Friday 4 January 2013

TalkBack Thursday: Spend or Save?

(because I don't have the answers to everything)

Every Thursday I'm going to ask you lovely viewers a question. There may also be a chance to win something [:

Happy New Year beautyloverrs! First TalkBack Thursday for 2013 (:

Q: Spend or save?

With a growing number of budget brands releasing drugstore/high-end equivalent products it should be harder to companies to justify their ridiculous markups for branding or packaging. Of course, we will still buy these high-end products because that's how marketing works but do we really need to if the generic stuff is the same 'stuff' with a different label?

Budget dupes are nothing new but I'm thinking of one store in particular who are really growing their range of products which look and sound similar to their branded equivalents: Aldi. (This is not an ad for them; they're just really good for recently graduated single-income households aka moi.)

They have everything from food to household stuff to express coffee machines, but I don't care about any of that. What I'm interested in is their hair/skincare and makeup range. To be honest, I have never tried their makeup as the testers are always broken or missing but I have tried their serums before upon the recommendation of the Beauty Advisers at my previous work and I was pleasantly surprised. I tried the blue hydrating one and it kept my skin moisturised without breaking me out! Which is perhaps the single most important thing when it comes to generic products.

Their eye creams have also been loved my mum and aunt. I'm using their coconut body wash at the moment and it smells like coconut without being overly sweet and artificial. My boyfriend loves their haircare but I refuse to stray from my Head & Shoulders however they have recently released some Moroccan Argan Oil products which somewhat resembles the Organix Moroccan Argan Oil range but at about a quarter of the price. This is something I definitely have to get my hands on and I'll keep you updated.

Another budget store that's making waves in my world is Daiso. (Also not an ad; just cute Japanese stuff for $2.80 really float my boat.) Apart from the fact that everything in there is absolutely adorable (if you're going to the Melbourne CBD store, you should probably allocate an hour of your time) their mascaras are absolutely AMAZING! They do exactly as they say (but nothing more) so the High Curling Mascara will curl like nothing else, won't budge but it's not waterproof so you can still take it off. The Fiber Mascara has visible fibers which really add length to your lashes, also won't budge and great for layering. Their eyeliners have good formula but the brushes take some time to get used to. Haven't tried their face makeup and their blushers and eyeshadows come in only very basic colours which I already have about a thousand of so I didn't pick up any but they'll probably be great for beginners.

Don't get me wrong, I still get sucked in by Kate Blanchett and SK-II, especially after watching the Hobbit and her ethereal skin but it's nice to know that if I ever get over my beauty snobbery, there are cheaper alternatives I can turn to.

So let me know, what products do you splurge on and what items you will always go generic for (if any)?

Look forward to hearing from you!

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6 comments:

  1. I love myself a good budget mascara, and eyeshadows. I used to use high end skincare, then downgraded to supermarket brands. I'm switching back to higher ended more natural skincare now that I'm getting older.

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    1. Thanks for your comment!

      I agree that skincare is one thing that I am more willing to spend a bit of extra money on. I'm also trying to jump on the natural ingredients bandwagon but find that it's a little bit confusing and hard to part from some of my non-natural products.

      x

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  2. I have tried expensive natural skincare as well as cheaper budget lines sold at coles and priceline, and honestly i find that spending the extra money does not bring me any added benefits. My skin has never looked better than it does now I am using skincare by the priceline brand Models Prefer, whose products range from $6-$30.
    I also use a lot of cosmetics by MP, australis and essence which are cheaper brands, but I find they work great for me :) being on a student budget I cannot bring myself to spend $50+ on a chanel eyeshadow when I can find great quality ones for 1/10th of the price.

    Great post :)
    amberrxo.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for your comment!

      You can definitely get some great finds at budget prices, especially with cosmetics. If you like Essence, you'll love MUA Makeup Academy. I did a haul if you're interested in seeing what they have. http://youtu.be/VPmZPbYf1xY

      As for skincare, I don't usually tend to go for super cheap products just because I have really sensitive skin and when it doesn't like something, it's like an apocalypse happened on my face. That's not to say all high-end skincare is good. My skin DID NOT like philosophy's purity cleanser..

      x

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  3. I am prepared to spend that little bit extra on skincare. Being a student, I have a tight budget and can't really afford all the top brands. But skincare, to me, is very important and I am willing to spend a little bit more. But even then, I still couldn't bring myself to pay $40+ for any skincare item, or any beauty product for that matter.
    Cosmetics is probably where I save the most. I really like brands such as Australis, Maybelline, Essence and a lot of others! Even though they're cheap, the quality is still pretty decent. (: x

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    1. Thanks for your comment!

      I feel like there are a lot of cosmetics products which aren't worth their price tag, at all. There are some high-end products which have the same ingredients as their low-end alternatives, just with different packaging and slightly different colours. Some don't even have different packaging, it's just the branding. Unless it's an amazing colour, it's slightly insane to buy the high-end version. (although at some point I have probably been guilty of doing exactly that.. oops)

      I'm a skincare snob so the amount I would spend on a skincare item unfortunately knows no boundaries (within reason).. I saw the $500 cream from SKII at DJ's one day and almost fainted.. There's no way that'll EVER be in one of my hauls.

      x

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Thank you for commenting. I appreciate your feedback :)