But what is the answer? Although I'm a fan of many high-end products and my daily make up routine wouldn't be complete with out a few Urban Decay or Bobbi Brown products thrown in here and there, a teenager like me surely can't afford a full face of high-end make up for everday wear. I'm not saying I'm against all high-end make up and I'm certainly not saying you should only buy Collection and MUA for the rest of you life (well unless Collection and MUA really float your boat) but a lot of high-end products are no different to their drugstore dupes, so why waste the money? 

Yes, high-end products are more luxurious and my god some of the packaging is to die for! But really, £46 for a foundation, um no thank you. Who knows whether the product inside the swanky glass bottle is any different to a plastic alternative from Boots? 

Take Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick for example. This award-winning masterpiece has been around for a while now and comes in an array of dazzling shades suitable for every skin tone. Jump back a few months and Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick was one-of-a-kind and something that the drugstore brands hadn't brought out yet. Now in 2015, they're almost everywhere. SEVENTEEN have one, Soap&Glory too, Revlon has jumped on the bandwagon and Sleek have dupes that to me look almost identical - well with perhaps less fancy packaging and a not so "OMG-I-HAVE-TO-HAVE-IT" ring to the name. Nethertheless, these dupes are giving Bobbi a run for her money. Retailing at a hefty £32, this compact (by compact I mean tiny) powder/shadow set comes in at over 4 times that of Sleek's "Glo In Bronze" take on the Shimmer Brick. The SEVENTEEN version at £4.99, Revlon's "Highlighting Palette" at £8.99 and Soap&Glory's at £11 are some pretty cheap alternatives to the high-end version.

Now don't me wrong, I know the quality of the high-end version will probably been a lot more pigmented and have better staying power than one you can pick up in Boots or Superdrug but a little primer never hurt nobody - pair a drugstore alternative with some primer and there you go, the staying power of Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick but at a slightly purse-friendly price.

But in some cases, a splurge on a high-end foundation is probably a lot better in the long run than a £5.99 tube of something you picked up at Boots on special offer. A lot of drugstore foundations contain a lot more chemicals than their high-end competitiors and for young skin, that's something you shouldn't risk. 

Urban Decay's primers are a much better and well worth the pennies splurge in comparison to a cheaper and chemical-full drugstore brand. Their primers are paraben-free and contain no silicone which 1 in 5 people are actually allergic to (fun fact of the day right there - no need to thank me). 

All-in-all, I'm not swayed either way. There's no way I'll ever have an only-bought-from-the-drugstore face and there's no way right now that I can fund an all-bought-high-end face, so for me it's a bit of both, the best of both worlds *cue Hannah Montana song*.

Here are some drugstore alternatives that are almost identical to the high-end versions:

High-end                                                                                                                 Drugstore

Clinique Chubby Stick - £17                                                           Bourjois ColourBoost Lip Crayon - £7

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer - £22                                       Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - £5.99

NARS Blush in Orgasm - £23                                                         Sleek Blush in Rose Gold - £4.49

So there you have it, beauty on a budget - girls, it can be done.

Thanks for reading!

Bethany

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