Your Preference: Drugstore Nail Polishes vs. High-End Nail Polishes

I'm back with a Your Preference episode! This round it's drugstore vs. high-end nail polishes (or nail lacquer). For the record, I'm not basing this on price, this is solely based on what experiences I've had with polishes, namely the formulas.

I honestly think that this can go either way, namely because of the formulation on either side.

While I haven't had much experience with high-end brands of polishes, I only own MAC (older collections), Butter London and Londontown. In the past (my opinion) MAC polishes can be a hit or miss with the formulas. My Butter London polishes though, are nothing but hits for me. Not to mention Londontown being a hit, which has a post of its own.

As for drugstore, if you open my polish collection (should I do a video on that?), most of them are from the drugstore. I think this is where the scale tips for me in favor of drugstore polishes, because I've had very good experiences with certain brands. Although, I have encountered drugstore brands that are ultimately misses for me (there's one brand that I stay away from because of the polishes I have, each ones has chipped within a day), but hits for others.

I definitely think that there are pros and cons on both sides of this scale, I just lean more towards drugstore because the number of brands that I own, the formulas have worked for me.

So, how about everyone else?

Do you have a preferences between drugstore vs high-end polishes?

Especially based on the formulas?

Series: Drugstore vs High-end Foundation

I'm back with another Your Preference post! This one was actually requested by Kiera from ClassicQuirk.

At first, I wanted to wait until I had tried some other high end foundations, but I was actually able to come up with an opinion without doing so.

I'm caught in between.

I do believe, when it comes to foundations, it's really personal preference.

My HG (holy grail) foundation is from Tarte, but the foundation I'm loving right now? It's from Wet n Wild.

A downside to drugstore foundations, you aren't sure if the color you're selecting is going to be spot on, or if it's going to be too yellow or too pink. You're basically going on a blind guess.

For example, I'm Fair in Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage foundation, this foundation is spot on color match for me. Fair is the lightest shade the have. So lightest shade in foundations, if I based it on that, would the lightest shades of all drugstore foundations be perfect matches? No. I actually had a Rimmel foundation (Perfect Match I believe) in Fair, purchased it even though it appeared too dark in the bottle. When I did the skin test on my jaw, it actually was a shade and a half darker than my skin tone. Luckily, the store accepted open cosmetic returns.

So, while the downside to high-end foundations can be the price, the upside is that you know what you're purchasing. You can try these products in the store, not to mention asking for a sample to try to see if the foundation is a match and if you like the formula.

What is everyones preference when it comes to high-end vs drugstore foundations?

Which do you prefer?

Have you ever had the same issue happen when you're purchasing a drugstore foundation in your color, and it isn't a match?

Feel free to share!

Series: Drugstore vs. High-end Mascaras

Which do you prefer?

Which do you find yourself reaching for the most?

Drugstore mascaras or high-end mascaras? 

Better yet, do you prefer the travel size or the full size for high-end mascaras?

Reason why this came up, is because I was tossing out old make-up I had in a "to trash" bin, and came across a high-end mascara. I got to thinking, I wonder what others prefer.

 

For me, it's drugstore mascaras. The formulation always seem to hold true to the descriptions. Although, and perhaps it's just me, I don't hate high-end mascaras. I'm more or less torn with them. For high-end mascaras, I normally will purchase the trial/travel size first before the full size. This is where I become torn, I LOVE what I get with the travel size, but when I purchase the full size, I'm disappointed. The formula never seems to be the same as the travel size. 

For example, I had received the travel size Kat Von D Sin-Full Lash mascara as a perk during one of my ventures to Sephora. I LOVED that mascara, and after some time, noticed I was beginning to run out. So, of course, love the mascara, just get the full size. Mistake. I used it the next day after purchasing it, and noticed the formula seemed different. It was more wet than the travel size formula (which was a happy medium, not wet and not dry). It clumped, smudged onto my lower water line and below it (raccoon eyes!). Not to mention, one of my biggest issues when it comes to mascara is when TOO much mascara gets around where the wand meets the brush, just a glob of mascara sitting on the flats of the mascara mocking me. Basically, the stopper isn't doing the job of pulling the excess mascara off.

That has happened to me with three different brands of high-end mascaras. Travel size works wonders. What the hell happened to the full size.

Has anyone else encountered this with high-end mascaras? Or am I the only odd ball out there that this happens to?

So, moral of this. Drugstore mascara for me, thumbs up. High-end TRAVEL size mascara, thumbs up.

Your Preference?: Concealer Before or After

I'm not sure if this is going to turn into a series, but I thought it'd be a different change of pace.

This is about concealer. Do you prefer applying concealer before or after foundation? Before or after putting your eye make-up on?

Before or After Foundation?

For me, when I first started wearing make-up. I used to put my concealer under my foundation. I didn't know the difference it could make to apply it on top. Then again, when I first started, I was basically flying by the seat of my pants! 

It wasn't until I discovered the beauty community on YouTube when I finally realized, oh! the concealer looks better when it's applied after the foundation. Patting, not rubbing. Yes, I used to rub the concealer in prior to this, including under the eyes. I didn't have anyone to tell me otherwise, or they just didn't want to.

So now, I do apply my concealer after my foundation, normally with a brush then blending in with my ring finger.

Before or After Eye Make-up?

I've seen plenty reference to applying concealer after your eye make-up, mainly because clean up of shadows is much easier. The fall out then has nothing to stick to. 

Honestly, this is a preference that I can go either way with. I've put my concealer on before and after. I am, however, used to applying it before. It's more of an automatic for me, especially in the morning before work where I'm basically on autopilot. 

Of course, even if you do apply your concealer before your eye make-up you can always do the excess powder trick. Just putting a bit of extra powder (transparent that is) under your eyes, which would then catch any fall out. Just make sure you brush that excess powder from your face once your all done!

So, what does everyone prefer to do? What do you find yourselves doing (autopilot like me?) more so?