tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post5649358432539230070..comments2024-03-28T00:20:19.015-07:00Comments on brutally honest beauty: In which Millihelen makes me grumpy again (Or: you're not smarter or better because you spend more on makeup)Lyn Bhbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12081735635995970890noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-52909442659469845042016-01-14T22:20:16.169-08:002016-01-14T22:20:16.169-08:00Preach!Preach!Abbi Crutchfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04984255030758291096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-21334572595847817912015-11-18T01:18:02.939-08:002015-11-18T01:18:02.939-08:00My favourite non opaque lipsticks are an asian dru...My favourite non opaque lipsticks are an asian drugstore brand that costs <$5 apiece and they're way better than Dior Addict or whatever nonsense sheer lipsticks other brands have thrown at us. I mean, I covet Armani, but I'm fully aware I don't need to and it's somewhat silly and L'Oréal makes the same shit in L'Oréal anyway. <br /><br />Drugstore makeup was not so good in my youth that I can remember. I remember coarse powders and lipsticks with that gross smell but nowadays there is brilliant make up everywhere. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02549904797508920577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-45937012907366903772015-11-17T16:44:28.488-08:002015-11-17T16:44:28.488-08:00I hadn't heard that about Avon - interesting! ...I hadn't heard that about Avon - interesting! I do think they really make some great products. I just wish they hadn't started pushing the MLM side of their business so much.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075243940219740263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-85711896457777997172015-11-17T16:43:31.241-08:002015-11-17T16:43:31.241-08:00Especially when you look at brands owned by the sa...Especially when you look at brands owned by the same company (like L'Oreal). Sometimes you can look at the ingredients (and even packaging) of products that appear in the Maybelline or L'Oreal lineup AND in the Lancome or Armani lineup, and they are identical. Yet people will still claim the more expensive one is better. If you read detailed reviews, of the higher and lower end versions, they will also have the same pros and cons - because they are the same!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075243940219740263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-53781491209925635322015-11-17T16:40:10.564-08:002015-11-17T16:40:10.564-08:00To be fair, I have definitely known some classicis...To be fair, I have definitely known some classicists who were also elitists. ;)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075243940219740263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-9651572498531847302015-11-17T16:39:28.232-08:002015-11-17T16:39:28.232-08:00Thank you for the essay! And thank you for reading...Thank you for the essay! And thank you for reading my essay! That's something I've heard frequently about why companies make so much money from luxury cosmetics. Apparently brands like Chanel or Burberry make far more from their cosmetics than clothing (and accessories are somewhere in between or maybe as lucrative as cosmetics, I forget). Many thousands of people who want to own Chanel can afford a $36 lipstick, but only a much smaller number can afford the fashion, and the lipsticks add up to more in the end.<br /><br />I met some really wonderful people through commenting on Jezebel, but I stopped reading the site several years ago. Then Millihelen popped up and sucked me in as a hate read. But apparently they are getting rid of Millihelen in the shake up that is taking place soon (now?), so I might have to go back to hate reading xoVain instead.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075243940219740263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-74723403415183734092015-11-17T16:27:24.381-08:002015-11-17T16:27:24.381-08:00Thank you! I'm glad so many people agree. I wa...Thank you! I'm glad so many people agree. I was beginning to feel alone reading those Jezebel comments!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075243940219740263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-33760125555491935942015-11-17T16:26:39.500-08:002015-11-17T16:26:39.500-08:00I think that people also don't realize that th...I think that people also don't realize that the prices for these things are very carefully calculated as part of their marketing. You raise the price so that people will think it's better - if you drop it below a certain threshold, people will think it's no good, because it's not "worth" enough, regardless of what actually cost to produce and promote, etc. And then there are things like Louboutin makeup. There's no reason for those prices (the crazy packaging isn't that valuable) except to appeal to people who want to be able to say they spent $50 on a bottle of nail polish. (Apparently I still have more ranting to do.)<br /><br />And thank you for that link! I hadn't seen that video. It's fantastic. I may have to post it, because I think more people should understand these things, and we can't all spend our time reading Marx. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075243940219740263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-23820246246380282892015-11-17T16:10:57.906-08:002015-11-17T16:10:57.906-08:00I used to feel that way about drugstore eyeshadow,...I used to feel that way about drugstore eyeshadow, because there are a lot of major duds in the most prominent brands (Covergirl, Revlon, etc.). But I wonder how much of it is absolute numbers rather than percentages (excuse my imprecise math language). What I mean is, because there are fewer choices overall at the drugstore, there are fewer excellent eye shadows, whereas there are tons of higher end brands, and so more good higher end eyeshadows. I'm not prepared to do the calculations, though, myself. Anyway, I haven't had too much trouble finding great eyeshadows under $10 once I started looking!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075243940219740263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-27811633364007678572015-11-17T16:06:48.244-08:002015-11-17T16:06:48.244-08:00Yes, the design and the variety are definitely fac...Yes, the design and the variety are definitely factors. I know we want to believe that we did the right thing when we spend lots of money, but I think it's better to try to be honest with ourselves. It's not the spending money I object to - just when people have these condescending or willfully ignorant attitudes about it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02075243940219740263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-67970920786792715832015-11-16T18:02:39.270-08:002015-11-16T18:02:39.270-08:00Or! You could buy indie eyeshadow and REALLY marve...Or! You could buy indie eyeshadow and REALLY marvel at the pigmentation...<br />I read in one of those women's magazines once that Avon spends the most money on R&D for skincare...I'll stick to that!