February 22, 2008

Fatima Olive’s Tells Us When to Splurge and When to Save on Cosmetics

I don’t personally agree with a majority of what she said as you know how much of a snob I am when it comes to cosmetics but it’s an interesting video!

Your thoughts?

15 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Ann the Queen

    i guess the “steal” definition is up for grabs! LOL!

    i agree on some like the brushes part.. where its really splurge and steal.

    while mascaras.. i think by splurging might not help with the 6 mth expiry!

  • the Muse

    her definition of steal definately doesn’t match up with mine Ann 😉

    I tend to have 20 mascaras rotating around and I normally ditch them in a 9 month period instead of the 6 month..I guess it’s kinda gross but I feel like I haven’t used them enough to let them go at a 6 month period so I wait a few extra months before ditching them!

    I sadly threw out five a few days ago that I barely used but they had touched my eye area and had hit the 7 month mark so it was a definite bye bye!

    I wish I can get good, solid DS brands here but most of the mascara I use is from Japan and thus I am still paying about $12-$20..blah!

    Such a pain!

  • MandyPandy

    WTF kind of name is Fatima Olive?!? You’re combining one of the most holy names in Islam with an freakin’ anti-pasti side dish! Was Mohammed Calamari too busy to do the video?

    I personally don’t agree w/ homegirl. Never, never buy cheap eyeshadow. And what’s wrong with cheap lipliner and and mascara? Jordana and Milani sell some of the best lip liners out there (I know because I’ve tried almost all of them), and most gals don’t wear mascara often enough to justify splurging on it.

    That said, Lancome makes some top-notch lip liners and mascaras that are straight-up worth the splurge.

  • the Muse

    hi Mandy!

    I was wondering the same and by the very way who the hell is she? She’s everywhere recommending everything lmao!

    Mohammed Calamari doesn’t do cosmetics darling only fashion! Duh! Everyone knows that!

    I never buy cheap anything so I disagree with a majority of what she said!

    I don’t do cheap mascara because I find it flakes on me and I don’t use lipliner so I’m safe 😉 I only buy Japanese mascara a majority of the time so w000t w000t for me!

    Hell I wear mascara everyday what girl’s are you talking to!?

    Only US company that’s make somewhat good mascara is BE for me. I like the brushless mascara. It’s the awesome. Aside from that the rest are blah as far as I’m concerned 😛

    Even though she proclaims that eyeshadow is alot more pigmented nowadays via the local DS I beg to differ as even pigmented ones are crap just because they contain good pigmentation doesn’t make them good. IE: Loreal HIP Eyeshadow…pigmented trash in my opinion!

    NEVER buy cheap cream blush is most definately a good tip! Horror!

    Or cheap brushes for that matter!

  • MandyPandy

    Yes, I agree: drugstore mascaras have a long ways to go before they’re up to par with high-end mascaras. If they don’t smudge, they flake and the worst offenders do both. I personally love Lancome’s Fatale and have yet to find a DS mascara that can duplicate it’s no smudge, no flake formula. I, like many women with sensitive eyes and who wear contact lenses, don’t really bother with mascara, so even Fatale was binned after three months. I (like a lot of gals out there) only wear mascaras for special occasions, so I don’t bother with the high end stuff anymore.

    I think Japanese drugstore mascaras are so advanced because there’s more incentive for R & D in Japan; the market for mascara is huge there and drugstore mascaras don’t compete only with other drugstore mascaras (as they do over here), they compete with highend mascaras for the market share.

    I agree with you about the HIP eye shadow comment: pigmentation isn’t everything; you have to consider the texture as well. I tried the HIP creme liner a while back, and while I never really loved Fluidline, this stuff made Fluidline seem bearable.

  • (g)ezebel

    LOL at Mandy Pandy and “Mohammed Calamari”!!!!

    i agree with splurging on foundations. i disagree with splurging on mascara. my cover girl lash blast is pretty identical in volume and coverage to benefit’s bad gal AND dior show.

    and i disagree with lash curlers and tweezers, too. i love my drugstore curlers and tweezers.

  • Anonymous

    Sonia kashuk brushes are actually quite good though! So are the Everyday Minerals brushes..I think they are better than my Mac brushes.

  • the Muse

    hi Mandy!

    Agreed 100%! I never tried Lancome’s Fatale! My HG, as you know, is MJ Lash Extender.

