Hello peeps! Had an enforced break the past couple of days, but I was made to do a bit of thinking. The first thing was that I found out that Hourglass Cosmetics is now available at our local Sephora. What do I like from there? Well just the Ambient Lighting Powder (provided you find the right colour match – you only ever need one powder, don’t listen to the pundits) and the Arch Brow Pencil, both of which I feel are noteworthy. No comment on anything else.
But what I really wanted to discuss today, isn’t Hourglass and its availability. It is about pricing of makeup, options and comparative pricing.
What made me think about this was when I found out that the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette (the one with 3 shades in it, where each powder is a smaller size than the original single pans) is retailing locally at RM420. What this translates to at today’s exchange rate is US$107.80, £76.10, and AU$140.88.
By contrast, what this same item retails at in the respective countries are: USA: US$62 (RM241.70), UK: £59 (RM325.60), Australia: AU$92 (RM274.33). First off, I had sticker shock. Secondly, I started thinking – why are we paying so much more when we earn so much less, and is all this perceived luxury makeup necessary?
I know what you’re thinking – “You buy Hourglass and expensive brands/products anyway, PB, who are you to talk?!”
Yes I do, I’m not denying it. I’m not telling you that you shouldn’t, nor that you have to. Before I splurge, I check prices, and I check my prices worldwide, on as many sites as possible that will ship internationally, and I have multiple income streams thanks to investments and various commitments over the years. I weigh taxes and shipping and I almost always never pay more than what the item might be available locally for. There are exceptions of course, but they are exceptions, not the rule. Most importantly, I don’t buy expensive things very often, and I don’t run out and blow large sums of money each time I leave the house. The reason is simple – luxury products are expensive and I have other priorities in life, plus a bit of a kiasi (lit: scared of dying) attitude when it comes to savings 😛
So yes, I pay luxury prices for luxury items, but I make sure I don’t get scalped – which is what I think consumers here in Malaysia are, with those sort of prices Sephora thinks they can get away with!
By way of experiment, I decided to see how far the cost of 1 Hourglass palette will go in different countries.
In Malaysia, RM420 is a lot of money by any reckoning. It could well be a month’s worth of groceries for a large family (for a small family, it could stretch a few months),or 3 months worth of utility bills if living averagely, or about 2.5 months of Internet bills, or tuition fees, or room rental, or the monthly installment payment for a car, or a month’s worth of personal expenses including the occasional meal out. RM420 is a large percentage of a monthly wage in Malaysia, which isn’t very high to start with.
I spoke to my friend in Australia who told me that AU$92 (the price of the same palette there) is a sizeable chunk of change as well. It could mean 1.5 weeks worth of groceries for 3 (no store brands), 5 months of gas bills in summer, or a very nice meal with a nice bottle of wine. But compare that with the salaries in Australia, and $92 isn’t that large a proportion of your income.
I decided to check how far £59 would get you in the UK, and thanks to Row of Cosmetic Candy, I found out that £59 could fill your car tank, buy you dinner at pizza express for 4 and perhaps do a week or two of groceries, or pay a month’s internet bill.
What about in the USA? My friend Reese helped me out by telling me that $62 gets her 2 weeks of groceries, or a months water and electricity, or a month of Internet. Of course, how far your money stretches depends on your lifestyle but I’m erring on the side of caution and working out an average lifestyle.
As you can see,it’s still a lot of money, but £59, US$62 , and AU$92 don’t carve out a significant hole in your monthly paycheck. RM420 does, when an average office executive draws a monthly salary of about RM3,000 (last that I checked) or often, less.
What bugs me isn’t so much the high price of things, but how disproportionate they are to our earning power, and how those who promote these things as a “must have” fail to mention or highlight just how expensive or disproportionately expensive they are. Hourglass makes decent makeup, but I do find it overpriced in general.
I love my Guerlain Meteorites, but even I could not bring myself to pay RM500 for the Meteorites Voyage Compact back in the day. I probably never will, now that it’s almost RM800. I hear the pearls are going up in price and I’m thinking of retiring from collecting. I cannot justify it anymore. The last one was almost RM300 and that was testing my limits.
