Expensive vs cheap make up?

[StephenKatz]

Sorry to ask the age old question but it's annoying me at the moment!

I don't have a huge budget for make up, and so try to buy Rimmel/MUA/Collection 2000 when I can. But at the moment it's just not staying on my face. At 9am it looks great, by 1pm my blusher has disappeared, my face looks shiny and lipstick is completely gone. The only make up I find that stays is my eye liner and mascara (I use MUA eyeshadow as eyeliner, put on with a tiny brush, and Collection 2000 brown basic mascara)

I tried 'upgrading' to a mid range - bought Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation and Bourjois blush. Neither have cut the muster.

I use primer, and set with powder, so in theory doing what I should. Should I just accept spending more on high end cosmetics in order to get them to stay in place? Or am I looking in the wrong place? I'd really appreciate any help!

I find that the Garnier BB cream stays in place really well - and I've a really bad habit of touching my face (to the extent that if I wear makeup that doesn't stay on, I can see which files I have handled that day as they have a make up fingerprint on them!)

Also it's only about a tenner normally, and sometimes Tesco have it reduced.

I use the one in the long tube, not the short fat tube.

I think the foundation makes a huge difference for me. If I wear my double wear everything stays put. I have quite oily skin and make up can just slide off.

it's foundation that matters for me too. I do find that if I spend more on foundation, everything else stays put. I use bits of make up from all price points but consistently spend more on foundation.

I love the MUA make-up but if I'm only spending £1 on a lipstick or blusher, then I fully expect to need to re-apply it at lunchtime.

The only expensive bits of make up I splash out on are Clarins concealer and foundation. They are pricey but they seem to last for ages and they do the job. Cheap powder, mascara and lippy then look fine with it.

Things you can try:

1. BB creams from Korea - cheaper than high end foundation but come in a vast array of finishes and different skin types. If you find your foundation is sliding off because it tends to be on the oily side, this may be a good choice for you. Maybe try Lioele Beyond the Solution or Triple the Solution. I found Triple to be 'drier'. A plus side to ordering BB creams on ebay is that a lot of sellers will send free samples of other brands.

1. You may like Revlon Photoready - lot of people with oily/combo skin do.

1. If you think you want to buy an expensive one (or one of the BB creams), do have a look at reviews on makeupalley. It's pretty helpful and you can compare across reviews for skin type and colouring.

Another who loves the Garnier BB cream (long tube), i bought some Bobbi Brown recently and it was disappointing.

I use Benetint as a blusher, stays on all day with just 3 dots on the apples of my cheeks (it does stain my fingers though!)

Bobbi Brown stick foundation was a revelation for me. I have so, so many cheap and mid-range foundations littering my dresser, most used only a few times because they were rubbish. The BB one is in a different league - the colour is perfect, it makes my skin feel great, it blends easily and it stays put till I take it off.

lookatmybutt mentioned Korean BB creams - I bought one recently via Amazon, and it IS fabulous. Was v cheap too, even coming from Korea.

Thank you so much for the feedback!

I have acne scars - would BB cream provide enough coverage for me? I always thought it was more of a tinted moisturiser type thing? I do actually have some Double Wear lurking in the back of my drawer, I haven't used it recently because it's more of a 'summer' shade for me, but perhaps I should give it another go anyway to see if it slides off like the rest.

Fair enough whonicked you're right that cheap likely means re-apply, it's just weird that my eye make up is cheap too and yet stays put! I think I must be a greasy face toucher

I actually got some Benetint free in a magazine a while back - I used it for a whilke and I'm not sure why I stopped.

Blot with rough toilet paper (the cheap stuff) after moisturiser, then again after foudation and concealer. Use shitloads of cheap loose powder (except undereyes, obvs) and then whisk it all off with a brush. Whatever you put on top then shouldn't budge.

I'm living in Korea and it's true that their cosmetics are very good. Apparently they are 12 years ahead of the world in skincare and cosmetic technology. Even the Americans are shipping in Korean stuff by the crate load.

The only thing I would say is Koreans are very pale, so if you have any coloring you might find the bb creams too light

Agree about the foundation, I have oily skin, I use a number 7 primer, have tried loads but this truly keeps my skin oil free all day, then I put Estée Lauder double wear on top, then a number 7 loose powder blusher then sandwich in with powder on top.... I find this a great base and I have v oily skin. The best stay on lippy I've used is maybeline superstay 24 colour.. About £7 in asda but more like £10 in boots.

Am still trialling mascaras, I usually swear by Clinique for mascara but not been so pleased with my latest one... A friend wears a really cheap one from superdrug and it looks amazing on her but its glupey on me...

I would go spendy on foundation/bb cream (or whatever you like best) - best you can afford - and cheap on stuff like eyeshadow/lippy.

A high-end brand like bobbi brown will cost a lot but lasts for ages. I have some of her foundation which I bought at the end of November, it's used most days and the bottle is still nearly full.

That said there are some great mid price foundations, really like the no7 ones and the match made service is fab.

Oh yes, the Korean BB creams can be very good at covering acne scars. They may say 'whitening' on the tube, but this doesn't mean it makes you whiter - it helps to fade scarring and discolouration. Many of them you can use for light/medium coverage but they blend and build very well for heavier coverage if needed. This is good, because it means you can target problem areas.

The Lioele ones I mentioned are supposed to be good for that.