I think the industry could use more mid-end brands in general, particularly a brand that’s more color-focused and another that is more environmentally friendly with more ethereal and sheerer textures/finishes but in formulas and ranges that work on a diverse range of skin tones.
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Good quality at a reasonable price. The last CoverGirl pressed powder compact I was looking at cost over $17 at Ulta. WTH??? Mascaras are routinely costing over $20-$30 and the quality has not improved. A brand with sheerer formulas, no glitter, and convenient yet not wasteful packaging would be nice.
I agree. There is a spot between $10 and $70+ that is too sparse. I know Rare Beauty and Lys are trying there, but we need more, especially for things such as eyeshadow and skin-like natural coverage. I have combo skin and it’s difficult to get sheer/natural coverage that’s not too dewy, unless I really want to pay top $$.
I think good quality skincare without irritating ingredients like fragrance at a reasonable price is relatively empty. You have The Ordinary with its decent budget line but even Olay is getting up there with $30+ serums and stuff. Also, can we get a good quality purple eyeshadow palette or 3? UD tried but that was a fail IMHO. I would also like to see rose gold/pink like a palette you somewhat recently reviewed but with more color variations. Also, ‘nude’/pink non streaky lip colors like MAC Blankety that are longer lasting. That has been my fav for years as a go to for when I wear heavy eye makeup (which is whenever I have time really) but even in the dupes many are subpar (streaky) or too sheer for me. Many longer lasting or liquid lipstick formulas in the lighter ranges tend to be streaky as well. Idk, maybe it’s not even an on trend shade anymore but I just can’t give it up.
I feel that brands like Simple and Vanicream have covered for years the fragrance free skincare at low price for good quality, but they need to add more than cleansers and moisturizers in their line.
Truly sustainable make-up at a decent price and with a big selection of products.
Even with MAC having the Back to MAC program for recycling, there’s still room for improvement. It’s a step up, more brands should offer avenues for makeup packaging recycling, but they still cover a limited type of products and they’re wasteful in other ways.
I see some brands trying to incorporate cardboard packaging for eyeshadow, metal for compacts, but even if the material is recyclable, the consumer still has to clean, separate components, dispose properly. More education is needed and more convenient locations to return makeup.
I know some brands offer sustainable and even zero waste makeup, but they are usually small indie ones, with few products and clients.
Yeah, but considering the ingredients in most cream products contain microplastics it’s not only the packaging that need some serious consideration, companies really need to do better!
This reminds me of footwear. Where I am, it is either cheap shoes or expensive shoes. Not a lot of mid-range shoes. Working women’s shoes. I have a hard time buying shoes that fit properly and I tend to wait til the expensive ones go on sale or pay full price for a high-end mid-price shoe. I would appreciate decent shoes at less than $500.
I agree that there is a shortage of mid-range makeup brands. The luxury ones are becoming increasingly luxurious in terms of price. I will buy some drugstore stuff, but the prices are going up and hitting some of the midrange Sephora brands.
Wonder if some of the high end brands could try a midrange capsule collection. Not exactly a Dior Backstage. Not the ‘couture’ of the luxury brand, but something that costs a little less but still has the luxury feel at a slightly reduced price. Not a cheap version of the luxury item and more of a different vibe. Maybe it would be seen as cheapening the perceived brand value. People will always buy the high end products.
I definitely agree about the footwear! Where I live in Melbourne, Aus – it’s the same for us – either lots of expensive rubbish footwear that kills your feet or truly expensive shoes that don’t. I always have a hard time getting the kind of comfortable, yet stylish footwear I like.
Designers and brands having secondary or even tertiary lines for different markets happens pretty regularly with clothing, makeup shouldn’t be any different. It feels like it is, but it shouldn’t be.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a brand catering to a mature/senior audience. Not skincare, because there is plenty of that, but colour products where all the marketing and formulas are geared up towards an older audience. I tire of products shown on the young and perfect. Hello, Helen Mirren…. loved your edgy mature women makeup in Red and Red 2. I would have loved Cicely Tyson who was every bit as fiendishly stylin’, but she sadly passed away in January this year. I choose both these women because they managed to age incredibly well, have incredible style, all without looking like they’ve been hugely tweaked. Classy as heck.
Wayne Goss stated his make-up line is intended to suit a mature audience, he did show a couple of looks on mature/senior skin; but it’s smaller line and it’s targeted towards all audiences. I do agree few brands market to that audience. Some brands like Clinique, Elizabeth Arden or Estee Lauder are perceived as “old lady” makeup, but it’s more because their audience aged with them, rather than specifically targeting mature skin.
^^ Yes to all this. I thought Bobbi Brown’s new company Jones Road Beauty might be all that, but almost everything is so glittery. And expensive.
Agreed.
With the population aging they need to cater to us a little more, we will purchase if there is the product out there.
I would like to see all brands have mature models.
Skin tone, size and weight inclusivity has gotten better in recent years so hopefully body-positivity can and will segue into age-positivity.
Foundations: Actual pink/cool undertones beyond the palest color. I used swatch my way thru Sephora, and inevitably every “pink” or “cool” looked warm on me. Or if it was pink enough, it was too light.
Palattes: break them into warm, neutral and cool sets. All I do is tally the pans that I can’t wear and don’t buy.
Bronzer: something, anything for cool undertones that won’t force us too orange
Middle Cost Options: Yeah, ITA. But the middle has dropped out of most retail sectors from the impact of private equity firms. With the investor class skimming at every level, the ability to make any profit requires unreasonable scale, achieved only with high prices or high production levels. That won’t change until private equity gets regulated.
Yes there are a few gaps left in the market – I would like to see brands spending more of their time and money on lipsticks, rather than the eternal round of lipglosses that more customers don’t use (for reasons of tackiness etc).
There is also a need for mid range cosmetic brands, like CP, to start producing better quality products. Milani is an example of a mid range brand that does fairly well.
I want to see all brands do something like Back to Mac. Makeup, skincare, hair care. For me, this would be the only possible way to excuse to the enormous investments brands put into wasteful packaging. You can be environmentally conscious all you want, but if you don’t take care of the plastic you put in the world, it’s still too little.
I also agree on good quality skincare and haircare at affordable prices. There was a time when brands like The Ordinary and Inkey List seemed to have momentum and there was good variety, but now that “clean” skincare is a trend prices have skyrocketed.