Tag: Commerce

Are you anxious to grow older?
I’ll admit, I am…at least a little. With age comes experience, and with more experience, I sense I am becoming wiser. I’m better equipped to handle situations and adhere to my convictions, and I enjoy life more often than not.
But even though I look forward to each birthday and the age it brings, I don’t necessarily want to look older. In fact, as each year passes, I’d like to [linkbuilder id=”6705″ text=”look younger”], fresher, and healthier. It’s my goal to somewhat maintain the look of my current age, at least.
You too? Well, some habits you and I have might be doing us a disservice—things like late weekend nights and ignoring that Brussels sprout recipe we keep saying we’ll give a try. They may seem harmless, but a few not so great habits over time really add up…and add years to our face, figure, heart, and more.
If staying young is on your agenda, perhaps it’s time to identify and eliminate habits that age you. Aging is inevitable, but no one should be unnecessarily rushing to the finish line.

What can benefit all of us the most is to take a step back, simplify, and listen to our body.

In my efforts to analyze habits that age us, I have the opportunity to connect with Stephanie Riley, a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer with a certification in fitness nutrition. She is not only a coach of sorts, but an athlete who has participated in over 20 marathons and other competitions, like bodybuilding and Ironman distance triathlons.
“… all of us can learn from our own experiences and the ability to be brutally honest about where we succeed and where we can continue to grow,” Riley shares on the topic of habits. “I believe a lot of people can become disenchanted, frustrated, or confused by constantly following all the ‘noise’ that is out there on the market, never knowing who to listen to and who to ‘follow.'”

“What can benefit all of us the most is to take a step back, simplify, and listen to our body. It really, truly does not have to be that hard to make small changes that can and will create profound improvements in our lives.”
So, what habits should we begin resolving? Pick a few from below.

Allowing Too Much Screen Time

“The more strict I am with my screen time, the more my quality of life improves,” Gemma, a mom of three, says. “Setting strict limits on both social media and TV makes me more productive, less stressed, and I get to bed at a decent hour!”

Both stress and not enough sleep greatly impact overall wellness. If TV time and that iPad hanging out by your bed are producing worry and keeping you from rest, it’s time to say goodbye!

Not Drinking Enough Water

“Let’s face it, most of us have a hard time getting our water in,” Riley says. “It’s hard to remember when we get busy with work, family, and everything else on our plate. However, drink water. Period. Initially, it’s hard. You will have to run to the restroom constantly at first. Give it time, stay the course, and that initial running to the bathroom will slow down.”

“Your body needs it, uses it, and functions exponentially better with it. Give it a try for a month. Drink 64 to 100 ounces of water a day for a month. I guarantee you will not know how you functioned without it.”
Of course, be sure to spread your water consumption out over the day, and don’t overdo it if you don’t feel thirsty.

Postponing Checkups

My husband’s employer actually incentivizes their team in this regard—to the tune of $100! They know annual wellness appointments are that important.

Why? It’s simple. Checking in with your doctor allows them to address concerns and catch potential issues before they’re a life-altering problem. Blood work and screenings keep you healthy, alive, and flourishing. So, if you haven’t been to your doctor in the last year, call them. Today.

Under-Hydrating Your Skin

M’Lissa Fleming, an independent consultant with anti-aging skincare brand Rodan + Fields, can’t emphasize enough how important using moisturizer is: “The human skin is the body’s largest organ. Keeping your skin hydrated and moisturized helps avoid many skin problems such as blemishes and wrinkles.”

“Moisturizer with SPF is the best way to multi-task keeping your skin healthy,” Fleming adds. “If your skin is not hydrated and becomes dry and cracked, you’ve lost protection and your skin becomes … vulnerable to outside elements.”
So, don’t forget it! When you appropriately moisturize, you’ll prevent those lines and wrinkles, and no doubt you’ll look younger.

Not Keeping a Bed Time

Our bodies benefit from a regular sleep schedule, which means Saturday night should look very similar to Tuesday night. “Your body is either trying to survive or flourishing,” says Riley.

“How can it flourish when its exhausted? Quit asking your body to do more when you give to it less. Sleep! It’s okay!”

