I feel horrible buying HE (High End) makeup

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I roam through the drugstore aisles all the time to see if I can get a dupe of an HE item I want so I don't have to spend all that extra $$$, that's what I'm used to doing.

But I've been looking for a lipstick in this exact shade:



and I found that Benefit has the exact shade I've wanted, it's red but with very slight pink-ness, you see?

Though, I DO have HE products from before I really got into LE products, and though the lipstick is pretty much just $18, I feel guilty since a part of me thinks that's a lot.

Do you guys ever feel guilty spending more money on HE things?

 
Oh lord.... everything I buy is "non-essential". Just look at my makeup drawer, closet, shoe closet, coat closet..... I honestly need nothing. (Except a pair of red shoes, but that's a work in progress). I went through this with a mascara I wanted. It was $25 and I didn't know if I could justify in my own mind spending that. My family ended up giving it to me for Mother's Day. Will I buy it again myself?  Yup. Because I use it EVERY DAY! If you think you will "get your money's worth", I say spend the cash and get it. It's not a fad color... you could wear it all the time. It's OK to spoil yourself sometimes!!

 
Ahhh, thanks for letting me know.

High end stuff is not really always high end, most of the time you're just paying for the name.

 
I agree with SassyAuburn, if it's something you're always going to use and it's not a fad color, then pay the $18 because you'll probably wear it all the time. In my case, sometimes I do feel guilty, but at the same time, I do try to go low end on the stuff that I know I can get away with it, I buy Maybelline Mascara and Revlon Eyeliner but my eyeshadows, blushes and foundations are all high end because I like stuff that sticks and is more pigmented :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I always feel guilty when I buy high end makeup so that is why I usually stick to lower end makeup unless I find a sale.  The only exception I make is for skincare or foundation since I have oily skin that breaks out alot.  If I get turned on to a brand that promises clear skin or great coverage then I will pay more since it is something I will use daily.

 
Funny I feel great buying HE Makeup such as Kryolan, Ben Nye, Airbrush, MAkeup Forever etc.   But I feel Horrible & would prob never buy E.L.F, Almay, cover girl etc.....with an exception of lipliners & some eyeliners

 
Originally Posted by MakeupByMe /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Funny I feel great buying HE Makeup such as Kryolan, Ben Nye, Airbrush, MAkeup Forever etc.   But I feel Horrible & would prob never buy E.L.F, Almay, cover girl etc.....with an exception of lipliners & some eyeliners

Yeah...that's how I am too. I use Revlon eyeliners and Maybelline mascara, but most of my makeup is high-end. I like buying high-end makeup because I don't have to worry about it being poor quality. Plus, if I don't like it, I can always return it to Sephora.

 
Whether or not I feel guilty really depends on how often I use the product.  I feel absolutely no guilt buying high end mascara or eyeliners because I use them every day and I need them to be quality.  Drug store brand liquid eyeliners in particular do not make me happy.  I don't feel like there is a comparable drug store product that could perform as well as the high end stuff in this category. 

Other things ... I don't wear lipstick enough to feel justified in buying high end, though I do LOVE to look at them.  I own a couple and even though they're awesome, I just don't use them enough.  I bought them for a couple special events and while they were great at the time, do they really justify a $50 purchase?  Eh, probably not.  However, if you're someone who wears lipstick often, I say go for it.

 
If it's a product you really want and are sure to use on a regular basis, or often enough, go for it. Don't think of buying a lower end product just because it's cheaper, if it's not color you wanted, then you'll end up buying another product, or just the one you wanted in the beginning.

 
If I can't find the same shade in a cheaper brand, I will *sometimes* buy the higher end item. Usually, I will keep hunting for a cheaper dupe for a while, or close to it, and that more than satisfies me. Then again, I know many people - including myself - that sometimes just wind up buying MORE of the lower end item in more shades, which ends up costing just as much as the one high end item would have. Although, it does mean we then have many shades as opposed to one shade. If it's something that I only buy once or twice a year, I may splurge. Do I feel guilty? Usually, as I know that money can be put to better use. My skin care line isn't at all cheap, but I always buy it when they have package deals and it knocks down the price to around $10 a bottle, as opposed to up to $100 a bottle. THAT I will not do. No way I am spending $100 a bottle on anything.

Funny, I received the limited edition Orgasm/Laguna/Albatross palette as a free gift from a store (The Bay in Canada) along with a gift card thingy which reloads regularly as an apology for their crappy service a few weeks ago or so. I then found pretty much the exact same thing, minus the highlighter, in an ELF Studio product in Target in the US for $3, which made me want to return the NARS item and trade it for something else. That was even though I didn't even pay for the limited edition NARS. If I can find something cheaper like *that*, I will definitely go for it. It makes no sense to me to piss the money away on something which is pretty much of the same quality, but more expensive just due to the packaging and the name. I'm happy if it looks the same and gives the same results.

 
Really? I payed $40 for that NARS trio...and I've tried ELF too. It doesn't compare. NARS is much more pigmented, feels smoother on my skin, and lasts all day. I guess it all comes down to is personal preference. 
 

