If there’s one thing I’ve noticed year on year since I started having some interest in makeup, is that limited edition collection and products are on the rise. Not content with having just 4 seasonal collections a year, brands are now releasing little capsule collections from time to time, often with pretty packaging or embossing, and loudly proclaiming them to be “Limited Edition! Get it now before it’s gone!”
And you know what? They all fly off the shelves and make the companies a boatload of money. One of the worst culprits is MAC Cosmetics which seems to release a new limited edition collection practically every week, and everything seems to sell out before they even reach the counters. Clearly, pretty packaging and pretty products sell. But how much of it is truly due to the packaging and colours and how much of it is the allure of owning a limited edition item?
I was thinking about this quite recently, when there was a slew of Spring and Summer limited edition offerings from all the major cosmetics brands in the market. I would see all the pretty colours and designs, the interesting combination of colours in palettes, the intricate embossing flooding Instagram and blogs… and I felt numb.
I picked up one or two items myself, but I realised that barring a few brands that consistently churn out quality products, many of these limited edition items are less impressive than their permanent counterparts. So I got to wondering if you are swayed or influenced to buy something because it is a limited edition product? Or because it is so limited in supply and because people build up the hype to the extent that you just have to own it even if you never use it?
One of the brands that consistently produces high quality cosmetics, even in their limited edition collections, is Guerlain. I have yet to find a dud in their limited edition offerings, and they are also usually consistently swoonworthy in their intricacy and delicacy. The upside also, is that the products are usually usable and high quality too and when I realised that they don’t churn out limited edition items the way many other brands in their ilk do, I realised that might be why they are able to maintain the quality.
I used to be quite a follower of Chanel and Dior collections, picking up one or two items from each collection but in recent times, I’ve found the quality to not be as high as what I had come to expect from the brands, especially considering their asking prices. In fact, for me most of the items have been misses and duds and that disappoints me because I used to be quite a fan of both brands.
Quality aside, giving in to the limited edition hype means that, as a blogger, I have to churn out a post as quickly as I can before they are all gone, and that means that if you read many beauty blogs, you are likely to see 20 billion posts all talking about the latest limited edition collection. Yawn! 😛 It’s not just you, it’s me too. Yawn! 😛 Plus I don’t have the luxury of time to be that much on the ball as the pro bloggers are, so that’s the other drawback.
So I have made my decision to not give in to the limited edition hype anymore. There are always exceptions of course, as there may be items that I like or am attracted to, and I’m afraid I’m horrible at passing up the chance to own pretty Guerlain goodies, especially if there’s Meteorites involved 😀 I recently acquired the Guerlain Aquarella Meteorites and I don’t even know if I should blog about it because I don’t know if it’s already all gone! I was quite pissed off when I told you about the very worthy Rose Grenat Rouge G only to be told it was already sold out in many places 😛
If I am gifted with any limited edition item, I might blog about it but I plan to shift my focus to permanent items. For me, it relieves the pressure to blog and for you, it gives you the chance to not have to make a snap decision to shell out money you may otherwise save for something else. There are always exceptions of course. Prettiness like the Rose Grenat lipstick should not be missed 🙂
I’ve also realised that at the end of the day, makeup is only as good as actually using it so it doesn’t quite matter if it’s a limited edition item or a permanent item so long as it looks good and performs well. I’ve also learned that I’m not one to buy or keep things just to look at them and admire them. I want something that I can use. In that sense, I’d much rather focus on something that is available all the time as opposed to one that just appears fleetingly on the horizon. You could say that I’ve finally grown up! Haha 😀
What say you: Do you fall for the limited edition makeup hype?
I must say I’ve been there and done that, chasing the hype, chasing the rainbow and feeling frustrated if I miss out on anything. But in recent times, that feeling has passed. I’m now a lot more blasé about things, less keen on new things, more interested in permanence. Maybe I have grown up after all 😀
Paris B
Yes… of course I fall for it. Not as much as before though, the last thing I fell for was the Guerlain Rose Grenat which I absolutely do not regret buying. It’s a stunner!
