I don't mind "shrinking" of items like blush because I have finished *maybe* 1 blush in my life, but the corresponding price increase is what hits me 😂
Right! If they are gonna shrink the makeup, it is no wonder people are buying cosmetics from TEMU and sheglam/Shein makeup despite the risks, because people want the better price.
Ia, i wouldnt mind hitting pan a little sooner (esp now that a lot of makeup dont contain the same persavaties thats make them last long) but that price tag is not worth it
Yeah tbh it hurts when makeup goes bad before you can use it plenty. A smaller makeup collection is way better imo. Even picking what to use is harder with a big collection. I remember having 9 cream blushes at the same time and I never knew what to pick.
THIS! Because I've tried so much mediocre makeup haha, I now have an extremely curated collection with the best formulas that I know and love...and most of those, no, all of them are high end brands...other than my Ulta brow pencil and Essence Lash Princess mascara LOL
I still can’t believe not even 5 years ago, spending $10-$15 on a makeup item felt like splurging to me. Nowadays it’s like “wow only $10?? What a steal!”
I think part of the reason luxury brands are growing even during the cost of living crisis is because of doom spending. People now prefer to buy cool trendy expensive stuff to try to soothe our collective anxiety and distracts us from how shitty the world is, although this mindless consumerism is just a small dopamine hit and in the long run it just makes things worse.
Yes, it’s kind of like the ‘red lipstick effect’ of when the economy tanks people invest more in makeup because they can’t afford a more expensive item like a new bag or clothing item
You made so many valid points. For me it's that drugstore brands discontinue things so fast, I can no longer have a mascara or skincare product I love and buy for like $6 forever. Suddenly it's gone? What happened to making a range of staple products people can love for generations?
That's the thing that gets me - I don't care about dupes at all to be honest. Most of those corporations belong to the same few global conglomerates anyway so the formulas might even be shared for all I know. But the fact that I can love a product and then never be able to get it again is what makes me hesitant to buy stuff, even in non-drigstore brands. The constant product rotation really sucks.
But even luxury product are pulling this craziness. The Givenchy Prism Libre powder comes to mind. They changed the formula even though everyone loved it. Just whhhhyyyyyyy?!?!
@@sashkad9246 you're quite lucky then! My favourite Nivea cream, maybelline mascara and the single eyeshadow colour I wore everyday from L'Oréal are gone. It's so annoying.
In Canada we used to have testers in the drugstores before covid. Now that the prices are closer to high end makeup I'd rather just go to Sephora and swatch things instead of risking being disappointed by a shade or texture.
Same here! I’m in Canada and I’ve wasted so much money trying to buy dupes at shoppers or Walmart but then the color is wrong because I couldn’t swatch at the store :/ waste of money!
@@methodologies_of_care I'm in Canada too and don't even bother with drugstore cuz of the inability to swatch - OR RETURN! At least at Sephora, if the tester is disgusting, you can try it and return it!
Yes I was about to comment the same thing! You want $29 for a physicians formula foundation with 5 shades you cannot swatch? Or I could pay $10 more for one from Sephora that I could swatch and test formula and colour
@@mindfulsnideein Canada it would be more like paying at least $20.00 more for a high end foundation, minimum. Drugstore might be priced higher than it used to be but I still feel better paying twenty dollars for a pretty good foundation -: L'Oreal has some great ones, than $60 plus for a Sephora high-end counterpart. The most important thing is Good skin Care anyway, makeup nowhere near as important....
For me, I vastly prefer to buy mid-range products like Tower 28, Rare Beauty, LYS, About Face, etc. While slightly more expensive, I think these brands have more attention to detail, better color ranges, more exciting products, and packaging that feels nice, original, and doesn't fall apart. Those things will always be worth a few extra dollars to me. Also, being able to swatch/shade match these products at retailers is HUGE because I used to waste so much money/product trying to guess shades at the drugstore, and it's way too expensive to risk a bad shade match now. I know you can return, but I hate doing that as it just goes to waste.
Me too! I don’t buy luxury products due to the heavy fragrance. Many of these companies started as a clothing company and/or a fragrance house, not a cosmetic line. Nor do I buy at the drugstore due to shade selection, no swatching and quality. I have tried a few Elf and 1 Essence product and was so disappointed, I said, “never again!” I don’t want 5 under performing blushes. I would rather have 1or 2 that work every time I wear them.
@@Pkrol-t6c I am genuinely in search for the formula in high end of a blush that would be as good in terms of formula as Essence pure nude blushes, just because the packaging of Essence breaks so fast but I dont find blush formula which is as beautiful as that in high end... Maybe any recommendations?:)
I went to CVS the other day, and everything required employee assistance or was sold out. Meanwhile, there’s a Sephora in every mall, on every corner (in LA) and in retailers such as kohls. In addition to that, Sephora is now on DoorDash for same day delivery for the same shipping rates as drug store retailers. Moreover, as i try to intentionally cut down on how much i spend on makeup (as i used to over consume so much) i just opt for a “better product” over buying several. Your points are amazing and there’s just so much to unpack.
I agree with this, I can't get into any products at Target without them having to be unlocked. Its become to difficult. It's much easier to walk into Ulta or Sephora. Not to mention when products are locked up it's hard to get a sense of color or texture.
I'd like to know what evil retail genius put Sephora in Kohl's!!! There's a Kohl's with Sephora 4 miles from my house, and I've spent way too much money there! When S was only at a mall 20 miles away, in an area I don't go to very often, I never spent $$$ there!!! Seriously, I hope whoever did that got a bonus for it. I'm sure it increased S's sales!
like you said, it’s almost exhausting seeing every new drugstore makeup launch be a dupe of a high end product. i want more new unique stuff!! i miss being actually excited for a new drugstore product because it would be, well, new. not just yet another dupe.
I don’t buy drugstore makeup because there are very little/no displays to swatch the products and find a good shade match. $20 for a drugstore foundation is high risk for me considering the shade ranges are not as advanced AND I can’t swatch them. I would much rather go into the prestige section and spend double the amount if it means I can find a shade match
For me, I wouldn't even notice the drugstore is duping products so much if it wasn't called out so much by influencers. I also like that products that are at least half the price are increasing in quality all across the board. It used to be so hard to find a good lipstick at the drug store!
Several reasons : I'm just over drugstore when their prices are no different than mid tier with a coupon /deal from ulta or sephora. No testers so even more difficult to shade match. Since makeup takes a while to finish up I rather now at least enjoy the packaging as well than dealing with leaky pumps or poor plastic covers that break over time . Add on elf supporting mikayla ...I'm out.
A good point about packaging. I have a drugstore powder with a broken compact that I've panned, but I'm still using it, at home only. I use a rubber band to close it, but I don't travel with it. I have another one that I travel with. I kind of go by the old saying: "Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without." Not to extremes, but I do like to get value for my money.
@@ainakunigelyte A very good question. One reason I buy more expensive eye shadows is that drugstore brands are mostly shimmers or glitters, and I mostly wear mattes. However, the Ulta Beauty and Sephora Collection store brands have drugstore priced mattes that are OK. I'm not inclined to rave about them, but they're serviceable.
My local drugstore has almost all the makeup behind glass. I need to push a button to have someone come over to unlock the case. It definitely takes the fun out of shopping!
The biggest downside of drugstore makeup has always been choosing the right colors for me. A couple of shade mistakes and I've spent as much as being color matched at a department store.
Yes, this plus the dupes never have the correct colour they’re trying to dupe you into buying. They’re never the on-trend shades, it’s always just the previous mauvey drugstore shades in tiktok packaging.
i still love me some drugstore but i do find myself buying less makeup due to the prices of some of these brands. brands like essence, catrice and wet n wild stay pretty affordable but brands like revlon and loreal have just kept climbing in price. making some of their products inaccessible to even drugstore consumers.
L’Oréal has ALWAYS been the most expensive drugstore option, even as far back as the mid-1980s… While their prices have increased, it really hasn’t been by much when compared to the other brands… Foundation, for example, has only increased by $5-6 USD over the past 30+ years, and mascara only by $3-5 USD… On the other hand, Revlon has gone up by about 70%, while CoverGirl has more than doubled…
use cvs coupons ! im telling you esp with loreal or maybelline they always have mutiple coupons for both, plus with other general coupons you will save. for example: for the fit me powder alone i was able to get the price from 10 bucks to 3!
I think my impulse drugstore purchases dropped significantly when I saw that the blush was $18 and the foundations were on par with lower-end Ulta prices from products I already love. Drugstore isn't affordable anymore.
I have never commented on a video. For me, I never knew anything about prestige makeup and places like Sephora were intimidating. RUclips has contributed almost 100% to my shift from drugstore to higher end, because now I am familiar with the products.
I was always intimidated by going to counters in department stores for makeup. When Sephora and Ulta came along, it was great for me! To me, it's a lower pressure way to look at prestige products.
I see the more "plain" packaging from drugstore makeup as a bonus! I add cute stickers, and then it feels like a cute and cohesive collection of makeup! I think people want something in a pretty package, especially if they are trying to use it all up or hit pan. They are going to see that product A LOT day to day
it's not about the looks but they break very fast:) E.g. essence or catrice blushes are in such package that if you carry it with you, it breaks in couple of months if not faster
Drugstore brands is owned by this big big brand that owns the high end brands. So they are made a lot of times in the same factorys. So they just make cheeper version of the same product. And with clever marketing make people to buy the more expensive version.
Yes, people think if they pay more than the product will perform better but a parent company can share formulas among brands and cut costs with different packaging and marketing costs, hence why I always opt for drugstore products. It’s all about paying for branding, performance is secondary.
@@danicee A good example of this is L'Oreal. They own Lancome, L"Oreal, and Maybelline, and probably other brands I'm not aware of. And you'll see a Lancome product, and versions under the L'Oreal and Maybelline names at lower price points.
To add to your point about accessibility, a lot of drugstores in my city are closing, and the ones that are open have absolutely terrible beauty sections now. The makeup isles are picked over and seemingly never restocked, nothing is in its right place, it literally looks like they are waiting to sell out of the last few items before shutting down those isles. 😢
Jen Phelps did a similar video recently and it was very eye opening! Drugstore makeup has changed in recent years and while the quality seems better a lot of the time the price increases make it hard to justify it. I would rather just pay a little bit more and get the high end product. I'm also cutting back on how much I buy so I go for a few splurge products rather than a whole basket full of drugstore.
Being a teenager in the 90s it was fun to go to the drugstore and look at makeup and maybe buy some. We didn't live too far away from the drugstore so we could walk there or join the parents when they needed to pick up a prescription, greeting card, or get film developed. The makeup was affordable enough to buy a few things with allowance or ask for a small purchase from the parents every now and then. Then in the 00s and my 20s I started going to the department store with my friends and buying more "prestige" makeup. Going to the department store, a boutique makeup store, or the brand-new Sephora was an event: You grab a friend or two, some coffee or other beverage, and you browse and sample and get each other's opinions. You talk with the makeup counter expert and maybe get a makeover and you make a day of it. Then in my 30s I got married and had a baby and makeup seemed less important to me. Now in my 40s I wear very minimal makeup as my maturing skin doesn't respond the same way to makeup as it did when I was younger. I got used to my bare face and now full makeup doesn't feel like me and settles in lines that aren't visible without makeup. For me, makeup isn't fun anymore. I'm going to sound like an old man yelling at the clouds but there are too many options, I don't know what anything does anymore, and its all too expensive. I'm being a little hyperbolic but it's crazy how much changed in makeup in only about 10 years.