I’ve also been told over at Facebook, that prices of Guerlain makeup have gone up in general, where the Baby Glow foundation and the Lingerie de Peau BB Booster is now RM227, up from RM189 just a month or two back. I did notice the price rise in Guerlain recently, and I have it on good authority that every other brand will soon start raising prices, to keep up with global prices, stature, and the exchange rate.
But you know what? Skincare aside (where I might be more willing to splurge a little more) this is all just makeup. Will a RM400 powder make you look better than a RM100 powder? Not necessarily. But if you want it anyway, you know what? Know that you have options to stretch your money.
There are ways and means of buying products from other places, where they quite often work out cheaper than buying locally. I’m not saying we should not support local businesses, but these global companies are global, and the world is now a much smaller place than it used to be, thanks to the advent of the internet. Buy your Korean cosmetics from reputable sites that ship from Korea – the prices are so much lower than they are here! Buy brands like Hourglass from international websites where there are often discount codes and free shipping offered. You have to wait a little before they arrive, but you know what? It’s makeup and it’s not a life and death matter.
All I’m saying is that we don’t have to and should not allow ourselves to be scalped. Sure, the brands won’t like me saying all this, but I think that it has to be said. We are the consumer, and ultimately, we take our money where we get the best value. If you want the instant gratification and you don’t feel like you’re getting scalped, or you don’t trust the post, I’m saying to go for it. The economy thanks you! 😀 Prices and luxury are a matter of perception as well – I have a rather old-fashioned approach to money and value, but I know many don’t.
But I’m also saying that times aren’t going to get better and we should be a little more prudent with our spending. I realise some of you may think me a hypocrite as I feature a lot of luxury or high priced brands, but I do try to factor all that in when I tell you about a product – and as I have said, there are always options where you can buy the product, where it may not hurt your wallet as much, and I try to offer those options. Often, I’ll just tell you that it’s a want, not a need – nothing is a need except fresh food, fresh air, a roof over your head and clean running water. Everything else is pretty much a luxury 🙂
Are you feeling the pinch with the rising prices in recent times? Do you feel that prices of makeup locally tend to be just a little disproportionate?
I’ve actually been observing this phenomenon of prices, and I have to say that it’s made me rethink a lot of things about this little “hobby” of mine. A year ago, I discussed a similar topic about how rising beauty prices are affecting my beauty purchases. A year on, I’ve realised that I’ve actually scaled back beauty buying substantially. I’m still a bit of a sucker when it comes to skincare, but with makeup, I’ve been hitting the brakes so hard on purchases lately. It’s getting harder and harder to justify a purchase! Do you feel the same?
p/s If you’re wondering about the local prices of a couple of other popular Hourglass products, the Ambient Lighting Blush is RM220 (vs US$38 and £32) and so is the new Strobe powder, Ambient Lighting Powder is RM242 (vs US$45 and £38). I buy my Hourglass from SpaceNK or Net-a-Porter. The former often has discount codes and free shipping above certain amounts, or affordable shipping otherwise. Just saying 😉 Caveat emptor.
Paris B
Fascinating topic. And you’re absolutely right. $1 gets me a bunch of choi sum (if I can be arsed to go to asian grocers, I can get it for 70c sometimes) but RM1 does not get me much. I’m not really feeling the pinch too much when it comes to makeup because I don’t buy makeup that much but skincare, yes, I do feel it. I feel it in other amenities, unfortunately, threats of taxes going up, increased toll, increased rates for utilities. I am happy about taxes going up if it’s to fund public education. I’m OK with increased toll because I have an option not to take the tolled road and the increase is to fund the building of more roads. Increased rates for utilities, I’m not happy about 😛
But you know what? Besides, clean air, clean water, clothing and a roof over our heads, everything else is a luxury and optional – we don’t have to have it despite what media says.
Having shifted my interest to skincare, yes I’m definitely feeling the pinch in that department. But I console myself with the fact that good skin is worth it. How much it’s worth, I’m going to have to set my limit! But with makeup, I do feel that there’s a bit of a capitalization on the current interest in makeup locally. I honestly don’t think that most brands are all that but the way that the people fuel the interest in the makeup buying sector, you’d think it’s a matter of life and death to get a particular makeup palette… that they’ll forget the moment they hold it in their hands. There’s more to life!
