Staff Picks: Our biggest beauty splurge

We’re all huge suckers for a good beauty deal. If it were up to us, we’d all be enjoying kickass skincare and makeup products for dirt cheap ala Daiso. But until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, we’re still happy to spend some extra dough on products that makes all others seem bleak in comparison. So I had to ask the PV team: what is your biggest splurge in the name of beauty?

Liz: I don't really spend much on beauty at this point because running Project Vanity has its generous perks. There are some things I don't get for free however, and this is where my kikay budget goes to. I am a huge huge fan of Shiseido as you know, and I ALWAYS buy a set of the Ibuki (the cleanser and softener are roughly P4,000 together) and the White Lucent Foundation (about P2,000 for a refill) as soon as I run out. One of my major purchases was the Lorac Mega Pro. That came down to about P4,000 even though I got a discount from my friend. Totally worth it though!

Den: Considering that my fave masks are about P100 each, I guess my weekly masking habit is something of a splurge. It's probably cheaper to just buy an essence or serum, but I rather enjoy the ritual of patting a sheet on. After much deliberation, I also recently invested in a Scholl Velvet Pedi - luckily it was on sale when I bought it! I'm saving up for laser hair removal.

Stacie: I don't spend much on makeup, but I'm willing to shell out quite an amount for skincare. The most expensive one I've bought is the Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask. I've had it for *ahem* a year and two months, and I haven't finished the tub yet! I got it for around P750 online.

Rae: It's either Bobbi Brown's Intensive Skin Serum Foundation or the Bobbi Brown Bobbi + Katie Palette. I'm a sucker for multipurpose products. The former is a foundation, facial serum, and sunblock in one bottle, while the palette has eight eyeshadows, two pot rouges, and a deluxe eyeliner pencil.

Marielle: The Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick (P1,750)! It's in my beauty bucket list, and I had a moment where I just wanted to treat myself to a little luxe beauty. Admittedly, I was won over by the overall presentation. The click-to-open packaging, the rose scent, and the smooth glide of the lipstick made it hard to say no.

Katsy: My biggest beauty splurge so far is the Guerlain Rouge G in Parade (P2,500). It's my most expensive lipstick to date but I couldn't resist the gorgeous packaging. Red + Gold = WOW for me. Plus it was limited edition so I told myself that if I was ever going to buy a Rouge G, that was the time to do it.

Kisty: I guess my biggest beauty splurge would be the Urban Decay Naked Palette and the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush, which I bought back when I was still living in Singapore (because SEPHORA!).

Kim: I have no trouble scrimping on makeup (99 peso lipsticks, holla!) but I’m more than ready to splurge on good skincare. I have both the Glamglow ThirstyCleanse and SuperCleanse mud to foam cleansers (P1,900) and it just upped my skincare game so much that I want to get the PowerCleanse and YouthCleanse, too! So. Freaking. Amazing.

We all have different definitions on what counts as a luxury product, but the overall experience is that they are worth every penny. Undecided about taking the plunge? Read our take on splurging for pricier products, and share your experience with an expensive beauty purchase in the comments!

Kimberly Anne Capeding

Age range: 18-23

Skin type/shade: light with yellow undertones (MAC NC25), oily and acne-prone

Skin concerns: large pores, scarring, blemishes, whiteheads/blackheads

Hair type: naturally curly/wavy and color-treated

Hair concerns: hairfall and frizzy hair

Eye shape: round and hooded

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