I'm just guessing here but I think consumers habits have changed over the past years (maybe since Covid? idk). The overconsumption impulse and hauls trends and makeup collections that take up an entire room have been replaced with smaller, more curated collections, so it makes sense that people prefer to invest in fewer but higher quality products.
I think about this at least once a week. Immediately after Covid, there was a huge "back to makeup" moment where people could dress up and go outside again! But I think in reality it made anything pre-covid seem dated, so now we like fresh faces and loose clothes, even if they're expensive, dressy, and luxurious.
Also, for me, reliable products that work for me without a lot of fiddling. I'm not going to wear a foundation that requires me to use a special primer, for example. If it doesn't work over my normal moisturizer and sunscreen, too bad. I don't have the patience to go to a lot of trouble to make things work.
Definitely. During covid, I used makeup mostly in a 'kid playing dressup' kind of way, experimenting with all kinds of new colors and textures and wild looks just for the novelty and the excitement of seeing something different when I looked in the mirror while puttering around the house. But now that I'm actually wearing makeup out again, I want *one* just right blush, *one* just right concealer, mascara, foundation, etc, a few color options for eyeshadow and lips, and that's it.
yess! Nobody wants to be a hoarding bag lady like the youtube haul aunties from the 2010s. We want to be effortless models who have a small clean collection of quality products that we can whip out of our bag for a glossier girl slay.
The color range at the drugstore has always been horrible and that hasn’t changed much. Also not being able to swatch products to find a color match if possible leads to potentially buying the wrong shades. Drug stores don’t have good return policies either so it’s always been a gamble for me to buy base products there.
My local Walmart has literally locked up all their makeup behind glass doors. You now have to ring a bell and wait forever for someone to get things for you. I'm not even going to try lol. I usually get my makeup from target or the drugstore section at ulta. I will always buy drugstore unless it's a product I truly love because it just makes more sense for me financially.
I could have written this comment! I find myself wondering if they actually sell any makeup after locking it up! Were they really losing that much to shoplifting?
@20thcenturyrelic I used to work at target about 10 years ago, and makeup was the most shoplifted and damaged out item. This solution is horrible though! And obviously makeup companies are still making a huge profit despite shoplifting!
@@emilyeeehaw I know the prevalence of shoplifting is a real thing; I've worked in retail. But really, I think if stores have to lock up makeup, maybe they should just quit selling it.
@20thcenturyrelic very true. Or maybe they could have an employee always be near the health and beauty section, but even that isn't an amazing solution. I don't really want someone following behind me as I'm looking at the products. Hopefully retailers will get learn that this drives away the people who were actually honest and willing to spend their money on their beauty products.
Our Nordstrom Rack has a display of MAC with ---- (seriously) --- only small tear-off tabs of PAPER which one must take to a cashier to even see the product!!!
For me, it’s two things. 1) you can’t “try before you buy” with drugstore. I have wasted lots of money with getting the wrong shade or a texture that is terrible. With higher end, that problem has been completely eliminated for me. 2) drugstore packing (in a lot of cases) is still terrible quality. I travel for work and had a bronzer break on me 3 times in 3 months. Instead of repurchasing that same bronzer, I bought one from Sephora and have never had an issue with the packaging breaking.
i stopped buying drugstore makeup because it's literally just expensive and they also put all the makeup in a cage. like i don't wanna have to ask an employee for help to just buy a lipstick. plus i'm way less interested in buying a lot of makeup now. i always use the makeup until i run out or it becomes unusable and i've just had a better time with makeup staying very usable past expiration date when it's high end. i've been using the same sephora lipstick for like 7 years now (and i'll use every last drop of it) and it's still going strong i haven't even noticed the formula degrading. it was like 12 bucks i think when i got it and the drugstore ones at the time were closer to 8 so the difference wasn't even that big. and in mid/high end stores you get to swatch everything and they haven't trapped all your makeup behind a bunch of locks. also some of the drugstore makeup i did buy regularly has just been discontinued. i used to use this one specific eyeliner only but they don't even make it anymore and i replaced that with a high end one.
Drugstore makeup is also less accessible from a disabled perspective. I need to be having a good day to get up and drive to the pharmacy, which involves finding an accessible spot and breaking down/putting up my wheelchair. Then there are fewer people to help you find, select, and physically reach cosmetics in a CVS. At Sephora, the employees are present and often available to help grab items, but most are within reach, at least at the Sephoras I shop at in metro Detroit. If I can't get to Sephora because of my disabilities or because I'm having a bad day, I just shop online with, as you mentioned, free shipping. Even though I have to pay shipping with Ulta, it's still easier to shop online than drive to the pharmacy.
A very good point, and as the population gets older, more of us are going to have mobility issues. Sephora and Ulta, IMHO, do indeed have many more employees around, I'd guess to reduce shoplifting. And their salaries are, of course, factored into product prices.
@20thcenturyrelic Yes! Everyone becomes disabled, unless they pass before it happens. I think new construction houses/condos/apartments should be built to be more accessible because of that. But on the subject of makeup, I hope Sephora employees are paid well because I require a lot of help, lol.
@@oracularp Another good point that I keep in mind - we're all only temporarily abled. To look at me, you'd think I was OK, but I have no cartilage left in my knees and am unable to climb stairs. OK, I can manage maybe 5 steps if I have to, but after that, it starts to hurt.
You nailed it. With the high cost of drug store brands and the fact that i hardly ever walk into a drug store these days…. I just prefer buying high end now. With the occasional drug store item I pick up at Target, I always just go to Sephora or a department store or online. I try not to buy online because I fear we will not have any stores to go to soon if online purchasing continues and that just hurts everyone. The lost jobs and social interaction will suffer. Great video! Thanks for sharing! I’m subscribing! ❤
I love this topic! Honestly, I still try to buy drugstore because certain high-end products are ultra expensive here in europe while certain drugstore brands like essence, catrice or bell are still cheap, good quality and easy to find (I mean, essence liners aren't even 2€ and they're amazing), but I admit that if I need or fancy whatever product and the drugstore version is like 5-10 € cheaper than the high end, counting that cheaper packaging tends to break more easily, I'd rather spend that extra money and buy the more expensive one
agree on breakage! I am in search for the same formula as Essence Nude blushes in high end just because the packaging is breaking, funny enough I dont find anything that compares... Maybe RMS?
I purchase so much less makeup compared to even a couple of years ago that I generally don't buy dupes unless it's of a product that isn't cruelty-feee.
My problem" are the prices. It is not a long ago that L'Oréal mascara was around 10-11€ and now the newer one around 13-15€. Even catrice or essence are not really cheap anymore.
I buy so much less makeup then I did 10 years ago. Now I have favorites that I repurchase. The only thing I’m on the hunt for is an under eye concealer.
Excellent subject! I would definitely ADD another reason for the shift of consumer's choice: psychology in dire economic times. I was a Marketing major at University in the 90's and we were presented an interesting fact... We saw that historically, when the economy is tough on middle and lower class for whatever reason (since the 1920's and on), people usually stopped buying pricier bigger ticket things - think cars, holidays in the sun, new big couches, leather goods and furs (when those were ''in''), better restaurants... You catch my drift. NOW, when times are tough, you STILL want your fun, your dreams, your candies, your ''damn I'm worth it!'' products. So, here comes the high end and refined brand names items that are pricier yes, but so much CHEAPER than a car, a vacation, a pricey sofa... It's still relevant since 130 years, just logical.
My theory: originality requires R&D resources which are not cheap. While R&D is required to dupe an existing product, it's not as labor intensive. More labor = more money which would bring drugstore prices up to a degree the public wouldn't tolerate.
Wow, you have a point here that I haven't seen, or heard, made elsewhere. Yes, I'd guess it is indeed cheaper to reverse engineer a product than it is to create a new one. Start with a chemical analysis of the ingredients, source the ingredients, or satisfactory substitutes, formulate the product, test it, and source packaging for it. That's my high level concept of the process.
A lot of high end brands are owned by L’Oréal so they really just recycle down the formula. There’s not a lot of reverse engineering thanks to parent companies
It's also lower risk: you know that the original product sells well, so the chances of your dupe doing the same is relatively high. A completely new product has no such guaranty.
After covid I got back into buying makeup. I have been a Clinique girl since I was a teenager. I decided to go drugstore for lower prices. To my surprise the Clinique brand started having better sales, not so great free gifts though, so with prices skyrocketing I still stick with Clinique.
Well, you can count on Clinique to be fragrance and alcohol free, except for the toners with alcohol. A big plus for those of us with sensitive skin. I do love the Almost Lipstick!
Ulta just offered a bunch of gifts with purchase when you purchase Clinique and they’re the moisturizer, eye cream, mascara, etc. it was amazing and you get so much product. They offered full sized gifts with purchase. You missed out for sure, I’m impressed by the price point and what I received.
My biggest issue is that drugstores in Canada don't have testers. In no world am I blind buying a foundation without swatching it. At Sephora I am buying a sure thing because I know at least the color will be correct and if not their return policy is decent. I remember when Shoppers Drug Mart had testers but they got rid of them a long time ago. That's the other thing that bothers me: between the lack of testers and needing to get an associate to open a locked cabinet, I feel like I am automatically perceived as a thief at drugstores and I don't feel good about myself shopping there anymore. I went to Walmart to buy replacement toothbrush heads, just the equate brand. They were locked behind a case. I got the associate after much searching. Then some other people needed stuff unlocked too but the associate did not just hand me my cheap equate toothbrush heads for fear I would steal them so I had to wait there while 3 other people had their merchandise unlocked and then we all walked to the cash together with the associate holding our stuff.
Dang, for toothbrush heads! I bet those cost...less than $10! They paid a lot in wages to keep you from shoplifting that. I mean, I'm sure you wouldn't, but you get my point.
Such a well thought out video! Also on the difference between price increases at the drugstrore vs highend, youre right about percieved value but also, $5 increasing to $8 is an increase of over 50%, But $20 to $25 is an increase of 25%, so i think consumers notice when something nearly doubles in price verses a slow creep
I have always bought high-end products. I personally want one or two of a category, not 10 or more cheap. I want the entire experience, which means, it's almost always high-end for me. I have purchased a couple of dupes, but then I never reach for them...I've stopped purchasing them. Love your content ❤
@@fudebooty I'd like to try e.l.f. and NYX complexion products, but most of them have added fragrance or fragrant ingredients which is no good for those of us with sensitive skin.
i HATE the locked up products 😭😭 i refused to buy a new DEODORANT for two months even though i hated the natural one i had because i knew i was moving back home where the products aren’t locked up (i don’t like buying things online) in regards to the drugstore vs. high end thing though, i’ve never been a high end person. i’ve been wearing makeup for about 5 years now and the only high end product i have was a gift. the highest i will go is glossier and i consider that mid range. i just really don’t see how high end products could be worth it honestly. i will probably buy a couple high end eyeshadows someday, but i’m even satisfied with my drugstore and indie shadows. i think makeup shouldn’t be a big expense, i want to keep it as low as possible, like, my favorite lip gloss is from five below 😭 and it’s great!!
@@20thcenturyrelicThey’re high but they’re one of the true “you get what you pay for” products. People love to say you’re just paying for the packaging but in truth, they outperform cheaper stuff.
I’m not going to lie, I really don’t care about drugstore makeup. Makeup is the only thing that I have for myself that really makes me happy. I want beautiful packaging and splurge items! So I never watch drugstore content!BUT I love your content just to hear your thoughts and opinions. Love your channel!
