The past few months I have been really enjoying getting back into having fun with makeup again and reading beauty blogs, reviews and such.
There are some fantastic products out there but I just have to have a rant about something in relation to this industry.
How can you possibly justify charging what you do? Are your shadow palettes lined in gold?
I absolutely refuse to pay over $20 for a rosewater face mist. Really, it’s just obnoxious. It’s rose water. Not just is pricing getting off the charts unreal but I’m trying to figure out how so many 20-30 year old beauty bloggers can afford these items to do reviews on? I understand some of them are sent trials by the brand but it seems like many are buying them.
Are these young ladies going into debt to stay on top of the beauty blog game? I certainly hope not but as a 40+ year old in a fairly stable financial situation, I can’t justify it. Maybe they are being paid to review products, I really hope so and not the alternative of digging a deep hole. They will look fabulous in the debt hole though.
Do you plop down the big bucks for makeup, moisturizers and mists? Do you factor in makeup to your budget? If you had to guess how much do you think they inflate prices over manufacturing costs of these products?
Oh and yes I realize with this post I may be sabotaging any chance I might have at being a successful beauty blogger if I ever want to get into that area. haha
Life Notes 
actually being a “bargain hunter beauty blogger” is probably a great idea…your welcome! can you check out my new site? I’m looking for honest feedback and hopefully some contributors 🙂 http://www.mendo-licious.com
I really don’t wear a lot of make up, partly because I don’t know how and partly because I don’t like the way it feels, but I wear make up more often lately for work (since everyone else there does too). So, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on fancy make up.
I would love to buy the quality products because they just have that glamorous appeal; however, I can’t justify paying those kinds of prices. They seem really inflated, because I can buy cheaper brands that still have the same colors and styles. I know the ingredients are lower quality, but they still have a similar effect.
I don’t follow beauty blogs because there’s no way I’m spending $80 for lipstick, and I’d rather not desire something that I can’t justify buying! I would prefer if people shared products they actually use rather than products that some company gave them money to try out, because the company will not give it to me for free!
Good points. The beauty blogs I follow often have posts about drug store and lower cost options that rival the expensive ones. I love those, it shows that you don’t need to spend a lot to achieve a similar effect.
I don’t wear foundation much, usually just a powder over spf face cream , a little blush and eye makeup (I have fun with this) and some lip stain/matte usually. I keep it light unless going out at night. Honestly, I think my skin is pretty good shape for my age and not wearing a lot of foundation over the years has helped achieve that. I think packing on makeup daily will age your skin faster.
Hope you are enjoying the new job!
I haven’t looked at very many beauty blogs, so I think that’s great to be able to buy a similar product for less money. I just wish I knew how to put on make up to enhance my features and all of that, because then it would probably be a lot more effective!
There are a lot of tutorial type youtube videos for applying makeup but also if you want more personalized help, try going to some of the department store makeup areas, they will often offer to apply on you, showing you how. Just let them know you would like a demonstration, if they offer it. From there it’s really trial and error at home till you find the look you want. Of course, I’m no professional, just my suggestions.
Thank you for the suggestions! I’ll have to check out YouTube, and maybe get a demo at a store.
Oh my gosh, I know – you can go broke trying to impress the opposite sex through conventional beauty buys. But I gotta say, I love it! Your blog is so real and ethereal – it comes through beautifully. Ah-mazing 😊
Thank you for the compliment! I honestly don’t think most women do makeup to please the opposite sex. It’s more about feeling good about yourself and I personally just have fun with different looks and colors. Paying $50 for a spray that is mostly water and essential oil though is just not something I am willing to do.
As you know, I am no kind of a beauty queen. Until my friend started selling Rodan & Fields, I never washed my face with anything in particular. I would remove any makeup, which had been applied at 6:30 a.m. around 8:00 p.m., with a make up remover wipe from Walmart and go to bed. After spending $145 on a face wash and a night cream, skipping the other 4 parts of the regimen which would bring it to a whopping $295, I can see no real difference between “then” and “now.” Honestly, I love eye shadow, I’m a bit of an eye shadow whore, truth be told! I love how it looks, the rich colors are reminiscent of patchwork quilt and I love to wear it; and I don’t. Its a ritual, I suppose. I fall out of bed, shower, brush my teeth, dry my hair, and head out the door after dressing. When I am feeling particularly good – usually on vacation – I apply tinted moisturizer, blush, powder, eye shadow, eye liner, mascara, and lip gloss; all of which is purchased at Target or some other discount chain. I have tried Mary Kay, I love it, but the expense, to me, seems prohibitive. I have tried MAC and Clinque, I love them, again the expense seems ridiculous. I guess that the ruler against which I measure expense is “what fun can I have with that money” and then I talk myself out of the indulgence…well…that, and I am credit card debt free and 12 payments away from mortgage free, so I’m a tad cheap. Plus, the final nail in the beauty coffin is that I find that discount store purchases work just as good as MAC, Mary Kay, and Clinque. So I guess that I am a Covergirl or a Maybeline Momma.
It’s very true that many of the discount items are pretty decent and the name brands are hugely overpriced but it is one indulgence I am truly enjoying. We have remained debt free (in that we use credit cards but keep them paid down) for over a year now and for the most part my paycheck is pretty much for indulgences and trips – his and mine. I have to pick and choose how to use it because I don’t make much and I am putting some in savings. Once we settle in Hawaii and I hopefully find a job, I’ll set up a budget for my income – some of which I intend to use for makeup and such, which I haven’t done here really. I’ll be finished with the laser hair removal before moving which has been expensive but so worth it.
I love eye shadows too, so much fun and am actually working with my eye brows more lately. There is a beauty blogger who lines the under side of her brow then fills up instead of just filling in and I love her look. I’ve been trying it.
I think the expensive products have a place in some areas. Lipstick and mascara for me for sure. I’m not a fan of cheap lipsticks and I haven’t found a drug store mascara that I like yet. Any suggestions on that? I’m willing to keep trying but so far nothing has beat Lancome.
Your eyelashes and eyes are unbelievable!!! You know that along with that small dimple of yours those eyes are your most amazing feature!!! Don’t skimp on mascara!!! I use whatever CVS has on sale. I tend more toward cover girl products.
You are such a flatterer. 😀 Maybe I’ll splurge on a bunch of drug store mascaras and do a test.
If the truth involves flattery, so be it! You’re a looker, what can I say???
I’m still not attracted to you.
😢in truth, there is pain.
You are fabulous and you know it!
But I wear the “victim” cloak well, no?