Originally Posted by satojoko /img/forum/go_quote.gif

If I can't find the same shade in a cheaper brand, I will *sometimes* buy the higher end item. Usually, I will keep hunting for a cheaper dupe for a while, or close to it, and that more than satisfies me. Then again, I know many people - including myself - that sometimes just wind up buying MORE of the lower end item in more shades, which ends up costing just as much as the one high end item would have. Although, it does mean we then have many shades as opposed to one shade. If it's something that I only buy once or twice a year, I may splurge. Do I feel guilty? Usually, as I know that money can be put to better use. My skin care line isn't at all cheap, but I always buy it when they have package deals and it knocks down the price to around $10 a bottle, as opposed to up to $100 a bottle. THAT I will not do. No way I am spending $100 a bottle on anything.

Funny, I received the limited edition Orgasm/Laguna/Albatross palette as a free gift from a store (The Bay in Canada) along with a gift card thingy which reloads regularly as an apology for their crappy service a few weeks ago or so. I then found pretty much the exact same thing, minus the highlighter, in an ELF Studio product in Target in the US for $3, which made me want to return the NARS item and trade it for something else. That was even though I didn't even pay for the limited edition NARS. If I can find something cheaper like *that*, I will definitely go for it. It makes no sense to me to piss the money away on something which is pretty much of the same quality, but more expensive just due to the packaging and the name. I'm happy if it looks the same and gives the same results.


 
Me too! I only own two high-end makeup products (Jane Iredale pressed powder and a MAC lipstick), and I must say, unless it's for foundation and skincare, I definitely go low-end. Why pay $18 for MAC eyeshadows when the $1.99 Wet N' Wild ones are just as pigmented and last all day? 

Just personal preference I guess. 

 
Lord, some of my Wet n Wild eye shadow palette individual colors are far more pigmented than my NARS shadows, which really REALLY peeved me. $1.49 for 3 eye shadows versus approx $26 or $29 for one NARS eye shadow and the quality is the same, if not better, with the lower-end product? I'm not an idiot, and *would* feel guilty - not to mention stupid - in that case, just p1ssing away money on a product for the brand name only. I am going for the low-end product in that case. I ended up taking that particular Wet n Wild shadow in and showing the woman at the NARS counter how good it was compared to my NARS Galapagos. She was absolutely stunned that Wet n Wild had some shadows which are truly that great with so much pigmentation. As was I when I found out. Too bad I bought Galapagos too long before the $1.49 Wet n Wild palette, otherwise I could have returned it....and I end up using the cheap one far more often. I couldn't care less about what brand a product is, unless it truly IS a spectacular, high-performance brand which outperforms all other lower-end brands that I have tried up to that point. Very few are really that great quality-wise. It has to work, and work WELL. Brand means nothing in many cases when it comes down to it, especially in the past couple of years. My NYX and Wet n Wild shadow sticks are far better than any of my MAC shadow sticks, and cost a fraction of the price. Not to mention the fact that they provide a better base under my eye shadow than MAC products. Needless to say, I haven't bought any MAC shadow sticks in quite some time.

 
I only feel horrible when I feel ripped off for paying more.  I agree that some NARS shadows are garbage.  I bought a purple but I don't remember the name but it had very little payoff.  

 
Girl! I always go for HE! HE means you get more for your money! for example, the urban decay naked palette, its 48$ but its so highly pigmented that I don't even care! I never feel guilty. Basically, if I don't feel guilty and feel it's necessary, my credit cards will be feeling the same way. ;) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> You're a girl, I'm a girl, WE SPEND, IT'S WHAT WE DO! :D /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
Originally Posted by kibbsknowsbest /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Girl! I always go for HE! HE means you get more for your money! for example, the urban decay naked palette, its 48$ but its so highly pigmented that I don't even care! I never feel guilty. Basically, if I don't feel guilty and feel it's necessary, my credit cards will be feeling the same way. ;) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> You're a girl, I'm a girl, WE SPEND, IT'S WHAT WE DO! :D /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
No it doesn't. There are so many drug store dupes where you get more product for far less. I love my Naked palette but ELF made a dupe for $5 and it was virtually the same (the lighter colors weren't that great but the dark ones were fantastic). For every high end item you can find a drugs store dupe for it.

Did you know that MAC is owned by Estée Lauder Companies, Inc.which owns Aveda, Clinique, Flirt!, Origins, Smashbox Cosmetics and owned Stila (sold in 2006)? When Christine from Temptalia had the chance to make her own eyeshadow for MAC she verified that the cosmetics made for MAC were made in the same plant as Smashbox and Flirt! so they're using the same ingredients. Flirt is a "low end" brand that's found at Kohl's.

Keep this in mind makeup artists who work in magazines, print and tv - not these Youtube people - use so-called "low end" cosmetics. The Dancing With The Stars makeup team actually uses a lot of drug store items and have posted pictures on their Facebook page showing all the drugstore brands.. I can't recall what it was I was watching the other day but the makeup table they showed had lots of drugstore brands as well. Sure there are hits and misses with drug store lines but there are hits and misses with high end products as well. Even MAC, which most every day women swear by, has lots of hits and misses.

 

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