What Are The 3 Most Expensive Beauty Products You Own?

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many makeup brushes -- possibly the most expensive beauty purchase?

Yesterday's post about my new love of Chantecaille got me thinking about how I generally really hate to spend money on beauty things — but the few that I have I really do love. I thought it might be a fun discussion here — what are the most expensive beauty products you own? (Top 3, and then if there's anything noteworthy in one category — e.g., $60 lipstick — please shout it out!) On the flip side, what are the top 3 least expensive beauty products you regularly use?

We've talked a lot about beauty over the years, including a great discussion on beauty empties (products we actually finish), which beauty products we can't live without, specific makeup shades we've worn for ages, how I deal with dark circles under my eyes, and easy makeup products to keep at your desk — and we've also had a great discussion on plastic surgery.

Meanwhile, check out some of our most popular posts on beauty, including how to style long hair for interviews, the best nail colors for work, and the best lip tints for work, and how to make a blowout last for days.

My Most Expensive Beauty Products

All of my most expensive beauty products ring in right around $100…

Tatcha The Essence

Tatcha the Essence

This $110 liquid is something you put on before your other skin products to help the products absorb deeper into the skin. I swear it works — I particularly like to use it in the winter when my skin is dryer and it feels like it's harder to absorb things.

Sunday Riley Good Genes

bottle of Good Genes exfoliating face treatment

I'm still using Sunday Riley's Good Genes on a semi-regular basis — it depends on how much time I have. I use Good Genes before bed on nights when I'm not using my trentinoin, or I swap it out for my Vitamin C below my moisturizer if I know I'm going to be inside for the day.

On the other hand, if I have 20 minutes before a shower, I do love my Drunk Elephant BabyFacial ($80). If I'm thinking about it last minute (which, sadly, is usually what happens) I use this peel from The Ordinary ($9) for a maximum of 5 minutes.

(I've also bought and finished Lancer's brightening mask, another pricey option, but I haven't repurchased it.)

Chantecaille FutureSkin

Chantecaille's FutureSkin foundation

As I mentioned yesterday, I love this lightweight foundation to help even out my skin tone without feeling like I'm wearing cakey makeup.

Noteworthy Beauty Splurges

I have been eyeing products from Westman Atelier and Tom Ford (and now Chantecaille too!), but for the most part I prefer drugstore or just above (Clinique, MAC). There are a few exceptions…

Eyeliner: One noteworthy exception is my Chanel eyeliner, which I started buying years ago after a friend recommended it, and I keep purchasing.

Shampoo: I always buy Alterna Caviar's Anti-Aging shampoo and conditioner whenever I see them on sale.

My Three Least Expensive Beauty Products

I buy a lot of stuff at the drugstore… some of the ones that are my favorites and my most affordable ones include these…

e.l.f. Hydrating Core Lip Shine

e.l.f. hydrating core lip shine tint

I'm a big fan of MLBB tints in general — this $6 one from e.l.f. is a good color, nonsticky formula, with decent moisturizing. I just ran out of the shade Ecstatic and I plan to buy a new one. (It looks a lot darker than it is — I'd say it's comparable to Clinique's Black Honey.) They're so inexpensive I keep them in my coat pockets.

NYX Mechanical Pencil Eyeliner

eyeliner pencil in bronze

I just realized that my “in case of emergency” eyeliner in my travel bag was out, and bought a few extras of this $6 NYX eyeliner. Is it Chanel? No… but it's a decent eyeliner, particularly for basic colors like brown and black.

VO5 Conditioner

VO5 Kiwi Lime Squeeze Conditioner

It's a tossup between Suave coconut and V05's lime conditioner — both work with the Curly Girl method (which I try to adhere to, but don't always — see above re Alterna Caviar) in that it's free of sulfates. Amazon has it for close to $10, which feels really high — I feel like you can grab it at your local drugstore for under $5.

Readers, how about you — which are your three most expensive beauty products, and your three least expensive beauty products? Which ones are worth the splurge?

7 Comments

  1. Expensive:

    My Dr. Dennis Gross red light/blue light mask. Worth it, I think.
    Dyson Airwrap. Not worth it. Used it once, let my daughter borrow it and never got it back. She doesn’t use it either.
    Dermaflash. Worth it after I got an infection from using a cheap drugstore blade.

    Cheap:
    Trader Joe’s hand cream – AWESOME.
    Trader Joe’s manuka oil -works as well as Bobbi Brown face oil although it lacks the nice fragrance.
    Vanicream, slathered over tretinoin

  2. Love this!

    Most expensive:
    Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer
    YSL Touche Éclat Awakening Concealer
    Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peels

    Least expensive:
    Target brand disposable 5-blade razors – they are just as good as the name brand and I usually end up getting them for around half the price
    La Roche Posay Cicaplast B5 – for my dry, sensitive skin, it’s better than any of the moisturizers I’ve spent literal thousands on
    Tree Hut Body Scrubs – influenced by my teen daughter, but they smell so, so good and leave my skin so smooth!

    Least expensive:

  3. If fragrance is a beauty product, that’s where all my money goes.

    I think the best splurges for makeup & skincare are effective prescriptions like tretinoin and my rosacea topicals, but I also think great makeup brushes are worth it (my best are Bobbi Brown.)

    I also believe foundation is where you splurge. I have BB cream/foundations ranging from $45 to $80, but have never had an ounce of luck with drugstore foundations.

    My $60ish annual Beauty Pie membership has paid for itself over and over (member since 2021) because I can buy really nice formula skin and body care for much less than I’d otherwise pay for the same level of product.

  4. most expensive:
    Shark dryer, $250ish IIRC
    Sisley foundation (sisleya le teint), $210
    skinceuticals $182

    noteworthy: Westman Atelier lipstick palette, $85 (but the red is so good!)

    cheapest:
    clinique black honey
    OPI nailpolish
    The Ordinary Glycolic

  5. Most expensive:
    Dyson Air Wrap—I love it and often travel with it
    I splurge on the Poems from the Lab vitamin c serum (still cheaper than others I’ve used and works really well for me)
    A splurge for its category is the duo Chanel lipstick but the Rosewood one is the best color for me and that stuff wears like iron without drying my lips

    Budget
    You’ll pry my Ponds cold cream out of my cold dead hands. It’s the best makeup remover before I cleanse

    Makeup wise, I like the Merit face oil. Every foundation I wear looks a million times better with that underneath. I’ve tried more expensive and like this so much more

  6. Expensive: Paula’s Choice Clinical 1% retinol, $65. Usually lasts for at least three-four months though a recent bottle lasted only 1.
    Paula’s Choice ultralight super antioxidant serum $45. I use it as my moisturizer and last 3-4 months
    Nuxe Neroli Huille Prodigiusse (spelling?), ~$50. Lasts a year but keeps my legs from going crazy with itching in winter

    Cheap: Kiss me heroine brown/black mascara, $12
    Everything else seems to be in $20 range

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