I don’t know if any one brand really speaks to me as an individual, but I have always dug the Burberry check print/pattern, so I loved when they came out with gunmetal packaging that feels like metal (not plastic).
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!
I actually really like Jouer cosmetics. I love that the names of their lip creams are French, I think that sounds so pretty. I think their aesthetic and approach to beauty is subtle and classy, which I really enjoy. 🙂
^^ What you stated, Christine. I honestly don’t think just one brand makes me go completely gaga or speaks to me exclusively. I know that I do buy a significant amount from some specific brands, with Urban Decay and MAC taking up a lot of space in my stash, so does Nyx and MUFE. And now with the new lipstick launches aimed at our wallets like ballistic missiles, Shiseido, Chanel and Nars are doing some serious vying for position!
Hmm, I don’t think there’s any one brand that speaks to me. I think there’s different sides to me, so I like different elements of many brands–Dior and Chanel’s elegance, UD’s urban vibe, Colourpop’s trendiness, NARS’s sophistication, Tom Ford’s glamour, Too Faced’s cuteness, etc.
Hmm, I don’t think there’s a brand that I identify with completely. I like Lancôme’s image, feminine and classy but also playful rather than snob. But it’s not really “me” if that makes any sense.
Uuuuu love this question! My favourite brand styles (that are ‘mainstream’) are Urban Decay or Too faced… I also love more indie brands such as Sugarpill, Lunatick Labs, Medusa’s Makeup and Neve Cosmetics. They all have such fantastic packaging/marketing themes! Love it when brands get creative!
None, to be honest. It’s great that MAC has their AIDS support through Viva Glam lipsticks, and B2M which gives loyal customers a break but in all honesty, these are all businesses and they are about making money – lots and lots of money, given the huge markups on makeup (compared to things that farmers produce, for example – milk, potatoes, etc.) So really no company has an “image” that really inspires me enough to want to purchase only from them.
Just because I’m a marketing pro doesn’t mean I don’t fall for it. I am well aware of how I react to certain brands. Interesting thing is…a positive image to me doesn’t mean I’ll buy it. For example…
I am charmed by the name Charlotte Tilbury. I think it’s lovely. Don’t think I’ve ever even tried on one of her products.
I know I am attracted to makeup lines that are named after the creators, and here’s a quick rundown of the one’s that grab me as evocative, or otherwise:
Laura Geller — Interesting to me, but don’t own anything
Laura Mercier — says quality to me, worth checking out
Bobbi Brown — BORING!
Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs — overpriced for everything. Trading on the names. I lose interest right there.
Anastasia — nice line of products you can count on.
Becca — a little for a lot of $. Trading in on a less-than-skilled YouTube vlogger worked to move tons of product for them, but it made me lose respect for the brand. They made money. I guess that’s all that counts. Love/hate with Becca because what I own from that line comes through for me every day.
I have no connection at all with the whole Kat Von D vibe, yet I now own her Shade and Light eye palette and love the tattoo liner.
Urban Decay leaves me flat — meh, as an image– but I listen when y’all tell me their products are quite good. I do like the one pencil I own. I’m the only one in the world, I think, who missed the whole Naked palette craze. Don’t own a one.
Tarte image doesn’t sell me, although their products come through.
Too Faced often presents a teeny bopper image — don’t even look at their stuff. Same with Buxom. What is all that childish pink with Benefit all about? I walk right by.
Hourglass — if it takes a sales associate 30 minutes to explain what this powder does as opposed to that one, I’m out. That line is confusing.
Cover FX — utilitarian, and it works.
Then there’s Chanel. It’s funny, I swoon over the clothes, and vintage Chanel makes my heart race. That is my vibe. It’s speaks to such an historic era of fashion, of women, etc. But the Chanel mystique does not translate to me in their makeup line. To me, it’s a brand that charges a lot trading on the name, so I’m super picky. I’ve liked some stuff, I pass on most of it. The scents they produce can be lovely, however.
I’ll stop now, I could go on for days. 🙂
Oh yeah, MAC.
