High end make up versus cheapo. Comments?

[PollyPerky]

I've always used reasonably high end products- Bobbi Brown, Dior, Lancome, Clinique mainly because I'm super pale and their foundations and blushers come in a good range of shades, and I've not found anything better than Lancome Hypnose.

However......I recently tried Revlon Colourstay foundation which is certainly ok for everyday and much cheaper than Dior Star @ £35. It doesn't give me the 'glow' factor but it seems to last a bit longer and is a better colour match.

Today I had an email from Bobbi Brown for their new eye and cheek palette: £95 for some mini eyeshadows and blushers. I did think WTF?! Their luxe lippie is £27- more than Dior. It's nice, but £27????

Are we being ripped off?

I don't mind paying for a good foundation but eyeshadows and lippie- is Rimmel or revlon just as good? My opinion is they are, but the colour range is the thing that's missing.

For eyeshadow, I really rimmel - they don't flake and crumble in the pallette when you touch them with a make up brush. The rimmel kohl pencil is also fab, nice and soft.
I rate m&s lipsticks too - nice and creamy and not drying. Better than mac imo.
I like maybelline great lash mascara which is a total bargain at about a fiver, but the hest mascaras I have ever had were chanel and lancome.

So happy the opportunity has set this question.

I’m normally a high end girl but slowly swapping to cheaper brands. Just discovered rimmels stay matte liquid lipstick and it is amazing! Pink blink is the perfect nude, similar to Macs velvet teddy

Oops op !

Depends on the product - I'll go high end for foundation but for something like mascara there's no need, as Loreal, Maybelline and Rimmel do some excellent ones.

I keep going back to maybelline presses powder! Devastated they discontinued dream matte (WHY?????) but whatever the replacement is is good, better than my Mac and Laura mercier ones. Using a no7 foundation now and it’s better toned for me than doublewear, even using the little machine thing to match (both no7 and Ester Lauder used these; Estée Lauder match was awful.

Have never found cheap mascara to match babydoll though.

Just bought two charlotte tilbury things though and they are growing on me.

Hourglass powder is amazing but too£££ for me right now.

I love make up revolution for eyeshadow. Most of their pallets are great! They do lots of copies dupes of high end products. They don't perform exactly the same but they're 75% cheaper! Their chocolate bar pallets are fab!

Makeup geek (on beauty bay) do singlehandedly the best eyeshadows I have ever used. Pigmented, different finishes and cheap. I have everything from makeup revolution to Chanel to urban decay and the only ones I use now are makeup geek and the ABH modern renaissance palette

Mascara I go cheap, L'Oréal paradise I like
Primers cheap
Highlighters a mix, again I like makeup geek
Matte lipstick - LA splash. Does not budge and usually under a tenner
Eyeliner - maybelline gel pot, and a cheap kohl pencil for tightlining

I mix it up - Maybelline do my HG mascara and I swear by max factor blusher, but my foundation (dior) and eye shadow palette (urban decay naked) cost more than my shoes. Still looking for the perfect lipstick- drugstore and high end just don't last more than 10 minutes on me.

I own a vast amount of makeup (like, a really eyewateringly embarrassing amount) and the staples that I come back to time and again tend to be from mid to high end brands. A high price doesn't guarantee a product will be top notch and certainly I have some low end products that punch above their weight, but in general I find that more expensive brands are more consistent performers.

It's rare that I repurchase products but my absolute staples that I have purchased over and over would be Charlotte Tilbury and Hourglass face powders, Armani foundations, Chantecaille and Bobbi Brown concealers, NARS lipsticks and MAC lip primer.

I’ve used Revlon Colourstay for coming up to 20 years. The formula was pretty crap at the start, I had an elaborate regime of mixing it with oil free moisturiser but it stayed put on my teenage skin. It’s improved massively over the years. I keep trying samples of more expensive brands but nothing has the staying power on my fairly oily skin. Double wear is too thick for me.

CS was 3 for 2 last time I went in - worked out at less than £9 per bottle. Yes to that.

I wish I’d seen the comment about the Rimmel eyeliner before I went and bought 3 Bodyshop eyeliners. I’ve been using them for about 17 years (creature of habit) and they’re fine. But just fine.

I’ve just discovered Clinique chubby sticks. So, so good.

It depends- there are some great bargain finds, and some expensive duds.

However, I do find if I buy cheap make-up, I buy more and end up spending more overall.

I don’t mean it runs out quicker/lasts less long/needs re-applied more.

But if I buy cheap things, I just don’t really notice what I’m spending, it just creeps under the radar “oh, it;s only £4, doesn’t matter”, or “that’ll cheer me up, it’s only a couple of quid”. And at the end of the year I have lots of things I’ve used half a dozen times. Then I tot it up and I’ve actually spent a fair bit of money over the year.

