topic Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE? in Beauty

HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Shanus — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 15:34:31 GMT

Polarizing and controversial but in general I prefer high end makeup/skincare over drugstore brands. OK I said it and it sounds like I'm a snob, but I do not think I'm not all alone here.

Makeup lines that create skincare (MAC has added skincare) are not my go tos either. They usually have fragrance...Lancome, Chanel, etc. I'm also not sure the research and ingredients are there. I do find Kiehl's, Skinceuticals, DRMTLGY, Paula's Choice, Tatcha, Elemis, Algenist, Perricone, etc. to be more effective. Their speciality is only skincare.

I've tried Milani, Revlon, Mabelline, and NYX and other shadows /makeup and although a few palettes, lipsticks and pencils somewhat work OK, I find fallout and not the same staying power or true shades.

My favorite makeup lines because of true colors and ease of application are Dior, Chanel, Urban Decay, Trish McEvoy, etc. for shadows. Stick shadows by Bobbi Brown and Laura Mercier. I like Estee Lauder, Westman Atilier, NARS and Bobbi Brown for foundations. I go to BB (cream blush), NARS iconic stick blushes, Laura Mercier cream blushes, Trish McEvoy Liquid Face Color (a natural looking sheer pink stain)... NARS, Chanel, Laura Mercier and Dior powder blushes. Lipsticks I tendt o purchase MAC lately.

Receiving special discounts or PR helps me to try "prestige" brands. Some are too expensive and not worth the prices to keep purchasing although some are excellent.

I know some YouTubers have videos using drugstore products and I've tried many. Some were disappointing and others were not.

Do you prefer to pay a bit more for more expensive skincare/makeup, use it sparingly if needed and see better results? Does

higher end makeup draw you in because of performance and dependability of quality?

Which brands of makeup/skincare do you gravitate towards? I'm intrested to read your thoughts.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

cjm61 — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 15:44:49 GMT

I agree @Shanus I'm the same. I don't find the priciest items the best but I have found, in my 61 years, that the mid range are superior to drugstore. I've tried drugstore for years and started weaning them out as I tried the better brands on QVC, Ulta and Sephora.

I have read many posters here make comments that "the drugstore brand worked just as well as brand X". I think this is what fits into their budget and it also justifies the cheaper price for them.

I was on a trip recently and forgot some products so went to the drugstore and purchased eyecream, face moisturizer and mascara. I did online research thoroughly checking reviews before purchasing at the store. I only purchased items that had 5 stars and none worked as well as my higher end items.

I'm sure there are a few items that may be equivalent but it doesn't save me money when I spend $10-20 here and there to find one that works. I tend to end up spending what it would have cost me to just buy the higher end item the first time.

With all that said, I am still willing to read opinions on drugstore items. I love a great deal, but it's not a good deal if the product is inferior to the higher priced one.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Desertdi — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 15:54:37 GMT

Kroger....Big Lots....Amazon

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

scatcat — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:06:20 GMT

I've found winners and losers in both high end and drug store. Hard to make a general statement

One benefit for high end is help at the counter with shade match. One benefit of drugstore is it's easier to swallow throwing away a $6 Maybelline lipstick than a $22 MAC lipstick

I agree - highly fragranced products are a no

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

FranandZoe — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:07:14 GMT

High end for me. Macy's, Sephora, etc. and QVC. However, my favorite mascara of all time was Maybelline Lash Stylist - it had a comb applicator and was just the best ever. They discontinued it and I always thought it was because people used it incorrectly - you could not let it dry between coats.

I've never found anything I like as much.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Shanus — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:08:37 GMT

I forgot to mention brushes. The ones I have from Bobbi Brown (some over 25 yrs.old), Trish McEvoy, Chanel flat paddle foundation brush, IT Double Ended Flawless Foundation Brush (my favorite) + other IT brushes, some older Smashbox brushes, too have lasted the longest.

I do have duplicates of my most used ones, so maybe that helps the longevity.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

On It — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:12:10 GMT

My experience is you get what you pay for. I have favorites that are higher end that will always be in my makeup/skincare regime. Middle priced Clinique is a staple because it does not trigger my sensitive skin. I use some drugstore level products, but they lack the staying power of the higher end products. They seem to fade away after a few hours especially colors in eyeshadow and lipstick. They are just gone.

I do not experiment or play with color like others on the board. I use essentially the same colors with only slight variations from day to evening. (Think Donna Mills' eyes.) When I apply "my face" it needs to last all day.

The best color line that I ever used was "fresh" which was bought by LVMH (Sephora.) The cosmetics were discontinued, and it evolved into a skincare line. It is possible they are in Sephora under a store brand. I will never know because I prefer shopping in department stores where access to products is controlled and no one can open something I might purchase.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Shanus — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:11:24 GMT

@FranandZoe I'm still using and replaced for many years the L'Oreal Voluminous mascara.

