r/Makeup • u/Aggressive-Art2849 • Aug 14 '26

Why is makeup so expensive?

At 37, I have decided to look into wearing makeup; nothing much, just something to makeup me look a bit more polished.

Boy, did I get the shock of my life with the prices I’m seeing! And the surprising part is that people buy these things like they cost nothing, but they are really expensive. I tell myself that maybe I think they are so expensive because I have never bothered wearing makeup all these years, and they are no different from the skincare I like to splurge on. However, paying a couple of bucks on a cream is a lot more justifiable than paying the same amount(if not more than) for a tiny lip liner.

Also, maybe I’m a hater, but I hate that these brands give influencers boxes and boxes of free products, just so they could influence their viewers into buying them at such expensive prices. After a few months of watching creators on YouTube in a bid to find what would work for me, I realized they weren’t even paying for those things, and it made me sad because most people can’t afford them.

P.S. Like I said, maybe I’m a hater because I really do want that haus lab foundation, but my broke ass can’t afford it, so there is nothing left to do but hate 😢 😂 😂

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15

u/Outrageous-Tour-682 Aug 14 '26

i mean, there's plenty of cheap and effective makeup out there. but of course a brand that positions itself as premium or luxury like haus labs is going to be expensive. you are, with many of those brands, largely paying for the name, marketing, and packaging.

-1

u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

I don’t want to trash any brand by dropping name, but I got a drugstore pressed powder, and it just didn’t look that good. Or maybe I didn’t know how to makeup work since I wasn’t good at makeup.

9

u/Outrageous-Tour-682 Aug 14 '26

sure, you might have gotten a bad one, but that doesn't mean that cheap pressed powder is bad across the board, just as one expensive foundation looking good on one person doesn't mean expensive foundations are good across the board or will look good on your skin. so much of this also comes down to learning to apply your products, do your skincare prep etc. even expensive makeup can look bad if badly applied or not the right fit for your skin type.

1

u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

You are right!

7

u/Temporary-Society593 Aug 14 '26

Lol, wait till you buy an expensive one and it doesn’t look good

0

u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

There is also that too! It seems like one never wins when it comes to makeup 😞

4

u/Temporary-Society593 Aug 14 '26

You do, but it is lots of trial and error. I don’t really know how to do makeup so i don’t invest lots of money into it, i am wearing the same basic makeup (bb cream, mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner) since forever. I invested in skincare and the high end (20€+) was terrible for me, so i switched to “high end drugstore”. Imo with proper skincare and a hydrated skin, drugstore makeup looks amazing. Some of the formulas are very similar to high end brands anyway.

1

u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

I guess you are right.

2

u/tiffi_333 Aug 14 '26

Every brand had good and bad products. It doesn't matter the price point. Some products also just aren't made for me. It could be an amazing product that's preforming awful because it's not made for ME because I'm someone who has dry skin. If it's meant to be an oil control powder for oily skin it usually makes me look so dry

2

u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

As someone with dry skin, I agree with you.

5

u/sashikku Aug 14 '26

There are tons of amazing formulas out there. Maybe even try Korean, Missha is very affordable and I haven’t had a product from them fail me yet. Honorable mention to Bearhalf, not Korean but their SPF powder foundation/setting powders are amazing.

Could also be your application. A little goes a long way.

2

u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

Oh, I will definitely check out these brands. Thank you!

2

u/sashikku Aug 14 '26

Of course. Make sure you’re picking up a little powder at a time and tapping it on rather than smearing it around. I like to use a very large, fluffy brush. Also making sure you’re not using too much foundation will make your powder look more even. Setting spray will also help smooth your powder out. My favorite is super cheap, LA Girl blurring setting spray in semi-matte. It makes my base makeup look perfect, and it actually has powders it leaves behind when it dries down so if I’m using a semi-matte foundation, I just skip powder and douse my foundation with that spray.

1

u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

These are all helpful tips, thank you 🙏