I love your LE collection, it’s so beeeeeeeeeautiful.
I don’t regret Rose Grenat either! It was absolutely worth getting as are many of Guerlain’s Limited Edition items. I find they keep their standards and quality, unlike other brands that churn out so many all the time!
I only buy limited edition if im sure that i will use them. Limited edition does have beautiful packaging and it spice up my makeup table. I live in Kuching so i envy those in KL where you can go to many stores in KL if one runs out. Here we just have one or two stores for each brand, if it run out, tough luck. I do prefer bloggers to write on permanent item so at least i know I can get them. I already got 2 HG products from your blog, the shiseido sunscreen and foundation brush 🙂
Yay for the Shiseido sunscreen and foundation brush! I love them both so much and use them both so often! Glad you love them too 😀 I too hate it when I read about things I can’t get anymore, and I think to myself, why do I even bother?! I’d rather share about things that everyone can find and get without urging them to run out and get it NOW! After all we’re not being paid are we? LOL!
At most times, I’m able to hold my ground but as you said, I agree there’s exceptions that get me and the people around me into a frenzy. Sometimes when i’m too busy to go get it myself, my friends etc will be ‘troubled’ to get it on my behalf and they are not even into cosmetics. But great friends they are, they obliged even though they don’t understand why I’m so crazed over makeup etc. However, I’ve toned down a lot over the past two years. And i spend only towards the holiday collections usually as a reward for the year’s work. Summer offerings don’t usually do much for me but this year, I couldn’t resist the Dior Transatlantique Voyage Tan Golden Shimmer Powder. What a mouthful. It’s unbelievably gorgeous. When swatched, it looks terribly shiny and all but with the provided kabuki brush, it works to give a nice glow. One of my best highlighter buys in recent years. And it works as a eye shadow too. Multi-purpose. haha.
Wah that’s very good of your friends to help you out! 😀 Holiday collections are, I will admit, a soft spot mostly because so many pretty things get released at around that time. Ooh and you got the Dior shimmer powder! I contemplated it for a long time then decided I wouldn’t get it because I just don’t use those sorts of products enough to justify it. It’s gorgeous though and I think one of the better quality items they churned out recently 🙂
I love looking at LE things, but it’s getting pretty rare for me to buy them *just* because they’re limited. Ain’t nobody got time (or money) for that. That’s one of the big reasons I can’t get excited about MAC – it takes too much energy to get all worked up about stuff and then not be able to get it.
I can’t help loving seasonal collections though!
You said it Nicci! I think MAC is just pushing themselves out of the market now, although I do know of people who are still collecting and buying so maybe not haha! 😀 I guess I’m more picky about the brands I go gaga over these days and because I do use my makeup, they have to be products I’d use. I love Guerlain and I love their beautiful bronzers they release every summer including this summer but because I don’t use bronzers at all, it just didn’t make sense for me to get them, so I sat on my wallet and said no. Whew! 😀
I’ve fallen for them a few times. If I like the brand, and they release something limited edition and the design is something I’m attracted to, then I’d definitely snatch it up.
I think I was never into it as much as I could have been was the products were difficult to get a hold of. After a while of searching I’d end up giving up.
I think many of us are the same. We’d pick up a LE item if it’s something we like and will use, but not otherwise. But I also think that a lot of the hype driven for LE products for the simple reason of them being LE is getting a bit ridiculous 😛
Oh! I try not to purchase limited editions because what if I really, really, REALLY love it? Then I’ll never be able to find it again once it sells out and I’ll be left with an empty hollow feeling in my chest! I prefer permanent collections just for the safety of mind – knowing I can repurchase this in the future is relieving!
