New feature alert!
This entry is a cheap/steep/chic entry where I review a higher-end product and compare it to recommended dupes. I have some entries lined up for you all that I hope will either put some extra pennies in your pockets or give you that one last push of encouragement to just go ahead and spend the damn monies. Treat yo self, honey.
I need to start by giving my little sister, Kate, a big shout out. KATE!!! Science tells us that it's the elder sister's duty to teach the youngest sister everything about life and love and lipstick...except in my family. We acknowledge that we have taught each other a lot about how to live life. But when it comes to beauty products, my sister takes me to school constantly and I'm grateful.
I live in a drugstore bubble. I like it there. Drugstores are comfortable, familiar and 'affordable.' My sister has no shame in her drugstore game but she also takes it up a notch and explores specialty, high-end stores and beauty products. I used to shy away from stores like Sephora (aka HEAVEN) because I was certain that I'd be like a four-year-old in a pet store. "OMG!!! SO MANY CUTE PUPPIES!!! I WANT THEM ALL!!! LET ME TAKE THEM ALL HOME!!"
I'll be real with you and let you know that I was exactly like that my first time in Sephora (which was chaperoned by my sister.) I was all like, "MARC JACOBS MAKES NAIL POLISH! THEY HAVE NARS ORGASM HERE! I'VE ONLY HEARD ABOUT THAT IN MAGAZINES! YOU'RE TELLING ME I CAN TRY ON YSL LIPSTICK?!" It was a lot to process. I narrowly escaped without short-circuiting my brain. I think my soul left my body for a minute and I looked down and just saw my body all aglow with euphoria.
My heart also broke no less than 25 times while I was in there because even though everything looked special and amazing and life-changing, girl, you can't take every puppy home with you. That adds up in a hurry.
Here's the thing, though. My sister, in her quarter-century of wisdom once told me: "Girl, you can keep buying cheap makeup that you want to perform or look like the more expensive stuff. But you're probably going to end up spending just as much on trail-and-erroring a ton of cheap stuff when you could just bite the bullet and get the 'good stuff' right off the bat." LEGIT. PREACH IT.
It makes sense, right? You can spend time and energy trying to find a "dupe" for a higher-end product that you love or you can just cut out the middle man and get on with your life. Personally, I think this makes the most sense EVER but I also can't leave my drugstore days behind and honestly a steeper price doesn't always equal a better quality product. I'm going to need some extra change in my retirement fund later on in life for, like, clinical aesthetic treatments because at that point I don't think Cover Girl is going to cut it like she does now.
The cheap/steep/chic feature on Amateur Life & Style has the express purpose of me sharing my triumphs and fails walking the fine line between the drugstore and the specialty stores. Sometimes my verdict will be to go with the cheap. Sometimes my verdict will be to go with the steep. 100% of the time my goal is to be chic and help you do the same if, you know, that's your thing. No judgement if it's not. Though I have makeup on right now, I also am currently wearing the same pair of my husband's wool socks that I've been rocking for over two weeks. So, yeah. I'm not going to define chic for you. It's all relative.
First edition cheap/steep/chic product: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment
Check out the Fresh website here to learn more about their products
Behold: my very own tube of Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Honey
Until about six months ago, I'd never heard of the Fresh line. I have a lady friend (shout out to Wendy) whose makeup game is always on point, especially her pout. Like any freak, I creeped her Pinterest after weeks of admiring her lip game and found a lot of Fresh Sugar products pinned. I eventually acted like a normal person and chatted her up about the product line in person. I knew I could trust her feedback because Wendy keeps it real and she appreciates value and, again, every time I run into her #flawlessface.
The next time I went to Sephora, I did something I rarely do (because GERMS) and I applied a sample of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Honey. And all the angels rejoiced. Any my lips felt like a hundred miniature puppies wearing cashmere sweaters were snuggling on them. And I felt ALIVE. And then I spent the next 30 minutes debating purchase. And then I spent the next four months stopping into Sephora and applying testers of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. And then my mother-in-law gave me a Sephora gift card for my birthday. AND THEN I CRIED HAPPY TEARS. AND THEN I BOUGHT IT THE NEXT DAY.
A tube of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment (tinted) will run you about $23.00. A tube of the Advanced Lip Treatment or Serum from Fresh will run upwards of $25. And I will tell you it is worth every penny. This product delivers moisture, even color, smooth application, and it has a scent and flavor that is light and sweet with just a hint of lemon. It doesn't make the back of your throat go "ARCHGKA." If you know what I'm talking about, can I get an AMEN? Kate, you see me. I keep my tube in my bag. I can just grab one product and my lips feel buttery-smooth with medium color coverage. I love it.
I love it so much that I'm rationing it. And that's totally backwards. Why even buy it if I'm going to be stingy with it, right? Old habits die hard. I went on the hunt for a dupe of Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment because I can't spend $100 a month on lip stuff...and Fresh is that good that it was a real concern of mine.
My research lead me to purchase a tube of Deep Renewal by Blistex. At under $3, that's a purchase I can get a little "risky" with. You know what I found out? Blistex makes a really reliable dupe for Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. Application is equally smooth. Hydration is long-lasting. Buttery sensation is in full effect. Even the scent/flavor is pretty close (mild, slightly sweet, and a hint of sweetness without the ARCHGKA feeling.) It does not come in a tinted color so that's an optional advantage that Fresh has.
I now keep a tube of Deep Renewal at hand when I'm at home and don't need to be all "fancy" and also have access to my lipsticks and such to layer on top for color. I throw on Deep Renewal before bed and throughout the day here and there. I feel like I've found a good balance between cheap and steep. Blistex allows me to increase the longevity of my tube of Fresh and my tube of Fresh increases the longevity of my life (well, not really.)
Verdict: Fresh is worth the steep price BUT if you want to achieve similar results, the cheap Blistex route is a great alternative.
Homemade sugar lip scrub* + Blistex Deep Renewal + NYX Butter Lipstick in Pop = Fresh Lip Treatment in Honey
My top lip is covered in Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Honey; bottom with my cheap concoction
Little to no difference in look or feel, just application.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Whether you're going to spend it making out with a significant other or a rando or with a box of wine, why not have amazing lips?
*find the recipe to the DIY lip scrub I love and use here on RosyChicc.com
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