Is it just me wanting everything to always be frugal or are cosmetics getting pretty spendy? I get mine at drugstores and Ulta but the advertised brands: covergirl/loreal/maybeline and revlon are getting high in price. I bought 2 tubes this past weekend, ea. cost $10.
To me that is high since I was able to find a marked down pair of superskinny jeans for $8.86.

What do you think of cosmetics in this era, do you skip it, wear spendy ones or opt for cheap ones as I do?

Oh I will not skip wearing it, lol! And I can swing to both ends of the pendulum, I will buy those cheap Wet n Wild eyeshadows for $2 but then spend $25 on a tube of Dior mascara

I have very sensitive eyes, so once I find a brand I like I tend to stick with it. I just tried a new type (to me) of mascara because it was on sale at Walmart. I'm happy with it. I buy the NYC brand lipstick, it's cheap and has good coverage and good color selection. I will on occasion buy the more expensive stuff (at department stores) but only if they have a great gift with purchase.

I don't wear make up, but to me it does seem expensive.

I am a makeup addict....it is my passion, I love it.
That being said, I have always gravitated towards drugstore brands simply because I think most drugstore brands offer dupes for the spendy high end brands. Case in point, I am a former Bare Minerals user. Bare Minerals foundation was costing me approx. $25. About 7 years ago, I discovered Smoky Mountain Minerals, which is about 1/2 the price and the quality is heads above Bare Minerals.
I enjoy L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara, which I purchase in Walmart for about $6. I love Wet n Wild eyeshadows that cost about $2 for a trio palette. Milani Baked Blushes which are about $6 and are fantastic. Physicians Formula Creme Eyeliners which are $9 for 3 liners. Almay Line Smoothing Concealer, about $6. Wet n Wild Mega Shield Lipsticks, less than $2.
I will confess I do spend a lot on skincare. I'm an Olay Regenerist girl, have been for many years. Love their cleansers, scrubs, serum, moisturizers and eye creams! For Christmas, I treated myself to the Pro X Cleansing System and I love it!
My opinion is, if you take good care of your skin, you don't need to spend a small fortune on high end pricey makeup.

I love makeup too! I usually buy the luxury brands from Amazon. I can save a pretty penny ordering my Lancome from them rather than buying it in the department store. I'm also completely obsessed with Laura Mercier eyeliner right now. If I see something that I want, I'm pretty good at finding it much cheaper online.

^^^ This!

I used to think high-street brands were cheaper, and I do still buy Rimmel foundations because I like them, but I restock when they're on offer. But for example, Rimmel mascaras for me are just pants! And £8 worth of pants at that. I buy those little tubes of Clinique High Volume and Lancôme Hypnose on eBay (they often sell the Clinique ones on Glamour magazine offers too, £2 each). I'd rather pay £5 or so for a high-end mascara I love in a tester-size tube than nearly twice as much for a high street one that doesn't work. Also, I'll look up lipsticks I like on amazon, add them to my wishlist, and bag them when there's a sale. If you wait, you can get 80% off some things. I do this with clothes as well. E.g. There was a desigual coat I loved, I found it on Amazon for £280 and added it to my wishlist. I waited until I spotted it for £80 one day and snapped it up, it was back to original price the next day!

And about 50lbs later I might get into it. Damn you tiny European sizing!

Anyway, I am going off on a tangent, so... yeah. Makeup in general is getting much more pricey. But thanks to the lovely Internet it's getting easier to find high-end brands for much less than before

I love eBay for this too! My bras are really expensive so I'll go to the department store and get sized and then buy the bras from ebay at ridiculous savings. There's just no reason to spend so much money on stuff that you can get cheaper online.

JerseyGirl got me started on Smoky Mountain Minerals as well. I started with one of their kits then expanded to buying larger containers, eye shadows, skin care, etc. Quite affordable, free shipping, light coverage. The nice thing is there are ways to darken the makeup when transitioning seasons so I don't feel like I'm wasting it.

Oh, my husband uses their "Squeaky Clean" face cleanser as well.

I do keep a bottle of drug store liquid foundation for occasional use when I feel I want a denser coverage but that's just my weird self conscious hang ups.

You know, when it comes to certain cosmetics, I buy the one's they sell in department stores, like bare essentials, MAC, Dior, etc. because my skin is prone to break outs, and brands like covergirl, maybelline, etc. make mee do just that. BUT...i only get spendy on cover ups and eyeshadows. When it comes to mascara, blush, and lipstick, i buy from drug stores because there are certain brands that i love, like maybelline mascara, and covegirl brow liners, etc.

Makeup...... MAC... ... Sephora...... Annnnnd I'm broke I love it all. I generally stick to drugstore brands for mascara and foundation. But when it comes to shadows I want the good stuff. Nothing beats the color and quality of a good shadow! (Good primer makes all the difference too) My friends and family know I am poor and can't generally afford to buy these things on my own, so I have been lucky to get numerous gift cards for Sephora for Christmas and my Birthday

If you are looking for some less expensive while still excellent quality, I recommend the Makeup Geek line (www.makeupgeek.com). Marlena is a fantastic makeup artist, makes quality videos and tutorials and has successfully lost over 100 lbs, kept it off and followed up with some surgery to clear up the extra skin and looks fabulous. She has a personal blog as well where she shares some of her weight loss tips, fashion advice etc.

TOTALLY recommend checking out her site.

I'm cheap when it comes to makeup. The only thing I'm picky with it eyeliner and mascara. Even those can be taken care of with certain types of Covergirl. I usually buy Covergirl and Rimmel. Watch for coupons in the ads.

Kim,
I get the urge to go to Sephora but my priceline is so low, it scares me to enter the store. lol
I use Physicians formula mineral coverup..from ultas.. I wish I could learn some cosmetic tricks from ya. I loaded some eyemakeup tutes, hoping to get beautiful eyes.

Does anyone think the price on Urban Decay pencil eyeliner is fair? I believe it's 18-$21 a pencil..I might buy it if it's decent product...love the colors.