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Despite having access to beauty discounts beauty and perks, Harriet Pudney’s taste is “far more expensive than I can afford.”
Harriet Pudney is a beauty aficionado and former Stuff journalist who lives in Melbourne.
OPINION: I’ve worked in fashion and beauty for the bulk of my adult life, and it really has its advantages. For one, just about all of my colleagues are women, and I very much prefer it that way.
I love men – some of my best friends are men – but many of them cannot be trusted to act right in the workplace. Not that women are above reproach, obviously, but they don’t give me anywhere near as much grief.
The other huge plus is, of course, discounted and free beauty products and clothing. If you’ve ever been to a sample sale in a warehouse and found the bargain of a century, imagine how good the pickings were before the staff raked through.
Maybe this is bragging, maybe it’s in poor taste, I don’t know. These industries don’t tend to pay very well, but the perks are undeniable.
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The downside to all this is that my taste is far more expensive than I can afford. It’s like finishing a bottle of whiskey you received as a gift and then having a heart attack when you see how much it would cost to replace: I’m forever falling in love with products that would really sting to buy full price. Of course, a lot of the time I just buy them. I’m not rich, just irresponsible. But I can’t do it every time.
This week, one of the aforementioned very cool women I work with came into the office looking even more fabulous than usual. She had been on holiday the week before, so I thought maybe I was just seeing the glow that comes with day after day of sleeping in and not checking your emails. I’m sure that was part of it, but when I told her she looked great, my colleague said, “New bronzer. Horrifically expensive.”
Further enquiries revealed that she was not bloody kidding. The Chanel Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream retails for $109. I’ll cop that for perfume, or serious skincare, but for makeup, it’s a lot.
Unfortunately, it’s also very, very good. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more natural-looking bronzer. The cream formulation ensures a velvety smooth application with no visible product. It’s like you’re brushing a tan on rather than actual makeup. Dreamy.
So if you’re in a higher tax bracket than me, I’d recommend it. If you’re not, well, you could get three really good products for less than that.
Start with the Nude by Nature Natural Glow Loose Bronzer, $50. No mention of thousands of luminous spheres here, and it is loose powder, which I always find messy, but the actual product is sound. Lightly glowy, blendable, layerable, and not orange. Hard to complain.
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One expensive product, or three more affordable options?
With your change from the price of the Chanel, you could pick up a tube of the Mco Xtendlash Lengthening Mascara, which at $24 is one of the cheapest and best tubing mascaras available. Satisfyingly black and easy to apply, once dry it will stay put until you wash your face with warm water, when it flakes away to nothing. Delightful.
Last up is a whole foundation for under $15. Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty Light Illusion Liquid Foundation, $12, compares favourably to NARS Sheer Glow, but costs the same as a cafe cabinet sandwich.
I keep telling people their skin looks great and it turns out this is what they have on. If you can brave the fluorescent lighting of Chemist Warehouse, and you need a new affordable foundation, this has your name on it. Weightless, sheer, and yet with just enough coverage. What a winner.