    Gosh I wear it everyday! 😉 I’m abnormal?!!?

    I think Japanese cosmetics in general have alot of competing against ds and large scale department stores. Must be a bitch to be a Japanese brand! Lots of competition!

    I think the entire HIP line kinda blows! Although I can’t attest to trying it all just an eyeshadow and a pigment.

    Funny thing is it’s on par with the cost of a MAC shadow anyway! Its like 9 a shadow..so add 6 bucks and get some mac!

  • the Muse

    Hey Gez!

    LOL that’s our mandy 😉 Always witty and hysterical!

    I really hate bad gal no offense! I always look so natural wearing it and I get no curl of volume! GRRR!
    I won’t use anything on my lashes aside from my HG, Shu Curler all the way baby nothing else will do 😉

    hehe!

  • the Muse

    hi Anonymous!

    I can’t say I tried any of Sonia’s stuff! I never tried Everyday Minerals either. A majority of my brushes are MAC, BE, and Sephora. BE I get with kits and some are ok but some just shed like a dog! Sephora are good but I prefer my MAC 😉

    And of course, sponge applicators, chip as hell and work a treat!

  • pquanda

    I don’t know how I feel about that post, either. I’m a big makeup snob, but I won’t pay a lot for something if I can the same or better quality for less.

    Brushes, for the most part, should be splurge items since you can keep them forever if they’re good quality. Most of my brushes are MAC and Smashbox, but Essence of Beauty has AMAZING brushes as well. Some of the EOB brushes aren’t even available at MAC (there’s no expensive dupe)

    Some of the DS eyeshadows (SOME of the HiP, not all of them) also have great colour payoff, but not all of them. The one and only drugstore eyeshadow I have, HiP forgiving, has great payoff, but the majority of the other ones don’t. You can’t really test them in the store, so they’re not worth buying. This is also why you should splurge on foundation!

    Jordana, Milani, and RIMMEL are definitely where to head for lipliners. Drugstore cream blushes are always shimmery, but I don’t agree with powder blushes having to be high-end. As long as the colour is true, has great payoff, and isn’t chalky, it should be long lasting and it could be fine. I forgot to bring a blush with me on travel one time, and a tiny drugstore had NYC blushes, which were the only matte ones. That blush is one of my favorites today, amongst my MAC Fafi and Nars!

  • sarahPUFFY

    Er. Everything I’ve used so far is a steal, and if I get anything that’s a “splurge”…it was a gift!

    I find that drugstore mascaras have come a LONG way. Maybelline is the best, especially with waterproof. I like replacing mine every 3-4 months, because I have sensitive eyes – so I never really lose much! I also love my Rimmel eyeliners, they go on nice and smooth and last a damn long time.

    I like drugstore blushers, too – I like NYC, CG, all that good stuff. Avon’s Mark line is great for base makeup and everything in between.

    But anyways, I have no idea why buying cheap has to be a bad thing. The only time I won’t buy something cheap…is when I know for sure that its crap!

  • the Muse

    hi pquanda!

    I honestly don’t do much comparisons. I should I guess but I always go for the higher end cosmetic and feel pleased with it as it blends wonderfully, it’s long wearing, etc…I never successfully find ds brands with the same quality as high street brands!

    I agree! Brushes are a splurge for me too! I had read on Vanessa’s blog that EoB makes great brushes so I am curious to try ’em!

    I tried a hip eyeshadow and the color payoff is excellent. These are most definately high quality in pigment but they blend awful which is why I don’t bother 🙁

    I’d love if I could test in store as with a normal counter. Would make life way easier!

    I have very few DS blushes but I definately have run across a few that are excellent and long wearing 😉

    Thanks for your great comment 😉

    Look forward to speaking to you in the future!

  • the Muse

    hi sarahPUFFY!

    I shamefully admit that most everything I own is a splurge. I don’t find many good steals that work well so I normally splurge, maybe splurge a bit too mcuh!

    I really love Avon Mark’s line! They do very good items! I can’t wear drugstore mascara without it fading and making me look raccoon like so it’s normally a splurge for me. I like changing my mascara every 6 months or so and it can be costly when I am buying high end brands but I normally end up with Japanese DS brands so it’s not too bad a price!

    Buying cheap is def not a bad thing 🙂 it all depends on what works well for you! As long as you love it and love how it looks on that’s about all that matters 😉

    Thanks for your great comments lately!

    Love ’em!