Tough Economic Times

Just because the stock market is down and the banks are collapsing doesn’t mean your look needs to be bailed out. There are lots of lower cost makeup items that I stock my kit with not only because they are economical, but also because they work the best. One industry secret is that the drugstore companies like L’Oreal, Revlon, and Maybelline spend millions of dollars researching and developing mascaras so that you and I can have luxurious lashes at a fraction of the price. (This year, L’Oreal will spend 507 million euros on research alone.)

So with all those bucks gunning to blast up your lashes or smooth out your skin tone, I thought I would put my 2 cents in to suggest lower cost beauty products that aren’t a sacrifice.

A favorite mascara in many makeup artists kits is Dior Show. It is fabulous at achieving both volume and length. However, for half the cost, L’Oreal Voluminous achieves the same thing. They both have big, thick brushes to really envelop and coat the lash all the way to the lashline AND the waterproof versions happens to be my favorite overall.

Another Duane Reade alternative is in, of all things, foundation. You can’t sacrifice on your base because a bad match in color or texture will throw off the rest of your look. However, if it is lower cost AND no sacrifice, then you get the best of both worlds. For someone with good skin looking for medium coverage of redness or slight blemishes, L’Oreal True Match (no, I do not work for L’Oreal, but I do like these products) has a huge range of shades to match any skin tone and it leaves a skin finish very similiar to Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation.

I will post more cost cutting alternatives soon. Now take all those savings and put it into an interest bearing account!