I remember when I was a student, the Urban Decay Naked Palettes were RM175 when they first launched, then it moved onto RM 189 and RM199. I bought by Naked 1 as a present for myself at RM225 (or something like that), not only as a reward for having worked for a year, but to stop any further regret due to the crazy price increase. It’s crazy!
Another brand that seems to be crazily increasing in price is Too Faced, although I hardly bought anything from the brand. The Melted lippies started out at around RM60ish and they’re now somewhere between RM80-90.
Becca was a shocker to me. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the Shimmering Skin Perfectors cost around Rm200ish. I took one look at them, swatched them and went to Sasa to get me the Mary Louminizer instead for RM80.
Long story short: The prices are rather exorbitant now and I have long since cut down on my cosmetics spending. But, I still like to look at the stuff even if I don’t buy them.
(PS: Sephora’s house brand is pretty good for the price. It’s rather budget friendly aka you can get it on a whim if you wanted)
Goodness gracious! Have the UD palettes gone up THAT much?! It’s shocking! I don’t actually own anything from Too Faced, but I read about the recent frenzy generated by the Peach palette which jacked up prices even in the US. I didn’t check out the local Becca prices, but I have found that it’s getting very hard to justify a makeup splurge these days, when the money can be so much better used for something else – like food or travel. Perhaps it’s a shift in priorities, I’m not sure. I haven’t tried anything from Sephora’s house brand in terms of makeup, but I’ve been told one of their lipsticks is worth checking out. But everytime I get in there,I get so confused and disoriented, I end up not buying anything! LOL
ah pb the topic hits all the right notes for me! rm420 is more or less for what i pay for my car loan, so if i were ever to consider buying hourglass locally, it means sacrificing a lot of other things.
i have scaled down on beauty purchases compared to those days as it has reached a point that there’s nothing new new, and the prices are just not that friendly anymore.
i tend to check my choices online too and most of the time i rarely need to pay crazy local prices, after factoring in possible taxes and shipping fee. i only pay local price if it’s a neccessity like skincare stuff, but that also I would have tried buying when there’s sales or special promo. Every cent counts now, with living cost going up n up, middle class income earner like me really can’t cope if i were to go gaga everytime over expensive things like this.
so unless it’s something i really want, then perhaps i’ll splurge, but luckily for me it doesn’t happen often, phew!
You know, when I first started getting into the makeup (and blush) game, prices of some things were expensive, but it wasn’t astronomical nor as disproportionate as they are now. RM100 for an item, while expensive, wasn’t exactly bank breaking. But when i see the same thing go for almost Rm300 now, I balk. Besides, the world is so much smaller these days – can always buy online! 😀
Topic is spot on considering the current economy. I have been buying Bobbi Brown stuff on and off over past ten years and their prices have drastically gone up as well. Paying more than 100 for a eyebrow pencil seems sinful now considering. 420 is my monthly utility bill with the current heat wave. So when looked at it that way, guilt clutches the soul. Skincare is something I would stretch the dollar. But makeup probably not. Have a good weekend Paris.
I have noticed the rise in most counter brands too. I’ve spoken to a few brands and am told that we can expect another round of price hike. While I understand the need to standardise prices due to the imposition of GST and the currency fluctuations, I do feel like we are paying a lot more for our cosmetics than many other people are in other countries. Sure, I won’t compare with countries like Thailand or Indonesia or Phillippines where I’m sure they feel the same way we do about prices of goods, but I do feel that in many ways, we get it a little harder here as we don’t have as many good, affordable options available. But as you say, skincare is a different story – I’m prepared to splurge a little, to a degree. But with makeup, I think we can all agree that it’s not an area where dropping RM420 on one item is something everyone can do – that said, I hear the palette was flying off the shelves! Clearly, not everyone feels the way I do LOL!
Once increased, impossible to reduce the price in future. I’m cutting down too on my makeup purchases recently too. I would rather shop on my stash. But willing to splurge on skincares though. But still will compare around before purchases and watch out for member’s day.
