Have I been sneaky about how much I've been loving mauve lipsticks in 2015? I feel like they're really on trend right now, but they're also incredibly wearable - which definitely isn't always true for trend items. For me, when it comes to lip products I really feel like there's no need to break the bank because there are amazing options at the drugstore. However, when it comes to BITE Beauty lippies, I tend to feel like they are more than worth the high end splurge and tend to be one of my favorite makeup indulgences. So how do two of my favorites from the drugstore stack up against my favorite brand for high end lippies. Like my other SPLURGE vs. SAVE posts, this isn't really about dupes as much as it is about products that perform the same function and how they measure up quality wise.

The three products that I'll be comparing today are as follows. First, on the high end side of the scale we have the BITE Beauty Matte Crème Lip Crayon in the shade Glacé. The two lower price options I have here are the Sonia Kashuk Velvety Matte Lip Pencil in Mulberry Nude and the NYX High Voltage Lipstick in the shade Flutter Kiss.

Keep reading for the comparison & swatches! Also, if you're interested in my full reviews of all three of these products, there will be links at the bottom of the post!

We've all heard about the amazing performance of the original beautyblender by now and how it gives a beautiful, airbrushed finish to every makeup look... But I think a lot of us balk at the price point, because over $20 for a sponge is just a little more than we can justify. And then, when Real Techniques released their Miracle Blending Sponge everyone was pretty much dying to get their hands on it and everyone was talking about it's a dupe for the beautyblender at a much lower price point. But how do they stack up? And for us Canadian girls, is there a comparable drugstore dupe at an even lower price point? I wanted to take a look at 3 different blending sponges and put them to the test in a SPLURGE VS. SAVE Faceoff! Like my other Faceoff's, I'm going to compare them by 3 different categories: Value, Design, and Performance.

For the full comparison and my ultimate pick, keep reading!

I've always defaulted to cleaning my makeup brushes with baby shampoo. It's gentle enough that it won't damage them but does manage to get all the gunk and grossness out of them if you scrub them well enough. That's the part I don't like. I have a lot of makeup brushes, so after swirling them each around in a palm filled with baby soft long enough to get each of them clean, my skin feels like the process mutated me into some sort of lizard creature. I was definitely looking to try something else, something solid, something that was a no brainer. Thank you, internet, for giving me both of these options! 

So... Technically the Dr. Bronner's soap isn't a brush cleanser... but it is one of the best things I've ever tried for cleaning my brushes and the most comparable lower cost option that I've been able to find for the blendercleanser by beautyblender. Much like my last FACEOFF post, I want to approach this in a kind of three-pronged comparison for, I think, the best possible conclusion.

Keep reading for ... THE FACEOFF!