Haul: Mid-range and High-end Makeup
Hi everyone!
Since work has kept me super busy and extremely stressed over the past few months, I've been dealing with my anxieties and tensions the usual way: by amassing a ton makeup, and I thought it was about time I share my *new* acquisitions with you (though I have used and featured a bunch of these here and on my IG already). But before I get into the post, I just want to make a disclaimer that this haul is just me sharing what's new in my collection, and is not meant to show off or offend anyone. Nothing but love here, folks!
If you've been with my blog or Instagram when I first started a year ago, you would've probably noticed that I love affordable makeup. There are so many inexpensive beauty products out there that work amazingly for me, and I also don't believe in paying more money just for a brand name or fancier-looking packaging when drugstore versions work just as well if not better.
However, after my experience purchasing the Morphe 35O Palette last July, I realized that if I was willing to shell out that much money for an allegedly "affordable" eyeshadow palette, then why shouldn't I splurge a little bit more and try a premium brand of the same price? So I did it one time, then I did it again, and again, and again... and now we're here at this post! And I will be including the cost I paid for each item just so you know how much damage they caused my wallet. LOL. Let's get to it!
EYES
Tarte Tartelette In Bloom Clay Eyeshadow Palette (PHP 2,450): Tarte is one of the high-end brands that I've always been curious about because they use natural, skin-friendly ingredients to create long-lasting and beautiful makeup, which I can attest to because I've tried one of their Amazonian Clay blushes and it was amazing! So when I saw this palette go "on sale" on one of my favorite online makeup shops, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to grab it.
Upon receiving the palette, I just fell in love with the packaging: sturdy plastic in a highly-reflective metallic gold finish (Hello, fingerprint city!), with a beautiful gradient flower petal lid design that I find really fitting for a palette that's "in bloom". It's very compact and it includes a nice mirror, so I think this would be great to bring with me when I travel, which is rarely. :D When opened, I was immediately greeted by a faint sweet scent that caught me completely off-guard - I didn't know this palette would be scented, but I honestly quite like it!
The twelve shades inside are a mix of nine mattes, two shimmers and one satin, with the first row having neutral tones and the next two rows having warmer tones. Each eyeshadow performs rather well in terms of blendability and pigmentation, with the exception of Funny Girl - this shimmer is absolute crap used wet or dry because it just flakes every-freaking-where on my face, and I have completely given up on using it. On the other hand, the mattes blend really nicely on the eyes, but the shades Rebel and Leader - which are my favorites - don't translate as warm when applied to the eyes.
The Tartelette In Bloom is a nice addition to my collection and I do enjoy using it, but it's not a complete must-have for me.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette (PHP 2,393): I have never dreamed of owning anything from ABH because I always found their stuff to be incredibly expensive, especially their brow products! But when I saw this beautiful warm palette all over Instagram, I just knew I had to have it. I ordered mine from makeupinboxph.com - another favorite online makeup shop - and had to wait for roughly a month to get it, which I totally didn't mind because their price was a lot more affordable than other shops I found.
The packaging is made of sturdy cardboard encased in a pale pink velvet-like material which I HATE because any velvet material gets dirty so easily - and this comes in a light color! So I've been extremely careful keeping this baby clean by keeping it inside the box it came in. I do appreciate that it comes with a mirror and a dual-ended brush, but I hardly ever use both since A) I want to avoid touch the palette to avoid getting it dirty, and B) I find prefer my other brushes.
The fourteen shadows in the palette consist of eight mattes, three satins and three shimmers, all of which are very nicely pigmented and are a dream to apply on the eyes whether you pack them on or blend them out. Seriously, these blend so well! The only shadow I have a bit of an issue with is Antique Bronze because I find it to be very loosely pressed that the pigments seem to crumble and separate a lot easier than the other shades. However, applying it with my finger or a damp brush helps. My favorites shades are Raw Sienna, Burnt Orange, Red Ochre and Cyprus Umber - I love layering colors in my crease so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the mattes are top of my list!
The Modern Renaissance palette contains THE BEST eyeshadows I have ever tried. The colors, formulas, textures and pigmentation have blown me away, and now I want the Master Palette by Mario too! RIP wallet! :(((
LIPS
Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint in TBT (PHP 500): By now, every makeup brand has come out with their own liquid lipstick formula. And being a lippie addict, I just need to try all of them out, thus this purchase. Plus, I thought it would pair well with the Tartelette In Bloom palette, hehe. :) I was surprised by how "mini" this mini was for the price I paid for it. Not really complaining because the full-size costs around PHP 1,400, so paying less than half for a sample is okay. And good thing too, because I don't really like this.
