What makes an expensive product worth the money to you?

It has to deliver superior performance across the board, be easy to work with, and have functional packaging (if it’s aesthetically pleasing to me, even better, but I’m primarily focused on quality). I should have no complaints about it, though I’m nitpicky and can usually find a “con” somewhere…

— Christine

16 Comments

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Emmy Avatar

For me the ethics and values of the product are important too. They must not only be good quality but be cruelty free, vegetarian friendly and ethically made products are great to find too x

Mariella Avatar

This is a tough one to answer because as much I look for and expect good quality, good performance and something that fills my needs (which is why I was interested in the Nars eye and cheek palettes that came out recently but which were so poorly performing….but I would love the perfect eye and cheek palette for travel) – those are the logical things I look for but sometimes (probably far too often), it’s an impulse and emotional trigger that will compel me to purchase a pricey item….I may not need it at all but it’s just so darned pretty and good quality that I put other considerations (do I really need it? does it fill a void in my makeup stuff?) aside entirely.

Nancy T Avatar

It needs to have well nigh *flawless* quality and performance. Also, it will ideally be something classic, yet more unique, at least to my stash. This, because I would want to get tons of usage from it, whereas a trendy shade probably wouldn’t get as much love, and something too common may bore me rather quickly. Lux packaging is a plus, but not necessarily a must. Just so long as the packaging is secure, sturdy and functional, I’m happy with that.

Deborah S. Avatar

I agree with everything you said, Christine. I also feel that ethically sourced and produced is important. Some of my purchases are impulse buys but for the most part I try to educate myself before purchasing. I would like to say that I would never purchase an expensive product unless it was “perfect” but I have purchased expensive products that are not and still enjoy them and do not regret the purchase so maybe I don’t have a good answer for that question.

amy Avatar

My skin tone/coloring: light medium
Favorite look you worn: dew drops coconut (MJ), bright Nars lip crayon, mascara
Most used product of the week: L’Oreal Erase Hair Masque
Any new beauty discoveries: Omorovicza Illuminating Moisturizer, smells great, feels rich

Stacy Avatar

Definitely perfomance is the top reason for me, as well as convenience. If i need to combine products to try and dupe it, or if it’s an all in one palette type product, I’d spend the money. Also, ingredients are extremely important to me. All of my base products were previously from the drugstore, but when I was pregnant I started looking at the ingredients and noticed that almost all of my drugstore products contained parabens, and products with better ingredients are pricier.

Vittoria Avatar

Everything Christine already mentioned of course as well as ethically sourced ingredients and products with fewer or no EOs and no chemicals which are becoming somewhat easier to find. Many companies don’t want to give up proprietary ingredients in formulas understandably but I have allergies + sensitivities. For a long time I’ve tried to switch to products that are cruelty free, vegan, free of artificial fragrances (chemicals). I’m glad this is becoming easier to find but it hasn’t stopped me from unfortunately preferring the performance of higher end mascaras and coverage products. I’d pay more for those items if I could find ones that perform well and are safer all around.

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