Something else to note! Because drugstore has really upped their game in terms of quality of product…I have purchased items like foundations and brow products and lip liners that are truly amazing. And because these are items that aren’t switched (necessarily) on the daily, I’m buying less over all! I’ve found my “holy grails”. So in GENERAL, I’m shopping less. And if I want more makeup, it’s a treat…thus I naturally think of higher end because of the general treat-vibes it offers (packaging, branding etc.) Thank you for always delivering the makeup-nerd content! I live for it!!
I personally have a mix of high end and drugstore products in my collection, and to me it comes down to individual product as well as the performance. I have one high end foundation and concealer, because I notice the difference, while I have multiple drugstore skin tints. Mascara, eyeliner, and brow products are drugstore because they perform the same as high end to me, but blush is something I love so I have high end as well as drugstore. I feel that it connects uniquely to the consumer but combining the fact that the percentage wise growth of drugstore prices is more significant and social media's establishment of makeup as status symbols, many people are moving towards mid range to high end makeup.
Deliberate dupes definitely have taken the fun out of dupes. The discovery is gone. As to purchasing, I am old fashioned; I still prefer to buy in person because too many online purchases have been disappointing. Online photos and swatches aren’t reliable so I mostly prefer to see the product first, even after watching reviews.
Its definitely a combination of many of these things. I still proudly shop drugstore but mainly for tried and true or a new shade. One thing thats always bothered me about makeup referred to as drugstore is that sometimes its not even available AT the drugstore! So many times im watching a full face of drugstore and most of the items are from the affordable side at Ulta.
Between the drugstore prices and the locked up situation, I definitely don’t buy drugstore much anymore! I just don’t have time to wait for someone to open the cabinets for me, and I’m a solo shopper who enjoys browsing without watchful eyes so that deters me for sure!
Love your take! 10-15 years ago I would browse drug store as much easier, but with Sephora at kohl’s and Ultas seemingly everywhere and in Target, it is more convenient for me to go to either now and browse the high end!
I tried Jones Road about a year ago. I know it didn’t work for you, but I love it. I’ve never been a high end makeup girl, but I haven’t really gone back to drugstore for much since then. Jones Road does exactly what I want at this phase of my life. I do use some Elf products for stage makeup because I want a less glowy look for performance, but it’s not my bread and butter anymore.
I'd love to try Jones Road, but the products contain fragrance. A no go for sensitive skin. Bobbie Brown should know better, that is, if she actually had anything to do with product formulation. It's possible that she just licensed her name and does advertising for them.
Tbh, with the prices of everything, if I’m going to pay a lot of money, I want to pay for a product of equivalent quality. I’m a cosplayer so I used a TON of drugstore makeup from the ages of like 15 to 20, but now I actually prefer C-beauty for makeup, and K-beauty for skincare
as someone who's worn and tried many brands, in the recent years I've started focusing on using all my makeup more than just buying new products. with that, I'd rather wait for my fave indie brands to have a sale than purchase drugstore. the price at sale time is usually about the same. with current financial times I'd rather research the product than buy something at the drugstore and then have to return it, even at $7. that said, my current mascara is still elf.
As someone with dry and sensitive skin, I’m often forced to buy high end products that are safe for me to use. I’m waiting for the day when drugstore brands will make more products for sensitive eyes and skin!
I have the same issue, and I strongly agree. I will say that Revlon has products that don't have fragrance, flavor, or alcohol - maybe not all, but some. I recommend their Super Lustrous bullet lipsticks which have no flavor or fragrance. Neutrogena also has some products suitable for sensitive skin, but I recommend checking the ingredients lists. They used to be pretty reliable on this issue, but not all of their newer products are. Unfortunately, as L'Oreal has discontinued old products, and brought out new ones, many have alcohol and/or fragrance. Also, Physician's Formula used to be reliable for sensitive skin, but they started putting fragrance in their products some years back. Too bad.
I have really sensitive skin and I would highly recommend the elf holy hydration fragrance free face cream! Also idk if you’re in the UK or Europe but but beauty bay does really good products! The avocado cleanser, plus the chamomile and oat lipid cleansing balm and the oat lipid rich moisturiser! I used to only buy high end too! But I’ve been amazed at these brand’s quality and purer ingredients! Hope this was helpful.
@@zoemoskal9700 Thank you for the advice! I live in the US so I don’t know if I have access to beauty bay, but I’ll definitely look into it, and the elf moisturizer sounds great!
I would also add that people who are trully struggling stop buying make up altogether. And most of those people buy from drugstore. The rich keep being rich during hard times and keep buying their luxury goods.
This video was so good! I can remember several years ago when my mindset truly changed on drugstore products. I would be thinking and thinking about purchasing X product from Sephora that was like $30. And then I found myself at target picking up 2-3 drugstore produces just on a whim. And I was like I could have just gotten what I REALLY wanted from Sephora that I’ve been thinking about for weeks… I still buy drugstore makeup, but it isn’t as often!
So... some of us can't blow $40 on one makeup item. Some people with tight budgets may choose to save up for products like that, but others have other priorities. I have 2 kids and my husband quit his job to go back to school 3 years ago. At the beginning of that time, I was buying budget products like Essence, WnW, Elf, etc. I got tired of some of the products not working for me, so I went back to splurging - on Maybelline. My splurge is more expensive drugstore products. The drugstore is plenty successful in my book bc Maybelline has somehow got me spending $13 on mascaras over the $5 Essence options. 😅
Over the years I've gone from repurchasing my drugstore staples, to mainly going to the better priced asian drugstore options and some high end counterparts. They've closed the gap enough that it's only a little more to buy the higher end option, so I'm using that coupon and going for the better packaging! And I always, always calculate price per ounce
I have my favourite formulas in so many categories and buying something new is risky. There’s no savings in buying unknown drugstore foundation and finding out that it doesn’t last or oxidizes. I might not buy new shade of eyeliner , but I’m staying with my high-end and indie staples.
I haven't bought very much since Covid , and I've paired down my makeup so it mostly all fits inside one medium size makeup bag except for the items that have to stand up so they don't leak. I normally just repurchase what I was already using , if I want to try something new I have to go in the store or find tons of swatch pictures to make sure its a color that will work for me if I buy it on line, because I have that magic cooltone skin that turns everything orange 😂
I have a very small collection of makeup but every piece is high end. I'd rather have nice makeup for more money than just okay makeup for only a little less!
Great video! I'm Canadian so my experience is a little different up here. I don't see the drug store makeup locked away the way you mentioned, so I still can poke around without waiting for an employee. I also keep an eye out for sales, which tend to be better (in my experience at least) at the drug store. My makeup preference is pretty minimalist, so I don't buy a whole lot, but I do have one "high end" product that you will pry from my cold dead hands: Bobbi Brown gel pot eyeliner in chocolate shimmer.
When I switched from powder complexion products (blush, contour, bronzer) to creams I started with drugstore to test the waters & see if I liked using cream/liquid complexion products. I bought ELF's putty bronzer & blush in a couple shades, some Pixi stick blush/bronzer, & CP SS blushes & bronzers. I liked the CP but they dried out too quickly. The ELF putty bronzer in the lightest shade is my PERFECT contour/bronzer shade & I have stuck with it. I now have Milani cream blushes that I really like (often my preferences are determined by shade ) & a Juvia's Place liquid blush (much more affordable than Rare Beauty) I'm not buying much makeup anymore except to replace used products like mascara, concealer & brow. I mostly prefer Indie Brand eyeshadows (Sydney Grace) & prestige brand foundations. But everything else, I am fine with drugstore. Mascara, lipliners, lipstick/gloss, blush, bronzer, concealer all drugstore. I haave to go highend with eyeliner pencils since all drugstore & even UD irritated my eyes. So I pick & choose where to spend big bucks & where not to.
I usually buy in store and only buy online if I can't find in store or if the prices are better online. I always always plan and research items. Rarely do I impulse buy.
The affordable products that will stand the test of time are those tried and true. Like the PF Butter Bronzer, Sheglam blushes, Kbeauty lip stains, etc. These products are good in their own right and aren’t necessarily trying to dupe any high end product.
Excellent video! I wish my students wrote essays like this. I would add the fact that the rich are getting richer, there is an new class of upper income class, and everyone else is getting poorer, to the extent that even mass products are unaffordable anymore
Loved this video. To be honest most drugstore products are not so readily available for us Europeans. I wish to try some drugstore products such as Covergirl but the high shipping fees put me off. Therefore I usually tend to gravitate for more premium brands since it's easier to have free shipping, discounts and gifts with purchases.
I've always been a dupe/drugstore girly. Growing up below the poverty line, I didnt even think of high end stuff cause it would always be out of reach (I also look at it, would I buy this item full price? If I can only afford it on sale, I can't afford to rely on it). I don't even buy make up that much, but I do buy haircare(curls) and skincare, I've found affordable brands I like (noughty, elf, beauty bay, and I use stylevana more cause I'm finding better quantities for the price compared to value from UK brands). It's definitely got more expensive over time, but I'm a critical consumer who doesn't fall blindly for brand hype.
Love this series so much! Personally, I've shifted away from drugstore because my purchasing habits are drastically reduced as I use less and less makeup so I'd rather pay prestige prices once in a while than lots of drugstore ones, that, as you pointed out have increased anyway.
As recent as 2019, I could purchase ELF eyeshadow brushes in four different brush styles for function, at a price point of $1.00/per brush... and I did (thankfully). I still have them, I still use them, as I have cared for them and stored them and cleaned them regularly. Those same eyeshadow brushes are now roughly $2.50 per brush, and nothing about these brushes has changed except for the simple fact that ELF has gained a higher profile as an OTC cosmetic brand. I do think ELF offers some really great products. I am glad I was able to collect plenty of brushes at a next to nothing price point before these same brushes by ELF skyrocketed in cost per. That is a real shame. L'Oréal has skyrocketed the price of their mascara, still less expensive than other brands, but clearly exploiting their customers' pocketbooks. Another shame. I think L'Oréal, their Infallible concealers are the best, but now the price point, where I buy, are regularly priced at $15.99. Makeup has always been expensive, behind the counter or OTC. However, the jump in the cost of cosmetics regardless of brand, since social media and the spawn of influencer culture, has also had a hand in the exploitation of the consumer dollar. It's the manufacturers, the culture, and the consumer, we all play a part in it. However, cost can still be kept semi-reasonable for the consumer if the consumer shops wisely, time of year, manufacturer coupons, and taking stock, as a consumer, want vs need, avoiding buying into hype, knowing one's buying habits and ultimately avoiding over consumption. It's easy to over spend and under utilize. I think it is a great thing that consumers are being more mindful of what their dollars are going to pay for. Small steps, big changes.
I used to buy a lot of drugstore make up passing by the makeup aisle at Walmart but on top of the higher prices the locked up items or having to pay in the makeup area before being able to go out and pay for the rest of your items is annoying. Waiting in line once is enough.
This is wild. I worked at ulta for 8 years, up until this past spring. I felt like all we sold was ELF and the ordinary 🙄 but these reasons do make sense!!
