Makeup Snobbery… Innocent or Guilty?

Posted by Lipglossiping On September - 24 - 2010

I’m totally guilty of makeup snobbery… in public at least (the blog doesn’t count).

In private?  Not so much… though I’ve definitely become more snobbish as my collection has grown.  It wasn’t that long ago that MAC seemed like such an aspirational/posh brand… and now?  Not so much.

That’s the problem with being a beauty addict.  It’s a never-ending journey from Collection 2000 to Chanel and beyond…. and this, my dear readers… is probably why Terry de Gunzburg can make a rose-gold infused lip balm and I have to be physically restrained by my cousin until I swear on my life that I won’t drop the £45 asking price for it.  I’m still seething with resentment about that.  It’s limited edition for chrissakes!

On the other end of the scale?

Well… at the moment?  I’m resisting the urge to head to Aldi and buy one of everything from Lacura.  I refused to get into the hype first time round… but a recent email from one of my lovely readers has ignited a hankering.  The thing with these brands is that the pricepoint makes it just so damn easy no?

Go on… give me a little push, should I go and explore my local German cheap food emporium for their beauty lines?

And if I choose not to accept my mission… what’s a misread vowel between friends?

Are there any brands that arouse the makeup snob in you?


35 Responses to “Makeup Snobbery… Innocent or Guilty?”

  1. I confess, I’m a makeup snob. I like a few products from the drugstore (like Essence brow gel or nailpolishes, Gosh liners) but most of the time I buy mid-end (mac and co) or high-end. Pacakging does a lot, I think, which is why I like Guerlain and Dolce&Gabbana a lot even though they’re products arent the most pigmented on the market.

  2. Julia Arenas says:

    Mmmm, E.l.f. is super cheap, too! Thought it’d be in this bunch.

    Hmmm…I still love high end makeup, the packaging, the marketing drama, the hype the press arouses, the unmatched quality at times, the limited edition releases that can be done by them and only them…I guess, more often than not, there is something more to be said about something that’s been around, is well-established, is talked about, and endorsed so to speak…

    But I do love my bargain buys, and I love that because of them, I have wide variety and a chance to collect and bragging rights on the price 🙂

  3. Ailsa says:

    Loving the line: It’s a never-ending journey from Collection 2000 to Chanel – it’s so true.

    Sadly (for our pockets), 99% of the time we move to more expensive brands as the quality is better (and the packaging ever so pretty).

    On the other hand, I’d definitely hit the food emporium – my gym bag makeup bag has several items and when it comes to creating a secondary makeup bag, they ain’t too shabby!

  4. rhamnousia says:

    My mum is the biggest makeup snob out there, she makes me laugh with the comments she comes out with. When she sees products like my Rimmel Stay Matte powder and my Prestige mascara in my bag she HAS to say something like “surely you can afford something better?” Not knowing how much it has cost me to realise that these products work the best for me.

    She has recently been converted onto a cheap face powder though, I bought her the MUA powder and she is in love with it.

  5. Anitacska says:

    I have definitely become a make up snob over the past few years. I used to swear I wouldn’t buy high end mascaras and didn’t even know Guerlain existed until 2.5 years ago, and look at me now! I own all their eyeshadows, Meteorites and Voyage Powders and my HG mascara is Guerlain Le 2!

    I’m not saying I won’t buy cheap/drugstore/high street make up, but definitely nowhere near as much as I used to. I like 17 eyeshadows, they are great, Sleek palettes, No 7 mascaras and limited edition powders and palettes, Rimmel lipglosses, and my HG eye primer is by Barbara Daly (Tesco), etc., but I am definitely a snob when it comes to cheap make up.

    I’ve not tried Lacura products, but did get the Aldi anti-wrinkle night and day creams a few years ago when there was a big hype about them, apparently they’re as good (or better) as the high end brands’ creams. I have used up the night cream and it was fine, especially for £2.50 or so, but I can’t say it was better or as good, because you can’t see the result straight away can you? At that price it’s definitely a good cream though and even if you don’t like it, you’re not throwing £45 out the window! 🙂

  6. Lucy says:

    I’m not a makeup snob at all – I do sometimes plump for a more expensive product over a cheaper one because I think it’s “better” but sometimes that isn’t the case!

