The endless beauty debate: when is the luxury version actually better, and when are you paying for the box?
Haute earns it
- Hair brushes. A Mason Pearson lasts decades. A drugstore brush lasts a year.
- Eye creams with active peptides. Formulation differences are real here.
- Dense pigment lipsticks in unusual shades. Drugstore color ranges still skew safe.
Thrifty wins
- Mascara. Maybelline beats department-store options.
- Cleanser. Cetaphil costs $15 and does the job.
- Cotton pads, makeup sponges, brush cleaner. Where ‘luxury’ is just a markup on commodity.
Pay for performance, not for packaging.