Splurge vs. Save (product, lotion, tone, light)

[jade408]

I was pondering this one, so I thought I would ask. Are there any products (beauty/clothing/accessories) that you splurge on? What do you "save" on.

Here is my lists:
Splurge:
Purses - I am of the old school club, where everyone needs to have a good bag, good shoes, and a good watch. I also find the nicer bags last longer. Vs the cheap ones.
Watches - Splurge. See above. Although I did get burned on a nice watch once. Since I am going to wear it almost daily, it is worth it!
Foundation - I don't do drugstore foundation since a) they usually don't have my shade. b) a lot of the ones in my shade are the wrong tone. c) it is more efficient to just go to the department store, have the workers recommend something and buy it vs trying all of the drugstore options, and the return/purchase/return cycle. Not a big makeup person, so I'd just rather get it done quickly.
Skin care - I spend more on skin care since a) my skin is really dry so cheaper lotions don't work, b) since foundation is so hard to find, it is better to work on my base so I don't need it.
Perfume - new splurge for me. I was getting sick of everyone having my scent, since I tend to like those "hits" like CK One, Clinique Happy, Be Delicious, and D&G Light Blue are all pretty much the perfect scents for me, and everyone else. I was getting annoyed. So I needed to branch out and look harder.


Save:
basics - t-shirts, cardigans, skirts - I have been burned when spending more on cardigans. Case in point, I got a target cardigan about 10 years ago for $10. It just died a couple of months ago. I grabbed an H&M grey sweater and a thicker one from banana republic a few months apart. The BR was piling almost immediately, and looks terrible now. The H&M one is going strong with the tiniest bit of piling after about 5 years and looks pretty good. I have a cardigan I love I got from nordstroms, and I just noticed a tiny hole. Sadly, it was to replace another Gap one I loved that I got on sale and lasted for 6 years. But it tore when it got caught on a branch. Maybe that thread can fix my Nordies one. Things that make you go hmmm....
Evening bags - sadly my life has no use for clutches. But I still like to feel fancy once and a while. Target is a great source of these. Every season they have really cute on trend ones. And they tend to go on clearance, so I pick them up for $10-15.

Combo of splurge and save:
Shoes - I seem to splurge on heels that get little wear, save on summer shoes, and splurge or save on flats. I have splurged on Kenneth Cole shoes (heels and flats) and they are great. I even have a 10 year old pair that is still around, and looking good. I finally threw out 1 pair after 4 years due to wear. They were pony. That is pretty good for a delicate material that I wore to death! I am very mean to my flats. On the other hand, I splurged on some Calvin Klein flats and they barely lasted 6 months before looking destroyed. I determined that CK shoes suck (I have another CK pair, same problem). I hit Payless and Nordstrom for shoes. And the long lasting ones can be surprising. I have a few 10+ year old Payless sandals sitting around in my closet that I can't bear to part with, I got two pairs in different colors since they were so cute.
Dresses - I go high and low on these. I have purchases some cute ones from Target, H&M and Kohls over the years that have help up well and look great. And I have splurged on nicer ones for mostly work. You never know where the winner will come from!

How about you, where do you splurge or save?

[swgirl926]

This is kind of a tough question because my purchases could be considered splurges OR saves, depending on how you look at it. I know that price and/or brand does not always mean higher quality, but I would rather spend a little more on a brand or a product that I know I like and that I will use (and can find on sale!) than purchase something that costs less, but that I won't wear or that I have to keep replacing.

I won't cheap out on undergarments, though. Or skincare. However, the way I go through hand lotion, it makes more sense for me to buy the 99 cent tube of Carmex than the $10 tube of L'Occitane.

Guess you can say I save on accessories because I don't really buy them. Not much of an accessories person.

[Ringo1]

Splurges: Foundation, Moisturizer, Retin A; one good skin serum

Saves: Drugstore mascara, finishing powder, eyemakeup remover; Cetaphil Cleanser for face

Splurges (Clothes) - Shoes ~ I have to buy good shoes for running, working out, and dress shoes for work.

Saves: Tshirts; workout clothes; yoga pants and general 'I'm in public but walking the dog clothes'.

[weezycom]

splurges: a few pieces of fine jewelry worn daily or almost daily (2 rings, 1 bracelet, 2 pairs of earrings), excellent skin cream/eye cream; regular professional manis/pedis; MAC mascara, eye primer, concealer

saves: drugstore skin cleansers & scrubs, eye & cheek color, foundation, sunscreen; trendy costume jewelry