Payload

One of the reasons why I'm somewhat snobbish about pharmacy makeup vs. other makeup is because of their payload. So back to the post last week when I was talking about finding new brands, to me, one of the big criteria to love a brand is the makeup payload.

What does "payload" mean? That's the intensity of the makeup after 1 application. And by 1 application, I mean 1 brush stroke in this case.

My big pet peeve with most pharmacy makeup is that, when you apply it, you need a ton of it to get an intense color. So they have a small payload. There are several problems with small payload makeup:

• You need to pack it on... so you end up looking cakey... and it may crack.
• The more brush strokes you need to do to pack the makeup, the higher the likelihood that you'll mess up.
• It just doesn't stay as well and can actually wash down your face easily.

For all that some brands can be pricey, if you don't need to use as much makeup to get the results you want so the extra money is totally worth it for me. And, as I said, the fact that you may risk messing up the application is something that I'm willing to splurge to not have happen.

Note, though, that there are inexpensive brands that have good payloads for their money.

• NYX products have a very decent payload and are totally inexpensive. I love that they have a lot of little palettes with 3 colors. You can totally throw that in a bag for a weekend and have a few makeup scheme options. Those trio palettes run at about 8$ and the size of the colors is very reasonable. You can find NYX products at hair places (where you buy hair pieces) sometimes, definitely at Ulta, and online http://www.nyxcosmetics.com/
• I also discovered last year that L'Oreal's HIP line has a good payload. It runs at about 7-8$ and you can find sales every now and then. You can find it at any pharmacy and Ulta.
• The "120 eyeshadow palettes" are inexpensive and have an okay payload. It's barely better than pharmacy brand products but their distinct advantage is having all those different shades to play with. So I like to use it for those makeups that I don't do frequently. If I notice that a makeup scheme becomes a favorite, then I'll purchase those colors in a bigger size. (To find these palettes, do a search on eBay... with shipping and all, it comes back to around 20$.)

There are other brands, I'm sure, that are inexpensive and have that sought after payload but the brands above are some that I've worked with so I know firsthand how they fare.