The shade TBT is a beautiful warm mauve that I'm sure will flatter so many skintones, and the scent is a delicious sweet mint that doesn't linger too long on the lips. When applied, it feels a little minty as well, but that fades around the same time as the scent. The texture is quite mousse-y, lightweight and rather comfortable when worn, but when I saw it didn't set even after 10 minutes after application, I already knew this was just a regular lip cream in a different tube slapped with a high-end name. There is honestly nothing special about these Tarteist Lip Paints and I will not be purchasing any more in the future.
Makeup By DNA Liquid Lipstick in Beautiful Disaster (PHP 700): While the brand has been on Etsy for some time, I think Makeup By DNA became most known for their Kylie Lip Kit dupes, which is pretty much how I found out about them. At first it was quite difficult to get them here, but now many local resellers offer them all over Instagram, Facebook and Shopee, so just search for the right keywords and you're bound to find some.
I got the shade Beautiful Disaster which is meant to dupe Dolce K, and I immediately fell in love with the color and it's become my favorite nude that I keep it inside my kit at all times. When worn, this has a thin liquid consistency that applies easily and sets to a very comfortable and lightweight matte finish, almost like I have nothing on my lips. However, the comfort and weightlessness seem to affect the product's lasting power, as this comes off rather easily whenever I eat or drink. BUT those same properties also allow it to be reapplied over itself without looking dry or flaky, so the negative kinda cancels itself out for me. I really looooooove this color and the formula is pretty good too, but it's not a standout for me, so I don't think I'll be purchasing other shades in a while.
Give Me Glow Liquid Lipstick in Berry Smoothie (PHP 700): This is another brand also known for duping Kylie Lip Kits and other high-end brands like Jeffree Star and Kat Von D, and I've wanted to try them out for the longest time! One day, I saw a pre-loved tube of this being sold at a cheaper price, so I bought it to try the formula out before investing in a full-priced product. And I'm so happy I did because I love this!
The shade I have is Berry Smoothie which is meant to dupe Posie K, and I was so enamored with this color that I wore it for five days straight. And the formula is amazing! It lasted so well on my lips even after eating and drinking lunch and meriyenda, and it only started to significantly budge when I ate dinner. The first time I wore it, it survived a meal of pork steak guys! PORK STEAK! Between this and the previous lippie, I definitely prefer and recommend GMG. I already have a bunch of them pre-ordered and I'll do a full review once they arrive. Exciting!
Color Kill Mega Matte Liquid Lipstick in Lotus Petal (PHP 700): Another brand I was curious about and found a pre-loved tube of. Personally, I have no issues with pre-loved makeup as long as it's been sanitized, and I know true makeup junkies take the utmost care of their makeup like I do. Packaging-wise, the box is lovely and the tube reminds me a lot of the GMG liquid lipsticks in a different color and finish. What I don't like is the applicator, which is a huge and fluffy mess that makes it extremely difficult to apply the product on my thin, uneven lips. Hate, hate, hate the applicator.
The swatches I saw for Lotus Petal made it seem like a terracotta nude, but on me it comes out like a brightened coral pink. I actually really love the shade on me, but I expected something else so I'm still kinda bummed it turned out different. The formula is a creamy liquid that dries down to a comfortable matte finish, but I find that it affects longevity and wear time. I've worn this on days where I don't eat or drink for several hours, but when I smudges with or without me eating/drinking anything, like the formula breaks down the longer I have it on my lips. Maybe a lip liner would help? Sadly, this is a miss for me, and while I will continue to use the tube I own, I will not be purchasing any other shades from this line.