Avoiding Counseling

“I don’t know how its become a perception that counseling, coaching, or therapy is a negative or that it somehow shows weakness,” says Riley. “My husband and I have had a life coach for 20 years.”

We don’t have all the answers. Nor should we have all the answers.

“I have had marathon coaches, triathlete coaches, and medical doctors at training clinics to help my athletic performance,” she says. “So how is a coach in life any different?”
“Would a person then say ‘Oh, she has a coach, she must be terrible in the sport,’ or ‘She sure doesn’t know what she’s doing,’ or ‘Boy, she must really not know how to do it on her own.’ No one would say that. How is a counselor any different?”

Besides being a safe space for exploring one’s feelings, counseling also offers scientifically-proven benefits. According to a study from the University of California-Los Angeles, verbally expressing feelings calms negative feelings. Additionally, research in Psychiatry 2007 says that social support, like the kind a life coach or therapist provides, is a key part of maintaining one’s mental and physical wellbeing.
“Finding a counselor who you connect with and who can listen to your life’s experience with not only professional training on the human condition but also their own life experiences is a tool that everyone could use,” Riley says. “We don’t have all the answers. Nor should we have all the answers. I highly recommend a counselor for all of us … .”
Amen to that! Counselor up!

Letting Stress Rule

“Stress will always be an element in our lives. But we can control it, or it can control us,” says Riley.
In most of our lives, I’d venture to say that taming stress is a minute by minute task. But gaining control of those minutes really adds up—according to Psychology Today, emotional distress can speed up aging on a cellular level. No thanks!

Forgetting Outdoor Exercise

We all know that outdoor exercise feels amazing once you’ve actually completed it, but it often gets left out of busy routines in favor of the ever-convenient treadmill. In the video below, certified health and life coach Sabrina Renee shares the benefits she gets from taking her exercise outside:

Falling For Fad Diets

Fad diets come in many shapes and sizes. Some only include raw food, others needlessly cut gluten, others include only liquids to “cleanse” your system, and a few even include things that aren’t food in the first place.
As an athlete, Riley knows food. Her training has led her to delve deep into nutrition. When it comes to fad diets, she shakes her head.
“I cringe at people trying to make a buck on misconceptions, false advertising, and ‘studies’ that are bogus to get buy-ins on their products,” she says. “Quite simply, there is no one size fits all. I recommend stepping off the hamster wheel and remind yourself that all this food thing doesn’t have to be hard. It doesn’t.”
“Many people are looking for that new special thing out there, that ‘new’ ideology that has all the answers, that ‘ah-ha’ revelation. When we try to follow all the minutia out there, all it does is create this odd, fearful relationship with food, confusion and anxiety.”

“Allow yourself to enjoy good food, be aware of what you are eating, allow treats in moderation, and get your fruits and vegetables in on a regular basis. That’s it. Chop, cook, and eat at home. Make it a priority.”

Not Nourishing Your Body

Food is complex, and our choices are vast. But bottom line, nutrition is crucial to fueling our bodies and keeping them in their prime. “Many people I see are extremely undernourished,” says Riley.

… with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.

Some women in particular, she says, have been undernourished “for so long that they have issues with hormones and are malnourished in many vitamins and minerals … We are depriving our body of what it desperately needs. Make it a habit to get in the nutrients one needs through proper [linkbuilder id=”6706″ text=”food choices”].”

MyPlate, the successor to the classic Food Pyramid, is a good place to start for those unsure about their nutritional needs. The MyPlate site even offers daily checklists for healthy eating and optimum nutritional intake. The National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute also provides an easy-to-read roadmap for maintaining a healthy weight and meeting nutritional goals.
Nutrition calculators, like MyFitnessPal and MyPlate Calorie Counter, are easy ways to keep track of and manage your nutritional intake.

How many of these not so harmless habits are part of your life?

They say it takes at least 21 days to break a bad habit. Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author of The Power of Habit wrote, “Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”
You can reshape your habits. Reading this article alone means you have initiative. So, set some goals, make it happen, and remember Duhigg’s Golden Rule of Habit Change, “You can’t extinguish a bad habit, you can only change it.”