I ignore their Trolls and bowling alley themes for the most part. But at MAC you can always find what you need at decent quality and prices in their fundamental lines. Their image is good and fair in my mind. Their sales people in the stores, not so much.
Great post!!! Really excellent observations. I hate the “pinup girl” nonsense with Buxom and I hate all the sex type names on other stuff. I was irked about Tarte’s collaboration with Bunny. Can’t quite put my finger on why. Maybe it’s the fake celeb thing going on right now.
OMG you are spot on!!
Laura Geller & Laura Mercier— I feel the same way!
Bobbi Brown — BORING! I thought I Was the only one who dislikes this line simply because it looks so uninviting every single time. I hate it, I hate walking past it. It looks so dang on boring, like live a little. But I also feel the same about Hourglass, yes their lipstick shapes are nice but the whole vibe is just boring so you put boring with a high price and it’s a no go.
Tom Ford is too expensive. I’m not paying $50 for lipstick cause some dudes name is on it. Marc Jacobs — his lipsticks are dry and an opaque mess to me. HIs brand’s image actually looks cheap to me, there is something about it that doesn’t strike me.
Anastasia — an amazing brand image. Friendly, inviting, variety, the ability to expand, versatility and price points. You just can’t go wrong.
Becca — I like their brand image, it’s very rich looking, very strong and says quality, power, and money. But yes you don’t get a lot for the buck but then again you do. It’s a 50/50 because the quality is great. I’d love for a them to debut a lipstick because I’d be interested in seeing the packaging.
Kat Von D, her tattoo liner is great. I don’t care for her personality. Her liquid lipsticks are nice, the tubes are fun and funky but the other dark ish really isn’t for me, I have a love hate with her studded lipstick tubes. I prefer the goldish ones she had before.
Urban Decay’s palettes (even the Naked although I don’t like them) screams Fun, adventurous, out of the box, and daring. They really do create a unique package. Their new lipstick tubes was a major step up in the right direction.
Tarte’s round palettles are so adorable but yes everything else (especially those weird wooden tubes of lipstick or whatever) are all passable. Too Faced is cute and I only go to them because I’ve had the products so I know there is quality there. Buxom is very teeny but I love the big round tubes of lipgloss plus my fav color is from them, although their new liquid lipstick tubes are just stupid big.
And yet again, spot on with Benefit. I literally stay away from them, Their entire marketing is annoying to say the least. Although they have my favorite mascara but the rest is so annoyingly overbearing.
TOTALLY agree with all of this!
“But yes you don’t get a lot for the buck but then again you do.”
That’s it , Mo! You summed up what I’ve been trying to put into words, but couldn’t, about Becca for years. I agree 100%. I overlook the skimpiness because everything I have used from that line has come through day after day. Still bugs me, but I use it to the end and then re-buy so that’s saying a lot about the real value for me.
Great observations – I agree with you on many of these! I really love the Becca image – they really have that naturally beautiful, glowing skin vibe. I use many of their products and they deliver for me. However, a recent collaboration has, imo, ruined their image. They took a big step down, when they should have been competing with luxury brands. Their ads always had beautiful, fresh faced models which captured their image well. If they had invested in someone like Elle Macpherson, not a YouTuber, they would have made themselves more credible. I don’t equate said YouTuber with “fresh faced” or “natural makeup”, so I can only guess it’s pandering to the younger crowd for money. Tacky.
I don’t think any one brand can capture my personality, but I do love Guerlain and Charlotte Tilbury because they perform well for me. (They also have gorgeous packaging which gets me everything!)
Great post, Linda! I can tell you’re a marketing pro 🙂 I agree with both of you about the Becca collab. That really disappointed me. I thought they were better than that.
What you say about Bobbi Brown is interesting. I never had any interest in the brand, but then recently I had to stop at the counter to get a free sample from my Allure Beauty Box. I happened to have gotten the attention of the regional manager and in our shmooze, we learned that I am a Prescriptives user and she worked for them for many many years! She said Estee Lauder shut down Prescriptives because they were competing for the same market as Bobbi Brown and Bobbi Brown had a person behind it and so there’s an appeal in that. Prescriptives needed marketing, and it’s a shame Estee Lauder never invested in them because their products were superior to so many others.