I’m a person who’s always bought only drugstore. I’ve had one or two higher end items from friends throughout my life. I remember the first high end product I got was a Stila eyeliner from a friend for my birthday in highschool. I remember thinking how much she must have spent on me. But these days, I wear makeup mostly as self care. I engage in it for the fun of it and for the experience of using the products and playing. So to me the appeal of a pretty product with nice packaging that fits the aesthetic I want, has increased since when I used makeup as something to give me extra confidence. In this way, I the utilitarianism of makeup for me has decreased. Also now that I don’t wear it as often I don’t need a lot of product. Making buying smaller products in nicer packaging more appealing as I don’t waste what goes bad. Things I want a lot of for a utilitarian purpose I still buy from the drugstore. Like powder, setting spray, eyebrow pencil. But the things I buy for fun, Like blush and lipstick end up being things I’ll spend more on. This is something I’ve realized is very sad to me. Where I love the experience and having cute and cozy products to use, I also don’t support the idea of paying more for anything just because it’s prestige. Therefore I end up buying more brands like glossier (until they raised prices,) bare minerals, winky lux, and things that have nice packaging but are still aren’t as high as they could be. I don’t like to put my money into a brand that is only charging more because they can. And I LOVE a brand who can provide a nice experience at an even lower price like Moira and colourpop. Although I don’t like the fast fashionification of colourpop either. Anyway, those are just some thoughts from a person who thinks a lot about things like this. I’m thrifty because of chronic illness keeping me from working, but also desire comfort for the same reason. (Just to tell you where I’m coming from.)
For me it's the fact that most high end products are only a couple dollars more than most drugstore products, like you stated. So I might as well get a better quality product for not much more. Also, I've noticed most drugstore brands aren't cruelty free, while it's pretty common for high end brands to be cruelty free, eco-friendly and better for your skin. Not sure if that's a big factor, but it definitely is for me. I do still tend to stick with drugstore brands for makeup like Nyx, Essence, Elf, Milani, Colorpop and maybe Covergirl. I shop at Ulta though, so I have access to drugstore priced brands that aren't usually in drugstores. Like Colorpop. I focus more on my skincare though and research a lot before I buy, especially with skincare because I don't wear makeup much anymore.
This is the first time I have watched a video like that and absolutely loved it!! Thank you for doing the research ❤ I feel that I now make more money than I did when I was a student, I have been more attracted to higher end makeup instead of wasting money on some dupes that aren’t as great as the high end, like I have the charlotte and elf primers you used but love the charlotte way more. But now that I know how to use coupons with sales, I can get them for similar price. Also I don’t care as much between high end and drugstore as long as the product works for me, so if it doesn’t work, I’m returning it so I won’t keep stock pile even for $5 items
The last point is similar at what is happening with Patrick Ta and the polemic about the pricing of their eyeshadow duos. People just can’t understand why PT would be a high end brand when he’s not the typical prestige brand. This video was so good and educational. Definitely worth watching, the last product I bought was a lipliner and I did it online, and it was high end 😂 busted 😢😂
In Canada, shopping in store means paying at least 5$ more because shoppers hikes up their prices. If I want to buy something, I’ll buy it off the website (like elf) or on Amazon to buy it on sale.
I feel the love for eyeshadows has also changed quite a bit. We are looking for more neutral eyeshadows that are simple 2-3 steps max. I used to love eyeshadows and experimenting colors but now I just own a few colorful eyeliners and use simple eyeshadows.
Yes, I'd say the eye shadow zeitgeist has definitely shifted. My taste has always been for neutral colors and a simpler design. And really, that's what you see on the street in the real world.
This is actually the opposite of what I expected. I remember back in 2014 when you weren’t cool if everything you owned wasn’t MAC, and now it seems like drug store quality has come a long way and is much higher quality and respected than it used to be.
Very thoughtful video! There is such a shift towards people wanting fewer, nicer things these days, it makes sense that luxury would be eclipsing the drugstore. Also people want their vanities to be social media-ready so I think people are valuing well-designed packaging more.
I’ve been loving the obvious dupes and have been buying more drugstore overall. Instead of having multiples of every product, I have scaled down my collection a lot. As I get older, I have more savings goals so I would rather save when it comes to makeup.
I almost think the drugstore brands need to get together and be like “okay, we are doing this dupe, you guys can do this one” bc after elf does it, then 14 other brands do it, we don’t care. Bronzing drops are a great example of this. Consumers don’t need every brand to have bronzing drops, we need 1 or 2 diff types to choose from, generally the brand isn’t the most important part. When every single brands new launch is the same thing, we don’t care!
I find this fascinating as someone who lives in Australia. High end makeup retailers are still few and far between but shopping centres have many stores carrying “drugstore” brands. Also Mecca (retailer that send high end and luxury beauty) never ever has sales on high end makeup but at least once a month you will find L’Oreal, Rimmel, Maybelline etc on half price sale at some retailer. However, brands like Milano and Elf are priced very high compared to other drugstore brands we have (Elf liquid blush $18 vs Rare Beauty $45, Elf Halo Glow $35 vs Charlotte Tilbury $70), but overall I think the “drugstore” brands would be doing a lot better than high end. It’s only in the past 3 months that we’ve gotten access to brands like Merit, Glossier and Tower 28.
These prices are in Australian dollars, right? Just did an Internet search, and it appears the current conversion rate is $1 AUD to .67 USD. So I converted some of these prices, and they still look pretty high to me. Is it the cost of shipping? Or...hmm. Do y'all have protective tariffs to encourage purchase of Australian brands? I assume there are Australian brands of makeup. Or is makeup subject to a luxury tax? Or...some other factor I haven't thought of? I'm a terribly provincial American and know little about Australia.
@@judithholder2537 I don't know about New Zealand, but I did some research on the Internet, and apparently there are high import taxes on makeup in Australia. As to what the justification is for that, I have no clue. (I'm not Australian and have never even been there.) And yes, I'd guess that shipping costs are a factor too in both countries.
@@20thcenturyrelicIt’s been a problem for a while. When Sephora first opened up stores in Aus around 2014 era they claimed they would match US prices. They did not however with some Sephora brand items at a 40-60% markup after $ conversion. Sephora faced backlash for the broken promises.
I 100 percent think dupes is killing drugstore. I feel like most brands are making the same thing, but prestige does it first, and that is what people buy. I loved dupes when they didn't seem to be intentional. I used to love goung to the drugstore and finding a fun new product, but now when I go I feel like it's all stuff I've seen before.
I used to exclusively buy drug store brands because I would wear make-up like once or twice a year. Now that I do drag I get mid tier brands or like brands that work for my drag friends like Colourpop. I still cant bring myself to buy Fenty or really anything on the higher end of Sephora. Also I buy things mostly in person unless its a shade my Ulta doesnt carry.
I don’t like shopping in store for makeup. If I go in store, it’s just to see a product in person and to possibly swatch it if there’s a tester available. I did that this week for the new Urban Decay moondust quad.
Dupes don’t bother me because it gives me the opportunity to try something at a lower price point. The elf halo glow is one of my favorites for an example. I also don’t think everything is a dupe. Rare Beauty didn’t invent pigmented liquid blush. It went viral for many reasons, and some of that is based on brand name.
It’s interesting because there are whole categories of makeup that I only buy drugstore (mascara, brows, lipliner). I usually only own one or two of each, burn through them, and repurchase the exact same products over and over. Because I know they work for me and I know the shades work for me. They’re probably my most purchased products generally. If it’s a risk, something I haven’t tried before, I am very very reluctant to buy drugstore because they’ve raised the prices so much. If it’s a $7 lipgloss I might see it and be like “what the heck, maybe” and give it a go. For a $14 lipgloss, that isn’t going to happen. Because I’m very very picky and I already have a favorite lipgloss. It’s expensive but I love it and I burn through it and repurchase it and have for years. So why risk wasting my money on something I can’t swatch? Because I already know what I like but it can be hard to tell, just staring at a tube, what a product is going to be like. And I’ve been burned enough times, both at the drugstore and just shopping online, where now I’m basically like if I can’t swatch it I usually don’t want it.
I don't have a lot of high-end, but I do have some. I like both. The problem is when I really can't afford either right now! Because I've bought too much and spent too much! And I probably haven't used much at all! Some things I've never tried them! So i appreciate dupes and the influencers that are showing us to slow down or consider this similar thing that's cheaper! Or better yet, DO YOU REALLY NEED IT!!! So, thank you for your videos! You give us all the information and show us alternative ect! I have a small group I still watch, and you're one of them! So thank you Kelly!! ❤❤❤❤
I buy most of my makeup online, partly because I live in a rural area. Most of my makeup these days is indie, except a) foundation and setting/finishing powders (mostly Sephora), and b) mascara, brow, and 'normal' lippies (mostly drugstore). I like weird lipstick colours like greens and blues, which I source from indie brands. When I go out with my parents, I use Revlon satins. I figure dealing with my blue hair is enough stress for my parents.
Loved this video! I have had so many times where it just doesn’t make sense to shop drugstore when it’s a few dollars more & there’s a coupon PLUS points at Ulta or Sephora. Placing an online pickup order at the Ulta near me is so easy for when I just need some re-ups & therefore I’m not really browsing as much anymore.
I just purchased the hourglass lotus pallete at Ulta today. I have the other 2 pallets and I fell inlove with the way the products looked on me. So I knew I needed it, points also helped.
Babe wake up new makeup musings just dropped
I don't mind "shrinking" of items like blush because I have finished *maybe* 1 blush in my life, but the corresponding price increase is what hits me 😂
Right! If they are gonna shrink the makeup, it is no wonder people are buying cosmetics from TEMU and sheglam/Shein makeup despite the risks, because people want the better price.
Ia, i wouldnt mind hitting pan a little sooner (esp now that a lot of makeup dont contain the same persavaties thats make them last long) but that price tag is not worth it
Yes but for make up artists it makes a huge difference
If they would stop paying “influencers” so much maybe they could afford to drop the price!!
FCK NO 😅😅😅 I USE IT EVERYDAY! Be greatful it last you !
The prices in drugstore exploded and i think twice now what i'm buying.
Same, girl. The prices are wild!
Right like at that point I’ll just buy high end
Exactly this!!!! @@LuisaFernanda.
Yup. Why buy drugstore when I can get something slightly higher end on sale for the same price.
Amen, sister. I’m not paying $20 for a Cover Girl foundation… dupe or not.
I feel like people don't want huge makeup collections anymore. People want a mindful collection of high quality products.
Yeah tbh it hurts when makeup goes bad before you can use it plenty. A smaller makeup collection is way better imo. Even picking what to use is harder with a big collection. I remember having 9 cream blushes at the same time and I never knew what to pick.
exactly this. it gives me anxiety when i have so many items that I haven't tried yet.
@@fuzaylova111 So true. I can never find anything when I have a large collection.
THIS! Because I've tried so much mediocre makeup haha, I now have an extremely curated collection with the best formulas that I know and love...and most of those, no, all of them are high end brands...other than my Ulta brow pencil and Essence Lash Princess mascara LOL
This is true as well. Only you tubers have extensive collections now, everyone else is sticking to their favorites.
I still can’t believe not even 5 years ago, spending $10-$15 on a makeup item felt like splurging to me. Nowadays it’s like “wow only $10?? What a steal!”
God, and when E.L.F’s products were reasonably priced you could get *so* much for $10-$15
I think part of the reason luxury brands are growing even during the cost of living crisis is because of doom spending. People now prefer to buy cool trendy expensive stuff to try to soothe our collective anxiety and distracts us from how shitty the world is, although this mindless consumerism is just a small dopamine hit and in the long run it just makes things worse.
Yes, it’s kind of like the ‘red lipstick effect’ of when the economy tanks people invest more in makeup because they can’t afford a more expensive item like a new bag or clothing item
Yes! Thank you for perfectly wording it.