No matter your age, there’s always a day or two when you wish you could look a little younger. Sure, you’re already beautiful as you are, but for those early mornings after a night of no sleep, you might want to know a trick or two to turn the clock back a bit.
You may already have a few go-to tips when you want that youthful glow, but in case you’d like to add some new tools to your makeup bag, I talked to a few professional makeup artists for their expert advice.
Also, I had the unique experience of being a stage and TV actress for a while, and I learned quite a lot from the many makeup artists I worked with over the years. It turns out that the inside tips they use to make you look good on camera often work just as well in real life!
So, if you want the dewy glow of a teenager or just a little extra sparkle in your eyes, here are all the pro tips that’ll keep you looking young!

The Whites of Your Eyes

My favorite theater makeup tip was a way to make your eyes look brighter, which, in turn, takes a couple years off your look. After your eyeshadow application, put a bit of pure white on the corners of your eyes by the tear ducts.

This tip isn’t unique to theater. In fact, most of the professional makeup artists I spoke to gave the same advice. The bit of white draws attention to your eyes and actually makes them look a little bigger. Plus, the white brightens up potential discoloration around the eyes which makes you look more awake and energized.
On stage, you can add a lot of white before you start looking crazy, but in real life, a little dab will do. Be sure to blend the white into your eyeshadow, but you don’t need to make it disappear completely.
If you’d like a fancier or more festive look, put a bit of light-colored shimmer over the white. Then your eyes will really sparkle!

Go easy with foundation.

One of the main steps in most, if not all, make-up routines is foundation. If you use it correctly, foundation can cover up blemishes and smooth out your skin. However, many people make a crucial, cakey mistake in their quest to look younger. For an insider tip on how to fully benefit from your foundation, take a look at our video below.

Keep it creamy.

As lines start to form on your face (it’s not a bad thing, and it happens to all of us), you may want to change your makeup to suit your changing skin. One easy way to do this is to use cream-based products.
Professional makeup artist, Bustle beauty expert, and owner of Sugar Skull Makeup Marissa Hohner says, “Cream blushes, cream eyeshadow, cream highlighters will all give you a younger appearance.” The cream adds hydration to your skin. “The more moisturized your skin looks, the younger your skin appears,” Hohner says.

While blush and eyeshadow can make dry skin look drier, creams go on smooth and hide all the little imperfections. Plus, there’s something super satisfying about using a stick of blush. I can’t explain it, but it’s true.

Make friends with concealer.

Find a concealer you love. Covering up under-eye circles or little skin imperfections always makes you look instantly younger. I love the light, but pigmented, Instant Age Rewind. It covers my exceptionally dark circles without having to cake on layers and layers of makeup.

Hohner has an additional concealer tip: Set with powder! “By using a lightweight, loose, translucent powder to set your under-eye concealer, you will prevent your concealer from creasing and accentuating any crow’s feet or fine lines under and around the eye.”
Concealer getting cakey under your eyes can be a big problem, but a little setting powder solves the issue completely.

The best part about concealer is how easy it is. Honestly, if you don’t have time for a full face, just pop on some concealer, seal with powder, and head out the door. Simply covering up under-eye circles makes you look years younger, and it’s super easy to do.

For bad circles, add a little orange.

Once, a makeup artist who was working with me took out some orange lipstick and I got scared. As a super pale lady, orange lips are not my deal. “No, it’s for your eyes,” she said. I got more scared. But, she used a bit of it under my concealer to cancel out the purple of my under-eye circles…and it worked great!

You may have seen YouTube videos of makeup bloggers bragging about using red lipstick for circles under your eyes. But Instyle (and I) agree that a little orange under the concealer is the best way to go.
According to the magazine, red and orange are opposite of blues and purples on the color wheel, so the colors cancel each other out. But orange is less harsh than red, so it blends more easily while still combating the darkness under your eyes.

Now, this concealer trick can vary a lot based on your skin tone. If you have darker skin, a red might be the best. If you have fair skin, a peach tone works great. Have some fun with your reddy-orange lipsticks and see what works best for you!

All About Those Brows

“It’s all about the ‘brows!” says professional makeup artist Rosa Fasolo, who’s worked with everyone from JWoww of Jersey Shore to David Tutera on WETV’s CELEBrations. “As we get older, our eyebrows begin to lighten, grow less hair, and can sometimes become almost non-existent and lose their shape,” Fasolo says.