Not so much the branding itself but what the company stand for in the makeup market are MUFE, Urban Decay, NYX, and MAC. They are all brands that a feel stand for diversity in what type of makeup arts you can do. I wish MAC would stop turning so many subpar LE collections though… less is more and more curated LE collections with focus product adverting from their man line.
I have a great respect for all makeup industry brands as well because they want to put out the best tools aka makeup for the artist and clients as well. No about trends or fads with these brands and will put out new items when they feel they are needed in the market.
I really love the message that Bobbi Brown and her brand send to woman. The natural enhancement of beauty is what I strive for. Although her collections are all relatively similar I do enjoy them and the sleek black packaging.
Kat von D – I love gothic style and she’s done such a great job making edgy products without pigeonholing her brand into a niche market.
Urban Decay. I know lots of people complain about their names, but I like the little bit of subversion and trying to figure out the origins of the names when they come out with new products. It’s really pretty, good-quality products with a little flick of humor and a dirty joke here and there, which pretty much sums up my personality – polished where it counts, flashes of filth :).
I really like Giorgio Armani for its luxe and their products really did what they claim, although sadly they are not as innovative as they were before. I remember they used to be in the forefront of the beauty industry (e.g. EtK eyeshadow, Maestro Foundation, Lip Maestro, magnetic lipstick case, etc). I still love them though (some of my HG products are Armani’s), I just think that Hourglass, Cover Fx, and other brands being more innovative nowadays….
But being an artist & designer myself, I feel like NARS and MUFE really speaks to me in terms of diversity and creativity, they’re really edgy & bold and that lures me in. They kinda rebellious without being juvenile or cheap (well, literally! :D).
I’m a sucker for cutesy/girly Paul & Joe + Too Faced. Though I don’t own anything by Paul & Joe, because I can’t test their products and so few people review them that it’s hard to get a good feel for their quality.
I also love Tocca’s aesthetic and their heavy glass bottles.
Not sure if they’re changing, and despite what someone else said I have always felt drawn to Tarte. Their lack of “in your face” and “edgy” etc I have always liked. They’re simple, they’re natural, cruelty free and not gimmicky. The simplicity of their image could appeal to a broad range of people. I don’t like the “sex kitten” vibe of some of the other brands and I don’t like the pretension of some like NARS. MAC has always turned me off, mainly because they are not cruelty free. Something like Lancôme or Dior of course I expect luxury along with their marketing but I’m not the type of person that goes for that sort of thing. I just want a quality product that is environmentally conscious that doesn’t have to have lots of flash. That’s what works for me. I also really like CoverFx for the same reasons, great product no flash.
I actually was thinking Burberry before I read your answer Christine. I do love their image, it’s so in tune with who Burberry is. Everything feels so elegant, the lipstick tubes are sleek yet handsome but also classy.
My favorite is BiTE Beauty. Their brand’s image is in line with their mission and overall vision from formula to packaging. BiTE screams natural from the smell and ingredients in the products, beautiful in how they crafted each tube of lipstick and pencil right down to the box and even their display their fonts, their names. It’s feminine with the softness of the packaging, their tubes feel almost like a plastic velvet. The curves they add to the top of the tubes and how they differ from each other which sets them a part but still within the same brand. The tube in your hand feels delicate just like it’s formula in a sense. I’m drawn to BiTE because I feel their design speaks to my sense of fashion. They really do have a personality that is simple and understated yet very classy and quietly bold.
I love Josie Maran’s brand image. Her packaging is what brought me to her. She has created a very feminine look that looks expensive but is reasonably priced.
Murad has a pretty cool image for their product as well minus the ridiculous prices for the small amount.
Urban Decay and ColourPop for mainstream brands, UD still had that edginess and commitment to non-traditional color even though they do all the Naked stuff, and ColourPop has a fun “we don’t care what you think” attitude about using more out-there colors and textures.
Also there’s a lot of indie brands that have the kind of goth/macabre aesthetic that I go for – My Pretty Zombie, Blackbird, Notoriously Morbid, etc…
I have to admit that Chanel gets me every time. It was my first HE makeup purchase and just means luxury to me, although today there are many more higher end choices.