You are absolutely right about prices going up and never coming back down. So much for using the currency exchange as an excuse eh? 😛 I think the key here is to shop smart, not shop just because it’s there. As much as I talk about buying new stuff, so many of us have so many existing items that we can use to produce the same results… unless we’re collectors of course, in which case,shop on! 😉
OMG! RM420? That is seriously crazy to splurge on a makeup item. LOL. I like how you did a survey spanning different countries on what the equivalent of RM420 can get you. I don’t buy makeup much other than just replenishing my lipsticks but I do buy skincare although I have even scale down on that. Thanks for introducing the moisturiser from Belif and the Korean website Althea because at least now I know where I can get an affordable and effective moisturiser without having to spend so much. I cannot afford Origins anymore as spending RM200 on a moisturiser that would probably only last me 3-4 months seems too frivolous to me nowdays. Having a kid has forced me to change my priorities in terms of spending which I think is also a good thing as have to save more for my little boy 🙂
Apparently, some of these items are already sold out locally. What can I say? Apparently, (a) not everyone feels they’re being ripped off and (b) Malaysians have money – what recession? 😛 I’ve cut back a lot on buying makeup as well. Not because of lack of interest, but because the price rarely justify the means. Back in the day, when anything above RM100 was considered expensive, it still felt justifiable to splurge. Now that the prices are over RM200, I just feel there’s somewhere else I can put the money – so, no more Meteorites! The new one is Rm245! :O
I was happy to see Sephora bringing in Hourglass but after reading your post and realising the HUGE difference in pricing, I will probably not be inclined to purchase any items from the line in store (even with the 20% member discount on occasion). RM420 would probably buy me extremely good weekday lunches at nice cafes for a month.
To be fair, I have not purchased new makeup in a long time, except for staple items like foundation. I used to get caught up in the hype of new launches but after moving back to Malaysia (and earning RM), the pricing has definitely put a damper to my beauty purchases.
The only thing I justify spending on is probably skincare. Even that, my last major skincare purchase was ordered online during the last Black Friday sale where I stocked up on a bunch of things. Even with shipping factored in, the generous discounts/GWPs definitely gave me bang for my buck.
By the way, Space NK is running a promo now, £15 off £60 which is a good deal if you ask me. Time to consider taking the plunge and picking up some Hourglass stuff! 🙂
I think RM420 entertain us very decently for a month 😀 I am more inclined to splurge on skincare myself, as opposed to makeup. It’s also a bit psychological for me since there’s a higher chance I’d actually finish up a skincare item as opposed to a makeup item haha! I’m always eyeing the online promos like a hawk! So many good deals to be had online, there’s no reason to shop in store haha! 😛
Hi PB, this is such a timely post, especially with the recent launch of Hourglass apparently taking my social media by a storm. Literally everyone & their grandmothers have been raving about it, and yet no one seems to be talking about the horrendous price points! :/
Personally, I have been cutting back on my makeup spending a fair bit (a fair bit here meaning almost down to 1 item a month, and sometimes not even that) for a few reasons.
Sephora no longer does it for me, not sure why, but I think I’m jaded by the fact that everything is so expensive in there these days, and that items that I do want are usually OOS (I end up buying them elsewhere) , or that the quality of a lot of the products in there is just really crappy (Too Faced Melted lipsticks I’m looking at you)
I used to love buying the Marc Jacobs gel foundation, but that went from RM189 to Rm220++ within a few months to my horror. Even the Nyx SMLC’s went from RM27 to RM30 if I’m not mistaken. I mean its not a massive increase, but I think it certainly creeps up on one bit by bit. The price increases are understandable given the circumstances with our currency, the world economy etc, but as a middle income earner, one has to stop and think of priorities.
RM 420 would be half my rent, or even a months worth of food. Would I spend all that on a powder palette? Maybe not. I’d rather put that money to a travel fund. But if one has the spending power to buy these products at those prices, I say go for it, get what your heart desires girl! <3 Power to you.
And if I REALLY DIE DIE did want a product which was sold too expensively locally (Sephora.my I'm giving you a big side eye for all those unwarranted price increases), I'd either get a friend overseas to help me buy it, or look for offers, discounts, and alternative sites which sell them for a more reasonable price.
