I like to think that had my path taken a different turn, I'd still be as infatuated with beauty products as I am now. I also like to think I don't fill the beauty snob title as I truly do enjoy products from both ends of the spectrum - from bargain yet effective foundation purchases after a trip to Boots, to oh so worth it splurges in the beauty halls of Selfridges, both leave me equally happy. I do have to admit that nothing leaves me feeling quite as special as the odd premium beauty addition to my beauty bag.
Yes, yes we all know that a hefty price tag doesn't always equate to good quality, some brands spend more money on packaging than they do formulation. It is old hat and well know that you don't always get what you pay for but does that stop me ooh and ahhing over premium beauty brands? In a word, no.
I guess splurging out on an expensive lipstick, blusher or even an entire collection from the likes of Chanel or Charlotte Tilbury ticks a box that a quick, trot around Boots doesn't. Maybe it has something to do with the designer association, or the fact that you know that a £20 lipstick is not something you can justify daily. You can say what you want but sometimes nothing beats the feel good endorphins of purchasing that much longed after pricey lipstick. Heck you might even say that you feel a little special, not only in handing over the cash but wearing your new beauty acquisition too. Ludicrous I know but I also believe I am not alone.
In my case, I often feel more deserving of a luxury beauty product than I do a budget lipstick or foundation? Why? Well as I said above it is not something I do all that regularly (hello a gal has to eat), so any premium beauty splurge has come with weeks, if not months of saving and of course deliberation. Unlike a budget purchase, when splashing out on a luxury beauty buy, I will do my research, I will spend hours pouring over reviews, swatches and of course seeking out the best deal - do I do that for a £2 lipstick? Nope. Silly in a sense because all those disregarded "cheap" lipsticks add up and a few misguided purchases could amount to one, truly treasured item.
At this point I have somewhat lost my self in a haze of designer cosmetics but really all I want to know is what is your stance on premium cosmetic brands. Is it all you wear as you find the quality far superior? Do you leave well alone having found rival if not better cosmetic offerings on the hight street? Or are you a little like myself, a fan but a considered buyer - only treating yourself now and then?
I treat myself way too often, and sometimes the way to do that is to go with the more affordable drugstore option. They might even out perform the high-end brands, but there's nothing like buying a Charlotte Tilbury product!
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I love expensive makeup - for the most part, I'd rather have 1 high end lipstick instead of 5 drugstore ones. Even if a drugstore lipstick has a good formula, the packaging is never as sturdy or pretty, and I've seldom met a drugstore lip product that doesn't have a smell (I hate that vaguely chemical smell). When I pull out that NARS Audacious, it makes me feel pretty and classy. To me, that makes it worth the price tag. But some drugstore products are great and make me feel the same way, so it just depends!
ReplyDeleteI love my expensive make-up but its so rare I splurge on it. I usually do once a year and I refrain myself the rest of the year. x
ReplyDeletea life of a charlotte
Ahaa how bizarre - we have the same surname and I've just seen you're from Southampton as well!!! :) x
DeleteI very rarely buy myself high end make up - I either ask for it for birthday/christmas or if I REALLY need a new item then I might consider a high end one instead of drugstore, but I always do my research before I buy it :) x
ReplyDeleteI buy way too many beauty products from both the high end brands like Nars/ Smashbox/ Charlotte Tilsbury/ Mac etc and the lower end drug store versions. Although regardless of how they work I prefer using the higher end products because they make me feel better, it's odd. x
ReplyDeleteI find myself overthinking drugstore purchases more than the highend ones surprisingly. all I can think when I am buying a lipstick from boots is "This is half of a MAC one which you would love.. not just like" the drama of it all. I am a sucker for packaging though.. I freeking hate cardboard, it makes me want to cry, I have no idea why but I just dont like it lol.. so highend just pleases me to look at, but I love makeup revolution which is really cheap (no cardboard too!) What im basically saying is that if it looks good in cute packaging its mine, irrigardless of price. I did however though a strop at the hourglass counter over the edit palette, so pretty but not worth the £65 :( my rambling as usual makes no sense, no wonder I am so hard to buy for lol
