Are They Worth The Hype Or Not?

I've been thinking a lot lately about beauty products and what their role is. This leads me to consider, what exactly do we expect from these products? When I think about this, then I have to ask myself, why would one go and spend hundreds on makeup products if you can get a product that does the same thing for half the price or less? How much better could the higher priced product really be? Are we simply paying for the name, and the prestige that comes with saying "I bought Dior!" Or "I bought Chanel!"? Are their ingredients really that much better? Sometimes, maybe, yes... but most times I think the lower priced options are just as good if not better! For example, I really don't think, on a day to day basis, one would be able to tell the difference between Wet N' Wild eyeshadows and Urban Decay eyeshadows if asked which ones I was wearing at any given moment... So then it must come down to the name and a prestige factor... Granted, the higher the price, the more you expect from a product in terms of quality and performance. So when a high end product does not live up to standards, and is what would be considered a flop, it's really a flop! However, on the low end... if you purchase the product, and it is not of quality... then you are more likely to say "Oh well, I'll just trash this! It didn't cost that much anyway..." You are less likely to have the anxiety attached with something you made a considerable investment into, and trying to figure out what you are going to do (Do I trash it? Gift it? Return it? Try to use it in a different way?) So, with this in mind, I have come to value the importance of reviews by the lovely ladies in the YouTube beauty community, and count on their full honesty when talking about products, especially high end. That way I can make an informed decision about any product before I go out and spend any money on it. Further, it is important for ladies to disclose if they are being sponsored to show a product, and whether or not they are giving the opinion the company wanted them to give, or if it is their own honest opinion, regardless of what the company wanted or not. I have already used some of these ladies wonderful reviews to determine which products to invest my money on, and my research has well paid off! Watching review videos and other types of videos such as "Products Not Worth The Hype" have educated me in what products may be good, and which may be bad, thus giving me a basis on which to make an informed decision about which products to best spend my money on. This in the long run makes for a much better beauty buying experience, because I can more easily spend my money on products that I have a high percentage of certainty will work well, and that I will like! So, in closing, when it comes to high end beauty products, a majority of them are not really worth the price, and several low end duplicates can be found at your local drugstore or WalMart. Educate yourself on the less expensive duplicates, where you are not paying simply for a name, and you won't be able to tell the difference! Except where you are saving money in your wallet!