I love me a good mini, easy to throw in your purse, easy to travel with, and definitely gives me a sense of achievement when I hit pan (let's be real, minis are the only makeup items I will be able to hit pan on). I get my mini fix from Sephora, either as part of Sephora Favorites kit (check out their holiday kits, they are total value for money), samples, or straight from the Travel Section.
One question that frequently daunts me is  "Am I getting a better value out of a mini?". Not 99% of the time, but does it make any sense to invest in one?. Let's put the question to test!

These are some of the minis/samples that I am lovin':

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer
I do own the full-size of the product, but I prefer the lil one for travel. The bronzer is slightly warm, I use this to contour and not bronze per se. Nevertheless, the product is smooth and blendable, does not turn patchy or fade over time.

Is it worth it?

Size	Weight (g)	Cost ($)	Cost/gm	Verdict
Full	10	30	3	Full size is the better deal.
Mini	4	15	3.75

There is not much price difference if you break it down to cost/gm. So, if you contour every single day, full size would be a better option, else go for travel size.

MAC Prep and Prime
Again I do own a full-size of this product, and I keep the mini one in my purse for quick hydration. I am not a big fan of the micro glitters, but on days when I don't use foundation, this product gives my face a glowy luminous look.

Is it worth it?

Size	Weight (ml)	Cost ($)	Cost/ml	Verdict
Full	50	42	0.84	Mini is the better deal.
Mini (not shown in the pic)	30	12	0.4

Surprising, I am still baffled by the calculation. There is a huge price difference between the mini and full size. One of the rare times, when David outshine Goliath.

Sephora Collection Eye Pencil
This is one of my favorite kohl pencils. The jet black pencil does not smudge on my watery eyes. I tried a mini that came in one of the Sephora Favorites set, and I loved it so so much that I purchased a backup from the Bangalore Sephora, and I then again purchased two more backups from Sephora US.

Is it worth it?

Size	Weight (g)	Cost ($)	Cost/gm	Verdict
Full	1.2	10	8.33	Full size is the better deal.
Mini	0.7	6	8.5

There is not much price difference if you break it down to cost/gm. I would suggest going in with full size as you don't get much use out of the mini anyway (that is unless you use a blade to sharpen the lil dwarf).

Jo Malone Blackberry and Bay Perfume
Jo Malone produces some of the most unique scents in the market. I only own the sample in Blackberry and Bay, and whenever I wear the scent, I can't stop sniffing myself. As much as they are unique, they don't have a good wear time like Dior or Chanel. I am planning to buy the 30 ml bottle during the VIB sale. The hefty tag of 135 dollars for 100 ml is a major Debbie Downer.

Is it worth it?

Size	Weight (ml)	Cost ($)	Cost/ml	Verdict
Full	100	135	1.35	Full size is the better deal.
Mini	30	65	2.1

The difference in cost/ml baffled me. There is a huge difference between the mini and full size. Now, whether you want to purchase the full size totally depends on your ability to drop 135 dollars! I may still go in with a mini as it is easier on my purse.

Marc Jacobs Le Marc Creme Lipstick
Marc Jacobs lipstick formula is really comfortable on my lips, long wearing and there is a shade for everyone. The 'worth it' calculation was surprising! I couldn't find the mini for the lipstick, but the calculation was based off on this set.

Is it worth it?

Size	Weight (gm)	Cost ($)	Cost/gm	Verdict
Full	3.4	30	8.82	Mini is a better deal.
Mini	1.41	10	7.09

If you get to try Marc Jacobs, mini lipstick, I would definitely suggest you look at the holiday kits as they are totally worth the hype and moolah.

So, what do you guys think? If given a choice, would you prefer mini size or full-size product?

Current Favorites

Long since I checked-in with you guys! How'ya doing?

Bringing you my current favorite beauty products:

Marc Jacobs Highliner in Cocoa l $25

I am so petty that I wouldn't purchase such a costly item on full price 🙊. I received the Marc Jacobs eyeliner as part of a Sephora Favorites kit. The highliner comes in a twistable pencil format. The shade, Cocoa can be best described as a shimmery chocolate brown color. The shade though creamy, doesn't budge and stays on my lids for 6 hours. One con is that the tip of the pencil may become blunt very fast and hence drawing a thin precise line can be a pain. Also, there is a sharpener on the opposite end of the pencil, which I haven't used.

Urban Decay Brow Box in Brown Sugar l $30

Recently, for a family function, I go a lot of compliments on my brows! yes, people, BROWS! The Urban Decay brow box has been a brow saver last month. The kit comes with two shades of brow powders, a non-tinted wax, two tiny brow brushes, and a tweezer. The kit also comes with a handy mirror.

The darker brow powder is a warm, dark-brown shade and is suitable for the arch and outer brow, whereas the lighter brow powder is a cool, muted-brown shade suitable for the inner section where the brow hair is sparse. Applying two shades of brow powder gives my brows a very natural appearance.

Tarte Amazonian Blush in Supreme l $7 

This blush was part of last year's limited edition holiday collection blush set, a set of 4 blushes, each weighing 1.5g. I purchased this set from the Tarte's website at a discounted rate ($28). The shade, Supreme can be described as a matte, nude peach. The blush is very pigmented and applies beautifully to the skin. The shade looks very natural on my tan skin (NC42), giving my cheeks a natural flush of color. The product stays on my cheeks for 4-5 hours, post which it fades evenly.

Dose of Colors Liquid Lipstick in LosAnjealous l $18

Dose of Colors is my favorite comfort matte liquid lipstick formula of all time. Non-drying, lightweight, lasts for 8+ hours, doesn't fade or create a crazy white line on my lips. Post heavy meals, the shade lightly wears off from the inner rim of the lips, nothing a good lip balm can't fix.

The shade, LosAnjealous is a bright pinky-red that brightens up my face. The color is something that I wouldn't wear on a day to day basis, but for a function or wedding, the shade is definitely a head turner. I purchased mine directly off the Dose of Colors website.

Zoeva Calli Graphic Liquid Liner l $27

This dream liquid liner came as part of a 4-piece black box.  The tip of the liner is stiff but soft enough to bend at will for that sharp wing. The liquid, however, is not a dry matte, and even on my oily lids, the wing stayed for 8 hours without fading.

Swatches

These are some of my favorites, what are yours?