@@wplants9793 I couldn't agree with you more.
Well said!!! Totally agree!!!
So give yourself more anxiety by wasting money you don’t have? Sounds self destructive and the behaviour of a nonsensical person.
You made so many valid points. For me it's that drugstore brands discontinue things so fast, I can no longer have a mascara or skincare product I love and buy for like $6 forever. Suddenly it's gone? What happened to making a range of staple products people can love for generations?
That's the thing that gets me - I don't care about dupes at all to be honest. Most of those corporations belong to the same few global conglomerates anyway so the formulas might even be shared for all I know. But the fact that I can love a product and then never be able to get it again is what makes me hesitant to buy stuff, even in non-drigstore brands. The constant product rotation really sucks.
@@TheDarkAngel396 Right! It's so frustrating, I have to pay more for a product I can trust to stick around.
But even luxury product are pulling this craziness. The Givenchy Prism Libre powder comes to mind. They changed the formula even though everyone loved it. Just whhhhyyyyyyy?!?!
Since when is that? Last time I checked, I could still buy Lash sensational and it was the same as 10 years ago. Even the price is relatively similar.
@@sashkad9246 you're quite lucky then! My favourite Nivea cream, maybelline mascara and the single eyeshadow colour I wore everyday from L'Oréal are gone. It's so annoying.
In Canada we used to have testers in the drugstores before covid. Now that the prices are closer to high end makeup I'd rather just go to Sephora and swatch things instead of risking being disappointed by a shade or texture.
Same here! I’m in Canada and I’ve wasted so much money trying to buy dupes at shoppers or Walmart but then the color is wrong because I couldn’t swatch at the store :/ waste of money!
@@methodologies_of_care I'm in Canada too and don't even bother with drugstore cuz of the inability to swatch - OR RETURN! At least at Sephora, if the tester is disgusting, you can try it and return it!
@@fudebooty omg the return policies for cosmetics are 😩😩😩
Yes I was about to comment the same thing! You want $29 for a physicians formula foundation with 5 shades you cannot swatch? Or I could pay $10 more for one from Sephora that I could swatch and test formula and colour
@@mindfulsnideein Canada it would be more like paying at least $20.00 more for a high end foundation, minimum. Drugstore might be priced higher than it used to be but I still feel better paying twenty dollars for a pretty good foundation -: L'Oreal has some great ones, than $60 plus for a Sephora high-end counterpart. The most important thing is Good skin Care anyway, makeup nowhere near as important....
For me, I vastly prefer to buy mid-range products like Tower 28, Rare Beauty, LYS, About Face, etc. While slightly more expensive, I think these brands have more attention to detail, better color ranges, more exciting products, and packaging that feels nice, original, and doesn't fall apart. Those things will always be worth a few extra dollars to me. Also, being able to swatch/shade match these products at retailers is HUGE because I used to waste so much money/product trying to guess shades at the drugstore, and it's way too expensive to risk a bad shade match now. I know you can return, but I hate doing that as it just goes to waste.
Thanks for this video, love the MM series!
Same here!
Me too! I don’t buy luxury products due to the heavy fragrance. Many of these companies started as a clothing company and/or a fragrance house, not a cosmetic line. Nor do I buy at the drugstore due to shade selection, no swatching and quality. I have tried a few Elf and 1 Essence product and was so disappointed, I said, “never again!” I don’t want 5 under performing blushes. I would rather have 1or 2 that work every time I wear them.
@@Pkrol-t6c I am genuinely in search for the formula in high end of a blush that would be as good in terms of formula as Essence pure nude blushes, just because the packaging of Essence breaks so fast but I dont find blush formula which is as beautiful as that in high end... Maybe any recommendations?:)
@@Pkrol-t6c Just so you know the elf glow finishing powder is really nice...
I joke that Walmart locking up their makeup has saved me some money. Def less impulse buying.
I went to CVS the other day, and everything required employee assistance or was sold out. Meanwhile, there’s a Sephora in every mall, on every corner (in LA) and in retailers such as kohls. In addition to that, Sephora is now on DoorDash for same day delivery for the same shipping rates as drug store retailers. Moreover, as i try to intentionally cut down on how much i spend on makeup (as i used to over consume so much) i just opt for a “better product” over buying several. Your points are amazing and there’s just so much to unpack.
I agree with this, I can't get into any products at Target without them having to be unlocked. Its become to difficult. It's much easier to walk into Ulta or Sephora. Not to mention when products are locked up it's hard to get a sense of color or texture.
I'd like to know what evil retail genius put Sephora in Kohl's!!! There's a Kohl's with Sephora 4 miles from my house, and I've spent way too much money there! When S was only at a mall 20 miles away, in an area I don't go to very often, I never spent $$$ there!!!
Seriously, I hope whoever did that got a bonus for it. I'm sure it increased S's sales!
I couldn't even look at SHAMPOOS at CVS because they were locked up! High-theft items!
like you said, it’s almost exhausting seeing every new drugstore makeup launch be a dupe of a high end product. i want more new unique stuff!! i miss being actually excited for a new drugstore product because it would be, well, new. not just yet another dupe.
I don’t buy drugstore makeup because there are very little/no displays to swatch the products and find a good shade match. $20 for a drugstore foundation is high risk for me considering the shade ranges are not as advanced AND I can’t swatch them. I would much rather go into the prestige section and spend double the amount if it means I can find a shade match
Yup !
I love dupes! They don’t make me less excited for new launches because as a general rule I don’t even consider buying the high end product!
I’ve been disappointed SO MANY times by beauty products, so a dupe kind of reassures me that it’s gonna be a nice formula
For me, I wouldn't even notice the drugstore is duping products so much if it wasn't called out so much by influencers. I also like that products that are at least half the price are increasing in quality all across the board. It used to be so hard to find a good lipstick at the drug store!
Thank u for not posting an Amazon Prime Day video today!!!!
Agree!! So sick of those ads!!
Several reasons : I'm just over drugstore when their prices are no different than mid tier with a coupon /deal from ulta or sephora. No testers so even more difficult to shade match. Since makeup takes a while to finish up I rather now at least enjoy the packaging as well than dealing with leaky pumps or poor plastic covers that break over time . Add on elf supporting mikayla ...I'm out.
A good point about packaging. I have a drugstore powder with a broken compact that I've panned, but I'm still using it, at home only. I use a rubber band to close it, but I don't travel with it. I have another one that I travel with.
I kind of go by the old saying: "Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without." Not to extremes, but I do like to get value for my money.
Same
Yesss exactlyy my words
do those mid-tier actually have better formula than drugstore or is it just the name ?
@@ainakunigelyte A very good question. One reason I buy more expensive eye shadows is that drugstore brands are mostly shimmers or glitters, and I mostly wear mattes. However, the Ulta Beauty and Sephora Collection store brands have drugstore priced mattes that are OK. I'm not inclined to rave about them, but they're serviceable.
My local drugstore has almost all the makeup behind glass. I need to push a button to have someone come over to unlock the case. It definitely takes the fun out of shopping!
The biggest downside of drugstore makeup has always been choosing the right colors for me. A couple of shade mistakes and I've spent as much as being color matched at a department store.
Yes, this plus the dupes never have the correct colour they’re trying to dupe you into buying. They’re never the on-trend shades, it’s always just the previous mauvey drugstore shades in tiktok packaging.
i still love me some drugstore but i do find myself buying less makeup due to the prices of some of these brands. brands like essence, catrice and wet n wild stay pretty affordable but brands like revlon and loreal have just kept climbing in price. making some of their products inaccessible to even drugstore consumers.
L’Oréal has ALWAYS been the most expensive drugstore option, even as far back as the mid-1980s… While their prices have increased, it really hasn’t been by much when compared to the other brands… Foundation, for example, has only increased by $5-6 USD over the past 30+ years, and mascara only by $3-5 USD… On the other hand, Revlon has gone up by about 70%, while CoverGirl has more than doubled…
@@xamyx725 Quite right about L'Oreal.
use cvs coupons ! im telling you esp with loreal or maybelline they always have mutiple coupons for both, plus with other general coupons you will save. for example: for the fit me powder alone i was able to get the price from 10 bucks to 3!
I think my impulse drugstore purchases dropped significantly when I saw that the blush was $18 and the foundations were on par with lower-end Ulta prices from products I already love. Drugstore isn't affordable anymore.
Kelly you should really do consulting for brands! You are such an expert at this point and so professional
That’s so kind of you! Thank you!
I have never commented on a video. For me, I never knew anything about prestige makeup and places like Sephora were intimidating. RUclips has contributed almost 100% to my shift from drugstore to higher end, because now I am familiar with the products.
I was always intimidated by going to counters in department stores for makeup. When Sephora and Ulta came along, it was great for me! To me, it's a lower pressure way to look at prestige products.
SAME!!
These huge corporations marketing is working on you, don’t fall for it.
@@Disgruntled_Canadian Do you suggest we stick to elf or get rid of makeup all together?
I see the more "plain" packaging from drugstore makeup as a bonus! I add cute stickers, and then it feels like a cute and cohesive collection of makeup!
I think people want something in a pretty package, especially if they are trying to use it all up or hit pan. They are going to see that product A LOT day to day
I love the idea of adding stickers!
Hope you don’t mind me stealing your sticker idea for my own collection from now on ;)
it's not about the looks but they break very fast:) E.g. essence or catrice blushes are in such package that if you carry it with you, it breaks in couple of months if not faster
Drugstore brands is owned by this big big brand that owns the high end brands. So they are made a lot of times in the same factorys. So they just make cheeper version of the same product. And with clever marketing make people to buy the more expensive version.
As Kelly pointed out, people do believe that more expensive products are better.
Yes, people think if they pay more than the product will perform better but a parent company can share formulas among brands and cut costs with different packaging and marketing costs, hence why I always opt for drugstore products. It’s all about paying for branding, performance is secondary.
@@danicee A good example of this is L'Oreal. They own Lancome, L"Oreal, and Maybelline, and probably other brands I'm not aware of. And you'll see a Lancome product, and versions under the L'Oreal and Maybelline names at lower price points.
To add to your point about accessibility, a lot of drugstores in my city are closing, and the ones that are open have absolutely terrible beauty sections now. The makeup isles are picked over and seemingly never restocked, nothing is in its right place, it literally looks like they are waiting to sell out of the last few items before shutting down those isles. 😢
I think we may be seeing a permanent shift to a lot fewer bricks and mortar retail outlets and a lot more online selling.
Jen Phelps did a similar video recently and it was very eye opening! Drugstore makeup has changed in recent years and while the quality seems better a lot of the time the price increases make it hard to justify it. I would rather just pay a little bit more and get the high end product. I'm also cutting back on how much I buy so I go for a few splurge products rather than a whole basket full of drugstore.
Being a teenager in the 90s it was fun to go to the drugstore and look at makeup and maybe buy some. We didn't live too far away from the drugstore so we could walk there or join the parents when they needed to pick up a prescription, greeting card, or get film developed. The makeup was affordable enough to buy a few things with allowance or ask for a small purchase from the parents every now and then. Then in the 00s and my 20s I started going to the department store with my friends and buying more "prestige" makeup. Going to the department store, a boutique makeup store, or the brand-new Sephora was an event: You grab a friend or two, some coffee or other beverage, and you browse and sample and get each other's opinions. You talk with the makeup counter expert and maybe get a makeover and you make a day of it. Then in my 30s I got married and had a baby and makeup seemed less important to me. Now in my 40s I wear very minimal makeup as my maturing skin doesn't respond the same way to makeup as it did when I was younger. I got used to my bare face and now full makeup doesn't feel like me and settles in lines that aren't visible without makeup. For me, makeup isn't fun anymore. I'm going to sound like an old man yelling at the clouds but there are too many options, I don't know what anything does anymore, and its all too expensive. I'm being a little hyperbolic but it's crazy how much changed in makeup in only about 10 years.
