make upDo you think cheap MAKE UP is the same that expensive one, but without nice packing??

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I have bougth a beauty case for storage, and it came with make up inside, that is obviously very cheap, because of the price; but reading the ingredients and comparing to other more expensive brands, it doesn't seem to have any nasties, even aloe vera and nice things. Do you think that the difference is that the expensive one last longer on??? I'm afraid of getting a reaction.
Thanks!!

I am really at how benefit and mac and ruby and millie are in the "cheap" brands, they're my expensive lists!!

I have 2 Ruby and Millie eye shadows and love them- both beige- one slightly shimmery, the other not. They are ones I will use til they are empty!

they are not, Elfonthetopshelf, they are fab.
This thread started talking about if cheap cosmetics are much different to expensive ones, so people talk about different preferences, and brands, but I don't think anyone says that, so far.

I dont think I'd buy anything more expensive than benefit. My sister (who is a hair dresser and trainee make up artist) has a make up bag to die for!

In my make up bag I have:

Benefit: Bad Girl Lash / Bad Girl Eyeliner / Dr Feelgood / lemonaid / bo-ing / dandelion / the gloss

Rimmel: colour rush eye shadow / eye liner / mascara / lip gloss

I tend not to wear foundation anymore. I have a collection of eyeshadows from Tesco range, no 17 etc.

What ball park of price are we talking about for Benefit then?

£15 for the mascara
£23 a blusher
£13 a lip gloss

Benefit is not cheap!
Laura Mercier blusher is less than £23.

The good thing about benefit is although I think it is expensive, it lasts forever

I've never tried Benefit, but I've heard that the lemonaid is good for tired eyes (is an eyeshadow,or a cream), and as well another gel-cream good for dark circles+bags???
Any experience, girls???

What do people think of the Barbara Daly range at Tesco? Seems to get good reviews in papers/magazines.

I have never tried, but I did heard good critics from make-up artist+beauty editors. Tesco is a big brand, and I don't think they'll put their name into something rubbish, or people won't buy their products or trust the brand, like with supermarket brands allways.

There was a piece about this in the Observer Woman magazine this month. Kathy Phillips (some kind of beauty editor or something?) said that there's no difference in terms of being allergenic because all cosmetics, whether cheap or pricey, have to adhere to strict standards about what chemicals go into them etc. But she did say there was a difference in terms of pricey brands using more pigment so getting more directional, strong colours.
She said that of the cheap brands Rimmel, Bourjois, and Barry M were the best.

Personally I've always thought that foundation was the one thing worth splashing out on as cheap brands tend to be rubbish. I used to think that about mascara too but recently discovered Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara which I reckon is as good as my Lancome mascara.

Definitely no point in spending more on nail polish other than for the pretty bottles .

My cousin's a make up artist and she told me that a lot of the brands use the same factories (often in Germany for some reason). So the mascara in your Rimmel tube comes from the same vat as the mascara in your Chanel tube. The only difference is the packaging and the brush/wand.

Is that true about Bourjois and Chanel? I never knew that. I bought some gorgeous limited edition Bourjois little vintage pots recently just because the packaging was so lovely .

Oooh this is interesting. Not sure how true it is. According to this, Bourjois own Chanel, not the other way round .

TBH, not sure it means that much. It doesn't mean that all of those brands under Estee Lauder are selling exactly the same products in different packaging. It just shows which big conglomerates own which brand names IYSWIM.

I've known for years that Bourgois and Chanel were the same company- I suppose what I thought that meant was that the basic ingredients were the same (possibly) but the packaging and colour ranges were different.
Maybe they aren't- maybe it's different products but just owned by the same company.

That's an interesting list, I never knew Nestle had a hand in cosmetics too.

I think it's just diff products owned by same company TBH honestfriend. It's nice to think that we might be able to get a Chanel eyeshadow at Bourjois prices though

Hi ramblingrosa!
is very interesting what you've read at the observer, I didn't knew that. And I always read made in germany at the back of most of the mid-good stuff range (the stuff we find at boots, superdrug), so I'm allways confident about that.
A few gossips about big brands:
-Dior Eyeshadows (apart from being AMAZING), they told me that never break, even if you trash them on the floor, 'cause they are bake in an speciall oven that the temperature-setting makes them that taff. I never tried with mines, just in case.......
-Lancome is part of the loreal group, and the classic lancome lipsticks were"suspiciously similar to the l'oreal ones, even the fragance,(with more or less colour range) There's ages I don't check, but I find quite cheeky that they didn't even bother in changing the perfume...
-Dior mascaras they last for ages, it sounds weird, but I have one in electric blue, (dior ultimate eyes),for around 4 years, IS TRUE, I'M not joking, and I don't work for them, fresh like the first day, and the Diorshow mascara, is something else, girls.

Re the range at Tesco, I do like it. I have had their foundation and some of their eye shadows, they have some nice glittery roll on eye shadows at the minute which are nice.

The cosmetics industry is really complicated. You can't really generalise about the formulations, without understanding the values of the individual owners.

Cosmetics are made up of product, packaging and marketing. If you go for a department store brand, you have to pay for the consultants. You also have to pay for expensive packaging. In cheap brands, the packaging can still be a very significant proportion of the overall cost.

The best products come from companies with large research teams, who manufacture their products in-house. They will have as one of their corporate values the concept of 'added value' products. A good company will also make sure that their products are safe.

Each individual consumer will have her own set of needs. The most important consumer need is colour, with coverage, application/playtime also important. If you find a cheap brand that goes on well and is the right colour, who is to tell you that you are wrong?

After that, it is making sure that the product looks the same as its colour, and that it will be stable (eg the emulsion doesn't separate - which is hard to achieve with good researchers). I'm very wary of opaque packaging which 'hides' the product.

Coated and micronised pigments are found in good products but I don't think you can tell from looking at the ingredient list.

I really rate Barbara Daly at Tesco, the eye shadow pens with the little brush are absolutely brilliant and I've been through about 10 of the hazel colour and wear it most days. The shadow palettes are great too. I think it's fantastic value for the price and it doesn't look as cheap as it actually is.

I tend to use that alongside Maybelline, Clinique and Benefit with the occasional Chanel or Mac piece.

The Bodyshop have fantastic make-up i believe. I dont know about their foundation though as i don't use foundation or powder. But their eye and lip makeups are amazing...