Drugstore vs. high-end: Whats worth buying and skipping for every beauty category

Welcome to your official Beauty Bible.As a beauty tester and commerce reporter, I’ve tried pretty much everything, from the luxury shelves at Sephora to the travel-size bins at Target.After accumulating enough serums, mascaras, moisturizers, foundations and hair products to fill a small bathroom (or several), I’ve developed some thoughts about where it *actually* makes sense to spend more.Because here’s the thing: a higher price tag doesn’t automatically mean a better product.

Sometimes, that $10 drugstore find performs just as well as — or even better than — a $50 alternative.Other times, I’ve tested a luxury formula and immediately understood what the extra money was buying.That’s why I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all answer to the drugstore-versus-high-end debate.

The best place to save or splurge can change dramatically depending on the beauty category, the ingredients, how often you use a product and what you actually want it to do.So, I’m breaking it all down category by category: what I’d buy at the drugstore, what I’d splurge on at a beauty counter and what I think you can skip altogether at either price point.

Click to jump to a specific section:Cleansers | Serums | Eye Creams | Moisturizers | SPF | Face Masks | Bodycare | Shampoos | Conditioners & Hair Masks | Heat Protectants & Styling Products | Blow Dryers & Heat Tools | Primers, Foundations, Tinted Moisturizers, Powders & Setting Sprays | Concealers | Bronzers | Blushes | Eyeshadow | Eyeliners | Mascaras | Lip ProductsCleanser is one of the categories where I’m especially reluctant to spend a fortune, since it spends so little time on the skin.That said, I make an exception when a formula does double duty exfoliating, removing waterproof makeup or just leaving my skin noticeably happier after washing.Save: Like most people, CeraVe lives on my bathroom counter and hardly ever leaves.

I’ve been using its Foaming Facial Cleanser since middle school...