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Rant & Rave: High-End Brands
Tell us what you love and hate about...
High-End Brands
I like a mix of what’s more accurately termed mid-end along with high-end. I think that these brands often know how to get better textures out of their products than more affordable brands when it comes to powder and sometimes skincare. I feel like there are a lot of gimmicks and some puffery at this level,
though, and while there’s no excuse for inconsistent or poorly developed products, there are certainly plenty that you can waste your money on.
— Christine
I don´t think I have a lot of experience with high end brands, I tend to stick to middle end and drugstore.
I hate that some high end brands dont look out for the darker consumer. I am not the darkest and some brands cough Benefit cough wont even make darker foundation shades. I also hate the idea that they believe that darker skin women dont buy high end makeup.
Just look at who the original owners were for Benefit cosmetics. I bought from them as a teenager from Face Place. Face Place had some neat cosmetics and some where it stuck its label on a generic brand product to make it their own label.
I have to admit, I do like the exclusivity of luxury and high end brands. I like the idea of treating myself to a product that I sometimes have to save for. I’m a sucker for packaging and that is one of the biggest selling points for me with higher end products.
One thing I don’t like is that when brands use all natural, vegan, etc. ingredients, the shelf life is oftentimes much shorter than other products, much akin to organic foods spoiling faster than foods with preservatives. I don’t wear makeup every day and I find it hard for me to make it completely through a lot of all-natural products before they expire.
I love me a bit of luxury so I enjoy using high end brands both for skin care and colour cosmetics (it’s no secret how much I adore my Chanel e/s quads and Dior highlighters). But I get really annoyed at this tendency (I think Christine alluded to it recently) of some companies to see just how high they can jack up their prices for no discernible reason – it really seems like a game of “How much can we get these foolish women to pay for a lipstick” while laughing up their sleeves. And I resent pricey products that simply don’t deliver any better than something costing 1/3 the price. And Hourglass has a special place on my “whammy” list for the way their holiday LE palettes are priced higher per ounce than the regular stuff – that’s a time of year when other companies are giving us $120 worth of product for $80 but Hourglass – just to show what they really think of us – does the opposite and gives $60 worth of product for $80.
Hi Mariella,
I agree with everything you wrote. The consumer needs to put a foot down and call bs!
so well said about Hourglass!
I am so thankful to Christine for giving us cost breakdowns/price per ounce on the products she reviews. A few years back, when Hourglass came out with one of their Holiday palettes that combined some of the blushes and bronzers, I was so excited to get it, even though it was pretty expensive. Then, when she gave the cost breakdown and compared it with the prices of the same items when offered in the regular line, I was pretty angry. Some people were excusing that move with “oh, but it’s the special packaging – that makes it more costly to produce” which is absolute BS since almost every other company releases Holiday palettes and collections in special packaging too and they don’t gouge us on the price. Since then, I’ve only purchased one item from Hourglass (a LipStylo) and I was kicking myself over that because of my lack of “sticking to my guns”. In the main, I don’t mind paying a high price for “luxury” products (well, I do mind but I’m sure you know what I mean) but when the companies basically seem to be rubbing our noses in what they perceive and exploit as our own foolishness, it does make me angry. So Kudos to Marc Jacobs and to MAC for some price drops recently!
Just don’t buy it. Don’t buy from Hourglass, Tom Ford, Mac, and the whole lot. I give Urban Decay credit for not decreasing the amount as the years go on as the above brands mentioned.
I have pretty much boycotted Hourglass (and I used to purchase a LOT from them). But I thought I was just answering the question – love and HATE. So I thought we were allowed to be forthright about what we don’t like, which is what I did.
Love: In general I love HE packaging and presentation. I know it doesn’t have anything to do with the product inside but many HE brands live permanently on my vanity because they are so gorgeous to look at. I find that I like HE for powder products and foundations. These products are used over larger areas of our faces than say eye shadow or lipstick. I find that HE products are more finely milled and give the skin a beautiful appearance. I am currently using a DS foundation just to try it out as a summer foundation and the more I wear it the more I don’t like it. I think that I can work with DS eye shadows and lipsticks and find that they are generally the same or better than high end.
Hate: Well obviously the price. I don’t like that they mostly have fragrance. I hate that they are not more adventurous in the product development. You rarely see any products or colors that are truly innovative.
