Drugstore Cosmetics, Uncategorized

When did Drugstore Makeup turn Mid-end?

CosmeticChaos

This is a constant argument between makeup lovers/enthusiasts everywhere.

Where do we draw the lines between low-mid- and high end makeup brands and quality?

You can literally watch people yell at each other online about whether or not Mac is high or mid end, and then you get to read countless comments on how the distinction will always be different depending on a persons social class.

imgres-2.pngThen I went to Shoppers Drug Mart today, which for many Canadians is the go-to for beauty and cosmetics. Albeit they are wildly overpriced compared to Walmart or the ever so missed Zellers.

I find myself in sticker shock. When did drugstore makeup start ringing up at $13 for a lipgloss?  $14.99 for a lipstick? Does this mean that drugstore makeup is no longer the penny saver we think it is?

I thought I would delve a bit deeper into this theory. Let’s start with some matte lip creme products.

IMG_3370.JPGFirst up is a new matte lip cream from L’oreal’s Infallible line. $14.49. What? Too rich for my blood.

You can pick up this .12 fl oz “drugstore product” or you could pick up something from Sephora for the same price or a few dollars more. IMG_3368.JPG

Or you can drop down a bit and go with the Revlon High definition matte colour cream. Which is basically a fancy lipgloss… for $12.49! Are the formulations of these products improving? For some yes, but not everything. Unless we are talking straight up lipsticks, the quality of drug store lip creames don’t tend to blow my skirt up.

Other options from a ‘high end’ website…

Screen Shot 2015-12-28 at 8.49.40 PM.pngScreen Shot 2015-12-28 at 9.19.38 PM.png

So you are telling me there is an option to get six for $13? I will take it!. BAG IT AND TAG IT SISTER.

Let’s talk brow
ws. $18.49 regular price for THIS!? It’s just some L’oreal brow powder and wax. Please. I used to buy this from Sephora for $11.  Seems a bit steep for a brow product from a drugstore no?

BrowProduct.JPG

Especially compared to these other options!Screen Shot 2015-12-28 at 7.42.07 PM.png

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Nyx 

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Screen Shot 2015-12-28 at 7.41.46 PM.pngScreen Shot 2015-12-28 at 7.42.46 PM.png

Why pay high end prices if you aren’t going to get the high end quality? There are $3.00 products that can work just as well if not better.

What are your thoughts on the rise in drugstore pricing?

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33 thoughts on “When did Drugstore Makeup turn Mid-end?”

  1. OMG I remember Zellers! I grew up in Michigan and sometimes on vacation up north we’d go way up to Sault St Marie and then go across to Sault St Marie, Ontatio and once we went to Toronto for a long weekend, and I remember stopping at Zellers (I always though of them the Canadian KMart or something).

    Even in the States, some prices for drugstore brands is ridiculous, especially at Walgreens and CVS. I’ll see products priced anywhere from $2 to even $5 more compared to if I got them at Target or Walmart. I’ve become pretty good at couponing at CVS though as they’ll send me coupons almost weekly for at least 15% my total purchase (sometimes as high as 25% off), but the catch is you can’t use it on current sale merchandise. You can, however, stack those % off coupons with manufacturers coupons, other coupons on my rewards card and Extra Bucks rewards. There’s times I’ve gotten over $30 worth of stuff and paid maybe half that (sometimes less) thanks to the coupons. According to the last statement CVS sent me, I’ve saved well over $250 this year using my rewards and coupons. Yeah!

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      1. Oh that totally sucks! And you guys have crazy sales tax too compared to here in the States (I know it’s anywhere from like 11% to 17% in some provinces). I remember when I lived in MI, when my best friend from high school’s family visited from Canada, they’d go nuts buy things because at the time, MI had just a 4% sales tax (it went up to 6% in the 90s), which made things dirt cheap to them. And I’ve noticed here in Florida, when I’m in Orlando, I see the British tourists going bonkers buying stuff because their VAT taxes over there are crazy too.

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  2. I’m a bit spoilt since I’m part of the industry so I do not have to go to the drugstore. I do remember sometime aback purchasing the much talked about maybelline mascara and my lashes fell out. I’ve never purchased another drug store mascara again. The new color is quite beautiful though. Tempting!!

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  3. I totally agree with you. Drugstore prices are getting out of control! I can buy Inglot products (on sale) for the same price as Loreal products where I live. Why go drugstore then? It’s just better to wait for a sale and stock up. Some drugstore products have improved, but not so much to warrant these huge jumps in prices. Great post!

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      3. Aren’t the Loreal palettes $15? Where do you live? Try going on feelunique.com they have discounts all the time and free shipping on makeup, skincare, etc. Also. Beautybay.com has a great selection and free shipping worldwide. Those are my favorite websites!

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  4. Here in Croatia there are NO coupons for cosmetics and our sales tax is 25%. It’s the highest in the EU if I am not mistaken. So buying clothes, shoes and cosmetics are luxuries since we are still in an economic crisis and unemployment is at 20%. The prices just keep rising on items and unfortunately the majority of consumers only purchase if and when there are discounts. Even that is rare in this country (by law we can only have two clearance sales in January and in July). Although, some stores have finally caught on and begun running more frequent discounts on drugstore makeup. That was something that we never had before in this country. Hopefully more retailors will pick up on this trend. Then it would be more like it is in the States.

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      1. Don’t worry, I used to live in the States too. I totally understand. When you live in N. America it’s like that’s the whole world. Many people never even travel abroad, so they never see other parts of the world. How can you think of them then? I have always travelled abroad. Finally, I moved abroad. Both countries have their pluses and minuses. I don’t want to sound like I am complaning. Financially the country is a mess but here you have a slow paced life, peace and security/safety. The crime rate is low, there are no predators of children and you can walk down any street in the city at any time of the day or night safely. Plus. I marrried the man of my dreams here. All in all, it’s a great place to live. It’s just the financial situation that needs to change. We keep hoping it will get better soon. 😀

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  5. SDM really irritates me sometimes because they are SO ridiculously overpriced. They’re like the Safeway of the drugstore world. I needed another bottle of my favorite Covergirl mascara and they had it ON SALE for $17.99. London Drugs sells it for $12.99 regular priced. I tend to buy the majority of my “drugstore” makeup from Superstore as they tend to have the best prices. Even so though, I agree that the prices of drugstore makeup appears to be rising even though the quality isn’t following suit.

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    2. Shoppers has a lot of sales but their sale price is definitely just the item regular priced somewhere else, and I totally agree about the super store. They have a way better selection normally too at the bigger ones!

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  8. I know what you mean! It’s ridiculous how much drugstore prices are now! When I was young I could buy a lipstick for $5, what’s with this $15 business! *shakes cane*
    I think perhaps the rise of the “dollar” store is somewhat to blame? It’s pushed drugstores into a relatively higher price market since the dollar store is where stuff goes for clearance.
    Also, drugstores operate on a sale strategy – those regular prices are marked up so they can discount them on “sale” on a weekly basis whereas Sephora or MAC don’t regularly put their products on price discounts.

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  9. Drugstore prices are crazy, and personally I don’t think the quality has improved. Instead, I feel we have so much connection to bloggers and vloggers through the internet that we now just know what will be good and what will be bad ahead of time. Great post lady, wonderful points.

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  10. I totally agree. I constantly find myself in a bit of a sticker shock when I am looking at things at the drugstore and they’re so ridiculous that I end up just going and purchasing the higher end items. Mainly because at least you can test them out and swatch them before purchasing. The higher priced drugstore items end up being so much more risky without being able to test them out before purchasing, especially since a lot of the drugstore retailers will not let you return used cosmetics.

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