Is expensive makeup and skincare worth it?

[NoEffingWay]

I’m going to confess that I have an Estee Lauder habit going back to my late teens, and have always enjoyed treating myself to nice makeup. I like knowing that it will last on my skin and that the colours are right, I tried No7 for a while but I could never find a foundation shade that worked as well.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve added skincare to the mix and have stuck with Estee Lauder, Clinique or Lancome.

I suppose, my question is, is it really better to get the more expensive stuff or would a boots own range or similar do the same job ?

There are some really good luxury products and some really bad ones. Same goes for cheaper products. A mix is sensible, if you can afford it, unless money is no object.

I love expensive skincare/makeup, but equally I’ve got my cheaper favs too. Elf is one of them, I swear by their halo glow and their powder

Oh gosh is it you again?!

No, she only ever mentions no7 vs Clinique

@notmyfirstrodeo2 oh I’m not convinced! Is this a disguise attempt? 😅

nope, I already searched! (Sorry OP, another poster has a habit of asking similar questions over and over)

I’d say on the whole that some make up is worth it but skincare rarely is. I’ve used the likes of Clarins, Lancombe & Estée Lauder skincare and it did nothing for me. Some even reacted badly. Mind you, I’m not impressed by no 7 either (make up or skincare).

prooervskincare brands like Cerave, Naturium, La Roche Posay, Medik8 & Byoma are far superior.

I do like Estée Lauder, Bobbi Brown, Mac, Dior & Lancombe make up, but also Maybelline.

Since discovering tret I've started thinking of pretty much all expensive skincare as a waste given the amazing results you can get relatively cheaply on tret. None of the expensive creams I've bought over the years have ever been as effective.

I use a mix. I have recently discovered Estee Lauder ANR and it's made a noticeable difference to my skin. Clinique skincare is great for me as I'm sensitive but equally I love CeraVe.

Maybelline is fantastic,really good quality make up so rarely buy expensive stuff now . Double Wear has changed formula and I don't like it so I'm using Revlon foundation and tbh it's better and only 6 quid. High Street make up has upped its game hugely in the last few years. I recently bought a Charlotte Tilbury colour corrector and it's shit , it was so expensive!

I think some expensive eye make up products are great, but over all there's no real difference. I think Maybelline mascaras are better than Lancome for example. An eyeliner is an eyeliner. There are plenty of basic brands that do eyeshadow with longevity.

Foundation is different in that my favourite is Armani Luminous Silk. And my favourite powder is By Terry Hylaronic powder (the GOAT). So those two are expensive. But I bet I could use a Maybelline one of both and not notice a huge difference.

The one recent purchase I made is the Laura Mercier tinted balm which is amazing. But I can't work out of I prefer Erborian which is half the price.

And I definitely agree with the lack of need for expensive skin care if you are on tret @Tiptopflipflop

It's all about the ingredients. I got chatgpt to decode ingredients lists of very expensive creams and a lot of them around the £300 were just expensive grease.

The gold standard for skin care is: 1. High SPF, 2. Retinol of some kind (or Retin A) and 3. Vit C serum

You can also get lots of very good Korean skincare products that arent expensive - they use really good ingredients such as HA, niacinamide and centella etc.

I love the ordinary and Inkey list for producing excellent ingredients with cost effective prices and transparent labelling

i promise I am not the OP who asks this a lot, in fact, in the 15 year I’ve been on Mumsnet, I don’t remember asking this at all!

Expensive skincare, yes.
Makeup, not so much.

I use medical-grade skincare and I feel it's made a big difference. It costs about the same as the big name brands.

I will never buy anything other than Maybelline mascara. Every time I try something else I regret it.

I really like Elf and I love Il Makiage foundation. I’ve also bought some great make up from Tik Tok shop. I haven’t spent a fortune on my Clinique foundation I used to buy for a long time.