There are only a few true high-end brands I’ve tried. IMO there wasn’t enough of a performance variation between high-end and mid-end. For me to justify the cost high-end must perform and live up to its hype.
I couldnt agree more with: ‘there’s no excuse for inconsistent or poorly developed products,’ 🙂
I’m not wedded to high-end brands by any means, but I can tell you I have wasted intense amounts of money trying to “save” and make do with lower end products. It’s about curation, selectivity, and discretion.
The two instances that come to mind are foundation and setting powder.
Foundation — a number of years ago I listened to a YouTube Guru about the wonders of L’Oreal True Match. Multiple bottles later (you can’t test in a CVS), not only did I not find the right color, I disliked the product from start to finish. There is no way, no how that product would work for me quality wise.
Same with setting powder. After spending a TON on less costly brands trying to be frugal (think Coty Airspun), I tested, clenched my stomach, and bought the Sisley Poudre Eclat. Yes, it was (gulp) $95, but I have had it for 14 months now, have never looked back. It is 100% right for me, and I have zero reason to even begin to look for another option, and I will repurchase. I’m sure I spend 3x$95 trying to go the drug store route.
Buying high-end luxury also (for me) involves testing and responsible returning. I try and test every high end item before I buy. I can usually weed out much that won’t work for me by doing that. IF a product disappoinst — the product, not a mercurial mind change — then it goes back. Given my willingness to test and not be impulsive whe buying anything high end, I know it’s been more economical for me (or at least a wash) re keeping products I can’t return and hate.
Um, re-reading….not sure I answered the question. LOL 🙂
I only really have love for high-end and luxury brands; it’s where I started out with make-up because of the bad experience my mother had guessing at the drugstore and ending up with products and skincare that did more harm than good to her skin and it’s just where I have stayed. I think drugstore had to up it’s game because of more ready access to indie brands and in-house brands at places like Sephora and Ulta and on the luxury end side we’ve seen the game go up with designer brands trying to cross into the beauty market. Some have done it successfully and raise the bar – Tom Ford, Louboutain – while others fail – Calvin Klein and Michael Kors. I think affordable brands have the ability to move more with quick trends and non-traditional colors like some stores are with quick-fashion. It doesn’t require the long-term investment because we’ll be on to the next thing by the time the first bit is released. I still find that the most innovative new product concepts come from companies with deep R&D pockets and that won’t necessarily be from low cost brands.
I stick to mid end brands, only store brand I use is Loreal for my mascara.
Generally here in Aus we have DS brands and then HE – hardly any in between, because the brands that you would call the mid range are marked up so much that they are pretty similar to the HE brands in the US.
Rave: You often get a wider foundation range with HE brands and more interesting/better finishes in eye shadows and blushes.
However, it’s pretty disgraceful when high end brands don’t cater to all of the market re their foundation spectrum.
Rant: Many of the DS and mid range brands are improving their quality all the time and often the HE brands are not working on their quality control so they can put out duds (Dior, Guerlain etc) So it always pays to check the reviews here first before wasting your money.
Rave: Foundation and under eye concealer are two products I find really worth a high end splurge. I have yet to find anything that even comes close to the performance and amazing finish of Cle de Peau foundations and concealer. I have switched to It Cosmetics’ Bye Bye concealer & foundation for daily use simply because of the 50 spf. Lipstick is the only color product I’ve really felt worth a splurge as I love Estee Lauder & Elizabeth Arden’s lippies for their comfort, moisturizing abilities, and longer wear over DS. I don’t wear a lot of eyeshadow but eyeshadow seems to be a product not many brands do well luxury or otherwise.
Rant: I used to be quit the high end makeup snob. But drugstore has really been increasing in quality over the last 10 yrs. Unfortunately many of these high end brands aren’t really any better than DS anymore. You would think for the $ they charge & knowing they are going to be reviewed by numerous bloggers they’d be a bit more concerned with quality and protecting their brand. Since we can’t return things here in India & we have to pay a 30% tax on makeup now- HOORAY for internet reviewers!
As far as high end (what I’d call luxury) goes, I really just don’t think it’s worth it. However, if we’re talking about mid range brands, I think they definitely can be, so I’ll talk about those.