  7. I like experimenting, low end to high end. Ive found low end products I love and some I hate, the same with high end.

    About Aldi – I really like their Blush in Sunset. That’s the only thing Ive tried though.

    xx

  8. Georgie says:

    I’m a little of both! I adore high end brands like MAC, Origins etc, but I absolutely adore brands like Sleek, Barry M etc. I have a happy balance :).

    xoxo

  9. kyanvi says:

    Totally. I have to resist to get something from the Lacura line every time I shop in Aldi…
    I think Make up alley, e.l.f. are also in the same case, as they are so cheap and nice to the fact that I always want to buy something more =.=

  10. Stephanie Cummins says:

    A little bit, but like an earlier poster said i like sleek and barry m so some brands am ok with 😀

    http://veryrandomrambles.blogspot.com/

  11. pelin says:

    I think that for your face,skin it’s better to buy quality products:)
    At the same time some products are not so much expensive but they have good quality:)
    But Chanel is always taking my breath away:)
    http://pelininstyleenglish.blogspot.com/

  12. Hannah says:

    You know what? I totally prefer the Aldi concealer pen to my Touche Éclat. I used to be a complete snob, but now I’m open to trying cheaper stuff. Sometimes you get lucky, and if you don’t…well, better to hate your new ELF mascara than a Dior one, eh?!

  13. I tend not to buy anything from Boots and Superdrug anymore, unless I am unable to buy direct from the brand.

    It shocks me how little brands actually make in return for selling in concessions – so it really begs the question… are you getting value for money? How much is even cheap make up worth if it is marked up by up to 80% at a concession. Think phonetically – CON-SESSION next time you’re at a stand or stall!

    I buy online (e.l.f, lily lolo, BWC to mention a few) because they are excellent quality and not weighed down by greedy high streets stores.

    • mq, cb says:

      I’m as fond of a bargain as anyone, but I don’t think that it’s fair to say that retail is a con. It all depends on what you want to pay for. Some people need, or enjoy, having advice when they buy, or they enjoy the retail environment. Sometimes buying in a shop is much easier. Not everyone can look at a product online and say exactly what colour it is, or whether it would suit them. They may also want to try before they buy. Can’t do that online.

      I think that it’s worth keeping an open mind, and buying cleverly. You can use cashback sites, discount codes or buy local when you’re overseas and all of that can reduce cost.

      I would also say that whilst there are cheaper products which I choose to buy (I do rebuy some Elf products, for example), in some cases the more expensive ones are much better. Either there’s a better colour selection, or the quality is worth the extra price. For example, I have never found a cheap eyeliner that is anywhere near as good as those from MUFE or Urban Decay, whose colour selection is better anyway. The Elf ones, for example, are nowhere near as good.

  14. Sophie says:

    I’m not really a makeup snob. Don’t get me wrong, I like higher end, but can hardly afford it at the moment. I think lots of drugstore products can do just as good of a job in some cases. 🙂

  15. baby in a corner says:

    You really hit the nail on the head! I love the buzz from getting something high end like guerlain. I recently got a rouge g and it was so beautiful and I felt like a bond girl playing with it.

    There’s also something about getting a bargain, its another thrill. I love Gosh and Isa Dora polishes and eyeshadows as well. The lacura stuff is so cheap. I got a clear nail polish there for frankening which is cool

  16. Yinnie says:

    i use to be, but i’ve found some amazing staples in drugstores too

  17. Jan says:

    I am a makeup snob pure and simple, but only for certain brands – Guerlain, too dusty and a bit old fashioned for me, and often I have the same feelings about Chanel, and Estee Lauder. I am far more interested in more boutique brands, because I find that they have more interesting colours and formulations. Also I tend to find that if I go into any Boots or Superdrug the makeup stands are all a bit grubby, which puts me off completely. Jan

  18. I don’t tend to care whether something is high end or not, but I’ll admit, pulling a lovely packaged item out of my purse in public feels better than a simple drugstore packaged one.

  19. Alicat says:

    Oh dear, I’m afraid I’ll have to admit it. I’m a Makeup Slut 🙁 I can’t see the point of paying out huge amounts of money for makeup, nine times out of ten I’m disappointed, or get bored with it and end up throwing it out because I’ve had it 5 years… I don’t scrimp with skin care though, I think that’s important.

  20. liloo says:

    I am a make up snob but a weird one. I tend to snob the more posh and expensive brands. xx

  21. Mercedes says:

    I do a bit of everything really and I don’t stick to one brand.
    I’m definitely not a Mac Nazi (love that expression I heard once on YT) and I tend to buy what suits me. I try to be trendy and glamorous but I don’t buy a collection just because of the hype.
    I don’t want to waste money so I research before I buy…that way I avoid any disappointments later. It works most of the time.
    XXX

  22. Helena says:

    I bought some of the Aldi stuff recently; the concealer pen, an eyeshadow duo and compact powder. I prefer the concealer pen to Touche Eclat for my purposes, as it’s more of a concealer and less on a highlighter. The powder is good, and doesn’t smell cheap like cheapo powder sometimes does. The eyeshadow was a bit disappointing as it’s very sheer and staying power, even with primer, was a bit rubbish. Want to try the foundation next – all in all, they’re defo possibilities for the gym bag makeup collection. At £3.50 for the concealer, you can’t go far wrong…

  23. I’m not a make-up snob in the typical sense – I like cheap products and sort of mid-range priced once (still can’t bring myself to try really expensive things), but if I see someone in the offline world with a product that is bad according to every review I’ve read online, I fight back the urge to ask them ‘Why?’. I also sometimes look at people using products I think are dire and wonder why they haven’t given them up already. E.g. Rimmel foundations.

