'Drugstore' make up & skincare no longer cheap

[Whowhenwhat]

What is going on with the price of high street make up brands such as Loreal, Kiko, Maxfactor, Maybelline, Rimmel? Even cheaper end foundations are around the £12 mark. Mascaras over a tenner. Skincare wise, The ordinary, Boots own brand etc are getting pricier too. The fact that there is such a wealth of competing brands seems to make no difference to rising prices.

What are you noticing in terms of high st make up prices? What are you doing to cut costs on your beauty and skincare?

Would also like ideas on good quality cheaper products please 🙏

My money saving tips are

• to focus more on skincare so I need less coverage daily. This means I'm buying better spf. Using the ordinary rosehip oil at the moment every evening as it is meant to improve skin tone.

*I'm spending less on anything that rinses off such as cleanser and more on moisturiser and serums. Really liking the Inkey list Bio active ceramide moisturiser which is often on sale.

*not replacing many of my make up items, just the basics such as loreal foundation and bb cream, I really love the Garnier one.

What is going on is years of relatively high inflation. And probably brands cashing in in the 'fad' for skincare in ever younger customers.
I keep things simple by not getting caught up in the latest must-have serum/glazing milk/essence etc etc
I wear only light makeup, lipstick is my main buy.

I use mainly Essence makeup now.
I find it decent quality and it’s very affordable. Boots 17 range is also really good.
Sometimes you can get good bargains on Notino.
I used to spend quite a bit on skincare but I have pared it right back and now just use Simple cleanser and moisturiser and this is fine for me. My more complicated skincare routine was just causing problems that then needed to be fixed.

Yes, I’ve noticed that. But it’s the same with food prices etc. I think there has been a slow creep and then an almighty jump recently. Maybe it’s more noticeable with items we don’t buy frequently. Like makeup which might last a few months?

There were supply chain issues with commonly used ingredients a while back which I don’t think will have helped.
To be fair, I don’t think companies that own brands like L’Oréal and Max Factor actually want to have to sell their products for much outside of what consumers are happy to spend- there’s too much risk they simply won’t buy at all, won’t repurchase as often or go for a cheaper alternative (and there’s lots around nowadays, eg Makeup Revolution, Elf)
Those old drugstore brands are struggling. Revlon very nearly went completely bust a couple of years ago and got saved by the skin of their teeth.
They are spending $$$ on advertising still, and to take up shelf space while cheaper products go viral on TikTok and are sold exclusively online.
They struggle to turn over their products quick enough for an audience that loves trends and can’t balance that with loyal customers who have bought the same mascara for the past two decades.
Unfortunately for anyone who likes to find the exact right product/ shade/ brand and stick with it , I think we are going to continue to see products change, prices go up and ultimately say goodbye to the old dominant drugstore brands. They’ve had their day.

I don’t think £12 for foundation is expensive? that would have been a fiver in 1990 given inflation.

They’re not £12. L’Oréal and Maybelline etc are generally £15+. They’ve gone up by about a fiver in about as many years. That’s a steep increase.

I have streamlined my use of make up to eyeliner (Rimmel) and blusher (tropic).

I focus instead on my skincare routine, using pharmaceutical grade cleanser and moisturiser, which long term lasts longer and works out cheaper, because I have healthier skin , hence no need for foundation, powder etc

Avon Glimmer eye pencils are really cheap, about £4 on Amazon and they are amazing and stay on all day.

If you buy the same products repeatedly OP then consider buying in bulk when there are offers on which seems to pretty often.

Someone mentioned ELF upthread which used to be a very budget brand, now their skin tint is £18!

Collection is probably one of the very few brands that don't seem to have completely inflated their prices, I might take a look next time I need a product.

This is my approach for this year, I'm on a mission to get the best skin of my life!

Do you have any recommendations from the product you've been using?

I live on a very tight budget and watch every penny.

The face cream I use is a Nivea one that two years ago was £3 and seems to go up a pound every couple of months. It's now £7 which seems a ridiculous rise. I shop around and wait for deals then buy a few. I can get it for as little as £3.50 if I do that.

I suppose the other POV is that the cheaper brands are now very good - previously there was an incentive to spend more because you got what you paid for but now there are genuine dupes and even the big make up columnists etc feature a mix.

But yeah, I keep thinking about trying a cheaper foundation but just before Christmas by deal stacking managed to get my usual Estee Lauder foundation for £20.50 plus a free clinique lip gloss which Boots are selling for £24, so pointless spending £15 on maybelline when it might not be as good or the right shade.

Dermaviduals. It’s a German brand, which is available online. I use the cream cleanser and moisturiser. It has normalised my previously highly reactive skin.

Aldi products for face are lovely and I have heard good things about Primark foundation but have not tried it yet.

It’s no longer cheap enough to just buy on a whim anymore, I’ll mostly look for deals online or just spend the extra on luxury I’ve used before so I’ll know I’ll like it.

I just buy whatever makeup is on offer!
Skincare wise I love Boots Ingredients, it’s their version of the Ordinary/Inky List. It’s cheaper than those two and s often on advantage card discount.

I discovered eye make up remover pads a year or two ago, I found them much better at getting the make up off and they didn't leave my eyes feeling horrible afterwards. The supermarket own brand ones I had been using were out of stock for a long time so I treated myself to a packet of Simple ones. They were £2.50. The next time I looked at them they were £3. That's quite the jump.

I just got back from Tenerife and had a lovely time buying cosmetics from there supermarket. Much cheaper than ours and seem decent quality

But how often are we buying these products? They are hardly weekly purchases

I use a powder foundation - 4 times a week maybe ( I dont wear to work ) 1 compact @£28 lasts at least a. year , usually only dumped if it gets a tad oily on top . Same with blush, highlighter bronzer etc - keeping the brushes clean helps keep the compacts

Skin care, whilst I use it religiously , I go cheap. I use a complete mix, Avon , ordinary, inksey, even trying some of primarks - some works , some doesn't , but Ive not spent a fortune - less then a tenner at most, less then a fiver is the norm

I tried some MUA bronzer, blush and mascara recently and was pleasantly surprised! Struggle to find decent foundation for my sensitive skin though. I just use a QV face wash and lotion as it’s the only thing I’ve found recently that doesn’t break out my skin. Primark has started selling a brand called catrice that looks good…I haven’t tried it yet though. I am a lifelong rimmel fan and I agree the prices have gone up!