Are These Makeup Brands High-End Or Drugstore? Real Beauty Gurus Will Know...
- by Breanna Burford
- – on
- in Lifestyle
One thing that most makeup fanatics will tell you is that all makeup is not created equally. Nearly everyone has a brand (or two, or ten) that is their absolute favorite, whether that brand is one of the high-end ones from Sephora or a more affordable one from your local Target or Walmart. The majority of the makeup brands available at Target are often referred to as "drugstore" because back in the day, they were most commonly purchased from the local pharmacy, instead of the high-end boutiques that specialized in beauty sales.
Back then, there was a pretty significant difference between the two products, but nowadays, the difference between drugstore makeup and high-end make up is pretty hard to spot! Thanks to advancements in the science of cosmetology, brands have been able to make more affordable products of the same quality as most of the high-end products. And with comparable packaging, too, which is important because everyone knows that aesthetics are a strong selling point.
Picking a drugstore brand out of a line up of high-end brands is a pretty considerable talent to have. Do you think that you are well-versed enough in the ins and outs of beauty to easily pick out which brand belongs where? Prove it!
Is Maybelline high-end or drugstore?
Maybelline is an American makeup company that was founded by Thomas Lyle Williams in 1915 when he was just 19 years old. The brand is named after his sister, Mabel, who inspired him to create the first product he ever released after he noticed that she used coal dust and Vaseline to fill out her eyelashes. Maybelline is responsible for the mass production of easily accessible mascara, also known as modern mascara, the way we're used to it now!
Is Benefit high-end or drugstore?
Benefit Cosmetics is an American cosmetics company that began over 42 years ago in San Francisco by Jean and Jane Ford. The fate of the company was decided by a coin toss that helped the women to choose between starting a cafe or a boutique. The first thing the company ever produced was a tint called Rose tint, which was made for an exotic dancer who wanted to use it on her body! That product is still available now, but it's been renamed as Benetint.
Is Burt's Bees high-end or drugstore?
Burt's Bees is an American company that makes personal hygiene products and beauty supplies. Their company was founded in 1984 in the state of Maine when Roxanne Quimby began selling candles made from Burt Shavitz's leftover beeswax. They sold bottled honey for a while and made other products like furniture polish and spreads, but eventually, they found their fit with beauty supplies. Their first beauty product, a lip balm, was released in 1991, and it is still their most popular product today.
Is Becca high-end or drugstore?
Becca cosmetics has made a name for themselves in the beauty industry by specializing in all things that glow! Their Champagne Pop highlighter was the first Becca x Jaclyn Hill collaboration, and it was one that took the Internet by storm! Upon release, the luminizer sold over 20,000 units in 20 minutes on Sephora's website, and it sold out so many times that there was a hashtag (#findingchampagnepop) for the sole purpose of helping people get their hands on it.
Is Too Faced high-end or drugstore?
Too Faced is an American cosmetics company that is a love letter to both Paris and pink. The founders, Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson, were fed up with the dark fashion trends of the '90s, and wanted to give new life to femininity! Their highly glamorized products came in pretty, chic pastels and were a celebration of all things girly and Parisian. Their cruelty-free product line has expanded over time to let neutrals and dark shades into the party as well, but they've never lost their feminine flare.
Is Wet 'n' Wild high-end or drugstore?
Wet 'n' Wild is an American cosmetics company. The makeup they offer is made from the same materials and in similar formulas to their competitors but offered at a much more affordable price range. Their products are available in a total of over 400 shades that are tailored to fit all different skin tones and types. Their 666 lip liner is a product that some celebrities and makeup professionals swear by, claiming that it's their lip liner of choice.
Is L'Oréal high-end or drugstore?
L'Oréal is a French beauty and cosmetics company. They produce all kinds of things you need to make yourself look great, including hair products, beauty supplies, skin care products, and nail polish, perfume. You name it, they probably make it! One of their most popular product lines is their True Match face makeup, which comes in 33 unique shades and is formulated to be blendable, layerable, and above all, natural! They've expanded that line to include True Match Lumi, which is similar but offers extra highlight and illumination.
Is NARS high-end or drugstore?