But adding back some shape can work wonders, according to Fasolo: “One of my favorite ‘never fail’ makeup hacks that makes all the difference, especially when trying to achieve a younger look, is filling in and darkening the eyebrows and giving them a nice full shape.”
She truly thinks this is the most important step for a lively, youthful look. “You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes!”

Lashes: Go big or go home.

Think of all the things that have beautifully long lashes: babies, Disney Princesses, baby deer. I mean, when’s the last time a “doe-eyed” person looked old? Never! If you’ve seen an old doe in the forest, I’d truly be surprised.

Clearly, long lashes give you an instantly youthful look. But just like the brows, our lashes grow thinner as we age. So, we just have to work a little harder to get the long lashes of our dreams.
Feel free to add a little extra mascara to gain length and volume, or go all out with false lashes. When the rest of your makeup is light, going a little heavy on the lashes doesn’t look out of place—it looks nice!

If you are curious about fake lashes, but are hesitant to wear a full set, start with individual lashes. The Cut recommended applying single lashes on the outer corners of your eyes. Then, if you want to add more, feel free! This way you can have as much or as little lash as you want. Plus, it’ll look super natural.

The biggest tip, though, is to start with the skin.

Every makeup artist agreed on the best way to look young: Have good skin! Okay, that’s a bit of a simplification, but every professional knows that taking care of your skin is always the most important part of any makeup routine.
“Great makeup always starts with a base of a strong skincare routine,” Hohner says. She recommends cleansing twice a day and exfoliating a few times a week—no matter your age. For an extra youthful look, add some vitamin C to your routine. “Using products with vitamin C in them promotes collagen growth in your skin, balances out discoloration/sun spots and prevents/tightens the appearance of lines and wrinkles in the skin.” So, with some care and vitamin C, you can slow aging down without any makeup.
For an extra youthful glow, Caren Sayadian, owner of Caren Beauty, recommends using a serum and primer before putting on foundation. “Otherwise, the makeup just ‘sits’ on the skin, which can look patchy and uneven, as more mature skin lacks collagen and makes it feel dry,” Sayadian says.
A good primer fills in pores and lines, so you get solid, even coverage from just a little bit of foundation.

Then, to complete your look, add a bit of powder. “Do not over powder the entire face,” Sayadian says, “as youthful skin has a natural glow.” You don’t want to cover up your glow. Let it show! Okay, enough rhymes.
But honestly, the most important tip to look young? Love how you look. If you feel good, you’ll look good, no matter what makeup you wear.

As far as pleasures go, a quick pedicure is one that has always felt pretty guilt-free.
It has always been one of my favorite ways to pamper myself at the end of a pregnancy or after a few difficult months of work or parenting. I love bringing a book along and just chilling for a few minutes before I get back to the day in, day out of being a working mom.
But after developing an ingrown toenail after my last pamper session, I learned that my occasional pedicures weren’t as innocent as they seemed. In fact, there are all sorts of risks associated with getting pedicures, from irritation to infection and beyond.

Do yourself (and your nails) a favor by doing your diligence before revisiting your favorite salon. Below are seven ways to do just that.

When you walk in, give the place a once over.

I get it, the massage chairs, heated foot baths, and tropical tones are alluring, but if you want to be sure you’ve picked the right salon, you have to walk in with a critical eye. Don’t so much as put your name down for a pedicure unless you’ve had a good look at the salon.
“It goes without saying that a salon should look clean—if it doesn’t, it probably isn’t, and you should go elsewhere,” says board certified dermatologist Robin Evans, MD. “Basins that your feet soak in should be cleaned in between clients. If you are not sure that this was done, ask the technician to clean it before you put your feet in.”

Don’t be afraid to turn around and walk out if you find yourself questioning the cleanliness of a salon. Ignoring your gut isn’t worth the risk.

Understand cleaning and sanitation procedures.

There are many salons that are only going through the motions when it comes to keeping things clean, Evans says. She says that it’s common practice to place instruments in a container that appears to be a sanitation device, but it’s merely a storage container for the tools.

And according to Evans, a little soap and water isn’t good enough.
“All metal tools that are used in a salon should … be cleaned in proper disinfectant solutions and then sterilized in an autoclave,” she says. “The type of autoclave really should be medical grade. For proper sterilization, the instruments should be placed in a clear packaged envelope that is sealed in the sterilization process.”