I’m really not sure for cosmetics. NARS probably.
For skincare, Tatcha, Caudalie, Sunday Riley for big names. Lots of small time producers!
No one company really speaks to me. Probably Urban Decay speaks to me the most. I really like The Balm’s tongue-in-cheek kitschy fun. Honorable mention to Too Faced for appealing to my girly/cutesy side.
Too Faced, The Balm and Benefit
I really like the Burberry aesthetic. It says “Hi, I can dress up and be classy if I have to, but I’d rather be jumping through puddles in a pair of Docs.” After going through all the mid to high end brands, I just recently tried Burberry and died with joy. I’m not sure why I waited so long, when their upscale but kinda grungy look appeals to me so much. Maybe I knew I’d never try anything else afterward. 😉
Guerlain and Bésame Cosmetics. I’m all about that beautiful vintage style packaging!
Interesting question. I like the conservancy ideology that goes into Chantecaille’s seasonal palettes and their curated releases and overall quality. I am drawn to Armani’s aesthetic of fabric textures translated into cosmetics. You can see the inspirations and differences in the finishes and I think they take time to develop their releases instead of putting them out like MAC. I enjoy the design thought that Tom Ford puts into his collections and color pairings. My style is classic, so I tend towards brands that present the same way.
And for the record Linda – you’re not the only one in the world who doesn’t own a Naked palette. Though the new one intrigues me, but we’ll see.
I am obsessed with Glossier’s image. So attracted to the simplicity of it all. It really does a great job representing their products.
There isn’t just one brand but I would have to say brands that are known for quality. If it is a name that I can associate with consistent quality. A brand with a good reputation. Usually some brands are know for having the best powders and another for lipsticks that is usually what speaks to me about a brand. I really like Cle de Peau’s highlighters & I also love the compact absolutely beautiful in quality and packaging.
Chanel has ‘spoken’ to me for years! My mother wore their lipstick, scents, etc. I grew up seeing the stylish black and gold packaging. There is a very lady-like quality about this brand to me – my mother was quite the southern lady with impeccable manners. I miss her.
As far as the cosmetics that I favor most, I guess it would be MAC who speaks to me in that regard.
I have been changing most of my makeup over to more natural, cruelty free makeup products and I have found some I really like. Im just more attracted to those products now so I’d say that’s what’s calling my name!
I am a big fan of Skinn and Cailyn Cosmetics. I love them both for their quality of ingredients as well as their innovative concepts. Signature A speaks to me as well for the same things; however some of the products still made with parabans speak even louder….I know the debates from both sides over parabans, but when it is in everything that’s where I get concerned. The ingredients that brands use speak the loudest to me.
Like several other people who have posted, there are more than one brand that ‘speaks to me’, and I could never limit myself to any one brand.
I like different aspects of different brands, and sometimes I will just go to a particular brand for a single product…(e.g. Kat von D lipstick).
The brands whose overall image rings most with me are NARS and Mac. I like their no nonsense, minimal and practical packaging. (I’m talking about the regular packaging of course!). There is a real consistency to their products — no, I don’t mean colour payoff or something like that. As with all brands, quality can vary from product to product and shade to shade. I find NARS and Mac have just enough edginess and playfulness without being too boring, saccharine or OTT.
btw @Lea and @Linda – I also don’t own a Naked palette!
Charlotte Tilbury and Inglot
Becca, because on their marketing pictures we can see indian, african, asiatic, white persons and it’s refreshing . More over their products are globally super good, and i love their highlighter’s packaging 🙂
Their ads appealed to me too, love seeing a variety of models with beautiful glowing skin! They do a great job showing and formulating their products for a variety of skintones.
Hmmm I really like a lot of different images that are put out there. Funny no one mentions any drugstore brands except NYX, which I love. Urban Decay also. The image speaks to me when they make me feel like they have the newest stuff. On the drugstore front, Maybelline is good for that. Rimmel too.
I love Rouge Bunny Rouge because they always have this classic, luxury looking, elegant image to them that always draws me in. On an opposite note, I love Viseart for just being simple and to the point.
