By: Holly Carew

As an avid makeup lover, I have undoubtedly spent way too much money on the latest eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, and blushes from high end brands such as Too Faced, Tarte, and Benefit, frequently overlooking the less expensive options at CVS or Target. Recently though, the stature of these seemingly superior high-end products has been challenged by the much more affordable options at the drugstore, on the grounds that some of the products are extremely similar or ostensibly identical to their more expensive counterparts.

Many frequent Sephora shoppers will say that they prefer to spend their money on the more expensive makeup products because of the quality, but that’s not always true. Many beauty bloggers have taken up “duping” which is when you find a drugstore product that is almost the exact same as the high end version in terms of color, pigment, and wear-time. While some people may find fluxuations in terms of quality of products such as eyeshadows because the less expensive ones may seem to be more chalky or less pigmented, experts have found that there is practically no difference in things like lipstick or mascara.

According to an article on Healthyway, makeup artist Vanessa Valliant says “Maybelline mascara is hands down the best mascara on the market—you’ll find one in every professional makeup artist’s kit”, showing that there are in fact multiple gems, Maybelline mascara being only one of them, you can find at the drugstore that seem to trump their more expensive counterparts.

In regards to formulation and ingredients, the high end options may be the way to go. As expressed by Cosmopolitan, expensive brands such as Dior, Hourglass, and Bobbi Brown invest a ton of time and effort into finding the best formulation and ingredients that are actually good for you, which if you are purchasing something like foundation or concealer, may be worth the extra money in the long run.

Typically, the ingredients in high end products tend to be of a lesser quantity and are more likely to be more recognizable than their drugstore equivalents, therefore contributing to the point that high end skincare or makeup would be the better option for you and your skin overall. Consequently, the stark increase in price directly correlates with the quality of the ingredients. The ingredients that turn out to be more beneficial for you end up costing more, which accounts for exponential difference in price between high end and drugstore makeup.

If given a choice between the two, I think I would stick with the more expensive makeup over the drugstore brands for most products. While the prices may be insanely high, too high some would argue, I really do believe you are paying for quality. Also, at stores like Sephora and Ulta, you get the added option to test out the products right in the store, which I think is another big reason why people, including myself, would choose to go the more expensive route.

Conversely, I think that for things such as mascara and lip gloss, as mentioned before, going to CVS or Target is a great option. Truthfully, I think you can find some great products at the drugstore, so you could definitely go either way, in the end it just comes down to personal preference which side you decide to take.

Sources:

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/a10282481/high-end-vs-cheap-makeup-review/

https://www.byrdie.com/drugstore-vs-high-end-makeup

The Differences Between Drugstore Makeup And High-End Makeup