It's hard to know where to splurge and where to save in the beauty department, and with the knowledge that several corporations own both high end and drugstore brands, effectively promoting the same products under different labels, it's even more confusing to work out whether what you are buying is worth the price tag or not.
What you pay for isn't always what you get. From L'Oreal owning both Maybelline and Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel and Bourjois being made under the same roof and MAC and Topshop being made together the industry is rife with duplication and showing the incredible effect that marketing and basic psychology can have on a person. If parting with more cash doesn't necessarily proffer better quality, what's the point in opting for higher end products?
I'm a big believer that both have their time and place. In terms of skincare, I do think that the more you can spend, the better, since the ingredients don't ever tend to be the same in their lower end counterparts, but the distinction becomes more shady in the land of makeup. It's all about what's important to you. If the product itself is all you're after, then the drugstore's the place to go. But for those concerned with aesthetics as well, and a collection that looks nice on a shelf (let's face it, if you're into beauty on your face, you're probably a little shallow when it comes to the packaging too), there's no better place than the exclusive beauty halls. And no-one can deny that spending that little bit more makes the product so much more luxurious and special to have. A lipstick from Boots doesn't have quite the same effect. If you have the budget, I don't see anything wrong with that.
What I am completely against in the culture of feeling you have to own everything, and in particular the mindless spending when it comes to lower end products; buying everything on impulse just because it's cheap and ignoring the fact that you will never ever wear it. I also can't stand the mindset that just because something is more expensive it will be better quality, or limiting yourself to only high-end due to snobbishness. At the end of the day, if it works, looks good, and you can pay for it, that's the only thing that matters.
What do you think? Where do you buy your makeup from?