I am a makeup lover, always have and always will be. The art of applying good makeup is a very powerful skill. It takes the right tools and products to get the job done. The right makeup can turn any plain Jane to a beautiful goddess, so I had to learn the skill for myself. Thanks to YouTube and the very talented beauty vloggers, who upload beauty tutorials, I have fine tuned my makeup skills for the better. With a lot of practice, I am better than how I was years ago. I am still learning though, as long as we keep living, we keep learning right?
My makeup bag at the moment is all about MAC, Mary Kay, Fashion Fair, The Body Shop, FACE atelier and a few other brands. It is currently a mixture of high-end and drugstore brands, but more of high-end, and MAC in particular, and I will like to change that this year. I will like to experiment with NARS, Barry M, Charlotte Tilbury, Tom Ford, and Illamasqua. I have had my eye on these beauty brands for a while now, thanks to the millions of blogs YouTube beauty channels.
When it comes to makeup or pretty much anything, I prefer high-end brands to the cheap drugstore brands, because I have been there and done that, and the fact remains, these brands are cheap for a reason. I have used and still use many drugstore makeup brands and majority of them are no good, no shade intended, just my honesty opinion. There is a reason why MAC goes for £15.50 and a regular drugstore brand goes for £6.50 per lipstick.
The cheaper brands are usually not long-lasting, and one thing I need is for my makeup to stay in place for at least 12 hours. I can live with touch ups here and there, when required, but I can’t live with applying my makeup, only for it all to completely disappear after a meal or a long walk. Having said that I do remember going into a John Lewis some months ago to test out a high-end face powder, I heard so much about thi particular face powder so I was eager to try it out. It was for about £30, so it was quite pricey. I was extremely disappointed after the face powder was applied on my face, it looked like I had NOTHING on. Definitely not worth the £30 price tag or maybe the beauty consultant got my shade wrong. Whatever the case may have been, the experience left a bitter taste in my mouth, and I was glad I did not order it online before trying.
I guess the jury is kind of out on whether most high-end makeup brands last longer and look better than the drugstore brands.
Another issue I have is, majority of these drug store makeup brands here in the UK come in limited shades, for example, I am unable to get my shade of powder, concealer or foundation in a regular drug store. I find most of them do not cater to the black skin, even if some of them claim they do. I know some pale skin ladies also struggle to get their right shades too. I have discovered that the ‘expensive’ do the work, and cater to my skin colour, so I don’t bother with cheap brands.
I am one of those people who look at the price of a beauty product before buying. I believe beauty does not come cheap and I have tried and tested many products on both ends and I still believe it. What do you think? I will love to read your views. Drop me a comment.
Thanks for reading.
I definitely agree with you to some extent. When I first tried NARS foundation it was like a total revelation. However I draw the line with some brands. E.G I think the LouBoutin lip sticks are incredible but not worth the money at all when compared to lower priced versions.
Jess
Philocalist.co.uk
Nah I won’t ever go near a Louboutin Lipstick. Only if I am gifted of course. Thanks Jess x
Hi Jess. I agree that the CL lipstick was way too pricey. As cute as the packaging is I won’t even spend a dime on a Louboutin lipstick. I believe the brand should stick to shoes and nothing else.
I agree in most senses that I prefer higher end beauty products because they are higher quality in a lot of areas but I do have a number of drugstore items which are fantastic quality. I think it’s about trying a load of things and seeing what works for you x
Yea I agree. I will be experimenting more this year. Thanks Rhian x
My foundation is a good make and I love my Bobbi Brown eyeshadows, blusher and lipstick. Most of the time I just wear a face cream and that tends to be Nivea or Dermalogica – depending on my budget at the time!
I love Dermalogica products so much. Thanks Sue.
I do agree. But I also think that it all depends what you buy. There are some make up and other products out there that are only expensive because of the make. I am not a huge fan of make and infact haven’t worn make up since December , only mascara on a daily basis. Foundation etc I only wear if I am going out for a special occasion. This was an interesting post to read
Thank you for reading x
I tend to go for high end products much more now – although there are some good drugstore brands I like – L’Oreal and Rimmel (the latter for lipsticks!) stand out for me, and I also really like Topshop’s beauty range!