Haha that’s the other side of things, Sam Bear 😀 On the one hand, I know I’d probably never run out of say, a LE blush, but yet what if I do?! 😛 On the bright side, I’ve not yet been mad enough to buy a back up of a LE item. Not Yet 😀
I’m practical so no.. I don’t really fall for LE. Unless I actually want or need it, I’m not buying it.
Despite this, I still have a mass storage of beauty products lying in almost every crook n cranny of my house. Sigh.
LOL That’s a sign of a beauty buff! 😀
Could do with less clutter in my life, so no, not really.
The last erm, beauty related Limited Edition anything I bought was the Karl Lagerfeld edition of the Shu eyelash curler (which a friend says reminds her of the Chinese zombie).
Limited edition, my foot lah – they call it that but you’ll find some of these so-called “limited edition” items later down the road at clearance/warehouse sales one 😛
LOL! YES! That Karl Lagerfeld doll was scary man, I avoided it like the plague 😛 And you’re right, warehouse sales are the best places to go to look for LE items, especially from MAC. I was down at the CCO in the Johor Premium Outlets recently and what did I see there? Shelves and shelves of MAC past collections going for a song. Tsk!
I used to hound Temptalia for the new MAC collections about 6-7 years ago. I’ve never bought an entire collection, thank goodness. I’m more lax about it now, as I’ve found my makeup style and have been stricter with money.
I think we all grow up eventually 😀 Good on ya for coming to that realization (only because I don’t think MAC LE collections all that 😛 )
This might be off topic. I see that you have a wide range of the meteorites. I have one myself & very often gets enticed to buy a new one especially after reading your blog. How long can I keep them for? I mean they don’t ever finish ! Lol .
Good question Syeang 😀 I buy them because I use them and they’re the one makeup item I “collect” in that regard. They’re a powder so unless you get it wet or keep it in a damp area, I have reasonable belief that it’ll last all of forever LOL! No, they don’t ever finish and yes, I’ll keep buying 😀
Omg..i am crazy over LE stuffs.. and gets quite upset over when its sold out.. sometimes i go look for it online after that n try to get hold of it but if its ridiculously priced… i’ll skip it.. (it was not meant for me..i guess????).. MAC is actually 1 of my favourite… i based and refer on reviews before my bext move …
Haha love your honesty Shija! 😀 Nothing wrong with loving LE items, especially if they work for you or you collect them 😀 We all have our vices I say.
I was about to drop $250 for a limited edition GWP from Le Métier de Beauté. Then I came to my senses, lol. It drives me nuts when I find an LE item that I LOVE but can’t find a dupe of or a product similar to it.
:O !! $250 is a lot! So yay for coming to your senses hehe. But you’re right. Some LE items are so pretty, it makes you wonder why they don’t just make them permanent? Maybe then it won’t sell as well? Hmm…
Oh, if I had not my measly limited funds then I would! Hook, line and sinker!
As it were, I’m sadly limited to looking at most Limited Editions and hoping that some of my lusted-afters will make a cameo at a warehouse sale somewhere.
Occasionally, when dreams and wishes matter more than cents…I just wave away with my trusty Visa. It’s amazing how well a magic wand known as a credit card can grant wishes of the cosmetic sort.
Ah would that we were all blessed with limitless funds to indulge in our beauty collections 😀 On the bright side, at least there are warehouse sales to look forward to, to pick up any gems you may have missed 😉
For me, it’s the hype – and the feeling that I might regret not getting it and won’t have the opportunity of getting it in the future. Such a sucker eh? I’ve been very good this year though. I mean, there’s only 1 face. With the stuff I own at the moment, I don’t even have to look at makeup for the next 5 years and I’m good. It’s an illness I’m trying to cure…. and this pregnancy is helping me for sure!
Very natural, and very human and what the brands prey on I’m sure! 🙂 Good to know you’ve found yourself a distraction. In my case, I’m less about makeup and more about skincare now. Can’t cure that bit yet, but thankfully skincare is never LE 😀
I always get excited when I get press releases for new LE collections and items but I find that often, when I check those products in person a few weeks later at the counters, they just don’t live up to my expectations, so I rarely purchase them.
