Budget Beauty Buys - How Low Would You Go?

Article by BR Tabatha

"I'm a hairdresser, I fix $10 cuts" - Sign outside of a hair salon.

Are there really people out there who don't love the thrill of a bargain? In it's truest form, a bargain is a product of the same quality and purpose for a lower price.  So why pay $20 for a mascara when you can pick it up for $15 five minutes down the road? That's just silliness! But are we being lulled in to 'budget beauty bargains' that actually when you look more closely aren't really bargains at all?

Your beauty budget is determined by how much you can spend, but as our site proves - their our fantastic products available from all budget ranges.  So even without bargain-hunting you can pick up products in your price range that will give you results.

But when it comes to budget beauty buys and bargain hunting, what should you be aware of?

Super cheap branded goods. I dare say at some point we've all been tempted by those super cheap makeup sales.  But have you ever wondered why the products are so cheap? The product / shades might be discontinued, past their best date or have a slightly different formula from the one available in the NZ market. 

That's not to be said the products won't work for you, but you should be prepared to experience a lesser quality than you might expect.

Similar quality product, different price tags.  Ok so we're all familiar with the term 'dupe' right? It usually refers to a product that delivers the same, (or darn close to it) results as a usually more high end product, for a fraction of the cost. 

As long as the products are genuinely of a similar quality then you can consider a cheaper dupe a bargain and as long as you're still buying through official channels then there's no real harm to anyone.

Lower quality products - If you compare the quality of an Essie nail polish, to a generic polish you pick up for a couple of dollars, chances are you're going to see marked difference.  Why?  Because to sell something cheaply there has to be a low-cost manufacturing process.  And that means lower price point products are not going to achieve high standards. 

On one hand, if you're only spending a couple of dollars on something you might think 'if it doesn't work, I've not lost much'.  But it might pay to remember the adage; 'buy cheap, buy more'.  ie, if the cheaper product doesn't perform well, you're going to have to spend more money replacing it.  Be honest, how many unused products are lurking in your makeup stash you picked up just because they were 'a bargain'?  If you're not using it, then that's actually a minus in your beauty budget.

Buying Overseas - Beauty products in New Zealand can seem expensive when you do a direct comparison to the price of the same products overseas.  It's important to remember that there's always going to be a mark up on products that have been imported - it's life.  Businesses have to pay import levys, custom duties, shipping fees and still make a profit on top of that.  It goes both ways - all of our gorgeous New Zealand brands are going to be cheaper to buy in New Zealand than overseas. 

So when you buy from online retailers you have a few things to consider.  Unless the product has a vast price difference, it might not be a true bargain once you add on shipping costs.  And what about the environmental factor of shipping a product that's readily available here, for the sake of saving a few dollars?

Also - everything sold IN New Zealand must meet strict regulations and requirements.  Products purchased from abroad to not, meaning they may contain ingredients not permitted in products sold in NZ.

Parallel Importing - If something's been Parallel Imported it means essentially that by purchasing this product, you're helping the NZ seller to make a profit, without them then having to contribute to our economy to the same level other businesses do. If you have an issue with a parallel imported good, such as a reaction or you think it might be fake, you're going to have to fight it out on your own - the local distributor for the brand won't be able to help you, as the product wasn't purchased through official channels.  So yes it might be considerably cheaper to purchase a PI product, but if it doesn't work out for you, you might want to consider buying through official channels in the future.

Cheap beauty services - Some of the Beauty Crew were shocked to discover you could have your eyebrows shaped for as little as $5 or your upper lip threaded for as little as $2.  In any industry there is always a market to provide a cheaper service.  When you pay less for a service you are probably going to lose some aspects of said service.  These 'take a seat and wait' businesses are only profitable as long as the customer turnover continues to flow.  Which means you're not going to get the personal customer service of a smaller, traditional company.  The tools and products used are likely to be cheaper, which will affect the end result.

Some people swear by the cheaper services and others stick with 'you get what you pay for'.  As long as the establishment is clean and hygienic and your therapist is trained, it comes down to being happy with the outcome and comfortable with the amount you've spent. 

At the end of the day your budget is going to be the biggest factor in how much you spend on your beauty products and services.  BUT how you choose to spend your money is up to you.  Experience and common sense will tell you if something is a real bargain or too good to be true,  Sometimes it might work out more economical to save up and buy more expensive - especially if it's a product or service you'll be using regularly.

Now of course, there really are some amazing budget buys out there, our first Save or Splurge saw a $3 mascara rivaling a $60 one!  We think, ultimately the point about budget beauty buys is that just because they're cheap, it doesn't mean you should put any less consideration in to the purchase of them!

So over to you - are you a serial beauty bargain hunter?  How low do you go?  Or do you believe you get what you pay for and when it comes to putting formulas on your face, skin and hair, are you less inclined to buy cheap?

Get chatting below!