We've all been there when it comes to buying dud makeup products that we expected to love. It sucks! And with UK regulations that state once a cosmetic product has been opened/used it cannot be returned, unlike in the US, so we are stuck with it. Products can be cast it off to friends and family that will hopefully make use of them but the loss is still there in monetary terms.
However, over the years I've had less regret buys when it comes to beauty because I know how much it sucks, especially with rise makeup prices and the allure of high-end makeup over all social media platforms. I'm now mindful of how I spend my money and try to always follow the below tips which if followed should result in less mistake makeup buys!
1. Try samples first
This is something I swear by if the item you have your eye on has a sample/mini version. This has led to so many successful and happy higher end purchases for me and a lot of the time especially with cream products, a low-cost sachet sample can be enough. My main three sources for makeup samples are eBay (you have to be careful of fake products... more on that below), Feel Unique Pick n' Mix Service and asking at the brands counter for a free sample of said product. eBay has been a dream for me to try out samples of some of my favourite products and to ensure there will suit my skin colour/type.
I pick up a few foundation samples of Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in the shade I thought I'd be a match for and then went on to buy it and I fell in love with DHC Velvet Skin Coat Primer after picking up a lot of 10 mini sachet samples which ended up lasting me months. To avoid fake samples/products I always check out the sellers other listing and if there are high volumes of sold out/in-demand makeup products or high quantities of all makeup products I would be wary. I also always stick with UK sellers in this case. As for Feel Unique Pick n' Mix, which I've raved about here, it really is worth checking out, both to discover new products but to see if any products you've wanted to try out are available. For £3.95 for 5 samples it really is worth it. As for the option of feeling slightly cheeky and asking for a sample of the product you want to potentially buy at a beauty counter, you will have to engage with the sales assistant and even be willing for them to apply said product onto your hand/face but then it will be much more likely that they will see you have a genuine interest in the product and will understand your request for a sample to try out at home. Trust me, they get it a lot and really don't mind! So it's totally worth being brave and enquiring about the product in order to snag that free sample.
2. Check swatches on similar skin tones and read reviews
Okay, this is an obvious one. But with any high end spend research is key! Reading reviews is my first port of call but then I will search for the product and add 'pale skin' in my search term. Of course you would search for your own skin tone description! This makes such a difference when looking on Google Images as swatches can look so different of different skin tones and what you may think looks like a bright shade against say tanned skin may looking very different on your own, either brighter or darker. Another must for me, especially if I'm spending over £20 on a product.
3. Buy a single product from a range first
Arghhh, now as a beauty addict this is a difficult one! I mean I see a new range that I instantly love and I want to buy 2-3 items from it, as a beauty addict that is only natural. But it's sadly asking for possible wasted money! I mean what if you don't like the formula that's runs through the entire range or you're displeased with long the products last on the skin. Although boring and not as fun, picking up a single product and trying it out first with the intention of treating yourself to more from the range at a later date can be damage limitation.
4. Repurpose it
Before using the above steps I often made mistake purchases and still these products are in my collection. However, all is not lost as for the most part I find ways to repurpose them and if I can't they with go to a better home. For bronzer too dark I use it as brown eyeshadow, which I love doing with all bronzers really. For concealer the wrong shade/tone it can often possibly work on the eyelids as a base. With translucent powder that looks too mattifying/cakey it can be used to mattify lipsticks and lastly that beauty sponge that just doesn't work as well as you'd imagined it can always be used for ombre nail art. As you can see most makeup products can be repurposed in some way, I mean I've even used a plain smelling shower gel as hand wash before (decanted of course) which means at least it wasn't a full on waste.
I'd love to know how you avoid mistake buys and what your last regret purchase was!
Fee xo.