Rant: Obviously, their prices have been ticking up over the years, as have drug store and luxury brands, which isn’t fun. A lot of collections tend to be gimmicky, and many brands rely on false scarcity to sell their products (lookin’ at you, Too Faced). Many also churn out far too many products/collections in a year, and as a result end up sacrificing quality for quantity.
Rave: Many are cruelty free (curse you, Nars!), which is not a trait you find in a lot of luxury or drug store brands. They do a decent job with their shade ranges (except Benefit), or at least better than their counterparts on either end. The packaging tends to be fun and beautiful without being too boujee. Formulas are nice, often better milled or mixed than drug store and more pigmented than luxury. With mid range, I’m not afraid of trying new things, because I usually can test them in store, and the price isn’t debilitatingly steep. Overall, I shop the most within mid-range brands.
I buy hi end because of the name. I buy hi end, because I can test it out before purchasing. I buy high end because of the packaging. However, I am discriminate of what hi end product I buy. Wu Long compact by Guerlain….oh my! Tom Ford….not so keen on this brand any longer.
I have not purchased an expensive beauty item for years but do own tons of drugstore makeup that I’m totally satisfied with. From a HE product I expect excellent results and of course a gorgeous packaging but mainly the product to be excellent absolutely no bs, then it would be a guaranteed thrill. If is an eyeshadow it better improve my vision and reduce wrinkles! Might as well for the ridiculous price they charge! Lol! All the hype and fierce untruthful competition some companies have it makes them actually look cheap. Great things don’t need to fight as much they sell on it’s own.
Rant: Usually, I stay away from truly high end and luxury, and stick more with mid-range and drug store. I don’t usually find high end products perform enough better (if they even are better) to warrant the price. High end is more likely to use heavy fragrance and botanicals that irritate my skin. They’re less like likely to have the brights and alternative colors I prefer, though this is changing a bit over the last couple of years. Overall, though, I find high end to be a bit too neutral and safe for my tastes.
Rave: I’m more likely to find foundations that work for me in the mid-range to high end, such as Lancome Teint Idole, Bobbi Brown, and bareMinerals. This price range also suits my skin-care needs better. I prefer high end perfumes, too. Some products are simply not dupable for me: I haven’t found anything similar I like quite as well Guerlain Meteorites. High end usually has better packaging.
Rave: I love high end products for their originality, ingredients and packaging quality. You can truly tell the manufacturing differences in powder and foundation, like somebody else mentioned here. Also, there’s just no replacement for some high end cream eyeshadows. Tom Ford and Chanel truly do them the best. The packaging is just lovely to look at as well – my burberry eyeshadows are just so classy looking.
Also, they don’t copy each other. The true high end brands always creates trend instead of following. Think Tom Ford and Chanel again. That’s why we have drugstore “dupes”, because drugstore brands just flat out copies high end designs and that’s plagiarism which I hate so so so much.
Rant: Sometimes you can pay a lot of money for a dud – that’s my Tom Ford eye primer (I don’t think anyone else would fall for that stuff).
Fragrance – think YSL’s mascara fragrance that doesn’t dissipate throughout the day. Yuck!
I prefer mid-range to high-end/luxury because I feel mid-ranges perform well and are affordable, while luxury’s only advantage above mid-ranges is well, feels luxurious (which is nice every once and a while)–but that’s also why you pay the premium.
I don’t really like DS very much (I’ve tried a lot) but sometimes I feel like a lot has to do with packaging–which I feel bad about because that’s not product performance. But it’s really frustrating to open the lid–without any Hulk smash force–on say, a Wet n Wild product, to have it crack on you. Or worry that it’ll get smashed up in your bag if you take it on a trip.
That being said, I also noticed that DS products from other countries like Korea or Germany (Kiko, especially) have much better, sturdier packaging that could pass for mid-range. Why can’t US drugstore do that?
Whoops! Kiko is Italian; I think I was thinking of Essence when I wrote that but Essence uses the same clear plastic lids as US drugstore.
I only wear high end foundation, everything else is mid except mascara, always drugstore, Loreal or Maybelline, It works just fine. I dislike all the perfumy, fragrance in high end and all the chemicals and bad ingredients. I try to use more healthy ingredients. I have tried it all and never stuck with high end, I was not impressed!