Obviously, you guys must all know by now that I’m not afraid to splurge on beauty products. Any beauty-obsessed girl does. It’s inevitable. But I remember when I first started to stray away from drugstore products and start to purchase high-end products, I really had no idea where to start.
Now that I’m into trying even more high-end products (or “luxury” beauty products as they’re called), I am really having a hard time finding out where to start. Of course, there’s tons of room for error when you’re purchasing a $20 foundation, but one for $165? Now that’s something you want to make sure works before you splurge.
For those of you who have been interested in dabbling into the luxury beauty world, but aren’t sure what to start with, here’s your complete guide. I’ve tested the best-selling products from some of the most talked-about luxury brands to find what the best product was and where you need to start.
(Related: All the Best Luxury Beauty Products Worth Dishing Out For)
Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask
This mask is truly unlike any others. You’ve really never seen your skin at its glowiest (is that even a word?) until you’ve slapped this baby on your face. Since it’s a beta-hydroxy mask, it does some serious exfoliation below the surface instead of just buffing away dead skin on top of the surface (so it basically works like a peel would). Not only will this mask leave your skin super soft, but it will fade dark marks, help with any texture issues like large pores and leave your skin glowing.
Lancer Skincare The Method: Polish Exfoliator
I’ve tried basically every exfoliator that any brand puts out. Simply put, I love to exfoliate, so I really need to try them all. This exfoliator easily places in my top 3. Unlike many other exfoliators, this one is super, super fine, and feels like it’s so much more effective than those exfoliators with larger size granules. Not to mention, the size of the bottle is way bigger than other exfoliators, so even though the price tag may be heftier than you’re used to, you’ll truly get a ton of use out of this guy.
Eve Lom Cleanser
Nothing is worse than coming home–exhausted– with a full face of makeup on only to know that for the next ten minutes, you’ll be pulling, tugging, and rubbing your skin to get all the product off. With this cleanser, life just isn’t that tough. Onto dry skin, you’ll slather on some of this cleanser, then wet the muslin cloth with very warm/hot water and let the towel cover your face, so the product steams into your skin. Do this 2-3 times, then wipe away the cleanser with your cloth, and away goes all your makeup and clean are your pores–sans tugging and pulling on your delicate skin.
Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray
I’ve seen this texturizing spray all over the web for months, and I finally just got a chance to test it out. Up to that point, I had been a huge dry shampoo fan but had never really tried a texturizing spray. Boy, I’m not sure how I’ve lived without this product my entire life. I’ll toss in a few messy, loose curls in my hair, then I’ll pick up locks of hair and spray some of this texturizing spray all over the place, give my hair a little tossle, and I look like I’m straight out of a Pinterest hair tutorial. This is easily my desert island hair care product.
Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick
True Life: I’m a matte lipstick hoarder. Honestly, I’m even a bit embarrassed of how insane my collection is. But naturally, I can never turn a new one down. When I tried this Charlotte Tilbury Matte Lipstick, I instantly fell in love because it was very different from a regular matte lipstick. These were surprisingly hydrating, and they also have 3-D pigments that glow to create the illusion of fuller, Kylie Jenner-esque lips. They’ll leave you with the perfect balance of matte and glow.
Paul Labrecque Toner Biologique Recherche Lotion P50
I feel like a lot of toners make promises and really are just another way of getting excess dirt/oil off your skin. Not a lot of them actually do something more than that. This toner totally changes the game when it comes to actually performing. After using this toner for just a few days, my skin felt (and looked!) much tighter, and my pores were visibly smaller. Yay for tiny pores!
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer
When I first started shopping at Sephora (instead of the drugstore), this primer was one of the first ones that I tried. It’s partly why I’m so obsessed with high-end beauty products, to be honest. I truly couldn’t believe how smooth this made my skin look and feel and how much more natural and beautiful my foundation looked after applying this primer. No matter what your skin type, this primer will easily help to mask any issues, you’re having on the surface of your skin so that you look super angelic once your foundation is applied.
Tom Ford Brow Sculptor
I could never talk about Tom Ford without making references to Jay-Z, so let me just get it out of the way. I don’t pop Molly; I rock Tom Ford. I never thought I’d be able to sing those words and not be pretending to be rich, but with the help of Tom Ford’s beauty line, I literally rock Tom Ford. As a brow connoisseur, I knew that I needed to try the brow pencil. I tried the Brow Sculptor in “Taupe” and Wowza. Talk about the perfect definition, a natural-looking brow, and one that will last all day long. If you’re debating dropping the $45 on it, just do it. You, too, can rock Tom Ford.
DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer
I first tried this amazing serum a few years back in my first Birchbox. I have to say this product is probably one of my favorite serums. It’s incredibly lightweight, instantly seeps into the skin without getting tacky, and smells pretty amazing. I love that this serum is gentle, unlike other wrinkle minimizing products. It’s also great that this serum targets two very common issues: wrinkles and large pores.
Jurlique Balancing Rosewater
If you haven’t seen this before, you may or may not be living under a rock. Okay, no, you definitely must be. This beautiful mist is well worth the $35. Of course, it will do the job that any mist will do: balance the skin. But with this mist, you can even use it to balance the complexion and talk in a breath of calming air. No, seriously. As soon as I spray this mist, I can literally feel myself instantly calming down and coming back to earth since it smells like I’m walking through a garden of (non-prickly) roses and who doesn’t want to smell that on a daily.
37 Actives High-Performance Anti-Aging Treatment Foundation
After reading that this foundation helped Chelsea Leyland control her acne, I knew I needed to try it. It seems that every foundation that makes claims to be good for your skin has little to no coverage, so that’s exactly what I was expecting from this foundation. To my pleasant surprise, I popped a little bit of this on, and it covered EVERYTHING. When I say everything, I mean I didn’t even have to use any concealer. It was incredible! Not to mention it definitely stayed throughout the entire day. I can’t speak on behalf of it being good for my skin since I’m not a scientist, but I do know that it didn’t break me out whatsoever, so that’s a great sign.