This type of care is warranted. It’s fairly common for the nail technician to cause microscopic nicks on a client during a pedicure, and without proper cleaning, this could become a vehicle for the transmission of bacteria, yeast, and even viruses.
So, what are you looking for exactly? The Environmental Protection Agency has approved specific disinfectants, typically bright blue liquids stored in glass jars.

Worried you won’t be able to tell if an instrument has been properly cleaned? Take Evans’ advice and bring your own. Showing up with nail clippers, cuticle nippers, and cuticle pushers might get you a few strange looks, but it could also save you from being exposed to unwanted bacteria.

Know which tools are single-serve only.

If a salon is following proper sanitation practices, you should be okay using their metal tools. However, instruments like nail files and buffers can’t really be cleaned (in fact, anything non-metal should never be used on more than one client), and polish is used over and over again without any way to avoid sharing bacteria.
“I personally saw a technician in a salon nick me [while cutting my cuticles] and then polish. They … touched my blood [with the brush] and then dipped directly in the nail polish bottle for the next customer’s use,” Evans shares.

The solution? Once again, Evans suggests bringing your own tools and polish. This is the surest way to be certain you won’t be sharing germs with another pedicure client.
Ann Phillips, a licensed master aesthetician in Park City, Utah, and founder of Zerenity Spa, couldn’t agree more. In fact, she believes that making the investment in your own set of tools is not only the safest choice, but also the most economical, since high quality pedicures can be pricey.

“Sometimes, we all just need a quick, $10 manicure, but there are things you can do to ensure you are getting the best bang for even the cheapest buck,” she says. “A great way to get around spending a ton of money while making sure your skin won’t suffer later is to invest in your own set of tools. Bring them with you when you need a quick mani.”

Put these ingredients on your “never” list.

If you’re still set on getting a salon pedicure, you need to know what ingredients are in the products they will be using on your feet and nails.
For starts, Evans says any polishes, topcoats, and base coats with ingredients like formaldehyde, toluene, and phthalates, should be avoided altogether. For instance, exposure to formaldehyde is associated with health risks such as skin irritation and reactions in the eyes, nose, and throat. Additionally, it is believed that high exposure to this toxic chemical is associated with an increased risk of cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“These chemicals are toxic, potential allergens, and literature suggests possible carcinogenicity. Avoid them if at all possible,” Evans urges.
So, what’s the solution? Thankfully, there are many salons that are starting to understand the risks associated with products containing these ingredients and are beginning to offer other options. Check out a salon’s website for information on what products they use. You should be able to review the ingredients in the salon.

Additionally, Phillips advises against allowing nail technicians to use plain squirt bottles filled with product as it is basically impossible to know for sure what is in these containers.
If you don’t have any luck there, look for providers of medical pedicures. These pedicures are held to a higher standard when it comes to sanitation procedures and product choices.

Do your skin a favor.

Making smart choices about your next pedicure isn’t just about avoiding bacteria and carcinogens: it’s about avoiding any products that could be hard on your skin. Do yourself a favor, and take Phillips’ advice on protecting your skin during a pedicure.

“Have you ever noticed that, about a week after you get a manicure or pedicure, [that] the skin around your nails and your cuticles is even worse than when you went in? It’s the reason so many people are willing to drop bigger bucks at fancier spas—and a lot of it has to do with one ingredient: alcohol,” she says.
The key is to find a salon that picks products that don’t contain alcohol. You should be able to get a straight answer by simply asking before you make an appointment, according to Phillips, although she admits that the salons that avoid alcohol are probably going to have a higher price point.

“Ask to take a peek at the ingredients, and ask your technician to avoid using anything with alcohol in it.”

Think twice before getting a gel manicure.

Gel manicures are known for lasting for up to two weeks after the service, and they have become incredibly popular for this reason. However, there are safety issues you should take into consideration before jumping on the bandwagon.

Many salons use UV lamps to set the gel manicure. Although the exposure is fairly short, repeating this service time and time again can eventually cause damage to your skin, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
The good news is that there are precautions you can take. First of all, many salons are making the switch to LED lights, which are much gentler on the skin of your hands. If an LED light isn’t an option, make sure your hands are covered with fingerless gloves that have an ultravoilet protective factor.