  24. Tali says:

    Im a make-up ho i jump from one brand to another but (x out of 10 its designer or at least mid range like MAC

    Aside from Mememe blushes & l’oreal voluminous.. it aint happening if it hasnt got the spiffy packaging and name! SOmething about saying Chanel or ROuge Bunny Rouge.. just sounds better than Barry M.. eugh just cringed!!

  25. i don’t think i am! a lot of my products are from the drugstore and i’m not ashamed to admit it!

    then again, i wonder if this would be the case if i had a lot of funds to work with :p

  26. Robyn says:

    Most of my products are indie or drugstore, though when I have more money I will buy a bit of Benefit, MAC, occasionally Chanel or Lancome. This is pretty rare nowadays though – I used to have a lot more money than I do now, and on the search for dupes for my used-up high end products, I’ve discovered I don’t actually need to pay the money for them! If I had more cash to be snobby with, though, I can certainly see myself becoming addicted to MAC lippies.

  27. Phyrra says:

    I’m picky about the product.

    Depending on the product I like some drugstore brand or indie brands over the bigger, more expensive brands.

    I love Wet n’ Wild’s black creme gel liner, as well as Physicians Formula gel liners and MAC’s fluidlines.

    I love my indie eye shadows such as Aromaleigh, Fyrinnae, Sugarpill, etc.

    I reach for Morgana Minerals or Urban Decay or MAC for a lot of my lipsticks.

  28. Estelle says:

    I’ve always been a makeup snob – I think my first lipstick was one from Estee Lauder when I was about 13 (I think I must have had too much pocket money!). I think I’m branching out more the older I get and appreciating both low and high end stuff – ELF being my current bargain brand du jour, but it is just too easy to get. I love coveting an expensive product for a while before I finally get it (it’s normally waiting until payday). You just don’t get the same feeling with cheaper products, even though they may be just as good. x

  29. Thermosense says:

    I think İt is Better to use allways cehap products so that they can help you better in pocket

  30. CeeBee says:

    Huh, not so much… I have happily splashed out big dollars on Dior, Chanel & Guerlain (in NZ these brands are super expensive, even MAC is $40 for a lipstick) and I enjoy the luxe packaging and range of colours and luscious formulas (Rouge G’s! Dior quints! Chanel Glossimers! Huzzah!) and they sit quite happily next to my collection of Jordana products and stuff from the dollar store. The only stuff I don’t really buy is mid range (Revlon, L’Oreal, etc)… But that said, if I can buy an almost identical product for a quarter (or even a tenth!) of the price of a high end one, I’m usually gonna go for the cheaper option, because, well, it just seems sensible… eg, Prestige Total Intensity eyeliners = Estee Lauder Double Wear (though I still bought Black Plum because it was SO pretty!) eye pencil.
    There is a certain amount of prestige in pulling out a logo’ed lipstick in the ladies room but I still get a sense of satisfaction when I get complemented on a new lipstick or eyeshadow colour and I can say, “Thanks! It was $3!”

  31. Lena says:

    I’m definitely not a makeup snob… Whatever works best for you should be what you use! And since graduating from college and combining my finances with a new husband, I’ve learned that I enjoy scoping out a great deal MUCH more than dropping a wad of cash at the specialty cosmetics counter. I even check weekly sales fliers to see what’s BOGO at the drugstore and clip coupons, request rebates, etc… There’s no shame in making yourself lovely for less!

  32. Alex says:

    I used a few lacura products on my wedding day, that’s how impressed i was with them xx

  33. Tina says:

    Guilty as charged, 100%!!!
    In fact, I have a separate drawer for my higher end single eyeshadows and another one for the cheaper stuff, so that the royalty won’t mix with the commoners, ahaha! (Swear I ‘m only like that when it comes to makeup)! 🙂

    However, I kinda regret focusing so much on the more expensive stuff, there surely must be quite a few drugstore gems waiting for me to discover them and it’s not like all the higher end stuff is of excellent quality all the time…! That said, will I change? Probably not! 🙂

    xx

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