IS PREMIUM BRAND MAKEUP WORTH THE SPLURGE?

There are many arguments for and against expensive makeup. Some people are happy to spend the extra cash, meanwhile others would prefer to save their pennies and opt for a more affordable alternative. The question on everybody’s lips is of course, is premium brand makeup worth the splurge?

First of all, I’d like to officially start this post by admitting that I am one of those people who does spend a lot on makeup. In fact, my makeup bag is probably worth over £400 in total - which is a heck of a lot of money to spend on cosmetics. However, I am a firm believer in the fact that we should all have the freedom to spend our money however we see fit - so long as it isn’t hurting anyone else.

Now for the argument itself though. Are people like myself buying into a brand name and nothing else? Or is there good enough reason to spend a pretty penny on lipsticks and foundation? 

There is no firm and final answer to this question, as, like with many things in life, whether or not premium brand makeup is worth the price we pay is a matter of opinion, not fact. Personally, I do believe that in general, expensive makeup is, ultimately, of a higher quality (in most cases at least), and so I feel I have good reason to shop in this way. 

To further reinforce my argument, here is a full(ish) list of reasons as to why I like to shop higher end for makeup: 

1. The Quality Is Better  

As I said before, this is subject to opinion and I’m not saying that my opinion is more important or more valid than anybody else’s, but from my experience, I would say that certainly nine times out of ten, designer makeup is of a higher quality and the overall finish is just so much better. 

For some products, I don’t actually mind using high street brands (NYX Cosmetics & KIKO are two of my favourites) but for most things, I will almost always buy premium.

2. The Customer Experience Is Better 

And by that, I mean a lot better. 

In fact, for most high street brands, I’m not even sure there is a proper customer journey. Places like Boots and Superdrug don’t have assistants working on the high street brands in the way they do with the premium ones, and there are no experts available to assist with queries. 

The two brands that are an exception to this general rule of thumb are KIKO and NYX - the two brands I mentioned in point number one. However, I’m pretty sure that these really are the only two. 

When it comes to premium beauty brands like NARS, Bobbi Brown and MAC, there are tons of amazing experts and even makeup artists on hand to help with any queries, trials and tests - and I think this is just so important! Testing foundation is one of the trickiest things ever when there’s no help available, so for me, this is just essential.

3. The Packaging Is Better 

To some people, the packaging of a product is irrelevant and unimportant, but to me, it’s actually a huge part of my customer experience and while part of me does hate to admit it, I can’t help but buy into pretty packaging. 

Now, that’s not to say that I’d buy a rubbish product just because the exterior is 'Instagrammable' - that’s just me saying that those finishing touches do help me in making a decision on whether or not to buy a product. 

I’d argue that packaging is actually one of the most important things for a cosmetic brand to get right. Ultimately, the packaging is the first thing we see, so if it doesn’t attract us, then why would we want to find out more about it? 

On top of this, I think packaging says a lot about a brand. For example, Charlotte Tilbury products are always presented in rose gold containers, giving everything that really chic and luxurious appeal. NARS on the other hand, keep everything very simple, which works equally well.

4. The Variety Of Products Is More Extensive

Don’t get me wrong here - some high street cosmetics brands boast the most incredible collection of shades, but on the whole, designer brands do tend to do this a whole lot better. 

Brands such as MAC and Bobbi Brown in particular have the most fabulous range of shades to choose from, with everything from the fairest Of fair tones to the most beautiful dark shades. 

It’s not all about the colour chart, though - it’s everything. For me personally, one of the things that really impressed me with brands is how many different finishes their products offer. For example, having gloss-finish lipsticks as well as matte ones, and offering lightweight, dewy foundations as well as heavy, full-coverage formulas. 

As many of you will already know, I’m currently obsessing over all tinted moisturisers and CC creams, so I’m particularly loving brands that offer these!

For those of you who are interested, my current base is the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser in Shade Light 2, 'Alaska'. You can read my full review of this product by heading over to my post 'Why You Need The NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser.'

5. The Products Last Much Longer 

This might not be true of all premium brand makeup products, but from my own personal experiences with cosmetics, this generally is the case. 

I find that often, cheaper alternatives or ‘dupes’ are great for saving money in the short term, but in the long-run, they rarely prevail. 

An example of this would be with lip liners. Many brands now try to mimic the popular shades that MAC create (Whirl, Spice & Soar etc.) and while the colours are often really close-matching, the longevity of the formula is , unfortunately, less than impressive.

I really hope you enjoyed this blog post & I can’t wait to share more with you all very soon! 

Lots of love, 

Grace x