Huda Beauty, Laura Mercier and Makeup By Mario. Ever since I started watching makeup tutorials in middle school, the artists on Youtube would always have products such as these and many others that were out of my babysitting-salary price range. Since then, I have decided to splurge on makeup products and am relieved that I have reached a conclusion on what my seventh grade self wanted. In my opinion, most of the makeup products deemed as expensive by the majority of users are worth the money. Although I am pleased with how I have got my money’s worth for a few of my own products, this question could go both ways depending on who you ask.
Personally, I find that there are many expensive makeup brands that should not be considered high end. The rising popularity of celebrity makeup and skincare brands is mainly a result of well-known influencers seeing the makeup industry as a quick cash-grab and not putting any effort into their product because they know their devoted fans will buy it. An example of this scenario would be the now canceled Youtuber Shane Dawson and the creation of his “Conspiracy Palette,” which was made in collaboration with Jeffree Star for the sake of a docu-series on his channel. Fellow Youtuber Jaclyn Hill has had multiple fiascos with the distribution and quality of her products, as her “Jaclyn Cosmetics” lipsticks were found to have what looked like mold, unidentified black spots, white hairs or uneven texture, according to customer claims.
Outside of the Youtube sphere, celebrities such as Hailey Bieber’s “rhode beauty” line and “SKKN” by Kim Kardashian have received backlash for their quality as well. For example, “rhode beauty’s” watermelon flavored peptide lip treatment left some customers with a ”burning’ of their lips and causing ‘severe blistering’ after usage.” Kardashian’s skincare line has been criticized for the impractical egg-shaped packaging of the product as well as the price of the products, including a 0.5 ounce eye cream that retails for $75 and the complete package of 9 items can be yours for nearly $700. With prices like these you are only paying for the celebrities’ brand, not the actual product.
On the other hand, there are celebrities that are passionate about their brand, such as “Fenty Beauty” by Rihanna and “Rare Beauty” by Selena Gomez, who often post pictures wearing their own products and are both very involved with the production and marketing of their products.
When polling my friends on if they believe that high end makeup is worth the price, 15 out of the 21 voted in opposition to the value of expensive makeup.
“You can easily find a dupe from TikTok that works about the same,” said freshman Carolyn Dugal. “The only downside is that dupes usually have more toxic ingredients.”
Although high-quality products are usually more expensive, they are also more likely to be ethically sourced and cruelty-free, ensuring that the people involved in the production of this product were safe and paid fairly. Glossier, Stila, Milk Makeup and Physician’s Formula are examples of ethically-sourced makeup brands.
As a college student with limited funds, I definitely have my favorite drugstore products. Some of these include the Maybelline Fit Me! Foundation as well as higher-end palettes, including the Makeup By Mario Master Metals Eyeshadow Palette, the HUDA Beauty 3D Cream and Powder Highlighter Palette. Ultimately, the decision should be yours when deciding what makeup to buy.