Hello. I’m Kelli, I’m 23-years-old and I’m a make-up snob.
Perhaps I’m a reformed make-up snob. I’m not sure where the boundaries lie anymore, all I know is that I have lemonade cash and champagne tastes.
I come from a line of make-up snobs. My mum is getting worse as she gets older and I was certainly the only 15-year-old who didn’t own a blue glittery Rimmel eyeshadow at school. In fact, I wasn’t allowed to start wearing make-up until I was working and could afford Benefit or MAC. It’s a hard knock life.
Now, I live in my own flat with a cat. That’s litter and Dreamies to buy. Seriously, Dreamies are like crack to my kitty. And suddenly Benefit seems a little rich for my blood.
I have found ways around this though. With that pesky recession, and that rise of online shopping, there is always somewhere selling cheap, high brand make-up. It keeps my inner demons at bay.
Where to Shop
Firstly there is TK Maxx. (That’s TJ Maxx to you Northern Americans.) When I was younger I used to wince at the idea of going into TK Maxx. Now, I’m all about their make-up and sunglasses. I recently picked up my Benefit Erase Paste concealer for £7 down from £18.50. I was pretty happy. Finding the Betsey Johnson sunglasses of my dreams on the same visit increased the joy.
I’ve also found eBay to be pretty spectacular, make-up wise. This takes a lot of studying and I’ve certainly learnt the defining elements of my favourite brands to make sure items for sale are genuine.
For instance, I won’t buy MAC without pictures of the base. The clues are all in the base sticker. I’m often found sitting at my laptop, comparing the real thing in my collection with the pictures on eBay. I must have saved myself at least 10 packets of Dreamies using eBay – free postage is my favourite.
Another excellent source of cheaper good quality slap is Blogger sales. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure, especially in the world of beauty blogging. I’ve seen that there’s an increase of blogs selling the items they no longer like or use. Most of these are hardly used. This is a method I use rarely, but when it came to finding Nicki Minaj’s Viva Glam lipstick, it was necessary.
Alternatively, I have been caught buying a few drug store products recently. I’m particularly attached to Collection 2000’s lipsticks. Their Colour Pout lip stain in Flirt has been known to last a whole day of work – including lunch. Not even I can get snobbish about that.
Are there any affordable make-up ranges you're a particular fan of? Share your secrets!
Image via Idhren's Flickr