<br /> blushandbarbellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08225741123846961572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-21775195956288374392015-11-16T12:21:45.469-08:002015-11-16T12:21:45.469-08:00I'm totally ok with only responding in all cap...I'm totally ok with only responding in all caps and single words. Sometimes people are just stupid enough to send you into a frothing rage. Well deserved in this case. There are some things I enjoy spending the money on, but the price is irrelevant to the quality of the item. Generally the things I like to spend money on are the things I can't find in the drugstore.<br /><br />Seriously all you have to do a search for "drugstore dupes for high end products" to see that price doesn't always equal quality. Granted you have to be cautious about the dupes, because sometimes people say something is a dupe and it's pretty clearly not, but some things really are the exact same product in different packaging.Jackalopehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06676872890562666264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-87341714190554796232015-11-16T12:04:12.484-08:002015-11-16T12:04:12.484-08:00Also, wow, "elitism," not "classici...Also, wow, "elitism," not "classicism," not talking about high antiquity. DONE GOODBYEresident witchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356098959005817650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-77726490820897128472015-11-16T11:59:16.268-08:002015-11-16T11:59:16.268-08:00WOW, sorry for the essayWOW, sorry for the essayresident witchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356098959005817650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-39009941404816755052015-11-16T11:58:23.788-08:002015-11-16T11:58:23.788-08:00This is like, post-hoc superiority complex justifi...This is like, post-hoc superiority complex justifications for expenses these people convinced themselves were worthwhile because, as you rightfully say, these companies want you to believe that the expensive choice is the better choice. The luxury cosmetics market fascinates me- it's a huge market and it's one of the few luxury goods markets that's not completely inaccessible for lower incomes (not that I would argue that $30 lipsticks or cosmetics in general are broadly accessible). And I think there's a huge variety of reasons behind desiring a higher end product over a drugstore version: the packaging, the name, the experience of the purchase, having something that is socially deemed "really nice," whatever. My first few non-drugstore makeup items were Big Deals (and considering the costs, all subsequent ones really were too). I don't know how much of this "Sephorism" (great word) comes from elitism, and how much of it might be discomfort with the idea that the "betterness" they're paying for, the level they get to stand on above others, isn't real. I'm not really sure if it's even necessary to believe that an expensive product is of higher practical quality just so long as you believe that it's fundamentally BETTER- that it puts you on that imaginary pedestal above what the plebeians use, because you paid for it. Mmm, right, classicism. <br /><br />I stopped reading Jezebel years and years ago because it struck me as a mouthpiece for women who wanted to prove they were in some way better than other women, and white feminism. Doesn't look like it's changed. resident witchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356098959005817650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-22807337034129396502015-11-16T11:16:25.688-08:002015-11-16T11:16:25.688-08:00I got a kick out of that NARS comment too. I would...I got a kick out of that NARS comment too. I would argue that NARS makes some of the worst, most expensive eyeshadow out there. resident witchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04356098959005817650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-1464276283752464162015-11-16T10:04:18.877-08:002015-11-16T10:04:18.877-08:00Privilege and ignorance indeed! :)Privilege and ignorance indeed! :)Kelly Mastroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06189221055829063120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-43885849008960120552015-11-16T10:03:04.030-08:002015-11-16T10:03:04.030-08:00I love this post! I agree about mass vs. class mar...I love this post! I agree about mass vs. class market. I also love the insight into the luxury lifestyle being marketed as necessity. That's such bullshit and totally dovetails with the rise in narcissism in our culture. You are awesome. :)Kelly Mastroshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06189221055829063120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-71773796431080712102015-11-16T09:35:15.534-08:002015-11-16T09:35:15.534-08:00I see privilege and ignorance displayed in these s...I see privilege and ignorance displayed in these sort of comments/lifestyle values. Anyone who has ever struggled financially as an adult would be more discerning. And anyone who tested more than a handful of the original NARS shadows know that the quality is inconsistent at best and often rather poor. If you believe that the price placed on an object is quality-based, you're not stopping to question the companies who manufacture these things and blindly accepting their claims to be the bestest ever. <br /><br />The School of Life has a YT clip on why we abhor cheap things as a society (https://youtu.be/DFfHGGhCxCM). It's a simplistic overview but there are a few statements in there that are worth gleaning for greater awareness. Liz (Beauty Reductionista)https://www.blogger.com/profile/12248806073054637457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-27984529376941444762015-11-16T09:11:36.408-08:002015-11-16T09:11:36.408-08:00Yikes. Have these people never read Temptalia and ...Yikes. Have these people never read Temptalia and seen a Chanel or Dior product receive an F? I actually do think eye makeup is the one area where drugstore brands need to step up their game, but that doesn't mean that EVERY high-end eyeshadow is superior to its drugstore equivalent! NARS in particular is notorious for patchy shadows, so it's kind of funny to see that one person defending NARS shadows so ardently.auxiliary beautyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02704228759091361669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4241080681767360438.post-88115747434944971212015-11-16T09:11:15.887-08:002015-11-16T09:11:15.887-08:00I agree with you completely, there are good and ba...I agree with you completely, there are good and bad products both on the luxury and drugstore ends of the spectrum. I often choose to buy a high-end product because I'm drawn to the beautiful design or an unusual color, but I also use a lot of drugstore products in my everyday make-up routine, and I think they perform very similarly. It's so funny that we all want to feel like we're spending our money wisely when we splurge on luxury items - even though it's more about how these products make us feel versus their objective quality.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10222921812909264644noreply@blogger.com