It depends on what it is. I use an Elizabeth Arden retinol which is excellent, price point is 50 odd points, but a mosituriser etc from the ordinary, so a low price point at about a tenner.

foundation and lipstick yes, as it lasts, so expensive is better, I’m using Victoria beckams the drops foundation and it’s the best foundation I have ever used, but it’s eye watering at 104 a bottle, I use tilbury lipsticks, expensive but stay put.

i did buy some max factor dupes for the colour, but it needs frequent reapplying,

I use a mix.

Skincare - I have noticed absolutely no difference between higher end or more budget brands, apart from perhaps the higher end ones can feel nicer to use, have nicer packaging etc. But in terms of results or effectiveness I stick to high street skincare from Nivea, Simple, Byoma etc.

Makeup - I am loyal to some higher end products but it's mainly face based. Erborian or Milk for skin tints, Givenchy Prisme Libre pressed powder. Ultra Violette Queen Screen as it has replaced three other products for me (SPF, primer and glow lotion.)

However I think the best liquid blush and mascara is from Elf in terms of longevity and I'm loyal to Rimmel Scandeleyes eyeliner. I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a lipstick.

I use mainly tropics for both skin care and make up - I switched just under a year ago and barely use anything else.

I do love elf concealer though … nothing iv tried compares to that. And Doll pro mascara is cheap but great!

Like lots of people, I use a mix of products with No 7 as my marker. If a product isn’t better than no 7 - it’s not worth the extra money. At the cheaper end, not many mascaras last as long as the ELF tubing mascara and L’Oréal lip gloss is as good as Dior. Having given up doublewear which looks pantomime dame like on older skin, I buy clarins now out of preference, but if I can’t get it the number 7 luminous foundation is pretty good.

I’m using Elmis skincare and I really like it. I have also found Elizabeth Arden to be good.
when it’s hot I use a Garnier moisturiser with an spf of 50 and it’s tinted. Cant remember the name but it comes in a tube and costs around £10-£12 it really works as it does stop me from burning.
Make up wise I find Lara Gellar suits me. The baked foundation is better for me than liquid foundation. Might not suit those who want a heavier look though.
I’m currently using Georgia Armani mascara and I do think it’s better than cheaper brands. I recently treated myself to a Lancôme mascara, haven’t used it yet.
Lipstick wise is where I struggle. I have Dior, Estée Lauder, YSL, number 7, Elizabeth Arden. I only wear moisturising/glossy lipstick which I suppose is part of the problem as hardly any of them last.
The best one for lasting is a number 7 moisturising one but that is very soft and if I don’t use a brush breaks.
Maybe mat lipstick lasts longer but it’s far too drying for me.
Eyeshadow wise the Laura Gellar lasts all day. I also have a pallet of browns/neutrals which dd bought me ages ago. I think it’s called Pro makeup or something. That is superb, never creases and blends well. I’ve had it years and there are about 30 colours in it. Some I’ve nearly used up but still plenty to go at.
I tried the Laura Gellar primer but it made no difference so don’t bother now.
Blushed wise I once tried a Primark one, it was awful so I tend to use no7.

A cheap foundation is a no no.
Armani is good

I’ve used both high end and low end of both. Skincare wise I just use cheaper products now, spf and retinol are the most important to me.

Makeup wise I do prefer high end products maybe better colour choices but my latest mascara is Maybelline and is good. Considering how long mascara lasts cheaper is best. I’ve bought expensive mascara in the past and its not worth it.

I keep seeing ads for il makiage and it looks great, but I can’t get past the spelling so could never buy it 🫣

I used to buy Lancôme but seem to be sensitive to petroleum products. So I switched to burts bees, neals yard and similar which are better for me, and reasonably priced.

i rarely wear make up. I’m trying to find a good BB cream as I’m v. pale and just need evening out rather than coverage, if anyone has any recs.

I still like Urban Decay, for me make up is less “enhancing” and more about playing with style and different looks, so I like the strong colours and glitter/texture 😀