People, I am at a crossroads. I’ve been doing pretty well lately, and am proud to say that at payday, I had more than 34 cents in my checking account. I’ve been ignoring Starbucks, clipping coupons, brown-bagging lunch and eating dinner at home.
There are a couple of things I won’t budge on, but the thing I’m debating at the moment, even I know is silly.
There’s a magical place that likes to eat my money, called Sephora. For those of you who are lucky enough to have missed the explosion of Sephora stores, Sephora is like that smelly, expensive part of the department store that you only visit when you’re looking for that one perfume your wife likes. But it’s better. Ask your wife.
Now, I am definitely not even what I would call a frequent shopper at Sephora. Most of the time when I go there, I can truthfully say I am looking for a gift for my sisters or a friend. But when shopping for myself, maybe four times a year, there’s this nagging voice telling me how silly it is to pay $25 for mascara. And then I do it anyway.
So, the reason I’m debating whether to continue my on-again, off-again love affair with the place is thanks to this fancy pants makeup I bought there on a whim last year, and is now (gasp) running out. Now that I’ve resolved to be smarter with my money, I’m debating the $42 “tinted moisturizer” — and what to do when the other 4 products in the set run out. I love this stuff. It does a good job covering my scary Corpse Bride dark under eye circles, without caking up (hang in there, men, I’m done describing it).
The Sephora-loving part of my brain has a lot to say in support of my Laura Mercier makeup.
1) Looking and feeling good is important. Not like, calling your mom and remembering to brush your teeth important, but somewhere between paying taxes and knowing how to parallel park. We like to pretend it doesn’t matter, but it does. For evidence of this truth, watch any episode of “What Not to Wear.”
2) Even at $32, this makeup will last me 6 months, so each use is 17.4 cents.
3) It should be OK for me, as Mommy, to spend money on myself. After all, $32 is less than a parking ticket, about equal to Thai takeout for one night, and probably represents an hour’s worth of my paycheck.
4. Buying crummy makeup that I end up not using is wasteful and can quickly add up to the same price over a few months as I look for something that works.
But then there’s the Suze Orman voice (I think. Maybe it’s someone else, because Suze does enjoy her clothes and makeup more than most).
1. Consumer tests prove again and again that the best makeup is not the most expensive makeup. Many people swear by Great Lash mascara, which costs a few bucks at the drug store.
2. I’ve figured out that other cosmetic stuff – shampoo, namely – is just as good when it costs $3 as when it costs $30. Or, anyway the difference is not worth $27 to me.
3. It’s not so much the actual dollar amount that’s a problem as much as the difference between that price and the drug store prices. Paying $42 for makeup is close to buying a $42 latte. How good would that latte have to be?
So, help me out here. Talk me in or out of this dilemma. And let me know what your best bargain beauty products are.
Spending more time and money on makeup does not guarantee good results ... right?
January 31, 2010 at 11:25 am
Ooh, I have tips! Try trading an Ulta obsession for your Sephora obsession. Their store brand is pretty good and they have all the name brands BUT they also have a handy member card that earns you points on the stuff you buy, so you end up with free stuff once a quarter, plus they send you coupons every month. Also, Kohl’s is now selling make-up that’s exclusive to their stores but made by MAC and Estee Lauder. Also, with department store cosmetics, if you wait until there’s a free gift, you can often score so much free swag that the price you pay comes out to about what you’d pay for drug store stuff.
January 31, 2010 at 11:58 am
1. If you’ve tried everything else and love the product, get it. Rationalize it by naming anything you used to do (for me it’s “but I don’t smoke anymore! I’m saving at least $42 per week!”) or by saving money somewhere else (“hmm, Scott toilet paper is like sandpaper but hey, now I can get that smashing moisturizer!”)
2. If you want to try other products, head back to your local Jewel/Osco store. (But first arm yourself with info like Revlon & Almay are the same company or Estee lauder owns La Mer, Aveda, Jo Malone, Origins, and Prescriptives. Loreal owns Kiehl’s, Shu Ueumura, Maybelline, Lancome, Redken, and Garnier.)HERE’S THE IMPORTANT PART: Jewel will allow you to bring back ANYTHING with a receipt. So, try, try away! This is how I found out that Neutrogena foaming face wash removes my mascara, avoiding the cost of a makeup remover. And it’s great on my super-sensitive skin. Burt’s Bees daily line-diminishing moisturizer works just as well as Clinique’s moisture surge and it doesn’t make me break out.
3. I have my vices, too, though. I routinely plunk down the big bucks for Kara Vita. It’s the only pharmaceutical grade cosmetic available which means that it has up to 60% of the active ingredient as opposed to cosmetic-grade (yes, everybody else, even the counter items) which has only up to 10% of the active ingredient. My favorite? Eye Tender. The puffy under-eye area is flawless within 15 minutes. Yeah, baby! If I could afford to keep using the entire line, I would!
January 31, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Buy it. I switched to Clinique, trying to only buy when there’s a free gift. I cleaned out my makeup basket and decided I should use up the old drugstore stuff before buying more Clinique. No way. The difference is tremendous. If it works the way you want it too, do it. At that cost per use, there’s no reason not to.
February 1, 2010 at 10:42 pm
I say buy the expensive bits of makeup that really make the difference (concealer, lipstick, powder) and go cheap on everything that doesn’t (mascara, eyeshadow, blush). I get a mix of expensive and inexpensive so that I don’t feel so guilty getting the costly stuff.
February 5, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Wow. I’m totally impressed by Michele’s post. So much good info. I’ve wondered about a substitute for Clinique moisturizer. I love Burts Bees and will have to try their moisturizer that you mention.