But overall, I think I do feel the pinch when it comes to spending money on makeup, especially looking at local prices. That money could really be put to good use on something more practical, hence why I kind of stopped blogging for a bit because the whole price point of product put me off from even thinking of makeup, and my love for makeup is slowly dwindling. (the horror) Not entirely, but I think I'm getting there.
At this age, I rather spend money on experiences, good food, skincare, savings, a home, a wedding, etc rather than makeup. Sorry makeup, mama has to prioritize. If prices were to drop (if ever lol) maybe I'd reconsider, but for now, that is highly unlikely, so I'm going to shop my stash, which can last me a lifetime to be honest, so this marks the end of my own rant/blog post here hahaha..
Thanks for the amazing write up PB!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts Shasha 😀 I did notice the sudden spike in Hourglass posts all over social media, but I didn’t even know it was because it was lauching here until someone mentioned it to me! Talk about being out of the scene haha! I have to admit that the prices shocked me, but everyone and their grandmother was raving on about that Ambient Lighting palette weren’t they? Ironic. I don’t even think that palette is that practical! Far better to just get 1 powder because that’s all you need haha!
I have noticed a significant number of beauty bloggers leaving the scene because of the beauty fatigue – there’s only so much you can say about a product after a while, isn’t there? Critique it too much and you get called a grinch LOL! But do what makes you happy. There’s no real need to buy new things to blog about them – I bet if you looked in your stash, you’d find a ton of things you can talk about, if you’d like to continue blogging 😀 But ultimately, do what makes you happy – it’s the only mantra to keep in your life. Makeup is secondary 🙂
Always the voice of reason – thank you for a good, well-articulated read.
You’re welcome – hope I didn’t step on too many toes 😉
I think you’ll be fine 😀
Thank you Paris! I’ve been feeling the pinch and after hourglass just launched on sephora Malaysia…i’m just going to say no. I’d rather spend that amount on a serum or get it overseas. This post right here should be frontpage news instead some silly things ive seen lately.
LOL! Gosh the frontpage news we’ve been seeing makes me cringe. Are we that dumb as a nation? I’d like to think we aren’t! 😉 But there are many places and options for buying things without paying top dollar – we just have to do a little leg work! 😉
No shit. That is way overpriced. Pinching our pennies.
I am only worried when my ANR serum hike.
But I do love once a year thing buying luxury makeup. Guess I can’t do it anymore
I am glad I got my guerlain when it is 181.
I saw that the newest LE Guerlain Meteorites will be RM245. I’m done! If you know of anyone travelling, or if you’re travelling, pick up ANR at duty free – my sister got a twinpack of 100ml bottles! Expensive, but still cheaper per bottle and you can’t get 100ml inland 😉
Very nice article, Paris. Topics like these aren’t covered much (I could be wrong, but then again, I don’t read that many beauty blogs but I do love yours 😀 ). Prices are rising but salaries aren’t. Conversion rates aside, I think that RM50 = $50 = £50 in their respective countries. Again, I could be mistaken but it kind of does seem that way? Feel free to comment more on that.
Good gosh, RM420 isn’t worth it for a palette unless you’re loaded and could spare that amount. I’d certainly pick a month’s worth of lovely groceries over that. I do agree that our local Sephora isn’t exactly budget friendly…the prices of the items are just madness. I just browse most of the time when I go in and rarely come out with anything haha…
Thank you Kendra 🙂 Locally, I don’t think many people want to talk about crass things like money – it’s so gauche! 😉 But yes, I’m with you actually on the buying power in different countries. While we try to explain away exchange rate differences, and lust after perceived higher pay overseas, the mistake many people do when making comparisons, is to convert the money to local currency. As you’ve said, RM50 = $50 and $50 buys you a heck lot more than RM50 can! I haven’t bought much in Sephora these days, mostly due to sticker shock. I never realised that prices of makeup is now so high – makes me more keen to shop in my stash instead of adding to it 😀
Excellent article, Paris!! These are my sentiments, exactly – our spending power vs people in the US / UK / SG is kinda sad. $16 gets you a MAC eyeshadow in the US, RM16 here gets you… Silkygirl on sale 😛 (which BTW, rocks for the price you’re paying! 😀 )
I hardly even buy any makeup anymore recently, other than to replace stuff that I’ve finished to save $$$ for skincare products… whose prices continue to increase ever so often! Nowadays I buy my skincare items only during Parkson / Aeon voucher days… so Aunty OMG!!! 😛
Haha I haven’t used Silkygirl in years, but yes, our spending power is very low, which is very sad 🙁 It’s ok to be aunty, so long as you’re saving money which is more important in the long run! I do a lot of my shopping online these days. There’s just more deals to be had, and a lot of my daily skincare aren’t available locally! 😀
Thank you for this article, Paris B. I have been quietly following you for almost 5 years now ever since I embarked on my makeup journey. I noticed that not many Malaysian bloggers would have the guts to be outrageously honest on topics such as these (most probably, due to sponsorship, etc). So I thank you for bringing this topic up.
