Surrey Homes | SH79 | August 2021 | Adding value to your property supplement inside

Save or
Splurge?
When it comes to replenishing your makeup
arsenal, what’s worth splashing out on, and
what’s not? Josephine Fairley lets us know
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Beauty sales boomed during the lockdowns. Fragrance,
too, slightly surprisingly: even though we weren’t
actually going out at all, many of us found a sort of
cocooning comfort from wearing fragrance, or used it to cut
through the Groundhog Day meh-ness of life, or simply to
help us get back our get-up-and-go (perhaps with a burst of
something citrusy and zesty), when spirits were flagging.
Now we are ‘liberated’, though, there are many other
tugs on our purses. We can eat out. Plan holidays.
Buy clothes with the thought that actually, we might
get to wear them to something/somewhere exciting.
Basically, our financial priorities have reset to normal.
So I thought I’d share my thoughts, as a beauty editor,
on what is still worth splurging on, and where can we save?
And what I will add is that my answers have changed over
the past few years, because many products at the lower end
of the price scale have improved beyond all recognition…
Eyeshadow: Save or Splurge? Answer: both, actually.
There are some really fantastic, affordable shadows available
on the high street now, particularly in terms of palettes. I
would most definitely point you in the direction of E.L.F.
The New Classics Palette (just £14 for 18 shades), which
contains just about every shade you might ever want to
use in a lifetime, but none of them scare-the-horses bold.
Actually, I’m SO impressed with E.L.F. make-up (I had
many a splurge myself, during lockdown/s), not least
because they also offer virtual try-ons and free gifts when
you spend £25. If you want a more simple, classic palette,
E.L.F. also offer one of those for just £3, with Flawless
Eyeshadow: a goof-proof quartet (in a choice of plummy/
greys or browns), which tells you which shade to put where.
However, for shadow that really stays put, you may
want to splurge – especially if you enjoy luxury packaging
(who doesn’t, frankly?) Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-
Effect Quadra Eyeshadows, £44, are unbeatable, and
available in a huge portfolio of wearable shades. Grabbing
slightly more space in a make-up bag is Tom Ford Eye
Color Quad, £68 – pricy, yes, but it says a lot that over
the past few years, I’ve got down to the metal pans on
two of these (in Cocoa Mirage) and am on my third.
And neither of these has ever cracked or crumbled, in
my experience, which is often a problem with shadow.
Mascara: Save or Splurge? Answer: save – but make
sure to seek out your particular favourite style of brush,
when shopping for a bargain. With mascara, it really IS
all about the wand: do you like those that are curved, are
almost fuzzy like a bee, or are you into rubber (wands!)?
Finding an example of your favourite style should be your
priority when hunting down a new mascara; to make
that easier, if shopping IRL rather than online (where
you can always see the brush shape) the tester units in
places like Boots and Superdrug often display the actual
brushes glued alongside the product, for guidance. Some
particular recommendations, meanwhile: Max Factor
Masterpiece MAX Mascara, £11.99 (rubber wand), L’Oréal
Paris Volume Million Lashes Couture mascara, £8.99
(good for va-va-voom), or Maybelline Lash Sensational
Mascara, £9.99 (with that curvy wand, for a ‘fan’ effect).
SPF Day Cream: Save or Splurge? Answer:
splurge. I believe in investing to protect my skin – an
ounce of protection is your best weapon in the war against
premature lines, wrinkles and pigmentation. You don’t
have to spend squillions, but I’d generally go north of £25
– in ascending order, price-wise, great examples are SVR
Clairial Crème SPF50+, £25 for 50ml, Temple Spa Life
Defence SPF30 Protecting Moisturiser, £38 for 50ml,
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