My first ever... high end make-up

So here is my confession - I am incredibly stingy. I always shop at primark and you will often catch me in the reduced section at the supermarket. Im not skint and im certainly not rich, i just love a bargain. It is for this reason that i am 26 and i have never bought myself any high end make up. Sure, i have received the odd juicy tube for christmas and i havent turned down some clinique samples but when it comes to biting the bullet and purchasing some high end staples, no.

This last weekend i visited my mum and we went into cardiff. Whilst in the debenhams there i was suddenly faced with the strong desire to lose my mac virginity... where i live in worcestershire we do not have a mac store any where near us! I spent a good while deliberating which lipsticks i really liked and plastered my hand with swatches but when it came down to the nitty gritty, i realised the only place to start was with a 217 brush!

Who hasn't heard good things about this brush? everyone owns and loves this brush and i just knew i needed this brush and i even found myself explaining to the lady at the cashier that this was an investment. This cost me £19 which did make my thrifty eyes water ever so slightly.. luckily this brush and my next little purchase covered any sign of tears up perfectly.

 

I then, of course headed through the beauty department head sky high to avoid any more weakness. Unfortunatly Urban decay called out to me like a siren and resistence was non existent. i looked at all of the naked pallets and realised that everyone needs at least one naked pallet. I eased my way in and went for a basics which are cheaper at £22. Although the naked basics 2 has recently launched, after plenty of crucial swatching i came to the conclusion that i prefer the lightest highlight shade (venus) in this original basics pallet.

 



 

As you can see in the above swatches, these eyeshadows are extremely pigmented and easy to work with. They are perfect for creating a smokey eye or for a casual every day look i quite like to use 'walk of shame' or 'naked 2' all over the lid.

After caving at mac and urban decay i then moved onto clinique for some moisture surge. This is when my sensible brain came back into play and stopped me from doing my wallet any more damage so the moisture surge will have to wait until next time!

Although i am a loyal drugstore make up fan, i plan to continue splashing out occasionally to introduce some high end essentials into my collection. Do you have any high end recommendations or staples that you swear by?