I noticed the fluctuation of prices in our local Sephora, brands such as Too Faced (Melted Lipsticks: RM75 > RM90, Bon Bon Palette: RM165 > RM199), Stila (Liquid Eyeliner: RM75 > RM80+), 3CE (Lipstick: RM65 > RM78).
When I first saw the newsletter from Sephora announcing the arrival of Hourglass, I was superbly excited but when I set my eyes on the prices, I literally felt my heart stopped. It was so expensive! RM420! I had to really question my sanity on whether to part my hard-earned money for that one item. That’s about 95% of my monthly rent (not inclusive of utilities). Its truly ridiculous.
If Sephora does not control/fairly regulate the prices, I don’t think it is truly worth it to part my hard-earn money for cosmetics anymore. I rather focus and invest on a good skincare or food than aesthetics. Let’s not forget Watsons and other cosmetic brands. Hope you can cover them as well! 🙂
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for reading my blog all this time and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this 🙂 I think locally, there’s a lot of “Let’s not rock the boat” type of feeling amongst bloggers who don’t want to bite the hand that feeds them. Me? I’m less bothered. I wonder if it’s the age thing LOL! 🙂 Ever since I discovered mid-high end brands, it’s been hard to go back to the pharmacy, that much I’ll admit. Also, the significantly higher prices in the pharmacy brands of makeup have disappointed me as well. I find it hard to pay almost RM100 for a pharmacy brand foundation. But that said, I’ll see what I can do about trying more affordable makeup brands. I’m fussy about skincare so it might not happen, but with makeup, anything is possible 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Thank God I didn’t buy any Hourglass items during my lunch break just now! I think that we are too absorbed by what (sponsored) beauty youtubers and bloggers recommend that we want to run out and get it. I was pretty shocked with the pricing but Sephora did come under fire lately for massive price increases and it is so unfair that consumers don’t get massive salary increases! I think Sephora offers a conducive place to test out makeup at your own pace in your own time but ultimately I will find online stores that can deliver here at cheaper prices..once I’ve tested it out at Sephora hehe.
I’ve got my eye on Sunday Riley oils and that’s another burner to the wallet..the tough part is that there are no stockists locally to see and feel the products
I hear you about Sunday Riley products! I wish someone would bring them in, but because of their luxury price tags, it will be such a challenge appealing to the local wallets, so I don’t think we’ll see them any time soon. That’s where reading lots and lots of blog reviews help! That said, while I’m quite happy with Good Genes, I’m not crazy about Luna, having tried it. I might try another oil at another time (if I find a discount code floating online! 😉 ) As for being inundated with “must haves” I have to agree with you there. These sort of swarm-style marketing that floods all social media with raves about 1 product/brand really ups the interest. It’s successful from a marketing point of view, but if you cut through the crap, you’ll notice it’s just marketing. So, have you picked anything Hourglass up recently? 😉
$92 (AUD) is a ridiculous some of money for a powder palette – even by Australian standards. That is how much I pay for my fortnightly public transport ticket (you know, to get to work and all!). I think the regular ambient lighting powders cost somewhere between $50-55 here, which is more reasonable. They are extremely long lasting, so I will give them that! 😛 The strange thing for us, is that ‘drugstore’ products aren’t that cheap, so sometimes it’s worth spending an extra $20 or so, to get a high end product which will work better (not always of course, but generally speaking, with larger shade ranges etc.).
