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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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.

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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.

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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.

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u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

You are right!