NARS Cosmetics is a French personal care company that offers skin care products and cosmetics. The company was founded by (and named after) a makeup artist named François Nars in 1994. Their blushes are known for having edgy, suggestive names like Orgasm and Deep Throat. In fact, they have an entire Orgasm Collection that includes lip gloss, multipurpose sticks, highlighters, nail polish, and of course, blush! If their shade names aren't enough to make them recognizable, their minimalist black packaging definitely is.
Is Revlon high-end or drugstore?
Revlon is an American company that creates makeup, perfumes, skincare products, and other personal care supplies. During the Great Depression, brothers Joseph and Charles Revson founded the company with the help of scientist Charles Lachman. Their first product was nail polish. Their formula was unique because they gave their products color using pigments instead of dyes, allowing them to easily develop a lot of different colors. They added lipstick to their lineup in 1940 and quickly expanded to make all kinds of beauty products.
Is Hard Candy high-end or drugstore?
This American company boasts that their #1 mission is to embrace creativity. Their product line includes makeup for your entire face, including primer, eye makeups, lip kits, foundation, concealer, highlighter, and basically everything else, plus nail polish, accessories, and even reading and sunglasses! Their makeup products each come in a wide range of shades and offers a ton of different finishes. One of their most notable products is their Glamoflauge pigment drops, which are made to be mixed into your favorite moisturizer so you can get custom color and coverage.
Is Fenty Beauty high-end or drugstore?
Fenty Beauty is a cosmetics brand that is owned by (and gets its name from) best-selling hiphop artist Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. It launched in fall of 2017 and has made quite a name for itself in the beauty industry by providing makeup for men and women of all skin tones. Their Pro Filt'R foundation comes in a total of 40 different shades, ranging from super pale to super dark, so no one is left out!
Is e.l.f. high-end or drugstore?
This international cosmetics company's name (e.l.f.) is an anagram for eyes, lips, face. Their product range includes skincare, makeup tools, and brushes, and of course, all different kinds of makeup. They have mineral-based formulas available in addition to eyeliners, lip glosses, lipstick, blushes, bronzers, highlighters, mascara, foundation, and primers. If you can dream it, e.l.f. can do it! E.l.f. Cosmetics supports PETA in their no fur campaign, and they are actually endorsed by PETA for being completely vegan, cruelty-free, and all-around animal-friendly!
Is Smashbox high-end or drugstore?
Smashbox cosmetics belongs to the great-grandsons of Max Factor, who was a world-renowned trailblazer of the beauty industry. Their company's primary focus is making sure that your skin always looks as flawless as possible, making you photo ready whenever. Their photo finish foundation primer comes in a few different options to offer solutions for all kinds of problems, from redness to dryness to unevenness. One of their most popular products is their O-Glow blush, which is intuitive and shifts to fit the skin tone of its wearer, providing a natural shade.
Is Anastasia Beverly Hills high-end or drugstore?
Anastasia Beverly Hills gets its namesake from founder Anastasia Soare. Born in Romania, she opened a salon in Beverly Hills in 1997, leading to the launch of the company's first product just three years later in 2000. The company introduced a new eyebrow styling technique known as the Golden Ratio, which emphasizes the importance of our eyebrows. Fittingly, the products that they are most known for are Dipbrow, an eyebrow pomade available in 11 shades, and Brow Wiz, an eyebrow pencil available in 10 shades.
Is Urban Decay high-end or drugstore?
Urban Decay is an American cosmetics company founded in 1995 by Sandy Lerner and Patricia Holmes. The two women launched their cosmetics company with a line of 10 lipsticks and 12 nail polishes, with a color palette inspired by the aesthetic of an urban area. The daring, vibrant colors they started off with are still a prominent part of the branding today. Their inspired naming system is still around too, with their products coming in shades like Smog, Gunmetal, Hustle, Brickhouse, and Blackmarket.
Is NYX high-end or drugstore?
NYX Cosmetics is a beauty supply company founded in Los Angeles. It takes its name from a Greek Goddess of the night, Nyx. The products were originally only available to professional makeup artists, but they were eventually introduced into the mass-market, where they've made a name for themselves ever since because of their incredible pigmentation and the versatility of their professional quality products. They also have a focus on special effects and produce quality makeup for Halloween and other costume looks.
Is Rimmel high-end or drugstore?