I'm just guessing here but I think consumers habits have changed over the past years (maybe since Covid? idk). The overconsumption impulse and hauls trends and makeup collections that take up an entire room have been replaced with smaller, more curated collections, so it makes sense that people prefer to invest in fewer but higher quality products.
Your right
I think about this at least once a week. Immediately after Covid, there was a huge "back to makeup" moment where people could dress up and go outside again! But I think in reality it made anything pre-covid seem dated, so now we like fresh faces and loose clothes, even if they're expensive, dressy, and luxurious.
Also, for me, reliable products that work for me without a lot of fiddling. I'm not going to wear a foundation that requires me to use a special primer, for example. If it doesn't work over my normal moisturizer and sunscreen, too bad. I don't have the patience to go to a lot of trouble to make things work.
Definitely. During covid, I used makeup mostly in a 'kid playing dressup' kind of way, experimenting with all kinds of new colors and textures and wild looks just for the novelty and the excitement of seeing something different when I looked in the mirror while puttering around the house. But now that I'm actually wearing makeup out again, I want *one* just right blush, *one* just right concealer, mascara, foundation, etc, a few color options for eyeshadow and lips, and that's it.
yess! Nobody wants to be a hoarding bag lady like the youtube haul aunties from the 2010s. We want to be effortless models who have a small clean collection of quality products that we can whip out of our bag for a glossier girl slay.
The color range at the drugstore has always been horrible and that hasn’t changed much. Also not being able to swatch products to find a color match if possible leads to potentially buying the wrong shades. Drug stores don’t have good return policies either so it’s always been a gamble for me to buy base products there.
My local Walmart has literally locked up all their makeup behind glass doors. You now have to ring a bell and wait forever for someone to get things for you. I'm not even going to try lol. I usually get my makeup from target or the drugstore section at ulta. I will always buy drugstore unless it's a product I truly love because it just makes more sense for me financially.
I could have written this comment! I find myself wondering if they actually sell any makeup after locking it up! Were they really losing that much to shoplifting?
@20thcenturyrelic I used to work at target about 10 years ago, and makeup was the most shoplifted and damaged out item. This solution is horrible though! And obviously makeup companies are still making a huge profit despite shoplifting!
@@emilyeeehaw I know the prevalence of shoplifting is a real thing; I've worked in retail. But really, I think if stores have to lock up makeup, maybe they should just quit selling it.
@20thcenturyrelic very true. Or maybe they could have an employee always be near the health and beauty section, but even that isn't an amazing solution. I don't really want someone following behind me as I'm looking at the products. Hopefully retailers will get learn that this drives away the people who were actually honest and willing to spend their money on their beauty products.
Our Nordstrom Rack has a display of MAC with ---- (seriously) --- only small tear-off tabs of PAPER which one must take to a cashier to even see the product!!!
For me, it’s two things. 1) you can’t “try before you buy” with drugstore. I have wasted lots of money with getting the wrong shade or a texture that is terrible. With higher end, that problem has been completely eliminated for me. 2) drugstore packing (in a lot of cases) is still terrible quality. I travel for work and had a bronzer break on me 3 times in 3 months. Instead of repurchasing that same bronzer, I bought one from Sephora and have never had an issue with the packaging breaking.
i stopped buying drugstore makeup because it's literally just expensive and they also put all the makeup in a cage. like i don't wanna have to ask an employee for help to just buy a lipstick. plus i'm way less interested in buying a lot of makeup now. i always use the makeup until i run out or it becomes unusable and i've just had a better time with makeup staying very usable past expiration date when it's high end. i've been using the same sephora lipstick for like 7 years now (and i'll use every last drop of it) and it's still going strong i haven't even noticed the formula degrading. it was like 12 bucks i think when i got it and the drugstore ones at the time were closer to 8 so the difference wasn't even that big. and in mid/high end stores you get to swatch everything and they haven't trapped all your makeup behind a bunch of locks. also some of the drugstore makeup i did buy regularly has just been discontinued. i used to use this one specific eyeliner only but they don't even make it anymore and i replaced that with a high end one.
Drugstore makeup is also less accessible from a disabled perspective. I need to be having a good day to get up and drive to the pharmacy, which involves finding an accessible spot and breaking down/putting up my wheelchair. Then there are fewer people to help you find, select, and physically reach cosmetics in a
CVS. At Sephora, the employees are present and often available to help grab items, but most are within reach, at least at the Sephoras I shop at in metro Detroit. If I can't get to Sephora because of my disabilities or because I'm having a bad day, I just shop online with, as you mentioned, free shipping. Even though I have to pay shipping with Ulta, it's still easier to shop online than drive to the pharmacy.
A very good point, and as the population gets older, more of us are going to have mobility issues. Sephora and Ulta, IMHO, do indeed have many more employees around, I'd guess to reduce shoplifting. And their salaries are, of course, factored into product prices.
same
@20thcenturyrelic Yes! Everyone becomes disabled, unless they pass before it happens. I think new construction houses/condos/apartments should be built to be more accessible because of that. But on the subject of makeup, I hope Sephora employees are paid well because I require a lot of help, lol.
@@oracularp Another good point that I keep in mind - we're all only temporarily abled. To look at me, you'd think I was OK, but I have no cartilage left in my knees and am unable to climb stairs. OK, I can manage maybe 5 steps if I have to, but after that, it starts to hurt.
You nailed it. With the high cost of drug store brands and the fact that i hardly ever walk into a drug store these days…. I just prefer buying high end now. With the occasional drug store item I pick up at Target, I always just go to Sephora or a department store or online. I try not to buy online because I fear we will not have any stores to go to soon if online purchasing continues and that just hurts everyone. The lost jobs and social interaction will suffer. Great video! Thanks for sharing! I’m subscribing! ❤
I love this topic! Honestly, I still try to buy drugstore because certain high-end products are ultra expensive here in europe while certain drugstore brands like essence, catrice or bell are still cheap, good quality and easy to find (I mean, essence liners aren't even 2€ and they're amazing), but I admit that if I need or fancy whatever product and the drugstore version is like 5-10 € cheaper than the high end, counting that cheaper packaging tends to break more easily, I'd rather spend that extra money and buy the more expensive one
agree on breakage! I am in search for the same formula as Essence Nude blushes in high end just because the packaging is breaking, funny enough I dont find anything that compares... Maybe RMS?
I purchase so much less makeup compared to even a couple of years ago that I generally don't buy dupes unless it's of a product that isn't cruelty-feee.
My problem" are the prices. It is not a long ago that L'Oréal mascara was around 10-11€ and now the newer one around 13-15€. Even catrice or essence are not really cheap anymore.
I buy so much less makeup then I did 10 years ago. Now I have favorites that I repurchase. The only thing I’m on the hunt for is an under eye concealer.
@@jessicaseven L'Oreal isn't cruelty free in the first place
Excellent subject! I would definitely ADD another reason for the shift of consumer's choice: psychology in dire economic times. I was a Marketing major at University in the 90's and we were presented an interesting fact... We saw that historically, when the economy is tough on middle and lower class for whatever reason (since the 1920's and on), people usually stopped buying pricier bigger ticket things - think cars, holidays in the sun, new big couches, leather goods and furs (when those were ''in''), better restaurants... You catch my drift. NOW, when times are tough, you STILL want your fun, your dreams, your candies, your ''damn I'm worth it!'' products. So, here comes the high end and refined brand names items that are pricier yes, but so much CHEAPER than a car, a vacation, a pricey sofa... It's still relevant since 130 years, just logical.
My theory: originality requires R&D resources which are not cheap. While R&D is required to dupe an existing product, it's not as labor intensive. More labor = more money which would bring drugstore prices up to a degree the public wouldn't tolerate.
Wow, you have a point here that I haven't seen, or heard, made elsewhere. Yes, I'd guess it is indeed cheaper to reverse engineer a product than it is to create a new one. Start with a chemical analysis of the ingredients, source the ingredients, or satisfactory substitutes, formulate the product, test it, and source packaging for it. That's my high level concept of the process.
A lot of high end brands are owned by L’Oréal so they really just recycle down the formula. There’s not a lot of reverse engineering thanks to parent companies
It's also lower risk: you know that the original product sells well, so the chances of your dupe doing the same is relatively high. A completely new product has no such guaranty.
@@victoriastargle2929 Excellent point. Wow, so many smart people commenting here!
After covid I got back into buying makeup. I have been a Clinique girl since I was a teenager. I decided to go drugstore for lower prices. To my surprise the Clinique brand started having better sales, not so great free gifts though, so with prices skyrocketing I still stick with Clinique.
The only problem is that Clinique is not cruelty free.
Well, you can count on Clinique to be fragrance and alcohol free, except for the toners with alcohol. A big plus for those of us with sensitive skin. I do love the Almost Lipstick!
Ulta just offered a bunch of gifts with purchase when you purchase Clinique and they’re the moisturizer, eye cream, mascara, etc. it was amazing and you get so much product. They offered full sized gifts with purchase. You missed out for sure, I’m impressed by the price point and what I received.
My biggest issue is that drugstores in Canada don't have testers. In no world am I blind buying a foundation without swatching it. At Sephora I am buying a sure thing because I know at least the color will be correct and if not their return policy is decent. I remember when Shoppers Drug Mart had testers but they got rid of them a long time ago. That's the other thing that bothers me: between the lack of testers and needing to get an associate to open a locked cabinet, I feel like I am automatically perceived as a thief at drugstores and I don't feel good about myself shopping there anymore. I went to Walmart to buy replacement toothbrush heads, just the equate brand. They were locked behind a case. I got the associate after much searching. Then some other people needed stuff unlocked too but the associate did not just hand me my cheap equate toothbrush heads for fear I would steal them so I had to wait there while 3 other people had their merchandise unlocked and then we all walked to the cash together with the associate holding our stuff.
Dang, for toothbrush heads! I bet those cost...less than $10! They paid a lot in wages to keep you from shoplifting that. I mean, I'm sure you wouldn't, but you get my point.
Such a well thought out video! Also on the difference between price increases at the drugstrore vs highend, youre right about percieved value but also, $5 increasing to $8 is an increase of over 50%, But $20 to $25 is an increase of 25%, so i think consumers notice when something nearly doubles in price verses a slow creep
Another good point! Dang, Kelly's subscribers are smart!
Great point! When wow brow went from $3 to $5, I was stunned! I can't tell you the price of my Sephora makeup though.
I have always bought high-end products. I personally want one or two of a category, not 10 or more cheap. I want the entire experience, which means, it's almost always high-end for me. I have purchased a couple of dupes, but then I never reach for them...I've stopped purchasing them. Love your content ❤
Ditto! I've tried some e.l.f. but I end up decluttering, even if it's decent. I want to feel bougie and I pay for it.
In my experience, elf dupes never measured up-something’s always off. Ended up wasting $$!
