Do you purchase from more brands now than you did a few years ago?

Oh, so many more! There are more brands than ever to choose from, and I think the bar for quality is higher, too. And obviously when I started, I was only buying from MAC and that’s so not the case now!

— Christine

19 Comments

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Heather Avatar

Definitely more than I once used to. But Iโ€™ve also made a conscious decision to only purchase from cruelty-free brands so that has limited my purchases somewhat. Iโ€™m now at a point where Iโ€™m very selective and not rushing to try the lastest releases, only purchasing items as I need them, why may include new shades of course! Going on a โ€œno buyโ€ isnโ€™t possible for me but a โ€œlow buyโ€ is.

AJ Avatar

I’m not sure… I’d say I probably purchase from about the same number of brands, because I’ve started buying from some new or new-to-me brands (PMG, ND, Sydney Grace), but others I have stopped buying from others (MAC, KvD).

Although if you include skincare, that would expand it to include more brands than before… A few years ago my skin was super low-maintenance and I didn’t need many products, but last year it started needing more TLC and I’ve had to incorporate a few more items into my routine.

Brian Avatar

I had mostly been sticking to a few specific brands for specific products. But I’ve branched out a lot further this past year, especially with eyeshadows. I was also mostly sticking to Ulta/Sephora brands because I was more comfortable purchasing if I was able to actually touch and swatch in store but this last year I discovered more people on social media using and promoting indie brands and they seemed so great that I took the chance and started dabbling in indie and…now I have almost zero interest in a lot of mainstream brands when it comes to eyeshadow.

Pearl Avatar

Yes! Until I discovered Temptalia, and then Sephora and more recently Ulta, I exclusively bought from MAC. It was a big learning curve in developing and curating my stash, but now MAC is one of many preferred brands from which I buy. Thanks to Temptalia, I now have HG brands from which I buy HG products (i.e. eye shadows from xxxx brand). ?

Ana Maria Avatar

A few years ago I was on an experimenting phase, I just moved from Europe to US, so I had exposure to many new brands, while discovering that my old favorites don’t have the same formula. Nowadays I prefer to stick to old favorites, I purchase from specific brands only.

Susan Avatar

I am absolutely buying from more brands and have dropped a few or limited them to a couple products.
I have added ABH, ND, Viseart, and unbelievably for tthe first time this year, MAC!

Genevieve Avatar

I certainly do! This blog has totally opened my eyes to far better brands than were available to me several years ago.
Eye shadows: UD, bareMinerals, ABH, Sydney Grace, Chanel etc
Lipsticks – definitely Colour Pop – their lux lipstick range is now my favourite and Sephora’s Lip stories.
Foundations – finding out my ‘true’ shade – pink undertones in porcelain.
I find I am far more selective now and have discovered the brands and shades that work best on me.
Thank you Christine!

DVa Avatar

Absolutely.
I’m also much more conscious of brand content and cruelty free brands. I’ve been vegetarian for more than 30 years and am more aware then ever that my makeup/skincare needs to follow the same beliefs/morals/ethics as my does my diet.

Kelly Avatar

Yes definitely. 2 years ago I only used makeup by an Australian Brand called Nude by Nature and a few different shades of the Stila long wear liquid lipsticks. The I discovered Colourpop and Sephora and I now have a large amount of makeup and am obsessed with eyeshadow in particular. I have palettes from Too faced, Urban decay, Jeffree Star, BH Cosmetics, Colourpop, Huda Beauty and Anastasia Beverly Hills and I love them all. Whenever anything new comes out I go to Temptalia to check out the reviews.

Eileen Avatar

No, although the brands I gravitate towards have shifted over the years as my esthetic has evolved and my needs have changed. Iโ€™m open to trying something from a new-to-me brand, but I donโ€™t often stray from the brands that i know will work well for me. Instead, when an untried brand has a product that seems unique and sparks a keen interest, Iโ€™ll look to my favored brands to see if there is something comparable.

Sienna Avatar

About ten or 12 years ago i was definitely exclusive to MAC… mind you i was juts dipping my toe into the makeup pool. I do love MAC and swear by a few of their items and know them very well. But I’m definitely more open that’s for sure. But I feel like I’m open because 12 years ago there werent as many options either.

Rachel Avatar

I started buying from Colourpop – although I really like the eyeshadows and blush, the lip variants have been duds for me. Dupes? Yes, but feel and look horrid on me because of the formula.

I used to live near a Chanel counter, I don’t anymore so I check the swatches and reviews here first before buying online. It hasn’t changed my buying of that brand, but I have to wait until a review comes in before I choose to hit the buy button.

I stopped buying from Sephora. Why? The rewards and Rouge points used to mean something as a loyal customer and all of a sudden they didn’t anymore.

I’m really big into ensuring I don’t have makeup manufactured in China, often written as PRC as a switch and bait (People’s Republic of China) so I’ve stopped buying certain brands when I found out they farm out certain products to be produced there. The internet has allowed me to be more involved as a consumer and have better information about the ingredients in the makeup and where it’s made.

I started shopping at Euro skincare online stores for French pharmacy items like Galenic, Lirac, Uriage, and Physiogel.

Jen Avatar

Absolutely! A few years ago I wasn’t nearly as into cosmetics, skincare and beauty as I am now so my collection has exploded from a small not quite full drawer, to storage is officially an issue lol

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