In terms of values, I feel that Urban Decay and MAC share my personal values for diversity, understanding, and chastity work. Kat Von D definitely wins the coolness factor and I do not feel that Colourpop is far behind. The nontransparency with Kylie Jenner is a deterrent, though.
Charity work. haha
So funny, I read your comment and I’m thinking “I’m going to respond to this to ask her what chastity work is,” and then I scrolled down a bit more and saw the correction 🙂
Somehow Urban Decay and chastity don’t seem to go together 🙂
I don’t think one speaks to me exclusively (I love so many things from so many lines and I love to experiment/try new products), but I really dig KVD and Illamasqua. The last couple things I went nuts for were indie-er brands that had a more occult vibe (Rituel de Fille & the Black Moon Black Metal Trinity lipstick set), which I am a sucker for.
For me it’s Guerlain and Chanel. I love the quality of most of Tom Ford’s items but the prices are quite high and the vulgar names are insulting to women so……rarely purchase at that counter.
There’s a few brands that “speak to me”:
bareMinerals: everyday, practical duos, quads and 8 pan palettes that are generally of excellent quality for a reasonable price.
Urban Decay: their Naked line continues to be an everyday staple for neutrals and their “fun” palettes for colour
Dior, Guerlain, Lancome, Chanel and YSL: Sophisticated, subtle and alluring. Although all of these brands over the past couple of years have put out some duds, but some of their palettes are improving.
Milani: Some of the best lipsticks around and as a DS brand, it is phenomenal.
I also forgot to say that I can be put off a brand when the names of the products becomes too raunchy like NARS and sometimes Too Faced.
Too-faced, and also Kat Von D packaging!!!! I love seeing what Too-faced comes up with next!! Also love how original Kat Von D’s art work on her packaging is!!
I don’t think any of them really speak to me, but the ones that come closest are KVD, Urban Decay, and Lunatick Cosmetic Labs.
I love the YSL adverts in recent years with Cara Delevingne.
Tom Ford,
Nars,
Estee Lauder,
Bobbi Brown.
Laura Mercier and Estee Lauder definitely. I find the quality is usually there and I like their overall aesthetic.
I also own no Naked Palette’s, tried one years ago and didn’t like it!
Dior — Just love the silver quilted metal packaging!
Interesting question. I don’t identify with a “brand” per se, but for me based on my experiences many have de facto brands. These experiences, not the branding, steer my purchase decisions.
MAC — Its branding implies dynamism, fresh content/products, hip. To me, the brand has a few HGs/mainstays but lately very uneven quality and customer service due to its quest for hip-ness, though it’s still relevant.
Tom Ford — to me means quality and sophistication, but its branding is so based on objectifying women it offends me no end
NARS — doesn’t seem to have unique branding, but my experiences lately are consistent good to very good quality, some unique products and rather sophisticated colors and formulas.
Marc Jacobs — don’t know this ‘branding’ but consistent good quality, some special products. So I’d take a chance buying from MJ without having swatched a product.
Buxom — girly branding, a little Benefit-ish, TheBalm-ish. My experiences are mid-range brand with some standout products and reliably better than average quality, so I take chances there more now.
Two Faced — the juvenile branding is a complete turn off to me.
UD — branding is edgy and bright if not flashy; to me pretty good quality depending on categories, often innovative/takes chances, worth a chance.
Brands I haven’t tried much or at all but each have distinct branding: Kat von D, Tarte, D&G, Burberry, Shiseido, Lancôme, C Tillsbury
Brands who to me don’t seem to have distinct branding for makeup/skin care: Chanel, Clarins, Dior, Armani, YSL, L Mercier, Trish McAvoy
Clinique. The packaging is irresistible. It always looks so fresh and clean.
Not so much recently, but vintage Urban Decay really spoke to me as a teenager buying her first non-drugstore makeup. I loved the edginess, and I still feel a connection to the brand because of my initial experience buying things like Gash eye shadow and Oil Slick lipstick. I also really like Benefit’s retro-kitsch aesthetic, and the extreme girly-ness of Too Faced, but that seems to be an unpopular opinion around here.