Watch for signs of trouble after you leave.

As much as we all hope that following the guidelines listed above will keep you from facing infection or a reaction to a product, it is always a good idea to be on the lookout for the first signs of trouble after a mani or pedi.

“I have treated many patients for infections which they contracted from their local nail salons – the infections can be painful, usually require treatment with oral antibiotics, may require drainage procedures, and could result in scarring or permanent damage to or loss of nails,” shares Evans.
Specifically, you want to watch for ingrown toenails, which will cause you pain and be swollen and tender to touch, according to Piedmont Healthcare. You should also keep an eye on your toenails, which will thicken and change color if you have a nail fungus. Infections can occur on your foot or legs and the first sign is redness and swelling. If any of these symptoms pop up, see your primary care physician right away.

If you love makeup or other beauty products, you probably have your go-to brands that routinely fill your makeup bag—and some are probably expensive. But with that higher price tag, are you automatically getting a better product?
High-end makeup aficionados often claim their products have better quality ingredients than their drugstore counterparts. Nevertheless, a quick scroll through your Instagram feed shows makeup fans everywhere achieving incredible looks with drugstore brands as well. In the battle of makeup types, which type reigns supreme?

Here’s my personal makeup confession: I buy almost all of my beauty products from department stores or high-end retailers. The extra cost is justifiable because I work from home, I mostly reserve my pricey makeup for special occasions, and the products last for months.
As I’m darting out of the department store, the highly saturated pigments of lipsticks and blushes capture my attention. Plus, I’m lured in by the promise of a mascara that won’t flake or a high-shine lip gloss that creates the perfect pout.
At different times in my life, though, I’ve used my fair share of drugstore cosmetics. In my college years, the price point of drugstore brands was more affordable to me, and I loved experimenting with the newest products on the market.
If I had any issues with an item I’d purchased, I could easily exchange or return it. But somewhere along the line, I stopped using drugstore makeup altogether, and I began to believe the best cosmetics came from high-end retailers.

In my search to find quality beauty products, was it necessary for me to switch from drugstore makeup to high-end cosmetics? Or could I have found great products at both price points?
To compare these two makeup categories, I spoke to several experts—a cosmetic chemist, a geneticist, a pharmacist, and a makeup artist—to gather insights across a variety of cosmetic specialties and find out the differences between drugstore makeup and high-end makeup. Suffice to say, it might be worth revisiting the products you’ve been using—after all, you may find some items are worth the splurge and others are worth the save.

All ingredients aren’t created equal.

Soraya Ali-Hope has some knowledge about the cosmetics industry; she’s worked in it for 34 years.
“All ingredients are not created equal,” says the president, founder, and cosmetic chemist for the Octagon Marketing Group, which helps producers formulate cosmetics. “Raw materials can be sourced from different countries and may be extracted from natural sources or synthesized in the laboratory.”

In general, the mass-market brands like CoverGirl or Revlon incorporate more synthetic and less expensive ingredients into their products. On the other hand, high-end products, like MAC or Bobbi Brown, often have premium formulations, higher quality ingredients, more pigment, and include more costly technologies in the creation of those products. Ali-Hope says high-end makeup brands regularly utilize “advanced chemistry for both liquids and dry powders.”
Frequently, high-end makeup has cleaner ingredients, fewer fillers, and a range of shades to suit your skin’s individual needs, and they may have a performance advantage over their drugstore “dupes” (less-expensive products that are similar to high-end versions).

Additionally, many drugstore lines have professional makeup artists test and promote their products after they have launched in store. With high-end cosmetics, it’s not uncommon for them to have artists involved in the formulation of each collection from start to finish.

The quantity of the ingredients varies.

Do two products that purportedly contain the same active ingredients perform the same? Not necessarily.

Consumers may not be aware that companies will promote their products as containing particular ingredients…while the quantity of those special ingredients vary among brands. Therefore, you might not get the same beneficial results from one product to another.
“There are definitely differences in ingredients and formulations for high-end brands over drugstore brands, particularly in the clinical quantity used in the formulations,” explains Neal Kitchen, chief geneticist and COO at makeup brand HydroPeptide. “Peptides (short chains of amino acids) are a great example of ingredients where the type of peptide and the quantity of the peptide are both essential for how effective the ingredient will be on your skin.”