I replace mascara every 3 months...finished or not.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Dazlin — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:12:20 GMT

@Shanus , like you say, some high end products produce results I like, and expect. Yet, I've tried some that I wasn't pleased with, and then I feel ripped off. I'll gladly pay the higher price if I'm pleased, but im not into ridiculously high priced products. For skincare, I like Shiseido, some items from SkinMedica spf, and retinols

, although I haven't purchased for a long time. I like some Laura Mercier, urban decay eye pencils, Mac pencils, shadows and lipsticks. Benefit mascara, best ive ever used. Its kinda mixed, a little from each line and I've used some skincare from the shopping channels too. I also love when I find a drugstore item for a 1/4 of the price of higher end that does the job im looking for. That's a win for me. I like Revlon blush and a couple others, just as good as the high end...no pencils, either lip or eye I like from drugstore. Sometimes I'll find a lipstick from the drugstore I like, and sometimes I threw some out, mainly because I can't test them. So I get it home, and its not what I it looked like...so for lipsticks I'd rather go high end. Most shadows I like are high end too, but I grabbed a palette from wet n wild, and it's great. Yesterday I found a foundation from Loreal, infallible Freshwear, liquid in porcelain, no yellow...$16...its wonderful and covers imperfections and pores...sure beats $49 plus, high end....but I've liked Lancome, Shiseido, Bare Minerals, Laura mercier, to name a few. Up there in price.

Overall, I'd say, most of my choices are high end, especially skincare.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Group 5 minus 1 — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:17:23 GMT

Generally,the formulas are the same.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Texasmouse — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:17:39 GMT

With skin care, it's more about the ingredients than the price, for me. If a product has some r&d and a good reputation behind it, I'll try it. One hard and fast rule for me is that it contain no fragrance, if it's going on my face.

With makeup, I agree with @Shanus that, especially when it comes to eyeshadows, for example, the difficulty of application, fallout, and lack of color payoff is more likely to happen with drugstore brands over high- end. I recently splurged on a Chanel eyeshadow quad with some gifted money and the difference is like comparing satin to polar fleece. Having said that, I have tried some drugstore products that have filled the bill nicely. There are so many affordable lip products, for example, I would probably stick to drugstore for that category.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

cjm61 — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:20:11 GMT

@Dazlin "I've tried some that I wasn't pleased with, and then I feel ripped off."

If you purchase from QVC or Sephora you won't get ripped off. You can return items that don't work for you. Of course, this is within the return policy time frame. If you use drugstore brands you cannot return open or used cosmetics and skincare. For this reason, I don't feel you will get ripped off. I realize some items need more than the 30 day return policy. The end of the year, October and November, are good times to try a pricier item if you so wish. Since QVC has the extended return policy during that time you could try something for 3 months if needed. Just a suggestion.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Franklinbell — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:21:49 GMT

I agree pretty much. Most of my makeup is department store. Skin care is from my derm and the pharmacy! I was just washing my makeup brushes and I have a Bobbi brown and Kevin aucoin brushes that are over 25 years old.I find it is easier to match skin shades that work for me

My favorite brands are dior, channel, Chantecaille, Westman atiler, Nars, Charlotte tilbury , Bobbi brown and Mac. Charlotte has become a new favorite because the counter manger invites me to try new looks and then she gives me things which I use and share with my beauty buddies!

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

QVCkitty1 — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:23:44 GMT

I've tried many foundations, but for me Chanel has worked the best. I'm sometimes lured in by social media ads for lower end products, but I'm invariably disappointed. 🤷‍♀️

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

scatcat — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:25:26 GMT

@cjm61 wrote:
@Dazlin "I've tried some that I wasn't pleased with, and then I feel ripped off."

If you purchase from QVC or Sephora you won't get ripped off. You can return items that don't work for you. Of course, this is within the return policy time frame. If you use drugstore brands you cannot return open or used cosmetics and skincare. For this reason, I don't feel you will get ripped off. I realize some items need more than the 30 day return policy. The end of the year, October and November, are good times to try a pricier item if you so wish. Since QVC has the extended return policy during that time you could try something for 3 months if needed. Just a suggestion.

@cjm61

You can return opened and used makeup at some stores (Target, CVS...).

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Franklinbell — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:26:38 GMT

@QVCkitty1 @Agreed! I always go back!

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

cjm61 — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:27:39 GMT

@scatcat Interesting. I was not able to, I told them it didn't work and they said only if the item was defective in some way, smelled bad, expired, etc. They were very clear and said if it was opened I could not return it since it could not be resold.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

Dazlin — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:35:18 GMT

@cjm61 , I have returned drugstore items, no problem, at Walmart, or ulta. Sometimes I can't be bothered returning a cheap item, so I throw it out...oh well.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

cjm61 — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:38:48 GMT

@Dazlin You're right. I forgot to mention Ulta as a site you can return items. But, they have the higher end items as well. Wallmart, ya, they do except everything as a return. I worry a little about them as years ago I use to shop there all the time. Kids were little, things were cheap, and I bought drugstore brands. However, I purchased an item once that had obviously been opened, tried, and put back. It's not worth it for me as I haven't found any items they offer to work well enough. But they do have a good return policy.

Re: HIGH END OR DRUGSTORE?

JudyL — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:53:08 GMT

I have a mix of both. I like the high end products and like the drugstore, each for their own reasons.