Are they worth the splurge?

I was doing my makeup this morning and I came across a few items in my collection that I didn't think lived up to their reputation. I decided to do a post to show you a few items that I feel are worth the splurge, and others that have let me down.

Urban Decay Naked 1:

The First item is the Urban Decay Naked Palette, and this retails for $60.00 at Sephora. This is an item that I would say is 100% worth every penny. It has such a wide variety of shades that let you do neutral every day looks, as well as darker smoky evening looks. The shadows are also amazing quality and are really pigmented. They apply well, and blend really easily. I definitely think that this product is worth the splurge. 

Nars Orgasm Blush:

The NARS blush in the shade "Orgasm" is one of those products that every Youtube Beauty Guru / Beauty Blogger owns and talks about, so I decided that I would buy it to see what all the hype was about. After using it for months I can say that it is a pretty blush, and the NARS blushes are good quality and very pigmented, however I do not think that there is anything unique about it. To me this is the standard coral-pink blush that is similar to a lot of other blushes in that shade, therefore I do not think it is a "must have" item. Below you can see NARS Orgasm beside MAC's Peachy-keen blush and you can see how similar these are. NARS blushes retail for around $30.00 so I do not think this item is worth the splurge. 

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation:

I bought this item because soo many Youtube Beauty Gurus were raving about it, and as a result I had really high expectations for this product. After trying it a couple times I wanted so badly to also be in love with it, but the truth was I really wasn't. I found this product to be just "okay". It had a nice smell, and applied pretty well, but I felt like the product didn't 100% match my skin shade, and I found it oxidized throughout the day and turned a little darker. I also do not think they have a wide enough range of shades. I bought shade 10, which is the lightest they have, and it was still a little too dark for me. I also found that this product settled into the smile lines I have around my mouth, which I didn't think would happen since it is supposed to be more of a tinted moisturiser. This product retails for around $50.00 at department stores, and I do not think it is worth the splurge. I think you can find a better foundation or tinted moisturiser at Sephora or MAC, or the drugstore for the matter that is more worth your money.

Beauty Blender:

I have mentioned this product before in a blog post, and the Beauty Blender is definitely a product that I think is worth the splurge. It is around $25.00, which I know is a lot for a sponge, but it is definitely worth every penny. I picked this item up multiple times while I have been on trips to Sephora and I always put it back because I never felt I could justify spending $25.00 on a sponge. One day I decided to bite the bullet and buy it because I had continuously heard how great it was, and I figured that if I really didn't like it then I could just return it and get my money back. It was probably one of the best purchases I've every made because I love this item. Since I bought it I have completely stopped using brushes to apply foundation because the Beauty Blender does such an amazing job. Your foundation and concealer are applied really evenly, and get blended out flawlessly. This is definitely an item that I think is worth the splurge. 

YSL Lipstick:

I had wanted to try the YSL Rouge Volupte lipsticks for a while because, well, lets be honest the packaging is gorgeous. At $40.00 each I knew they were quite pricey, but I had been having a bad week so I decided I deserve it. I had wanted a light pink lipstick for spring and after trying on a couple went with #1 "Nude Beige". I really like the formula of these lipsticks because they are really creamy and super pigmented. The product goes on quite thick so the colour looks very opaque on your lips, which I like, but the texture does take a little getting used to. I definitely think this is a brand of lipstick worth trying, and to me it was worth the splurge.

Diorshow Mascara:

I was at the Dior counter picking up one or two things and as I went to pay, the sales associate informed me that if I spent $30.00 more dollars than I would get a free makeup bag. I decided to try one of the Dior mascaras, and the woman at the counter suggested the Diorshow Extase mascara because it is very volumizing. I took her word for it and purchased the mascara. After using the product a few times though, I definitely did not think it was worth the hype. When used on its own I found that it made my eyelashes clumpy, and I really was not a fan of this product. The only way I was able to make the product somewhat work was to apply it to my lashes over a different mascara to add a bit more volume. Overall I was not impressed with this product and for $35.00, I would not purchase it again. It was definitely not worth the splurge to me. 

Dior Nailpolish:

I bought this Dior nailpolish in the colour "Blue Label" because I had seen it on a beauty blog and thought it was a pretty navy colour. I saw it at Sephora and decided that it would be an okay splurge since I really didn't have any nail polishes that were a similar colour. Overall I do like the colour, however, the Dior brand of nail polish definitely isn't anything special. The formula seemed comparable to me to OPI or Essie polishes, and the thick brush is a little hard to work with. I think I might buy another Dior polish in the future if the colour was something really unique that I didn't think I would find anywhere else, but otherwise they really are not worth the splurge. These retail at $25.00

Chanel Delicatesse Eyeshadow Quad:

This Chanel eyeshadow quad was one that I saw in the store and had to have because it was so gorgeous. The flower print embossed on the shadows sold me right away, I just thought it was so pretty, I didn't even want to use it and risk destroying the pattern. I justified my purchase by saying that the teal shade and the white shadow that had a teal sheen to it were so unique that I just couldn't pass this palette up. It was a limited edition part of the Spring Collection so I felt like if I didn't buy it then I would miss out forever. I think I ended up using this palette two or three times, and I really only used the teal colour as a liner for my bottom lashes and the white for an inner corner highlight. The pink and purple shades are colours that I cannot really see myself using that much, so for the most part the palette has just sat in my drawer. It definitely was not worth the splurge of $60.00. 

Dior Creme de Rose:

I decided to buy this lip balm because so many Youtubers had raved about it and I wanted to see if it was as amazing as everyone said. Even the Dior rep who was at the store that day described it as "lip crack". I am pleased to say that this product really has lived up to its reputation and is pretty amazing. The smell, first of all is GORGEOUS. It has this pretty floral scent that is so calming and soothing. It goes on so smooth and creamy and makes your lips feel a million times more moisturised soft.  This product was $30.00, which is a lot for a lip balm, but it is a product that I will be purchasing over and over again because it is great. Definitely worth the splurge.

L'Occitaine Cream:

This last item is a product that I picked up one day as I was waiting in line at Sephora because it was in those little bins by the cash. I was in the market for a good hand cream since mine get so dry and started to peel in the winter. I liked the pretty floral smell that this one had so I decided to get it. The cream doesn't feel that thick when you squeeze it out of the tube, but it does a good job moisturising your skin. It also is not greasy, which I really like, and the smell isn't nauseating. This tube is almost empty so I will definitely be getting another one. They have a few different scents, along with an unscented one. These retail for $12.00 at Sephora.