ReplyDeletemy wishlist is now up on my blog :)
http://www.makeerinover.co.uk
I find I've switched to mostly high end now as it means I buy less, consider what I'm buying more and actually finish products. That wasn't the case with the high street stuff. Although I do like the odd eBay purchase from Korea which is I find good quality at high street prices.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of my cosmetic collection consists of premium makeup. I do my research before hand most of the time. With premium products most counters allow you to take away samples to try, or they will demonstrate how to apply the product. This helps me make my mind up on whether it's worth the splurge. Also, it's the service you get with the premium products. If I have issues I have always gone back to the counter and majority of the time they have helped me find solutions. I do have a few drugstore products, but when I use them I have noticed that the condition of my skin deteriorates.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic! Haha I buy from both high and brands and drugstore brands. I buy it for its quality , and never for the brand :)
ReplyDeleteRachel x
thehappybits.blogspot.com
I have been musing a similar post myself. As a blogger who is lucky enough to receive many products for review and one whose blog is 'a hobby' I actually buy less myself to avoid overstretching so when I do it's something I 'really' want. Often that can be a 'treat' and usually from the high end category. That's when I find I'm extra critical. If I've spent £40+ on a Chanel eyeshadow palette I want it to prove it's worth if I've parted with my hard earned pennies (or more like pounds!) and often I'm almost disappointed. I don't know if it's because I'll be particularly impressed when I use something like a Make Up Revolution Palette that was only £4 so I expect bigger and better things from high end which maybe is not always fair. If it was half the price would I have been more appreciative?
ReplyDeleteOne thing I always love from the luxury brand are lipsticks. There's nothing better than pulling out a gold Charlotte Tilbury or Chanel lipstick and if it's in the region of £20 I don't find that 'too expensive' and often they are worth the spend.
When I'm in the US there's nothing that I enjoy more than drugstore shopping I have to say!
Victoria x
FlorenceandMary.com
I felt so grown up when I started to collect high end make up but then I never wanted to use it! I do love a wander around boots or superdrug though especially when they have a 3 for 2 offer on, those bargains are hard to beat!! I tend to pick the high end christmas bundles and wait for the boxing day sale last year I got some great deals. Love your post!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with you! I love both drug store and high end but if I want to feel a little bit more special I will treat myself to some lovely luxurious make-up. I treated myself to Mac Ruby Woo for my graduation day in July and I loved wearing it! Niamh x
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I am a conscious shopper whenever it comes to make-up. Yes, I do fawn over the packaging of more high end products, however, I am currently a college student learning the rules of budgeting my own profits, so I cannot feed the want of luxurious makeup as often as I want. Treating myself to a high end brand once in a blue moon is enough for me :) I love being able to find nice drug store brands that are high in quality but low in price. But, I do wish the packaging was as pretty as high end products at times.
ReplyDeletexoxo Joslyn
Honestly I'm a firm believer that it doesn't have to be expensive to be good. I have lots (and mostly) drugstore products that I swear by, that I don't think I would find in the high end. So whichever suits me, I use!
ReplyDeleteLina / lina-khalifa.blogspot.com
I always go buy the mantra of spend more on your skincare to spend less on your makeup! Although a well deserved splurge on something you've been wanting for ages is totally fine too... X
ReplyDeleteEverything But The Kitchen
I think many years of bad drugstore foundations has put me off buying cheaper products, however I love Maybelline mascara and polish which I think is fabulous. In terms of lipstick, most higher end brands have met my expectations and I wear them enough to value the price - there are definitely some products though that are just a waste (I bought a byTerry concealer similar to Touche Eclair for £36, it lasted 4 weeks with minimal use and had no coverage or properties, so bad!)
ReplyDeleteLauren x
Britton Loves | Lifestyle Food Beauty
I'm definitely more of a luxury beauty kind of girl, but that being said I do love a drugstore haul every now and then! When I find a really great product from a budget brand it makes it so much sweeter!