@@fudebooty I'd like to try e.l.f. and NYX complexion products, but most of them have added fragrance or fragrant ingredients which is no good for those of us with sensitive skin.
i HATE the locked up products 😭😭 i refused to buy a new DEODORANT for two months even though i hated the natural one i had because i knew i was moving back home where the products aren’t locked up (i don’t like buying things online)
in regards to the drugstore vs. high end thing though, i’ve never been a high end person. i’ve been wearing makeup for about 5 years now and the only high end product i have was a gift. the highest i will go is glossier and i consider that mid range. i just really don’t see how high end products could be worth it honestly. i will probably buy a couple high end eyeshadows someday, but i’m even satisfied with my drugstore and indie shadows. i think makeup shouldn’t be a big expense, i want to keep it as low as possible, like, my favorite lip gloss is from five below 😭 and it’s great!!
I will NEVER buy a luxury product (Chanel, Dior, Clarins, etc.) The prices are ridiculous!
@@20thcenturyrelicThey’re high but they’re one of the true “you get what you pay for” products. People love to say you’re just paying for the packaging but in truth, they outperform cheaper stuff.
I’m not going to lie, I really don’t care about drugstore makeup.
Makeup is the only thing that I have for myself that really makes me happy.
I want beautiful packaging and splurge items! So I never watch drugstore content!BUT I love your content just to hear your thoughts and opinions.
Love your channel!
What are some recommendations you have? Newish to makeup but tired of the price hikes in drugstore makeup
Something else to note! Because drugstore has really upped their game in terms of quality of product…I have purchased items like foundations and brow products and lip liners that are truly amazing. And because these are items that aren’t switched (necessarily) on the daily, I’m buying less over all! I’ve found my “holy grails”. So in GENERAL, I’m shopping less. And if I want more makeup, it’s a treat…thus I naturally think of higher end because of the general treat-vibes it offers (packaging, branding etc.)
Thank you for always delivering the makeup-nerd content! I live for it!!
I personally have a mix of high end and drugstore products in my collection, and to me it comes down to individual product as well as the performance. I have one high end foundation and concealer, because I notice the difference, while I have multiple drugstore skin tints. Mascara, eyeliner, and brow products are drugstore because they perform the same as high end to me, but blush is something I love so I have high end as well as drugstore. I feel that it connects uniquely to the consumer but combining the fact that the percentage wise growth of drugstore prices is more significant and social media's establishment of makeup as status symbols, many people are moving towards mid range to high end makeup.
Deliberate dupes definitely have taken the fun out of dupes. The discovery is gone. As to purchasing, I am old fashioned; I still prefer to buy in person because too many online purchases have been disappointing. Online photos and swatches aren’t reliable so I mostly prefer to see the product first, even after watching reviews.
Its definitely a combination of many of these things. I still proudly shop drugstore but mainly for tried and true or a new shade.
One thing thats always bothered me about makeup referred to as drugstore is that sometimes its not even available AT the drugstore! So many times im watching a full face of drugstore and most of the items are from the affordable side at Ulta.
These drugstore prices got me FUCKED up. I will usually pay more for high end out of spite
It’s not even that much more anymore which is the crazy part!
@@victoriastargle2929for real !!
Between the drugstore prices and the locked up situation, I definitely don’t buy drugstore much anymore! I just don’t have time to wait for someone to open the cabinets for me, and I’m a solo shopper who enjoys browsing without watchful eyes so that deters me for sure!
Love your take! 10-15 years ago I would browse drug store as much easier, but with Sephora at kohl’s and Ultas seemingly everywhere and in Target, it is more convenient for me to go to either now and browse the high end!
I tried Jones Road about a year ago. I know it didn’t work for you, but I love it. I’ve never been a high end makeup girl, but I haven’t really gone back to drugstore for much since then. Jones Road does exactly what I want at this phase of my life. I do use some Elf products for stage makeup because I want a less glowy look for performance, but it’s not my bread and butter anymore.
I'd love to try Jones Road, but the products contain fragrance. A no go for sensitive skin. Bobbie Brown should know better, that is, if she actually had anything to do with product formulation. It's possible that she just licensed her name and does advertising for them.
Tbh, with the prices of everything, if I’m going to pay a lot of money, I want to pay for a product of equivalent quality. I’m a cosplayer so I used a TON of drugstore makeup from the ages of like 15 to 20, but now I actually prefer C-beauty for makeup, and K-beauty for skincare
as someone who's worn and tried many brands, in the recent years I've started focusing on using all my makeup more than just buying new products. with that, I'd rather wait for my fave indie brands to have a sale than purchase drugstore. the price at sale time is usually about the same. with current financial times I'd rather research the product than buy something at the drugstore and then have to return it, even at $7. that said, my current mascara is still elf.
As someone with dry and sensitive skin, I’m often forced to buy high end products that are safe for me to use. I’m waiting for the day when drugstore brands will make more products for sensitive eyes and skin!
I have the same issue, and I strongly agree. I will say that Revlon has products that don't have fragrance, flavor, or alcohol - maybe not all, but some. I recommend their Super Lustrous bullet lipsticks which have no flavor or fragrance.
Neutrogena also has some products suitable for sensitive skin, but I recommend checking the ingredients lists. They used to be pretty reliable on this issue, but not all of their newer products are. Unfortunately, as L'Oreal has discontinued old products, and brought out new ones, many have alcohol and/or fragrance. Also, Physician's Formula used to be reliable for sensitive skin, but they started putting fragrance in their products some years back. Too bad.
I have really sensitive skin and I would highly recommend the elf holy hydration fragrance free face cream! Also idk if you’re in the UK or Europe but but beauty bay does really good products! The avocado cleanser, plus the chamomile and oat lipid cleansing balm and the oat lipid rich moisturiser! I used to only buy high end too! But I’ve been amazed at these brand’s quality and purer ingredients! Hope this was helpful.
@@20thcenturyrelic Thank you so much for the recommendations! I’ll definitely look into these!
@@zoemoskal9700 Thank you for the advice! I live in the US so I don’t know if I have access to beauty bay, but I’ll definitely look into it, and the elf moisturizer sounds great!
I would also add that people who are trully struggling stop buying make up altogether. And most of those people buy from drugstore. The rich keep being rich during hard times and keep buying their luxury goods.
This video was so good! I can remember several years ago when my mindset truly changed on drugstore products. I would be thinking and thinking about purchasing X product from Sephora that was like $30. And then I found myself at target picking up 2-3 drugstore produces just on a whim. And I was like I could have just gotten what I REALLY wanted from Sephora that I’ve been thinking about for weeks… I still buy drugstore makeup, but it isn’t as often!
So... some of us can't blow $40 on one makeup item. Some people with tight budgets may choose to save up for products like that, but others have other priorities.
I have 2 kids and my husband quit his job to go back to school 3 years ago. At the beginning of that time, I was buying budget products like Essence, WnW, Elf, etc. I got tired of some of the products not working for me, so I went back to splurging - on Maybelline. My splurge is more expensive drugstore products. The drugstore is plenty successful in my book bc Maybelline has somehow got me spending $13 on mascaras over the $5 Essence options. 😅
My in laws are the WORST about thinking something is automatically better just because it’s a higher price. Drives me absolutely crazy.
Over the years I've gone from repurchasing my drugstore staples, to mainly going to the better priced asian drugstore options and some high end counterparts. They've closed the gap enough that it's only a little more to buy the higher end option, so I'm using that coupon and going for the better packaging! And I always, always calculate price per ounce
I have my favourite formulas in so many categories and buying something new is risky. There’s no savings in buying unknown drugstore foundation and finding out that it doesn’t last or oxidizes. I might not buy new shade of eyeliner , but I’m staying with my high-end and indie staples.
I haven't bought very much since Covid , and I've paired down my makeup so it mostly all fits inside one medium size makeup bag except for the items that have to stand up so they don't leak. I normally just repurchase what I was already using , if I want to try something new I have to go in the store or find tons of swatch pictures to make sure its a color that will work for me if I buy it on line, because I have that magic cooltone skin that turns everything orange 😂
I have a very small collection of makeup but every piece is high end. I'd rather have nice makeup for more money than just okay makeup for only a little less!
Great video! I'm Canadian so my experience is a little different up here. I don't see the drug store makeup locked away the way you mentioned, so I still can poke around without waiting for an employee. I also keep an eye out for sales, which tend to be better (in my experience at least) at the drug store. My makeup preference is pretty minimalist, so I don't buy a whole lot, but I do have one "high end" product that you will pry from my cold dead hands: Bobbi Brown gel pot eyeliner in chocolate shimmer.
That's supposed to be an excellent eye liner.
When I switched from powder complexion products (blush, contour, bronzer) to creams I started with drugstore to test the waters & see if I liked using cream/liquid complexion products. I bought ELF's putty bronzer & blush in a couple shades, some Pixi stick blush/bronzer, & CP SS blushes & bronzers. I liked the CP but they dried out too quickly. The ELF putty bronzer in the lightest shade is my PERFECT contour/bronzer shade & I have stuck with it. I now have Milani cream blushes that I really like (often my preferences are determined by shade ) & a Juvia's Place liquid blush (much more affordable than Rare Beauty) I'm not buying much makeup anymore except to replace used products like mascara, concealer & brow. I mostly prefer Indie Brand eyeshadows (Sydney Grace) & prestige brand foundations. But everything else, I am fine with drugstore. Mascara, lipliners, lipstick/gloss, blush, bronzer, concealer all drugstore. I haave to go highend with eyeliner pencils since all drugstore & even UD irritated my eyes. So I pick & choose where to spend big bucks & where not to.
"So I pick & choose where to spend big bucks & where not to." Exactly what I do!!!
I usually buy in store and only buy online if I can't find in store or if the prices are better online. I always always plan and research items. Rarely do I impulse buy.
The affordable products that will stand the test of time are those tried and true. Like the PF Butter Bronzer, Sheglam blushes, Kbeauty lip stains, etc. These products are good in their own right and aren’t necessarily trying to dupe any high end product.
Excellent video! I wish my students wrote essays like this. I would add the fact that the rich are getting richer, there is an new class of upper income class, and everyone else is getting poorer, to the extent that even mass products are unaffordable anymore
Another good point! I'm amazed by the quality of the comments on this video.
Loved this video. To be honest most drugstore products are not so readily available for us Europeans. I wish to try some drugstore products such as Covergirl but the high shipping fees put me off. Therefore I usually tend to gravitate for more premium brands since it's easier to have free shipping, discounts and gifts with purchases.
That makes sense!
I've always been a dupe/drugstore girly. Growing up below the poverty line, I didnt even think of high end stuff cause it would always be out of reach (I also look at it, would I buy this item full price? If I can only afford it on sale, I can't afford to rely on it). I don't even buy make up that much, but I do buy haircare(curls) and skincare, I've found affordable brands I like (noughty, elf, beauty bay, and I use stylevana more cause I'm finding better quantities for the price compared to value from UK brands).
It's definitely got more expensive over time, but I'm a critical consumer who doesn't fall blindly for brand hype.
Make up Musings is by far my favourite series of yours 😊
good morning, Kelly! always love watching you while i get ready for work
Love this series so much! Personally, I've shifted away from drugstore because my purchasing habits are drastically reduced as I use less and less makeup so I'd rather pay prestige prices once in a while than lots of drugstore ones, that, as you pointed out have increased anyway.
As recent as 2019, I could purchase ELF eyeshadow brushes in four different brush styles for function, at a price point of $1.00/per brush... and I did (thankfully). I still have them, I still use them, as I have cared for them and stored them and cleaned them regularly. Those same eyeshadow brushes are now roughly $2.50 per brush, and nothing about these brushes has changed except for the simple fact that ELF has gained a higher profile as an OTC cosmetic brand.