It does give you a lot of perspective when you compare prices and what that amount can mean to someone. I feel very lucky that I have the disposable income to treat myself to new products more often than a lot of people out there, but I try and remember this point. Plus, you never know what’s around the corner, so you need to be smart with your money. It actually makes me quite angry when an expensive product is a dud, because a lot of hard work has gone into someone purchasing that good – so I try and not be fooled by packaging to often or the hype that surrounds certain products on social media.
I’d definitely just pick one of the Ambient powders. The palette isn’t even very user-friendly, I feel as the shades are off. I’m not sure why it’s so popular, except that it looks pretty in pictures! LOL While I do splurge on pricey makeup, I too feel cheated when it turns out to be a dud – the By Terry crayons were a case in point – That said, if people were more honest on social media, they might actually be doing us a favour, instead of making us pissed off at their marketing!
Wow… am I glad that ignorance is bliss because I had not heard of the brands Sephora brought in the last months until now. And the prices aren’t encouraging either 😛
Haha well, now you have! It’s a decent brand, I feel. Just not at those prices.
Great topic and I’m so glad you talked about it. If I was still living in Malaysia and earning Malaysian income, I can tell you this: I won’t be able to buy all these makeup you mentioned and more. It won’t be because I can’t afford it (okay, in the beginning of my working days, I couldn’t) but the thought of spending RM420 on a single item of makeup is simply too preposterous to consider. That amount could be used to buy food, pay for half of my car repayment, a month of my spare spending money and more. The pinch is not so bad with AUD but I agree with you; it’s getting harder and harder to justify a makeup purchase that costs so much. I haven’t been buying high-end lipsticks nor blushes lately; partly because nothing inspired me but more so the cost is just getting too high to justify my wanting it. And yes, they’re always “wants”. If we can read this blog on an electronic device, we have all that we need. The rest are just “wants”.
I totally hear you Tine! I haven’t been buying a lot of makeup recently, simply because nothing is inspiring. Everything is more of the same old, same old. That said, it might also be because I’ve already bought what I wanted, so maybe I’m just being jaded now? It’s hard to say isn’t it? 😛 But skincare – now that’s a whole different kettle of fish! I sometimes wish it was just as easy to try/use skincare as it is to try/use makeup 😀
Same as luxury handbags……and 1 product that is ridiculously expensive here in Msia is Bioderma make up remover.
Oh man, I hear you on luxury bags! Coming from a bag addict, that’s saying a lot! 😛 I remember seeing Bioderma here – too crazy! Way too crazy!
$62 for two weeks of grocery in the USA really? Hmmmm….my daughter lives in California and spends that $50(at least) weekly, so I’m not sure believe your friend there. Or she just eats veggies hahaha. Here in Canada the palette is $70, and that’s probably a week’s worth of groceries easy as food is more expensive here. It’s for sure a tank of gas and a pizza. I agree that makeup prices are way out of whack, and I complain a lot but wow we don’t get gouged half as much as Aussies and you guys that’s for sure.
I don’t buy as much as I used to either, but it’s not about prices for me. I just have grown-up in my makeup life. I don’t feel the need to own every damn palette that comes out. I now realize that I don’t wear eyeshadows hardly ever, so I don’t buy them. I’ve become pickier as I age. And as I age, I find that I can’t use a lot of drugstore makeup besides lipsticks anymore. So, if something is good and at my stage in life, I am willing to pay a bit more for it. But, if I was younger I’d be thinking about it a lot harder that’s for sure. Kind of glad my makeup addiction happened at the right time and now I’m just relaxed and know what I like and what I’ll pay for. Like lipsticks-that’s my makeup buying choice of late. But like you, skincare I will splurge on, but I always try to get a sample first now!
Haha I’ve no idea – just passing on what I was told! Maybe where the shopping is done matters? I don’t think you guys get half as stiffed as we do when it comes to makeup prices, to be honest. But you are right about becoming pickier with age and time. After a while, when you’ve tried so many different brands/products, it’s easy to figure out what works and just stay with it. Also, I’m not about to go minimal the way many people have done, but it is nice to actually use products I enjoy using, instead of just switching around for the sake of trying something new.