Two brands could market the same ingredient but have significantly different results on the skin, explains Kitchen, if one brand is using it for marketing purposes rather than the clinical impact.

It’s a case of convenience versus performance.

Peter Matravers, PharmD, chief scientific officer for makeup seller Arbonne, explains the uses for high-end and drugstore brand makeup.
“For daily maintenance, functionality, and simple needs, I would say stick to mass-market brands if budget is an issue. Not all of your products need to be premium,” he says.

“Beyond general maintenance,” he continues, “you want to be aware of your specific needs that would benefit from premium, more performance-based formulas that deliver better results.”
Don’t go running off to high-end retailers just yet! At the end of the day, there seems to be a place for both drugstore and high-end cosmetics in your makeup bag. Drugstore brands formulate their products with affordability in mind. High-end products, on the other hand, are formulated to better suit an individual’s preference and goals, meaning the products serve more specific functions in your beauty routine.

What does the makeup artist have to say?

Chicago-based makeup artist, Vanessa Valliant from Valliant Beauty, says, that high-end products “tend to have a better range of classic colors for customers. While they may showcase a certain collection each season, they aren’t solely focused on trends. However, drugstore makeup brands love to pour out every trendy color that hits the market each season.”
Valliant—whose customer base includes celebrities, brides, fashion models, and everyday women—primarily favors high-end makeup brands due to their consistent formulations and wide range of pigments for each skin tone.

Drugstore brands, though, have the advantage when it comes to price point and experimentation. They can also be helpful when trying out new products (like the latest matte lipstick or a metallic eyeshadow you’ve been curious about) without committing to a higher cost.

Although not all ingredients are created equal, Vaillant says it’s all about the application of the makeup that can make or break your look.
“Anyone can take drugstore or high-end makeup and blend them to perfection on the skin, achieving an overall, amazing makeup look,” she says. “There are a few high-end makeup lines that have more longevity due to their waterproof ingredients. But for the most part, with the proper application, you can achieve longevity out of both drugstore and high-end cosmetics.”

Valliant tells her clients that there are some products worth the extra investment; additionally, she tells them there are drugstore items that work well and won’t cost them a small fortune.
Ultimately, the choice as to which makeup is right for you depends on your skin’s needs, the goals you have for the product, your likes and dislikes when it comes to specific cosmetics brands, and your budget.

So, when should you splurge? When should you save?

Splurge

Valliant recommends buying skincare products, foundation, a well-made set of brushes, and lipstick from high-end brands.
“Beautiful makeup begins with healthy skin. I love a good skincare line like Kiehl’s because your skin is the largest organ, and it must be hydrated daily. Plus, they have a wide range of products to fit your skin type,” she says. “Also, it’s important to spend a little extra money on foundation … because it tends to perform better on the skin, and it’s created to mimic the look of real skin. My personal choices for foundations and concealers are by Tom Ford and Dior.”

For brushes,” she continues, “I like NARS. Well-crafted brushes last longer; they’re softer on the skin and are more tailored to specific areas of the face. Lastly, purchase your lipsticks from a high-end brand like Bobbi Brown. There are many colors and textures to choose from, and they’re designed for a variety of skin tones. You can’t go wrong with a lipstick like that!”

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Valliant suggests purchasing mascara, eyeshadow palettes, blushers, highlighters, and eye pencils at the drugstore.

“Maybelline mascara is hands down the best mascara on the market—you’ll find one in every professional makeup artist’s kit,” she says. “If you’re looking for the latest trends, NYX carries the latest eyeshadow palettes, blushes, highlighters, and eye pencils. Nowadays, you can find a wide range of products to fit your budget and needs at most drugstores.”

What’s our takeaway: Drug Store or High-End Makeup?

Regardless of whether you prefer drugstore cosmetics or high-end makeup brands, it’s important to focus on what best suits your skin’s needs, from the price point to the wearability of the product. In the long run, the makeup brands that are right for you are the ones that nurture your skin and help you look and feel your best—regardless of the differences in how they’re made or where you bought them.