I do think ELF offers some really great products. I am glad I was able to collect plenty of brushes at a next to nothing price point before these same brushes by ELF skyrocketed in cost per. That is a real shame.
L'Oréal has skyrocketed the price of their mascara, still less expensive than other brands, but clearly exploiting their customers' pocketbooks. Another shame.
I think L'Oréal, their Infallible concealers are the best, but now the price point, where I buy, are regularly priced at $15.99.
Makeup has always been expensive, behind the counter or OTC. However, the jump in the cost of cosmetics regardless of brand, since social media and the spawn of influencer culture, has also had a hand in the exploitation of the consumer dollar. It's the manufacturers, the culture, and the consumer, we all play a part in it.
However, cost can still be kept semi-reasonable for the consumer if the consumer shops wisely, time of year, manufacturer coupons, and taking stock, as a consumer, want vs need, avoiding buying into hype, knowing one's buying habits and ultimately avoiding over consumption.
It's easy to over spend and under utilize. I think it is a great thing that consumers are being more mindful of what their dollars are going to pay for. Small steps, big changes.
10 years! How is it I’m just finding your channel? It’s fabulous!
I used to buy a lot of drugstore make up passing by the makeup aisle at Walmart but on top of the higher prices the locked up items or having to pay in the makeup area before being able to go out and pay for the rest of your items is annoying. Waiting in line once is enough.
This is wild. I worked at ulta for 8 years, up until this past spring. I felt like all we sold was ELF and the ordinary 🙄 but these reasons do make sense!!
I’m a person who’s always bought only drugstore. I’ve had one or two higher end items from friends throughout my life. I remember the first high end product I got was a Stila eyeliner from a friend for my birthday in highschool. I remember thinking how much she must have spent on me. But these days, I wear makeup mostly as self care. I engage in it for the fun of it and for the experience of using the products and playing. So to me the appeal of a pretty product with nice packaging that fits the aesthetic I want, has increased since when I used makeup as something to give me extra confidence. In this way, I the utilitarianism of makeup for me has decreased. Also now that I don’t wear it as often I don’t need a lot of product. Making buying smaller products in nicer packaging more appealing as I don’t waste what goes bad. Things I want a lot of for a utilitarian purpose I still buy from the drugstore. Like powder, setting spray, eyebrow pencil. But the things I buy for fun, Like blush and lipstick end up being things I’ll spend more on.
This is something I’ve realized is very sad to me. Where I love the experience and having cute and cozy products to use, I also don’t support the idea of paying more for anything just because it’s prestige. Therefore I end up buying more brands like glossier (until they raised prices,) bare minerals, winky lux, and things that have nice packaging but are still aren’t as high as they could be. I don’t like to put my money into a brand that is only charging more because they can. And I LOVE a brand who can provide a nice experience at an even lower price like Moira and colourpop. Although I don’t like the fast fashionification of colourpop either.
Anyway, those are just some thoughts from a person who thinks a lot about things like this. I’m thrifty because of chronic illness keeping me from working, but also desire comfort for the same reason. (Just to tell you where I’m coming from.)
For me it's the fact that most high end products are only a couple dollars more than most drugstore products, like you stated. So I might as well get a better quality product for not much more. Also, I've noticed most drugstore brands aren't cruelty free, while it's pretty common for high end brands to be cruelty free, eco-friendly and better for your skin. Not sure if that's a big factor, but it definitely is for me. I do still tend to stick with drugstore brands for makeup like Nyx, Essence, Elf, Milani, Colorpop and maybe Covergirl. I shop at Ulta though, so I have access to drugstore priced brands that aren't usually in drugstores. Like Colorpop. I focus more on my skincare though and research a lot before I buy, especially with skincare because I don't wear makeup much anymore.
This is the first time I have watched a video like that and absolutely loved it!! Thank you for doing the research ❤ I feel that I now make more money than I did when I was a student, I have been more attracted to higher end makeup instead of wasting money on some dupes that aren’t as great as the high end, like I have the charlotte and elf primers you used but love the charlotte way more. But now that I know how to use coupons with sales, I can get them for similar price. Also I don’t care as much between high end and drugstore as long as the product works for me, so if it doesn’t work, I’m returning it so I won’t keep stock pile even for $5 items
The last point is similar at what is happening with Patrick Ta and the polemic about the pricing of their eyeshadow duos. People just can’t understand why PT would be a high end brand when he’s not the typical prestige brand.
This video was so good and educational. Definitely worth watching, the last product I bought was a lipliner and I did it online, and it was high end 😂 busted 😢😂
In Canada, shopping in store means paying at least 5$ more because shoppers hikes up their prices. If I want to buy something, I’ll buy it off the website (like elf) or on Amazon to buy it on sale.
I feel the love for eyeshadows has also changed quite a bit. We are looking for more neutral eyeshadows that are simple 2-3 steps max. I used to love eyeshadows and experimenting colors but now I just own a few colorful eyeliners and use simple eyeshadows.
Agree. For a lot of the influencers I watched in the 2015-2020 era were so centered on eyeshadow palette launches and now it’s definitely shifted
Yes, I'd say the eye shadow zeitgeist has definitely shifted. My taste has always been for neutral colors and a simpler design. And really, that's what you see on the street in the real world.
This is actually the opposite of what I expected. I remember back in 2014 when you weren’t cool if everything you owned wasn’t MAC, and now it seems like drug store quality has come a long way and is much higher quality and respected than it used to be.
Jen Phelps recently talked about this and BTW I still like dupes.👍🏼
Very thoughtful video! There is such a shift towards people wanting fewer, nicer things these days, it makes sense that luxury would be eclipsing the drugstore. Also people want their vanities to be social media-ready so I think people are valuing well-designed packaging more.
I love makeup musings. ✨
I’ve been loving the obvious dupes and have been buying more drugstore overall. Instead of having multiples of every product, I have scaled down my collection a lot. As I get older, I have more savings goals so I would rather save when it comes to makeup.
I almost think the drugstore brands need to get together and be like “okay, we are doing this dupe, you guys can do this one” bc after elf does it, then 14 other brands do it, we don’t care. Bronzing drops are a great example of this. Consumers don’t need every brand to have bronzing drops, we need 1 or 2 diff types to choose from, generally the brand isn’t the most important part. When every single brands new launch is the same thing, we don’t care!
I find this fascinating as someone who lives in Australia. High end makeup retailers are still few and far between but shopping centres have many stores carrying “drugstore” brands. Also Mecca (retailer that send high end and luxury beauty) never ever has sales on high end makeup but at least once a month you will find L’Oreal, Rimmel, Maybelline etc on half price sale at some retailer. However, brands like Milano and Elf are priced very high compared to other drugstore brands we have (Elf liquid blush $18 vs Rare Beauty $45, Elf Halo Glow $35 vs Charlotte Tilbury $70), but overall I think the “drugstore” brands would be doing a lot better than high end. It’s only in the past 3 months that we’ve gotten access to brands like Merit, Glossier and Tower 28.
These prices are in Australian dollars, right? Just did an Internet search, and it appears the current conversion rate is $1 AUD to .67 USD. So I converted some of these prices, and they still look pretty high to me. Is it the cost of shipping? Or...hmm. Do y'all have protective tariffs to encourage purchase of Australian brands? I assume there are Australian brands of makeup. Or is makeup subject to a luxury tax? Or...some other factor I haven't thought of? I'm a terribly provincial American and know little about Australia.
@@20thcenturyrelicmake-up prices in both Australia & N. Z. are horribly high. Is it because they are so far away fr where manufactured?
@@judithholder2537 I don't know about New Zealand, but I did some research on the Internet, and apparently there are high import taxes on makeup in Australia. As to what the justification is for that, I have no clue. (I'm not Australian and have never even been there.) And yes, I'd guess that shipping costs are a factor too in both countries.
@@20thcenturyrelicIt’s been a problem for a while. When Sephora first opened up stores in Aus around 2014 era they claimed they would match US prices. They did not however with some Sephora brand items at a 40-60% markup after $ conversion. Sephora faced backlash for the broken promises.
I 100 percent think dupes is killing drugstore. I feel like most brands are making the same thing, but prestige does it first, and that is what people buy. I loved dupes when they didn't seem to be intentional. I used to love goung to the drugstore and finding a fun new product, but now when I go I feel like it's all stuff I've seen before.
I used to exclusively buy drug store brands because I would wear make-up like once or twice a year. Now that I do drag I get mid tier brands or like brands that work for my drag friends like Colourpop. I still cant bring myself to buy Fenty or really anything on the higher end of Sephora.
Also I buy things mostly in person unless its a shade my Ulta doesnt carry.
I don’t like shopping in store for makeup. If I go in store, it’s just to see a product in person and to possibly swatch it if there’s a tester available. I did that this week for the new Urban Decay moondust quad.
Dupes don’t bother me because it gives me the opportunity to try something at a lower price point. The elf halo glow is one of my favorites for an example. I also don’t think everything is a dupe. Rare Beauty didn’t invent pigmented liquid blush. It went viral for many reasons, and some of that is based on brand name.
I’m buying a good mix of both high end and drugstore.
It’s interesting because there are whole categories of makeup that I only buy drugstore (mascara, brows, lipliner). I usually only own one or two of each, burn through them, and repurchase the exact same products over and over. Because I know they work for me and I know the shades work for me. They’re probably my most purchased products generally.
If it’s a risk, something I haven’t tried before, I am very very reluctant to buy drugstore because they’ve raised the prices so much. If it’s a $7 lipgloss I might see it and be like “what the heck, maybe” and give it a go. For a $14 lipgloss, that isn’t going to happen. Because I’m very very picky and I already have a favorite lipgloss. It’s expensive but I love it and I burn through it and repurchase it and have for years.
So why risk wasting my money on something I can’t swatch? Because I already know what I like but it can be hard to tell, just staring at a tube, what a product is going to be like. And I’ve been burned enough times, both at the drugstore and just shopping online, where now I’m basically like if I can’t swatch it I usually don’t want it.
I don't have a lot of high-end, but I do have some. I like both. The problem is when I really can't afford either right now! Because I've bought too much and spent too much! And I probably haven't used much at all! Some things I've never tried them! So i appreciate dupes and the influencers that are showing us to slow down or consider this similar thing that's cheaper! Or better yet, DO YOU REALLY NEED IT!!! So, thank you for your videos! You give us all the information and show us alternative ect! I have a small group I still watch, and you're one of them! So thank you Kelly!! ❤❤❤❤
I buy most of my makeup online, partly because I live in a rural area. Most of my makeup these days is indie, except a) foundation and setting/finishing powders (mostly Sephora), and b) mascara, brow, and 'normal' lippies (mostly drugstore). I like weird lipstick colours like greens and blues, which I source from indie brands. When I go out with my parents, I use Revlon satins. I figure dealing with my blue hair is enough stress for my parents.
Loved this video! I have had so many times where it just doesn’t make sense to shop drugstore when it’s a few dollars more & there’s a coupon PLUS points at Ulta or Sephora.
Placing an online pickup order at the Ulta near me is so easy for when I just need some re-ups & therefore I’m not really browsing as much anymore.
I just purchased the hourglass lotus pallete at Ulta today. I have the other 2 pallets and I fell inlove with the way the products looked on me. So I knew I needed it, points also helped.