquets in their short season!
Skin care, anti-aging skin care in particular. Just last week I repurchased this LIERAC serum that costs more than 100 CHF but it’s so worth it.
I don’t mind splurging on skincare and fragrance. They’re worth it! Sometimes I like to splurge on makeup too. Like lipsticks.
I like to splurge on skin are of course and face powders! Drugstore formulas for powders are never good too “powdery”
I splurge on EVERYTHING! I was raised to believe that if you deprive yourself it tends to lead to resentment, jealously or over indulgence. Luckily my husband agrees so if we see something we want we just get it. It may not work for everyone but it works for us.
What about all of the above? I can’t help it. I am undeniably a beauty junkie. ☺️
Hmmm- makeup aside… Face cream from Lush because it’s mostly natural and, more importantly, ethically/sustainably sourced. If I’m feeling indulgent I buy their face scrubs and face masks and body lotion and lip balm and bath bombs and perfume sticks and shampoo bars and conditioner bars…. Lush is my very pricey happy place.
But lotion and shower gel are my top, consistent splurges- Lollia, Lush, Bliss, Sabon (oh, Sabon!), L’Occitane, Inis, Thymes, Bath and Body works- I can remember being a kid and my mom buying me lotion and shower gel from the department store for the first time and thinking, “WAIT! You can buy stuff that smells like perfume!?!?!” I always have spare drug store shower gel and lotion on hand, but I put as much thought into daily body products as I do into daily makeup.
I love to splurge on Algernist Genius cream. It’s nearly $200 a jar – but the jar lasts a long time but it’s worth it because my skin looks so much better and so much younger. If you want to try it out go to Sephora and get a sample. They give you enough to last about 10 days, which is the recommended amount of time to see results.
I tend to buy new fragrance/lipstick/body care to reward myself. I usually buy the rare ones since I live in a small town.
Fragrance! My fave, Musc Ravageur, by Frederick Malle costs a freakin’ fortune, but I adore it 🙂
My splurges at the moment are NARS and Laura Mercier hauls. These lines are such great quality I can’t resist. I have to load up on more of the new NARS glosses. I just got Turkish Delight and I got a deluxe sample of Orgasm in a recent Sephora order and I’m in love w/ both.
Mascara! Love higher end mascaras, as you know all too well! Eyeliners as well – no pencil eyeliner beats my Chanel Le Stylo Waterproof! Also, good fragrance is definitely worth paying for. My summer go-to’s are Chanel Chance Eau Tendre and Dior Addict Shine (long discontinued). I also just ordered some samples of fragrances from a brand called Olivine that I’m looking forward to receiving – I saw their hair product highly recommended on Refinery29, so I bought some fragrance samples while I was at it!
My major splurge is perfume. For the others, I’ve occasionally splurged but usually stick to drugstore, mid-range, or indie.
I buy none of my make-up at the drugstore– all from Sephora, so that’s a major splurge. I also switched to First Aid Beauty moisturizer, but do save by buying drugstore cleanser. Never noticed a difference with the high end cleansers.
My regular splurge is probably Body Shop Body Butters. I love trying the new/limited edition ones, and I have some favourites in the main line. I slather myself in the stuff every morning after my shower (especially elbows, knees, upper arms and shoulders), so I do actually use them up. They’re $36 each here, so that’s not insignificant.
For a *real*, VERY occasional splurge it’s probably a nice lipstick from Chanel or something – but I make myself finish a couple of other lipsticks before I do it!