SPLURGE VS SAVE: LIP EDITION

Happy Thursday, everyone – but most importantly: HAPPY Valentine’s Day!! In honor of the day of LOVE and all the kiss kiss kissing you are going to be doing today – I thought we’d head into the next segment of splurge vs save: LIP edition. 😉 I know there are SO MANY different kinds of lip products on the market and it can be INSANELY difficult to navigate all of it and know when to spend your money and when to save it. Lips are one of those things that ARE super personal – but honestly, so many can be duped out with cheaper alternatives. This is the one area where I feel like my drugstore favorites outrank my high end faves every single time (almost). Let’s dive into this.

SHOP THIS POST:

---

SPLURGE VS SAVE: LIP EDITION

Lip Scrubs

Lip scrubs are SO good for your lips and quite honestly – I do not use them enough. You should ideally be using them at night before bed but truth be told I probably remember to do that once every 8 weeks maybe. I do try to scrub my lips prior to wearing a matte liquid lipstick just because they pick up on EVERY loose piece of skin on your mouth and it SHOWS. I really like both of these brands – and they perform almost the same to me. The E.L.F. one is a little bit harsher and more “scrubby” than the Bliss one but they both get the job done. 

BEST high-end recommendation: Bliss Fabulips Lip Scrub – $15

BEST drugstore recommendation: E.L.F. Cosmetics Lip Exfoliator – $3

Lip Balm

Guys. I’m going to save you some time: you never need another lip balm than Physicians Formula Organic Lip Treatment. Ever. Just don’t even bother with anything else ever. It’s got SUCH nice packaging, it feels way more bougie than it is. It lasts a long time, it feels soft on the lips, it adds a nice shine so it’s almost like wearing a gloss. It has such a nice scent, too. There are NO cons. It’s the best. If you WANT to spend more on a lip balm because you have cash to burn or whatever – I love the brand Sugar and their plain lip balm does a spectacular job (but not better than Physicians Formula #sorrynotsorry).

BEST high-end recommendation: Physicians Formula Organic Lip Treatment – $7.95

BEST drugstore recommendation: Sugar Lip Balm – $24

Lip Gloss

This was SUCH a tough one for me because I realized I don’t really own any drugstore glosses!! I mean, I do, but not NEARLY as many as I have high end. I tend to be a real snob about gloss formulas and so I’m incredibly picky. If I want something clear and super glossy – my Glossier gloss takes the actual cake. If I want colors to choose from an a smooth formula – it’s a tie between my Buxom glosses and my Dose of Colors gloss. 

BEST high-end recommendation: Glossier Clear Lip Gloss – $30 | Dose of Colors Lip Gloss – $17

BEST drugstore recommendation: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss – $5.99

Lip Liners

Lip liners are a bit whatever for me because I almost NEVER use them. If I do need to reach for a lip liner – it’s nearly ALWAYS my BH Cosmetics liners. They are crazy pigmented, smooth during application and blend out beautiful underneath glosses or lipsticks. If I want something high end – my Urban Decay liners work really well, as do my Lime Crime glosses. They are both great options.

BEST high-end recommendation: Urban Decay Cosmetics 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil – $21

BEST drugstore recommendation: BH Cosmetics Waterproof Lip Liner – $5

Matte Liquid Lipstick

This was a tough one. I use a lot of matte liquid lipsticks and I HATE a lot of matte liquid lipsticks. My holy grail matte liquid lipstick (and you guys have heard me talk about this in a million and one videos) is my Sephora Collection Liquid Lip Stain. It’s $7 and the actual BEST. It has a really thin formula so you barely feel it on your lips and it dries so comfortably. 10/10 would recommend every time. 

BEST high-end recommendation: Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick – $21

BEST drugstore recommendation: Sephora Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick – $14

Matte Tube Lipstick

Loreal is definitely one of my tube lipstick holy grails. It’s super affordable and the color pay off is FABULOUS. I love the how it glides on super creamy, and then dries down to a perfect matte. Downside – it isn’t kiss-proof, that’s for sure (I don’t know a tube lipstick that TRULY is). In terms of high end – Urban Decay tube lipsticks will always be one of my number one lipsticks. Their formula is my favorite for cream + matte tube lipsticks but for matte, they have the best lasting power by far.

BEST high-end recommendation: Urban Decay Vice Lipstick – $19

BEST drugstore recommendation: Loreal Paris Colourriche Matte Lipstick – $5.97

Matte Lip Crayons

My all-time favorite matte lip crayons are the Nudestix ones!! They are SO good, and the color payoff is phenomenal. I also just really love what the brand stands for and I think they have a lot of great neutral colors. They don’t have a ton of brights if that is more your style – so I’d recommend Ulta’s brand lip crayon is AWESOME and they have a bunch of different colors (plus for $8 you can’t go wrong).

BEST high-end recommendation: Nudestix Magnetic Matte Lip Color – $24

BEST drugstore recommendation: ULTA Matte Lip Crayon – $8

Liquid Lipstick

If you want a liquid lipstick but want to skip the dryness of a matte – there are a few options (though not an overwhelming amount). One is the Colourpop Satin Liquid Lip. It’s GREAT because it’s super inexpensive and still dries down but without the matte feeling. It isn’t kiss-proof but it gets the job done. TooFaced makes the best liquid lipstick (their Melted line) in the high end realm that isn’t matte. It’s more of a “velvet” formula and it has a little doe foot applicator. They also have DOZENS of colors to choose from.

BEST high-end recommendation: TooFaced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick – $21

BEST drugstore recommendation: Colourpop Ultra Satin Liquid Lipstick – $6.50

Cream Tube Lipstick

Urban Decay (as I mentioned above) is what I will always pick for tube lipstick. Their cream formulas are pigmented, creamy, and last longer than the drugstore counterpart. If you do want to save a bit of $$ – try the brand new Almay lipsticks! They aren’t QUITE as pigmented as the UD ones – but they get the job done and they don’t bleed into your lip lines.

BEST high-end recommendation:Urban Decay Vice Lipstick – $19

BEST drugstore recommendation: Almay Lip Vibes Lipstick – $8

Cream Lip Crayons

Literally do not look any further than the Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick. It’s the BEST lip crayon on the market, and it’s only $9. If you REALLY want to spend extra money, the Bite Beauty lip crayon is fabulous and they have a ton of great colors. They have a variety of finishes from cream, metallic and shimmer.

BEST high-end recommendation: Bite Beauty Lip Crayon – $24

BEST drugstore recommendation: Neutrogena MoistureSmooth Color Stick – $8

PIN THIS FOR LATER:

---

I truly hope that this post helps you to determine which lip products you want to save up for and which you can speed over to your drugstore to pick up. It can be so helpful to have someone there to help you navigate through the murky waters of high end vs drugstore makeup.

What is your favorite type of lip product? Is your fave brand drugstore or high end?! Let me know in the comments below!