Spend vs. Save

We are living in a crunch time, everything from clothes to food are being cut short. Budget, budget, budget is the word of today. But that doesn't mean that we have to sacrifice being presentable and beautiful, just be practical and choose the products wisely, you may end up buying multiple shades of foundation to perfectly match your skin tone when you can buy it on a single shade. Some products though are a bit pricey but with proper care it will last you for a long time, a good investment instead of buying cheap ones but the quality is not good. So here are my suggested list:







Spend on:

Eyelash Curler - Any woman knows that a nice curled lashes will make your eyes seem bigger and gorgeous. Well yes that's true, but most curlash, especially the cheaper ones may cut your lashes. So it is wise to invest in a good pair. Shu Uemura is a favorite of everyone, it has a lot of awards in it's belt so it a perfect investment.


Sunblock- Sun worshipers or haters for that matter needs this. All of us do, even guys and babies too. The amount of rays that penetrates our skin are dangerous enough, so we need a lot of protection. Not all sunblocks can deliver that so spending on a product that has more SPF with ingredients that block UVA/UVB too is better . A non-oily, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic types are also what we should look at in the sunblock labels. Look for zinc oxide and titanium dioxide too.

try: VMV Hypoallergenics Armada Face and Body Sunblock Shield 60, the best sunblock in the market I get to know so far.







Make up brushes - Invest on these products too, you will not regret it especially if you want that nice application of make up. You can buy them by set or you can start from their blush brush and eyeshadow brush.








Foundation - Finding that perfect shade is tricky, but there are good products now that deliver that great amount of coverage and still complements your skin tone in one single bottle, if you need that perfect shade, good coverage especially for close ups. try: Make Up Forever High Definition Foundation




Save on:

Concealer - A good concealer never cakes, light enough but gives enough coverage. You can have affordable concealers today thanks to brands like Maybelline, L'oreal or Avon. Their are different shades available just for you so start knowing your skin tone and they have that perfect shade for you.











Wedge Sponge - I saw sponges that cost almost Php 600 and upon inspection it looks ordinary. You don't really need to spend much on these item. You just have to look for that smooth and ample thickness of the sponge for that great amount of application. Generic brands that you see on different drug and beauty stores are just fine.



Powder - loose powder, powder foundation or face powder. You name it but you don't really need to shell out on these. There are a lot of brands that are inexpensive but has good quality. I personally prefer Maybelline's Angel Fit Powder Foundation promotes the even skin tone outcome, which primarily is the promise of the line. The beauty of two-ways are that it is compact and easily and practical to. It has chamomile, royal jelly and vitamin E. A non-comedogenic product too. It makes your skin radiant like a bride. :)


Eyeshadow - They are economical, you can now choose different eyeshadow in pots and arrange it in a pallate. Before we use to buy eyeshadows with blues in greens on it which complements fair skin than medium dark skin ladies. Earth colored hues eyeshadow like brown, champagne or light gold for day make up. At night you can opt for a darker ones.

Avon Plum Orchid



Fanny Serrano Matte Eyeshadow Palette











Blush - They have to complement your skin tone too, a natural-flushed blush is now the trend. Pinky-brown blush color are for all skin tone. Light pink to apple or strawberry color for the fair skin, dark pinks or corals for medium skin tone and dark berry for the deep skin tone gals. I'm lovin' e.l.f. blushers, they are hypoallergenic, non-comedogeninc and the color applications are good not to forget how cute the prices are too.




E.L.F. Natural Radiance Blusher in Glow








ELF blusher in Flushed








ELF blusher in Bronze









Eyeliner- You just need a black for the nights out and brown for day make up. Just like this Avon eye pencil, it's a bit pricey compared to other local products but it has a good amount of color and it glides beautifully.





Mascara- It should be waterproof, does not clump and smudge free. ELF mascarra is just right and for Php129 it's quite a steal.

Lipstick- You have to update the color every now and then so don't buy the expensive type. Maybelline and Avon lipstick has that staying power for up to 8 hours and they have a lot of shades too.






Maybelline Wet Shine Diamond Lipstick




Lipgloss- I love the Maybelline's Fruit Jelly Lychee lipgloss, the shine is just right and it's just around Php300.










Lip balm- You should not forget to apply them in your lips. Chapstick lip balm is perhaps the cheapest but effective lip balm in the market today. It's the only beauty product that stayed with me since high school. I use the cherry and my ultimate favorite spearmint, it's smell like judge chewing gum. Without it, my lips chapped and sometimes bleed. argh! An SPF 4 is a plus, but I noticed the packaging is now smaller compared before.