The House of Rimmel, also known as Rimmel London, is a British cosmetics company. It was born as a perfumery, founded by Eugène Rimmel in 1834 in London. The company rapidly grew and added mascara to their product line within a year. Since then, the company has undergone considerable expansion and now offers face makeup, eye makeup, lip makeup, nail polishes, and practically anything you can think of, all on an international scale. Their company is known for its slogan: to Live the London Look.
Is Colourpop high-end or drugstore?
Colourpop Cosmetics is an American beauty company that you've probably know by just its first name, Colourpop. Laura Nelson and John Nelson, two siblings from Los Angeles, founded the company in 2014. They clawed their way to recognition fairly quickly by releasing products in collaboration with various YouTubers and various social media gurus, including Karruche, Shayla, Ellarie, Eva Gutowsky, Laura Lee, Sonya Esman, and others. The brand comes by its name honestly, offering a wide range of colors that are incredibly pigmented, so they really pop.
Is Make Up For Ever high-end or drugstore?
Make Up For Ever is a French cosmetics company that was founded by Dany Sanz, a makeup artist, in 1984. Each product that they offer is professional quality. In fact, every single thing that this company produces is inspired by the specific needs of professional makeup artists and other creative types. Their products are perfect for those who need a look to stay flawless and fresh during a taxing stage performance, but they're also a good fit for a night out.
Is Kat Von D high-end or drugstore?
Kat Von D Beauty is a cosmetics company that belongs to Katherine von Drachenberg, a popular Mexican-born, American female tattoo artist. The products offered by the line cater to a more alternative lifestyle with their dominantly black packaging and deep, pigmented colors. Their makeup is often thematically packaged and named, with one of the most noteworthy being the Saint + Sinner eyeshadow palette that offers a total of 24 shades inspired by stained glass windows, with one half inspired by a sinner, and the other inspired by a saint.
Is Essie high-end or drugstore?
Branded as essie, Essie Cosmetics is an incredibly popular nail polish company. It started in 1981, launching with a total of 12 colors, many of which are still available today, and crawled its way across the country through nail salons. The brand comes in over 200 different colors. One particular color, called Starry Starry Night, has gained infamy because it's an incredibly rare find due to being discontinued and only offered as a limited re-release in 2010, nearly a decade ago.
Is Flower Beauty high-end or drugstore?
Flower Beauty is a line of makeup products that was launched by actress Drew Barrymore, the granddaughter of John Barrymore. The focus of the company is offering products to women that will make them feel and look beautiful. Many of the products offered by Flower Beauty are, well, flower themed. This includes powders pressed to look like the petals of flowers and shades that are named after various types of flowers and flower-related things, like petals.
Is Tarte high-end or drugstore?
Tarte is an American cosmetics company that started in 1999 when founder Maureen Kelli created a cheek stain in her apartment after she had just dropped out of Columbia University so she could pursue her interest in cosmetics instead of completing her psychology degree. By 2000, the cheek stain was on the cover of SELF magazine, and within five years, it was available in stores and on QVC. The brand is known for making cruelty-free products that are natural and healthy for you AND the environment.
Is Sally Hansen high-end or drugstore?
Sally Hansen was the eponymous founder of Sally Hansen Incorporated, an American beauty products brand. The company's primary focus is nails, whether it's coloring them or just caring for them, but they also dabble in things like hair removal, beauty tools, and sun-free tanning products. Their most recognizable product is their nail polish, which is available in over 300 different shades and has a variety of formulas and finishes available worldwide. One of their still-available products, Hard as Nails, is a nail hardener, which was one of the first things the company ever sold.
Is Black Up high-end or drugstore?
Black Up is a black-owned cosmetics company that caters to people of color, but especially black women. Their products come in a range of shades meant to offer seamless beauty for people with tan to dark skin tones. Their beauty supplies include face makeup, including foundation, concealer, bronzer, highlighter, and contouring kits, all tailored to the unique needs of people of color. They also produce a palette of specially formulated, intense, heavily pigmented lip products that are guaranteed to provide coverage for those with darker lips.
Is Bite Beauty high-end or drugstore?
Bite Beauty is an American cosmetics brand that makes lip products with natural ingredients. In fact, these lip products are so natural that they're even safe for consumption! But don't worry; their formula still offers powerful pigmentation and full coverage. One of the coolest things about this brand is their Astrology by Bite lipstick collection. Released monthly, the Astrology lipstick is a special limited edition shade of Bite's award-winning Amuse Bouche Lipstick, each inspired by a different sign of the Zodiac.