ReplyDeletewww.sartorialscot.com
I love to treat myself, but only do it occasionally! I just bought a Charlotte Tilbury matte revolution lipstick and I love the formula! It's so unfortunate though, because I'll always be comparing my cheaper lippies to it haha.
ReplyDeleteLouise walkaboutbeauty
I always feel tempted to buy luxury brands because I see so many bloggers talking about them. Very few bloggers talk about £2 lipsticks because there's a lot less magic surrounding them. Some brands I feel are worth it - some aren't.
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http://abigailalicex.com
U've seen a trend now with bloggers promoting more Hugh end products more than low end ones. Not sure if the company is sponsoring them or if they genuinely like it anymore, which I find really sad.
ReplyDeleteFor me personally, I was always a high street girl but since training to be a makeup artist I got to try so many high end brands at makeup school, I became a fan. I'm still not giving up my drugstore products but my kit is now a good blend of high street and high end as I know my clients would expect me to have higher end products.
I used to buy so much inexpensive makeup from boots and superdrug on impulse hoping they would be my new favourite products that would save me money in the long run but would then actually be really disappointed by the actual quality or formula of the products alot of the time and found it very rare a product would be cheap and really good (collection lasting perfection concealer for example) that in the end I've decided I'd rather buy a £15 MAC lipstick I know I'll probably love and use up all of it (as I've instagramed and googled swatches etc before hand) than buy 3 lipsticks from the drugstore that are less than half the price of MAC but just get thrown in a drawer or bin or given away. I think I've found a lot of products I love that are more high end and can now (hopefully) stop wasting money on hoping to find a cheaper alternative at the drugstore as unfortunately for me it always ends in disappointment and loads of unused products whereas I use all of my high end stuff and am very rarely disappointed xx
ReplyDeleteSometimes I just love the feeling of a premium product, even if the product inside isn't 10x as amazing as the 10x cheaper drugstore product... I always go premium for foundation, not out of choice but necessity xx
ReplyDeleteJasmine Talks Beauty
Usually every time I get my paycheck I set aside money for whatever big luxury item I want to buy (right now, I'm eyeing something from Charlotte Tilbury, not sure what yet though!) and then when I feel good spending that amount of money I go for it. I agree with the sentiment on luxury, not everything works like the price says it should but some of them are just so worth it! Sometimes we find out the hard way, but that comes with loving makeup, I think.
ReplyDeletebigfluffycats.blogspot.com
I totally agree with you. I hardly ever buy expensive make up. I feel like big bloggers make all of these premium beauty brands really accessible but most people don't have hundreds of pounds to spend on make up. Its difficult..
ReplyDeleteEmily x
www.emandthem.co.uk
Adrienne I just love your blog! Everything I read them I think YES THAT'S ME! lol you also make me spend lots of money as your blog is my holy grail.
ReplyDeleteNothing beats the rush of visiting these beauty counters in the hope that this my be the day I discover that miracle product or a lipstick I can call 'the one'... I am a beauty assistants dream!
So no you are not alone. Thanks for this fab post!! Lucy x
Adrienne I just love your blog! Everything I read them I think YES THAT'S ME! lol you also make me spend lots of money as your blog is my holy grail.
ReplyDeleteNothing beats the rush of visiting these beauty counters in the hope that this my be the day I discover that miracle product or a lipstick I can call 'the one'... I am a beauty assistants dream!
So no you are not alone. Thanks for this fab post!! Lucy x
Couldn't agree more with this! I spent weeks researching and lusting over the Magic Foundation from Charlotte Tilbury, but after finally buying it definitely feels special and worth it!!
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From experience i have found you get what you pay for and one pricey lipstick will last longer than numerous cheaper brand lipsticks!
ReplyDeleteI was pretty much a die-hard prestige makeup fan until I became disillusioned with a few things and decided to try out their drugstore equivalents. Now I can honestly say I enjoy both.
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Some time ago I decided to only by drug store makeup for 12 months. It turned into 2 years and I was really surprised what was out there. You are hoping with high end products you are not just buying longevity but good quality and sometimes this just aint true.
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