Realized, on the whole, with cheap things my enjoyment is when I purchase, with dearer things my enjoyment is with each use.

This year, I decided to just buy a few good things. So I thought about what I actually use regularly (just mascara & highlighter) and things I use less often but couldn’t do without for special occasions or in emergencies (lip gloss, eyeliner, concealer).

Spent ages researching things, trying things, going to Space NK for trials. I really enjoyed that process, got a lot of joy out of it. And now I have four things in my make-up bag (still searching for the perfect lipgloss, reckon I don’t really need it til the Xmas parties start). I really get a lot of pleasure every time I use each of them. And I’ve spent less than half what I spent last year. Even though my mascara does cost a fortune.

Well, I have tried some high end stuff but not necessarily impressed. Did not like the Chanel foundation or powder. The Lancome foundations were too pink for me. I did like the Dior foundation but prefer to pay less!
I certainly would not go mad and spend £££ on mascara as I have found loads of cheapies just as good, although I can only wear waterproof and some are rather dryish. At the moment I am not really wearing foundation as my eyes water so much it looks like I am crying all the time. Some foundation still stays on but I prefer to only use it when going out. Brave, aren't I?!

Also haven't necessarily found high end palettes etc any more robust but then I am a klutz.

I used to use Armani foundation, Chanel eyeshadow, Dior and Bobbi Brown etc but now mostly buy stuff from Boots and Superdrug and 80-90% of my makeup is cheap and cheerful.
I don't think the quality suffers a whole lot, for example my Collection concealer performs much better than my MAC one. And I really don't rate Touche Eclat or Nars mascara.
To me, in most cases luxury products give more happiness purely because of the packaging ... no one really NEEDS another lipstick and so much of the enjoyment of makeup is the click of a lipstick or the shine of a compact case.
I really rate my Max Factor blush but if it came in a heavy shiny case instead of crappy plastic I'd love it 10 times more!

On a related note, I've wanted an Hourglass highlighter for ages but can't justify the price, if anyone can suggest a dupe I'd love to know!

Featherstep have you tried the balm cosmetics Mary Lou highlighter? I haven't used it myself but it's reasonably priced and gets rave reviews. I am a fan of the brand.

I'm currently all over Bourjois (lipsticks mainly) and Rosie for Autograph!

Buster: I agree, they need testers and if there isn't one there I don't judge someone opening one to use as a tester. It's too high risk buying cosmetics in the U.K. As we can't return them like they do in America (can't get my head around how they're able to do that!) so the very least we need is to be able to see the product! I wouldn't swatch it though like I would a tested.

Squoosh: don't think there's a comparable term in the U.K.? High street brand maybe?

Mint: I have the Mary loumanizer and it's brilliant! It's so soft and subtle but brings a gorgeous glow, I have a few highlighters and I've hit pan on this one. It's also a stunning champagne eyeshadow, looks so classy with black flicks. It's such a good all rounder and imo it's so finely milled and lasts so long it's actually worth the price

Ooh, thank you mint and lemon for the Mary Lou recc. I looked it up some time ago but haven't seriously considered buying it till now.

I love makeup but wear very little. Have tried and used market stall through to space NK stocked brands and don't see much in it. I do however much prefer something in lovely packaging, it just makes me feel more glamourous making up and as I buy and use very few items I can afford to indulge.

When it comes to high end make up I always look on EBay for cheap (brand new) deals, I'll look in the shops, see what I like then have a good google. If I'm buying on eBay I always check that the seller has a very good rating too!

I am a beauty addict through and through. Just to give you an example I have over 150

Oops
Lipsticks. Some high end some DS and some luxury.
There are some £££ that I love but I also love some DS over some more expensive.
For example I have 4 Tom ford lipsticks (not boasting but using as an example.) The shades are beautiful but I have not bought them on a whim, and consider very carefully before purchasing. However they are notorious for going off more quickly. One I've had for 3 years smells a bit like crayons 😠
For shade range do try Topshop. I also love some shades from Kate moss rimmel.
However every single matte liquid lipstick I have got from DS is rubbish and really worth spending on.

I used to spend a fortune on high end make-up brands but I've switched over to all cheapo brands and I honestly don't think there is any real difference. I certainly don't think that I look any different to others. The main thing, I think, with high end brands is that the shopping experience and packaging is nicer.
In particular, I much prefer Revlon Colourstay to my old Double Wear - it has the same staying power but doesn't look at all cakey.

Mmmmmm have you tried the Bourjois rouge velvet matt fluid? I rate it quite highly and I'm a make up junkie! Some colours have a better consistency than others but I do rather like them.

Tbh I’m not sure lipstick is meant to last 3 years.

I think 2 is fairly usual.