Is Makeup Geek high-end or drugstore?
Makeup Geek is a cosmetics company that products cruelty-free, professional quality makeup. The brand offers all types of face makeup, eye makeup, and lip makeup, as well as brushes and other tools. They recently added Power Pigments to their line up, which is a brand of eyeshadow that comes in a bright, bold rainbow of colors. One of their most noteworthy products is the Create Your Own palette, which lets you choose nine of your favorite eyeshadow shades and make something totally your own!
Is Jordana high-end or drugstore?
Jordana Cosmetics is a beauty product company. They offer a variety of different products for the face, eyes, lips, and nails. The company's matte lipsticks are among their most popular items, including the Modern Matte lipstick in the shades, Matte Tease, a dusky pink, Matte Dare, a deep plum, and the Matte lipstick in Nude and Natural. Recently, the company launched a line of Matte liquid lipsticks, called Sweet Cream, and a line of liquid eyeshadow called Made to Last.
Is CoverGirl high-end or drugstore?
One of the most iconic brands in the beauty industry, CoverGirl is an American cosmetics company that was founded in Maryland in 1999. In modern times, the brand has an international reach and is world-renowned for the variety and accessibility of their products. A longtime trailblazer for social equality, CoverGirl was the first cosmetics company to give an exclusive contract to a black model in 1992, and in 2016, they hired their first male spokesperson, YouTube sensation James Charles.
Is Clinique high-end or drugstore?
Clinique is an American company that produces cosmetics in addition to skincare, toiletries, and fragrances. The company was founded by an executive from Estée Lauder named Evelyn Lauder, who was inspired by a Vogue article about how a skin care routine can make great skin a reality for anyone. When it comes to makeup, Clinique offers an incredibly diverse and inclusive line of face makeup products like liquid foundation, powder foundation, and concealer, in addition to eye makeup, lip products, and makeup brushes.
Is Almay high-end or drugstore?
Almay is a cosmetics company whose goal is to provide makeup for people with sensitive skin. The founder, Fanny May Woititz, was constantly struggling to find something that wouldn't irritate her skin. Luckily for her, she was married to a chemist named Alfred, who employed a dermatologist and set to work on creating hypoallergenic makeup products for her. This company made groundbreaking progress by being the first to produce fragrance-free products that catered to a number of different skin types.
Is The Lip Bar high-end or drugstore?
The Lip Bar is a black-owned cosmetics company that started in 2012. Melissa, the founder of the brand, wanted to push back against the beauty standards that were commonly seen on television, in movies, and in magazines. Due to Melissa being a bit of a minimalist with makeup, the brand focuses exclusively on its namesake: lip products. They offer lipsticks, liquid matte lipsticks, and lip glosses in a variety of shades specifically meant to compliment the skin tones of people of color.
Is Buxom high-end or drugstore?
Buxom Cosmetics is an American cosmetics brand that believes in being provocative. The brand offers a wide range of products from lip products to eye makeup that are all crafted with the goal of making the people who rock them feel spicy. Two of the most recognizable products offered by the company are their Full-On Lip Polish and their Full-On Lip Cream, both of which are plumping liquid lip products that offer a full, voluptuous pout and a tingling finish.
Is Black Opal high-end or drugstore?
Black Opal cosmetics (branded as BLK/OPL) is a black-owned makeup company that focuses on providing makeup for people of color. One of the most notable things about this brand is that their products cater to the unique needs of women with hyperpigmentation, also known as dark spots, making it easy to even out their skin color. They also offer eyeshadow and lipsticks that are heavy in pigmentation and guaranteed to show vibrantly on any skin tone.
Is Milani high-end or drugstore?
Milani cosmetics was founded by Laurie Minc and Ralph Bijou, the children of Jordana founder Solomon Bijou. Their products come in hundreds of different shades. They are known for their baked blushes, eyeshadows, and illuminating highlighters, but they also offer lip products, nail polishes, bronzers, foundation, eyebrow products, and tons of different kinds of eye makeup. Their formulas are unique and heavily pigmented for a punch of color with just a bit of use. Aesthetically pleasing packaging is also important, and this company definitely delivers.