It used to be that there were three tiers of cosmetics; budget, middle market and premium. I was at an event recently where the brand referred to themselves as ‘budget’, and it seemed incorrect when I heard it out loud. This particular brand used to be considered budget, but with the advent of E.L.F, Primark and the like, with items for £1, brands with palettes priced £5 and over are now in a newer category of premium-budget. The same could also be said of the premium ranges, whose products spiral in cost more and more – I now consider them to be the 5th tier – super-premium. I’m just wondering quite how low make up prices can actually go and still be considered viable make up products, and also how high the super-premium category can go before we say, hang-on, it’s only lipstick. Do you have a lower limit when it comes to spending on make up – a price under which you won’t go? And, also your upper limits? Have they expanded over the years in line with the super-premium categories?
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11 comments
This is an extremely interesting question. Make up price points have really gone all over the place. And every price point seems to be getting takers. I would love to see some serious market research on what is actually selling.
I wouldn’t say I have a lower limit, if it works it works right? I’ve increasingly become far more aware of what I’m getting for those super premium prices and i’ve been asking myself more whether I’m getting real value for money rather than glam packaging with a brand stamp, after all who really knows what you have on once it’s on?
well i ask myself that too.
Where i live is worse! ´cause you can´t get good brads in a lower price, i have to pay more..´cause it depends of the dolar.
Most of the time a buy products of lower price, but i know that some things are better if you buy products with a better quality because is your skin, your face what we´re talking about.
I think that companies should think abouot this, because we all have right to wear products of good quality, they should put prices on the products wich be agree with the salaries of the people, and take care of the client´s health
There is (or was) a limit of how cheap things can go, but now… Well ELF changed everything. They make me think about one thing – what is the real costt of makeup? If they make a profit out of their ridiculously cheap cosmetics… and how come a lipstick can cost a leg and an arm, when, well, you sai it, it’s only lipstick?
Interesting question – I think this is a trend not just in cosmetics but other consumer goods as well. It’s certainly true of the product category I work in, where more superpremium products are being launched and at the same time, more budget options, especially from retailer-owned brands.
Personally I’m usually dubious of cheap cosmetics and would never even think of buying cosmetics in Primark, nor an ’88’ palette from Ebay. I honestly shudder to think what goes into them. I have bought plenty of ELF products because I can at least see that they’re clearly a company who puts a lot of thought into their product development and are very open when it comes to consumer feedback. However, no matter how good a product from a ‘budget’ cosmetic brand is, it can never compare to the luxuriousness of a Chanel lipstick – the texture, the ‘click’ when you close the lid.. These are the types of details that budget cosmetics lack and why they never quite seem to satisfy me.
When it comes to upper limits, I have definitely upgraded to more premium brands, although that’s mainly because I went from being a student to having a proper income!
I don’t have a lower limit since I discovered Superdrug’s MUA range and really liked the blushers and eye shadows- when they’re just £1 each I think we can safely say that I have no lower limit.
At the moment there’s no way I could justify spending over £20 on any one item, regardless of how gorgeous it was, because I’m not earning enough.
I have definitely raised my higher limit over the years since discovering brands like Guerlain and Dior, never before I spent £25 on a lipstick or £35 on an eyeshadow quint. I have also become more of a make up snob and don’t really want to buy super cheap products anymore, unless it’s something I have tried and liked already (like Sleek for example). So while it’s nice to have super cheap make up, I’m not really interested (and don’t need to save the pennies luckily).
I can’t say I have a lower limit when it comes to how little I would spend..
That would seem a bit odd- imagine the scenario in Boots makeup aisle-lady stamping her feet “But I will NOT spend under £10 on a lippie dammit- I am NOT buying a lipstick for 5.99- it is TOO cheap” (lol)
Anyway- I honestly can’t say whether I have an upper limit or not..
I would like to think I have..
But really I don’t think I can trust myself NOT to go and buy a mega hyped up item – even if it is 3 times more than I’d ideally pay!
If someone had told my 20 year old self, that I at 30 would be spending £40 per foundation or £25 per eyeliner, I’d told them not to be so ridiculous!
I must admit I am sold to beautiful packaging, and feel a nice warm inner glow at coming home with a bag full of LUXE products, but feel a bit flat when I recieve an ELF order, when in reality, they *could* be manufactured in the same place..
Hmm interesting subject 😉
Well a few weeks ago I spent 60p on Tesco face scrub and it wasn’t that bad so I can do beauty on the down low. There is a face scrub from Alford and Hoff that I would love to buy but it’s £80 at Space NK and I cannot justify it.
I spend too much on make-up, both high end and the inexpensive items.
I tend to gravitate towards using my more expensive stuff on a daily basis, because subconsciously i feel like I NEED to use it, to justify the expenditure – ie if something that only cost a couple of quid languishes at the back of the drawer, then tht’s better, right?
Ahem. I’ve just spent £16 on a lipgloss that I haven’t even seen in the flesh. At the time it seems ok, but when I look back, it is utterly stupid.
I also cannot work out why I’ll spend (and I know you, the Chanel fan might not agree with me here) £16 for a Chanel nail polish that lasts less than 24 hours before chipping – it is an utter rip off.
YOu pay for the name, you pay for the packaging, you pay for the experience. I like e.l.f. and MUA- the quality is better than you’d expect. But it’ll take me a long time to be prised away from my beloved Nars, Illamasqua and Estee Lauder, even if I know that prices are only going to get higher.
I confess I have a lower limit. I buy myself quality and indulgence when I buy make-up, and unless it is an organic brand, which are mostly cheaper, I buy “expensive”. Give you that in euro – 18Euro for a CLARINS Lipstick was the lowest, and I am quite happy with it because of the colour; but I bought in the same time an ARMANI lipstick for 28Euro and this looks even better on me.
If I am really honest – I tend to buy with make-up also self-consciousness. I will feel cheap if my make-up (or my clothes) are cheap. I do not spend a lot on clothes though, I buy the boring middleclass brands you wear in germany like barbour or Tommy Hilfiger (mostly in sale then).
With Make-up I can afford the luxury I would not be able to have: CHANEL, if only on my lips & tips, ARMANI… both fashion-houses I would love to have an item or two to wear. So – you buy the product and the image and the other products you cannot have…
Stil – I will not spend 50 Euro on the KANEBO lipstick yet. But if I just have that day and there is a really nice colour…