Beauty is big business. It's estimated that the global value of the market in 2014 was around $460 billion, which is unfathomable in a world where there are still people struggling to feed their families on a daily basis. There's no doubt that the power of a great lipstick goes beyond just making our lips look more delicious; it has the ability to fill us with confidence and perk up an otherwise dull day. Brands have understood this for generations, appealing to our insecurities and promising to fix them with any number of new wonder ingredients, but as consumers become increasingly savvy we're turning to budget buys as much as luxuriously overpriced ones. Not everybody has a never-ending pot of money from which to make non-essential purchases, so how can we make savvy shopping selections without compromising on the effectiveness of our routine" Over the last ten years I've been exposed to all number of brands and products, and as a result I've been able to understand what's worth the investment and what's not; if you want to become a savvier shopper, then I've broken some key beauty areas down into where it's worth splurging, where it's worth saving and where it's still up for debate. I hope it's useful!
WHERE IT'S GOOD TO SPLURGE

FOUNDATION: I've tried endless number of foundations, but I have to admit the ones that out-perform the rest always come with a heftier price tag. In my experience it's the premium brands that offer a huge range of shades, which allow you...