Yea I like Rimmel eye liners a lot.
Thanks for this post Stella. It supports my belief. I have tried and tested high-end and low-end products and the difference is as clear as night and day with majority of the products. It is very true that the cheaper products hardly cater to our skin color. They are usually two shades lighter for us. I know some people that makes the cheaper version work because of their skills in applying makeup but for novice like me, I just couldn’t. Like I have mentioned before in one of my beauty post, a lip gloss from Maybelline or Covergirl is not in the same category as a lip gloss from Mac, Lancome or Dior. On the other hand, my Maybelline mascara seems to do a better job than my Laura Mercier brand. As for my foundation, forget drug store brand. It’s Dior all the way and it is perfect for my skin.
Thanks for reading Sade. Will try out Dior foundation, only their eyeshadow years ago.
You are so pretty! Love the make-up on you, and Lorea’l is definitely a winner!
xoxo, Vanessa
http://www.WhatWouldVWear.net
Thanks Vanessa x
I don’t spend a lot of money on make up as it isn’t something that is important to me, so it’s not a priority. But, if it is important to someone, then I can totally see why they spend money on it.
Yeap true x
I have that problem too.Because my skin has a yellow undertone it can be quite difficult finding a foundation that matches the shade of my skin. I have to say I am not a fan of MAC ( yet) as I do love my drugstore brands like Sleek & Revlon.
I like Sleek. They have cool eyeshadows. Revlon lipglosses are Okish. Thanks Ana x
see I worry about spending too much on makeup in case it isn’t very good I would much rather buy drug store because a few pounds is better to waste than an expensive product I often see items on TV and think they look great but what if they don’t do as they say and I have wasted all that money
The last few years I have been using lots of drugstore products. I think they are so much better than say 10-15 years ago! They have improved so much. Concerning foundation I am now quite the fan of Max Factor face finity, which is about 15 EUR I guess. And my eye shadow palettes are all so cheap at 3-4 EUR (from Catrice and Essence) but they’re really quite good. If I buy high end products it’s usually Estée Lauder. And I looooove the Chanel and Dior lipsticks 🙂
Yea I agree with the fact that they have improved compared to years ago. I love Dior lipsticks a lot.
I’m definitely a high end gal! I love Chanel, Dior, Charlotte Tilbury, Mac, Anastasia Beverly Hills and more. Although I do love Kiko, Makeup Geek and Revlon, which are drugstore-priced brands. Lovely post!!
Thanks Katie x
Not all expensive things are good and not all cheap things are bad. It applies to make up, shoes and bags etc.
Agree with your view. I have tried some affordable products that are good e.g Revlon colour stay. You should check it out. I reviewed it too.
Sure you will share the new ones you try ☺☺ For now, I am on the high end side too ☺
Your face is gorgeous in that photo. Love 💜
Mojisola
http://www.mojintouch.com
Nice. I will review them once I get my hands on them. Thanks Moji x
Have you thought about buying make up by black UK brands?
I have such a love hate relationship with makeup these days 🙁 But I just need to take the time to find something decent – I don’t mind sending a bit more money if it works better.
Great post sugar
Charlotte x
Thanks hun x
I think high end brands often have formulations that last longer and have added benefits like SPF and anti-ageing formulas. With lip sticks I just go for the colour though, apply and blot and apply again. I feel it doesn’t matter so much with lipsticks and lip gloss as some of the cheaper brand such as L’oreal last long too.
I guess I have been unlucky with the lipsticks I tried. The cheaper ones have not been as good. Thanks Mellissa x
I do think higher end makeup brands are better and tend to last longer but I definitely feel as if drugstore brands are constantly improving too
Yea true. They are better than how they were a couple of years ago.
Personally make-up for me is so hit and miss. I understand the high-street struggle so much. I end up walking around with a face the opposite colour to my neck. At the same time, ive wasted so much money on high-end make up raved about everywhere to find it’s pants. Your make up is on point though!!!
Jay x
I know. Best to try out every makeup in the store before buying x
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I agree with you, high end makeup brands gives best results and look compared to low, but the way we apply the expensive brands also matters.
Yes it does.