life & style // no. 16

theotherpress.ca

 

Highs and lows of high-end

> Deciding whether or not high-end makeup is for you

Mercedes Deutscher
News Editor

 

he popularity of high-end

makeup has risen over the
last couple of years, but many
people still don’t know quite
how to approach it. Up until two
months ago, I was one of those
people. Sephora always seemed
too crowded and too expensive
for me. I walked into one once
last summer, took a look at the
eyeliners, and quickly concluded
that one was not worth $25.

I decided to stay to drug
store makeup, although I became
quickly frustrated with it. Sure,
it’s inexpensive, but many of the
items just don’t quite do it right.
My then-favorite eyeliner and
eyeshadow couldn't make it
more than eight hours, and
my foundation would melt off
no matter how much powder
] put on it to set it in place.

I didn’t think about Sephora
again until a friend of mine got
me a gift card for my birthday.

I figured I'd go in and get some
essentials. On my first real trip
to Sephora I invested in some
primer, some green concealer to
cover my acne, and a highlight/
contouring duo stick. Since it
was shortly after my birthday
they signed me up for their

free rewards card and threw

in a birthday gift (this year’s

™

is a rose petal facial mask and
a soy makeup cleanser.) That
haul cost me about $65.

I applied these all on my
face the next day and I fell in
love. My face had only ever been
so radiant when a make-up
artist had done my makeup.

I’ve been hooked ever since,
and have been slowly replacing
my drug store collection with
higher-end brands. However,

Packing tips

> How to get the most out of the least amount of cargo room

Brittney MacDonald
Life and Style Editor

 

N% we all know that,
though the weekends away
are often a blast, preparing for
them is frustrating and awful.
I mean seriously, what do you
bring? You have to have a little
of everything in your closet so
that you're prepared for any
situation. I can’t tell you the
number of times I’ve either
over-packed, in an effort to
be up for any challenged, or
under-packed because I tried to
narrow it down to the essentials
after memories of lugging
a giant bag around with me
haunted my dreams. A lot of
magazines and YouTube videos
will tell you to only bring the
essentials, but that’s misleading
and wrong. After all, this is
supposed to be your vacation/
weekend away, not boot camp!
The first thing you need
to do is pick a time to pack.
When you pack can be just as

important as what you pack,
because you need to be relaxed.
Stress packing is a bad idea;
you'll end up over-packing and
bringing along things that will
force you to question not only
your choices in life, but also your
sanity. No joke—I once packed
a flat iron for a camping trip
where I knew we wouldn't have
electricity. Setting aside a good
amount of time will ensure that
you can logically think about
all the things you might need.
Next, you'll want to consider
clothes, because those are kind
of important. Plan out and pack
an outfit for each day, underwear
and accessories included. You
won't necessarily have to wear
these outfits—sometimes you
just feel like wearing the same
thing twice, or wearing things
in a different combination than
what you considered when you
were packing—but having the
outfits somewhat planned out
will ensure that you have enough
clothes. Throw in an extra pair of

spending hundreds on
makeup isn’t always feasible
for me, so I needed to make
what I bought worthwhile.
There are so many pros and
cons when it comes to shopping
for high-end. For one, budget
how much you can spend. You
don’t want to go bankrupt for the
sake of beauty. How much can
you afford to spend at Sephora
or MAC? Are there some drug

pants, and an extra skirt or pair
of shorts. We live in the Lower
Mainland; weather can change at
the drop of a hat, not to mention
all the other disastrous things
that could happen on your
journey of fun—busted seams,
anyone? Having extra is a good
idea, just don’t go overboard.
Lastly, when you pack
your toiletries, be frugal. This
is when you want to bea little
more discerning on what you
bring. Bring everything you
would use over a three-day
period. Even if your trip is
longer or shorter than three
days, following this rule will
ensure you have everything
you need, while also saving you
some space. Don’t pack things
you “might” use, only the things
you know you will, and if you're
bringing makeup, don’t take the
expensive stuff unless it’s part
of your daily/three-day routine.
The last thing you want is to
lose that new MAC lipstick to
the recesses of your rental car!

  

Image via thehunt.com

store products that work really
well for you that you can forego
the more expensive item for?
In my case, I don’t buy eyeliner
at Sephora because I find that
Revlon’s liquid liner stays all day.
On that note, experiment
with a mix of drug store and high-
end products. After buying my
Tease palette by Tarte, I find that
my Elf palette just doesn’t do the
trick for me anymore. However,

I still love my Covergirl powder.
With the increasing popularity of
these high-end brands also come
some pretty great dupes. Be sure
to look at the ingredients used
in these products, since some
are made with chemicals that
are bad for your skin’s health.
When you do make the
splurge on high-end makeup,
try sticking with items more
difficult to find in drug stores.
Up until recently—when NYX
started putting out their colour
correcting concealer—Sephora’s
house brand or Urban Decay was
the best and unrivaled bet for
redness and dullness coverage.
I also still find that contouring
sticks and kits from Sephora are
miles better than anything I’ve
ever used from the drug store.
Use items that will make
your beauty investments last.
Get a setting spray. By far, Urban
Decay’s setting spray has been
a god-send to me, but NYX also
provides one. If you’re going to
be extra active that day, try using
hairspray on your face as well.
Lastly, consider your ethics
when shopping for makeup.
Unfortunately, many drug store
brands test on animals, along
with MAC. However, most
high-end and some drug store
brands pride themselves on
being cruelty-free, and some are
even organic. Make an informed
decision before buying.

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