OFRA Cosmetics Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Charmed (PHP 750): Beauty YouTuber KathleenLights has given this liquid lipstick line nothing but love, so when I saw this being sold at cheaper-than-normal price, I nabbed it without any second thoughts. Upon receiving my package, I was very surprised by how large the tube is, making it the tallest liquid lipstick in my collection. I think I might've preferred the older smaller packaging, but the gunmetal cap is very visually appealing to me. :D
The shade I got is Charmed, one of three collaboration shades between OFRA Cosmetics and another YouTuber MannyMUA, and this is a pretty "every day" pink that would suit most if not all skintones. The formula is a creamy liquid-mousse hybrid that applies smoothly on the lips and dries down to a semi-matte finish. This allows the wear to remain comfortable and non-drying throughout the day, but the comfort does not affect the lasting power whatsoever. The first time I wore this, it lasted through a big cup of instant noodles, which is both oily and wet, and my lip color looked practically untouched. I love the OFRA liquid lipsticks, and I really want to get Pasadena and Mocha next!
Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip in Versailles (PHP 1,350): I've always been curious about this brand mostly because of the pretty packaging, but I was completely sold when beauty YouTuber Cosmobyhaley (whom I absolutely adore) mentioned this brand and shade in her "Ride or Die Makeup" video. I was quite surprised that these are unscented, though. For a brand called Beauty Bakerie, whose entire line revolves around pastries and desserts, I automatically expected their lippies would smell sweet, but most people actually prefer unscented makeup so I guess that's a good thing.
To my eyes, Versailles is a nude pink that leans neither cool nor warm, and while I don't typically go for colors like this (because I was expecting it to be deeper), I find it to be quite beautiful especially when paired with deeper eye looks. The formula is a very thin liquid that tends to apply rather streaky, so I need to use a lip liner underneath it to get an even-looking application. It also seems like there's never enough product on the applicator that I need to dip back into the tube more than once to cover both my top and bottom lips. While it dries, my lips start to feel and look rather tight, but that goes away the longer I wear it. And like the previous liquid lipstick, the lasting power is amazing on this one as well.
While I did mention several of its shortcomings, the Beauty Bakerie Lip Whip is actually a really good liquid lipstick. They have recently come out with several new shades, including a collab with Cosmobyhaley herself, and I am dying to try them!
Gerard Cosmetics Hydra-Matte Liquid Lipstick in Everything Nice (PHP 950): I bought this alongside the OFRA liquid lipstick because this was also on sale price and I wanted to make the most of the shipping I paid for.
The shade Everything Nice is a mix of pink, peach, orange, brown and a bunch of other lovely colors that make a beautiful warm neutral shade. Quite the appropriate name, yeah? This has a creamy liquid consistency that applies rather thin on the lips and sets to a lightweight demi-matte finish. Surprisingly, this has amazing staying power as well, as this has survived several fried lunches I've had (with the exception of hotsilog - that might've been oil overkill!). True to its "Hydra-Matte" name, I also don't find it to dry out my lips by the end of the day, so this lippies gets two big thumbs up from me! I wanna get 1995 next; that shade looks stunning!
Happy Skin Glam Squad Liquid Matte Lipstick in Jigs Mayuga (PHP 699): Lastly, we're going local! Happy Skin is a homegrown beauty brand that boasts the inclusion of luxury Japanese ingredients in their makeup products, which also equates to their stuff being a lot pricier than we're used to for local brands. I must say, though, that this particular product is actually worth checking out.
Created in collaboration with the celebrity makeup artist of the same moniker, the color Jigs Mayuga is described as a "rose brown", but I think on me it can pull a little bit lavender / gray, most probably because of the strong yellow undertones in my skin. The formula is a comparable to the GC Hydra-Mattes, maybe a little wetter and matte-r, but it feels just as comfortable when worn on the lips. I do like it, but the color doesn't lend itself to be suitable for all of my makeup looks, so I don't gravitate towards it as much as I do my other warm-toned liquid lipstick.
And that is it for my mid-range and high-end makeup haul! It's been quite an experience accumulating all these pretty babies, especially for my wallet which I'm sure has a gaping hole in it by now. Again, please do remember that this post is not meant to brag about the stuff that I own, but I just wanted to share my latest acquisitions.
Have you tried / would you like to try any of the items I mentioned here? What was the first or last expensive beauty product you purchased, and do you think it was worth it? Leave a comment down below and let me know your thoughts! I changed the comments section because the old one wasn't working out too well for me - I hope you don't mind.
Thank you so much for stopping by to read my blog! I hope you enjoyed your stay. Till next time! :)
♥♥♥
All opinions and photos on this blog are my own, and all products reviewed have been purchased with my own personal funds, unless stated otherwise.
