Saved By Isabella: Don’t pay too much for cosmetics

We’ve trawled cosmetic counters and questioned makeup gurus, uncovering some tips to help you get the best-quality makeup without the mark-up.

LAST YEAR the cosmetics industry ranked in about $1.7 billion nationwide, but are we paying too much for pretty?

While some choose to splurge on costly cosmetics, deeming the price tag worthy for “the quality”, those budgeting and with tight finances struggle to justify the “money burning”.

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The concept of makeup has been around for centuries; an attempt to enhance natural features and smooth complexions, ancient Egyptians started out using berries for lip-stain and flour for foundation.

With fashion and style circling, Australians have seen the come back of cosmetics using food as ingredients in recent years.

The slow relaxation of societal norms has also triggered an additional market spike, with more men deciding to take part in the art of cosmetics.

Like a kid in a candy store, those in the industry are eating this opportunity up, as the rising demand of cosmetics have allowed price inflation.

However, you don’t have to feel eaten alive by this disaster recipe; you can feel good about yourself in makeup, and the price you pay for it.

Saved by Isabella has trawled cosmetic counters and questioned makeup gurus, uncovering some tips to help you get the best-quality makeup without the mark-up.

Be Wary of Segment-Snakes and Misleading Marketing

Queensland University of Technology Retail Expert Professor Gary Mortimer said it’s important to look into finer details, as makeup companies “create names” and “segment consumers” to “grow business”.

“Makeup companies will simply segment consumers in order to grow business,” Professor Mortimer told The Sunday Mail.

“When it comes to makeup, we understand that some consumers are very concerned with ethical production, some firms will highlight that they don’t test on animals to attract those customers to their brand.

“Another thing brands will do is create names, they tend to imply ‘rejuvenist’ a lot, which isn’t even a word.”

Tahlei Armstrong, 18, at home in Scarborough, with her cheap but effective makeup. Picture Liam Kidston

Professor Mortimer also stressed to read all information and look at statistics with a rational perspective as some studies done by cosmetic brands are “not illegal, but (are) misleading”.

“Self-report studies are those which brands basically say, ‘I can give you this free makeup, and at the end of three months, tell us what you think,’ to which people usually say they love it,” Professor Mortimer said.

“These things limit the credibility; it’s not illegal but it is misleading.

“I tend to look at the bottom of the ads for the statistics, to see the sample study size and if it was a self-report.”

Where You Buy

Take advantage of retail competition by comparing makeup prices in multiple stores before swiping your card, as prices for the same product can “vary” from store to store.

Brand Versus Quality

Try venturing from expensive branding, as professionals say less-expensive cosmetics don’t always mean worse quality.

While starting her career as a “broke uni student”, Brisbane freelance makeup artist Nina Magnani said she used cosmetics she could afford, and still sticks with them, despite branding.

“As a broke uni student, I used cheaper products and just found products which actually work,” Ms Magnani told The Sunday-Mail.

“There’s this big stigma around if it’s expensive it’s good, which isn’t true,” she said.

Redcliffe university student Tahlei Armstrong, 18, said she’d always used cheaper brands after she saw similar effects from both high-end and drugstore cosmetic brands.

“I’ve always used cheaper brands of makeup, I feel like with most expensive makeup, you’re paying for the brand and packaging instead of the quality of the product,” she said.

“Makeup shelf life is about six months so for me, buying a $50 mascara I’ll have to throw away before I finish it is like money burning.”