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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FIU chapter.

As a die-hard Sephora girl, my bank account is begging me to stop. Walking into an Ulta for the first time in years made me wonder: are luxury products as drastically different from drugstore brands as we think they are?

It is all about what we consider to be “luxury makeup.” From celebrity brands, to cost, to the quality of the product, you can find “luxury” makeup in Sephora, Ulta, or even on Amazon. 

The Two Ps: Packaging and Price

Women exchange money over a table with budgeting supplies.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

I know I’m not alone when I say that I’m a sucker for cute packaging; that’s half of the appeal for me, but it also drives up the price. From the mini sets of Sephora Favorites to the makeup collabs with our favorite celebrities, the price tag is no joke, but so what? It’s a “limited edition,” so it’s worth it, right?

The sad reality I’ve found is that some of these products are a rip-off and the not-so-luxury brands can just be as effective at a more affordable price. Take a basic lip balm, for example. 

In Sephora, you’ll find the $24 Lip Butter Balm from Summer Fridays or the $16 LipSoftie Hydrating Balm from Tower 28, which have dupes left and right. For example, the DIY lip balm keychain trend is all over my feed with Summer Fridays’s balms, but it could work just as well with the $4 Squeeze Me Lip Balm from e.l.f. Cosmetics. The difference, of course, is the packaging.

Packaging can tempt us to pay a lot more than we should, and these companies know that. The new Too Faced Born This Way Setting Powder is nothing short of stunning with its pink and gold heart-shaped compact, but $40 for 16 ounces is jaw dropping. 

Packaging and price are the two things we often prioritize before deciding to buy those high-end makeup brands, but are they really worth it?

Quality is the deal breaker

What are we really paying for aside from the cute packaging? Quality.

I’ve found that most of the time, the quality of luxury brand makeup is better- and at those prices, it better be.

Coming out of Ulta with the e.l.f. Cosmetics Cream Glide Lip Liner and Glow Reviver Lip Oil for only $10 (plus tax) when it would have cost me twice that amount in Sephora was a game changer, but the quality was different from other, more expensive brands.

For example, my personal favorite lip product is NARS’s Afterglow Lip Shine Gloss in the shade “Aragon.” It’s nothing short of stunning from color, packaging, longevity, and, most importantly, quality. A cheaper, non-luxury lip liner, on the other hand, faded after an hour-long class, which was so disappointing considering the color and shine were close to those of high-end brands.

Overall, if you can afford luxury brands, do it! We all deserve to spoil ourselves, but if you’re on a budget (like every other college student), then take a look at those cheaper drugstore brands, because you never know if you’ll find your new favorite product.

Heidi Cuevas is a first-year chapter member at Her Campus at the Florida international University chapter. She writes about beauty, mental and physical wellness, and advocates for gender equality as well as women rights. Beyond Her Campus, Heidi is currently a junior at Florida International University majoring in English and pursing certificates in Women’s and Gender studies and Law, Ethics, and Society. In her free time, Heidi reads mystery novels while listening to music. She enjoys binge watching Gilmore girls on the couch while crocheting a new bag. She has a pen and notepad in hand everywhere she goes just in case a new idea comes along.