I think now and days we can all agree some people have turned very materialistic in some way. It seems society can sometimes acknowledge a products value/ price  more as a sense of better quality which in some areas might be true but lowered price items can sometimes be forgotten. Makeup products vary from multiple different price ranges some going from $1 to $100. Todays discussion will be surrounded by the idea of luxury brand makeup products and drugstore makeup products. There seems to be a sense of misinterpretation on how similar and great both of these labels can be. The differences that set them apart not only are performance wise but also incorporates social hierarchy with making individuals feel more valuable with luxury products. Taking into consideration the actual products differences might make you think otherwise. Although it takes multiple factors to place these products under the table of luxury or drugstore.

For some girls it can be overwhelming when shopping for makeup because of the wide range there is to choose from. Sometimes it can be difficult deciding which products you should spend more money on than others but keep in mind not all products are worth emptying your pockets for. An obvious difference is drugstore makeup being sold in drugstores like Walgreens or CVS and luxury makeup is sold in makeup retailers or in their own stores like Sephora or Ulta Beauty.  As mentioned earlier there’s a misconception that drugstore makeup products are not as good as those high end luxury products which is FALSE. The differences between these two go as far as the kind of packaging, the design, reputation, formula, and ingredient quality. 15% of beauty products are made up of its ingredients and the other costs of the product itself goes to its packaging, design and as said now and days “clout”. Let’s backtrack a bit and address the quality difference of luxury vs. drugstore. Some reviews have mentioned luxury products for having a longer lasting effect than drugstore products but contradicting statements have also stated the long lasting effect with drugstore makeup. A hidden fact between these two is the expense of technology being used to create these products. Luxury makeup tends to use more expensive technology when creating their material than drugstore. Another difference is the amount of ingredients being used but surprisingly luxury and drugstore use a lot of the same ingredients, the key difference being luxury uses more “active ingredients” unlike drugstore brands. The quality of these products also comes into play. More natural products and less chemicals are used for those luxury creations while more synthetic ingredients are used for drugstore creations. The last difference being mentioned is of course the formula. When it comes to luxury products a lot of professional makeup artists contribute to creating the products formula. Drugstore formulas are typically low on collaborations and are tended to be created only by its brand with no outside contributing factors.

I’m not here to make you chose or convince you to only buy luxury or drugstore products because at the end of the day it all depends on your PREFERENCE. Overall those low priced products can be just as good and maybe even better those who are considered luxury. If you like buying only luxury products there’s nothing wrong with that and vice versa. Hopefully after reading this you might take a chance in trying the luxury product you’ve always wanted or the drugstore product you’ve always wanted. If you find yourself conflicted on which products you want to buy or if your a beginner in makeup you might want to take into consideration which products you use the most and which products need to be replaced often. A couple of luxury brands are Estée Lauder, NARS, Dior, Bobbi Brown, and Kiehl’s. Some drugstore brands are Milan, NYX, Physicians Formula, E.L.F, and Wet n’ Wild

To conclude I hope you gained some knowledge on luxury vs. drugstore products because I definitely did while trying to find research on it. After this post I will be online shopping for those drugstore and luxury products and I hope this completely changes your perspective on some of your own makeup go to’s.

I’m back!

Have you ever gone up to a mirror and sincerely admired yourself without pointing out a flaw or insecurity? Body positivity is a very sensitive topic towards society, going based off of many people either fit into societies expectations of physical appearance or others feel as if that’s an unreachable goal. Things like photoshopping, cosmetic surgeries, and filters are all setting unrealistic standards of what someones body and overall physical appearance should look like. The negative impact photoshopping has on millions of viewers is really unspoken of and is not even acknowledge for its fake content but rather praised as a desire.

Body positivity has been around since the 1850’s when millions of women were protesting on how they should not be required to wear corsets to change their body shape or have their body looking a certain way. This has been something that’s been around for years but it was not until recently that it has been accepted and molded into a social movement. This is a movement that focuses on respect, acceptance and appreciates every form of body there is and acknowledges the beauty within each one. Having a positive mindset about your body and being comfortable within your own skin comes with a lot of benefits that helps you in different areas. When you have a positive body mindset some of the aspects that might be included are admiring your own body regardless of what societies expectations are, acknowledge your unique body, confidence, etc. With having body positivity there are also negatives and damaging aspects for those who have not reached their body positivity

Society and powerful platforms often put out messages (the wrong kind of messages) on what is attractive and what is a “perfect” body. Whether that be in size, skin tone, smooth skin, etc. Many times it damages those who don’t fit the criteria emotionally, psychologically, and even physically. Those unrealistic body goals can make those who don’t meet that criteria feel unattractive or unworthy when in reality beauty is beauty in all shapes and sizes. Adding on to that many women and girls tend to develop eating disorders or decline on their mental health because of those “perfect” images that they feel they have to imitate but can’t reach. These negative effects increase low self – esteem, unhealthy self talk, increase in mental health, body dysmorphia, and sometimes even self harm. Photoshopping has had one of the greatest impacts on how people perceive their body and not in the most positive way. It’s used in magazines, advertisements, social media posts, etc. It’s honestly everywhere so what are we supposed to think when we are influenced on how you and other’s body should look like. We obviously want to fit in, we obviously don’t want to be the outcast(we all want to look like Kim Kardashian but we all know that body is not real, except we don’t acknowledge that). Society now promotes that as the new “normal” for young girls and women causing them to often feel pressure as to what their physical appearance should be instead of being influenced to embrace their own natural beauty. This can not be the new normal. Many of  the people influencing and enforcing these unrealistic body figures are celebrities, influencers, and people of powerful platforms

The importance or body positivity and body embracement needs to be something that is being promoted more than these unrealistic images of women with big curves, big butts, and big boobs. Being comfortable in your own skin is what true beauty is and it’s what’s going to give you the strength to increase your self – esteem, your mental and physical health as well. Body positivity is a growing factor which I hope and believe to one day outgrow a fake plastic body. As cheesy as it sounds always love yourself and be comfortable in your own skin. There’s not need to change for others when you love yourself! We all have that natural   beauty!