Top 5 High End Beauty Brands Worth the Price Tag
Most women can recall their first makeup item, whether it be that classic pink tube of mascara from Maybelline, a True Match foundation from L’Oreal, or an item passed on from your mother or older sister. Eventually, women are introduced to the world beyond drugstore brands, and it can be intimidating for most. With their fancy packaging and high price, we constantly find ourselves questioning if the difference in price is worth it of the high end beauty brands. The truth? It all depends.
You can easily find a lipstick or mascara dupe for a prestige (high-end) product with one from the drugstore, but the biggest difference is the quality. Yes, it’s true, some companies do manufacture products in the same warehouse, but not all products are the same. Companies strive to create groundbreaking formulas and products that will intrigue new consumers and will not be easy to replicate, but this requires more luxurious ingredients and packaging, thus raising the price.
While not all prestige brands are worth their hefty price tags, there are some truly worth the splurge for their innovative products. When selecting brands for this list, we decided to exclude those with a maximum price point of $55 to focus on brands that have a slightly higher price range including Marc Jacobs Beauty, Kevyn Aucoin, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Hourglass. Keep on reading to see why we selected these brands as the Top 5 worth the high price tag!
5.) Marc Jacobs Beauty
When Marc Jacobs Beauty was launched in 2013, fans were excited to see what the brand would be bringing to the table. With Marc Jacobs’ fashion reputation focused on inspiring women to push boundaries and create their own style, the launch of a beauty brand was full of stunning colors, innovative formulas, and wearability like no other. Their best selling item? The Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner, available in an array of 30 colors in finishes including satin, shimmer and matte, popular for its creamy formula and precise point.
In addition to The Highliner, the company has received multiple Allure Best of Beauty Awards for items including the Marvelous Mousse Transformative Oil-Free Foundation, O!Mega Bronzer Perfect Tan and the Enamored Hi-Shine Lip Lacquer Lipgloss. The brand has continued to grow their line, introducing items that are sure to make your holy grail list, and we don’t expect them to slow down anytime soon.
4.) Kevyn Aucoin
Celebrity makeup artist Kevyn Aucoin truly changed the world of beauty. Most may know the makeup legend’s name from his work with celebrities such as Cher, Janet Jackson and Gwyneth Paltrow, as Aucoin is known to have pioneered the “art of contouring.” However, others may be more familiar with his numerous best-selling books, including Making Faces, where he provides expertise through makeup tips and tricks that have helped a multitude of artists and beauty lovers over the years.
Though he passed in 2002, the Kevyn Aucoin brand continues to release award-winning products that are simple while covering all of your bases! Take The Sensual Skin Enhancer Concealer and Foundation, for example, which is formulated for any skin type while providing long-lasting coverage with minimal product, or The Celestial Bronzing Veil, which is a multipurpose powder to bronze and/or highlight the skin.
Whatever your need, this brand has you covered. With a wide array of 5-star products from brushes to lipsticks, blushes to bronzers, Aucoin’s brand aims to connect professionals with those constantly wanting to learn more about makeup while bringing out the beauty in us all.
3.) Yves Saint Laurent
The name Yves Saint Laurent is a popular and familiar one in the world of fashion, fragrance and beauty. It’s a brand that makes a statement from its signature gold packaging and YSL logo to the impressive products found within it. Be prepared to feel fierce and fabulous when wearing any of their best selling items like those from the Touche Eclat collection.
For 25 years, the collection is one of the most awarded in beauty. Their Blur Primer is adored by the beauty blogger and YouTube community, regardless of its $52 price tag, for providing a blurred appearance with a stunning golden shimmer while their Radiance Perfecting Pen continues to impress consumers with one being sold every ten seconds — a pretty incredible feat.
As for their color products, their Rouge Pur Couture Lipsticks and Heart of Light Powder Blush are raved about for their intense pigmentation and longevity. Needless to say, products from the Yves Saint Laurent brand provide a luxurious feel that goes beyond compare and is truly worth every penny.
2.) Dior
While some brands look for products that could potentially ignite trend worthy looks, the Dior brand has always done things a little differently. Known for their couture-meets-cosmetics mix, the Dior brand is inspired by the runway, creating products that are simply timeless. Their long list of best-selling products includes one of the most iconic mascaras: Diorshow. From its large, dense wand to its lash-caring and microfiber-enhanced formula, the Diorshow mascara brings your lashes to new heights!
The beauty community is a huge supporter of foundations from Dior, including the innovative Airflash Spray Foundation, which provides a unique runway-ready finish with a unique formula including mother of pearl pigments, and the Diorskin Forever Perfect Foundation, an Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner for 2017.
Additionally, this holiday the brand released a revolutionary powder lipstick, the Diorific Rouge Khol. Though the price tag is $38, it’s formulated with a high dose of pigments making for a velvety finish that is said to last all day long!
1.) Hourglass
When beauty bloggers and YouTubers began raving about the Ambient Lighting Palette from Hourglass, the high price point for three highlighters seemed to sway consumers at first. However, upon swatching the products in person, it’s easy to see why the brand has received such high praise.
Hourglass is known for releasing breakthrough formulas, as can be seen in their Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick, which has double the amount of pigment versus traditional foundations, allowing it to provide the fluidity of a liquid and weightlessness of a powder.
These unique formulations and textures can be found in a multitude of products from the brand including their best-selling Veil Mineral Primer with its silky, cloud-like texture and their refillable Confession Ultra Slim High Intensity Lipstick. Yes, we did just say refillable lipstick. The product comes in sleek, gold packaging with refills available for purchase separately and can be used interchangeably with the applicator.
We’ve constantly been impressed by Hourglass and look forward to the next groundbreaking product we need to add to our collection!
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What’s your favorite beauty brand? Let us know in the comments below!
