By BR Kellie
The most expensive beauty product I have ever bought? Guerlain's L'Or Pure Radiance Face Primer. It cost over a hundy. Which is madness. But it had gold in it. And it was Tati approved. And I saw it LIFT her face after she put it on. Was it worth it? Heck yes! That primer feels like a little luxury is going on my face, and it's lasted the distance with a little going a long way. Was it necessary? Absolutely not. Although, in saying that, I've yet to find a primer that does what it does. So maybe it was. Will I repurchase? No. My beauty spending habits have changed since those glorious, indulgent days of 'I must own it all'. Also these days I prefer a more moisturising primer - my slide side to forty dryish skin demands it.
Despite not buying all the things I still like to window shop, and every now and then I come across products that cost a bomb, but instead of going 'yes', I find myself thinking 'really?'. In a world of drugstore dupes do we need to be throwing money about like we're made of it? So what are the crazy overpriced products that perhaps we could do without? Check these bank drainers out...
My mouth dries up whenever I see the price of anything La Mer. But $120 for a lip balm? I would hope that whenever I opened that sucker up angels would begin to sing. I would hope that my lips would become as soft and plump as just risen pizza dough. I would also hope that it miraculously refilled once you got to the bottom.
When I first saw the price of the large sized Glasshouse candles I sicked up in my mouth a little. How much? For what? Then Queenie lit up her Tahaa and I got it. You paid for a scent that threw throughout the office, that lingered long after. But for over $200 I would like hope - nay, I would demand - that Tom Ford candles would fill not just my house, but my entire street with a dreamy scent.
Would you pay over $200 for a cleansing bar? One that promises to purify blemishes and imperfections while leaving your skin looking luminous? Some people are willing to. Meet the Argentum Le Savone Lune Hydration Bar. I imagine it must feel like having Papillon puppies licking your face. Soft, smooth, velvety. Don't know that puppies would give you a luminous finish though - and I'm unwilling to shell out that kind of money to find out. I'll stick to my beloved $20 Goodness Everyday Cream Cleanser.
After seeing YouTuber Stephanie Nicole rave about the Wayne Goss Fan Brush I stumped us US$25 to buy it. Is it good? Yep. Was it worth it? Eh. I'm not convinced. So if I were to pay over $300 for a face brush, as is the case for this Surrat Beauty Artistique Face Brush, I would expect to walk out of my beauty room looking flawless. I would also expect it to be made from the manes of unicorns. Except it's not. It's made from squirrel.
Mascara is mascara is mascara, right? Not when it's guaranteed to massacre the average woman's wallet. Meet the Chantecaille Faux Cils Longest Lash Mascara. You can buy it in New Zealand from Mecca, and it's $115. The reviews on it are insanely good, and apparently it volumises and thickens AND the Sym Peptide actually does work to strengthen and lengthen your lashes. But that price. Whoooooo. Long exhale on that one. Especially when there are plenty of brilliant mascaras out there for less than $10. Sure they've no fancy serum in them, but one tip I was given recently by a beauty therapist was to massage a dab of rosehip oil into your eyelashes to stimulate growth, and her lashes were amazing. I thought they were extensions. And the combined cost of rose hip oil and a drugstore mascara is still half the price of that work of art above.
I guess what it comes down to is if you've got the cash to flash then go nuts, but if you don't? There are always options out there that are just as good, or incredibly close to, that won't have you living on carrots and cabbage for a month in order to afford them.
I really like the products I am using at the moment. Thankfully they are affordable.