As a blogger, I also prefer to invest in something that I can use and enjoy, but also tell my readers about it without rush. A couple of times I also reviewed products when they were almost sold out, and you just wonder, what’s the point?
I feel the same Gio! They always looks so nice in photos or even sometimes in online swatches, until I get to the counter then I feel so let down! 🙁 I feel the same way you do as a blogger. I hate that feeling of having to rush something out just because it’s LE and may disappear at any moment. It just defeats the whole point of blogging!
I can’t keep up with the collections that come out. However, I am susceptible to the limited edition hype around Christmas time, when I’m looking for gifts and deals and companies are coming out with their LE items. There are a few times I got something LE for the packaging, but I limit myself to maybe one or two items that I will probably use.
Ooh Christmas is when some of the prettiest items are launched and I confess to going a little crazy around then too! But I do tend to be quite good and focus only on items that I know I will use after the Christmas season is over because quite often, we get a lot of shimmer and gold around that time and it’s just not as wearable at other times of the year.
I must say that I do get sucked in by Guerlain, Dior and Chanel when it comes to their limited edition items. Even though I’m selective in what I’m sucked in to, I’m still sucked in nevertheless. Oh yeah, MAC is one heck of a culprit when it comes to their so-called limited edition items. They’re very sneaky too when making claiming that some of their products are limited edition when they use some of their permanent line in their limited edition collections. A lot of the time, we’re just paying for different packaging, is all.
Yes! I tell you, MAC is really in it for the money only and that really bugs me >.< Guerlain gets me most of the time and Dior and Chanel used to, but I'm a little over them lately. I think the change in their creative directors is a reason for this too. Good for my wallet but potentially less variety for me as a blogger LOL!
Meh. After finishing university I just don’t care about makeup as I used to. I rely on a healthy diet, steam baths and exercise/yoga. Funny….for all the high end makeup I bought the one that I use religiously is Dior Lip Glow balm and Laneige eye brow pencil/Etude House eyebrow pencil. Less is more when it comes to makeup.
Regarding LE items…. I used to have lemmings for MAC hello kitty inspired peach lipstick. The shade name was “cutie pie” or something but I didn’t managed to get it cos I was a student that time. Which pretty much to say that…..I HATE LE items ever since.
I’m also pissed they discontinued my favorite Revlon Cherries in the Glow lip gloss. Anyone know a dupe for this color? I just like the lipgloss for the color 🙁
Ah, we grow and so do our interests 🙂 On the bright side, you probably have enough to keep you going for a while till the interest returns anyway eh? 😉 Oh I remember the MAC x Hello Kitty hype! Oh my. I don’t know of a dupe for Cherries in the Glow though, sorry. I’m sure there are new colours that you might like anyway? I find my taste in colours change from time to time too.
As for me it depends on 2 criterias : packaging and the color selections. But it is so hard to hold that temptation to buy limited item products although i know i have the very similar shade of color at home. 😀
I love your honesty Dain 😀 I know how it can sometimes feel irrational but hey, if it makes you happy and you aren’t hurting anyone or going into bankruptcy, I don’t see why you shouldn’t indulge! After all, people collect stamps too haha
Yes, unfortunately, I am still not out of the phase of going after limited edition products.
I have cut down a lot, now only picking one or two brands to buy from each season. And also only picking a few items from each brand’s collection.
I used to buy from a few brands each season. I also used to swipe up every item if I like a certain collection. Then I realise that it does not make sense, because I really do not like some items out of a collection.
Till date, I would say, 70% of my high-end stash and also buy, are all limited edition.
It is only in the drugstore that I would look at permanent products.
That’s actually sort of awesome Jyoan – your stash will be like a beauty buff’s museum! 😀 But hey, you aren’t hurting anyone by indulging so there’s no harm in buying into LE 😀