I am a big follower of news and current issues. My Twitter feed isn’t for everyone (as some of you have found out LOL!), because it really is a personal account, and I often run off on a non-beauty related tangent. But what with Twitter feeding me news, and my own personal experiences, I cannot help feeling the economic pinch. I speak for myself here in Malaysia – I do not profess to know what’s happening in other countries. This might not be true in a higher economic/income nation.
Basic things like prices of food have spiralled remarkably in recent years. Grocery shopping can be quite a challenge, and I know of people who struggle to make ends meet, much less have spare cash for savings or even luxuries. It is very sobering, in a country where resources are plentiful, but mismanaged. (Ok, no more politics)
When I first started being interested in beauty – skincare and makeup – over 15 years ago, I was earning quite an average basic income. Glam sounding job, but no high-flying salary to match. Yet, back then was when I started my beauty collection and experience – Dior lipsticks, Chanel blushes, Guerlain Meteorites. I was using Estee Lauder, La Mer and SK-II as my skincare. Estee Lauder ANR was my crack! They were expensive, but they weren’t prohibitively so. I wonder if it is also because the brands did not go crazy with new releases every 2 weeks. Things hung around a lot longer which made them more attainable after a spell; and for makeup, you had time to save up for the seasonal collections because there were maybe 4-5 a year.
These days, almost every brand launches a big collection one week, and 2 weeks later, launches a capsule collection. MAC Cosmetics went from having 1 new collection a MONTH to 1 new collection A WEEK. I understand the brand’s drive to increase sales – but what about for the consumer?
Rapidly rising local prices of beauty products
I have also noticed a marked increase in local prices of beauty products – makeup and skincare – in the past 2 years. This has come about for various reasons, political and economic, but we know what happens when prices go up. They never come back down, and if anything, they will only go higher. Every time I speak to a brand representative, and they indicate a price hike, I wince. Most products we are discussing are already pretty expensive to start with – how much higher can they go before they go out of reach? You only have to browse Sephora to know what I’m talking about. I can’t bring myself to buy half the things in there, because I don’t feel the prices to be commensurate with the quality.
PB – Are you part of the problem?
Many of you know and realise that I personally use and feature fairly pricey beauty products. I’d even say luxury products. You might then accuse me of being part of the problem. What may not come through is the fact that I’m very careful about what I use and feature, and I have my personal price thresholds that I won’t cross. I buy a lot of my own products, and I know how it feels to actually have to spend money, not just have things thrown at you willy-nilly, so you lose touch with reality.
But when I talk about an eye serum that’s RM880 for 15ml, or an eyeshadow palette that’s RM220 or even a powder that you can barely see on skin, like the Meteorites that weigh in now at about RM257 or so, I cannot help but feel a little disoriented. This is more so when I learned that a bunch of new foundations will cost over RM400. RM400 bucks for a foundation. That’s crazy! To be honest with you, I may blog about them, but it doesn’t mean I can justify telling you “Hey, buy this, you will see a miracle!” And I never will. I really get nothing out of it even if you do buy it. When I learned that my holiest of holy grails, Estee Lauder ANR is now RM400 a bottle, I was speechless. If I am affected by these sort of prices, how much more so is the average woman on the street?
I know my audience. You are mostly women (and some men) with jobs and in most cases, family. There may be some of you living in the lap of luxury, for whom money is no object, but for the most part, you are the everyday woman. How much of what I blog or feature might be relatable to you? Perhaps a small portion. Perhaps it gives you something to save towards, if it’s a product that’s really good and worth using. But how much of it is sustainable?
Mushrooms aren’t a substitute for truffles
I’ve had people tell me “PB, why don’t you feature more affordable products?” and the truth is that it’s hard, because I’ve had a taste of the good stuff. It’s like telling someone who eats truffles, to switch to mushrooms. It just doesn’t happen. Of course, if I start developing a taste for mushrooms, I’ll talk about mushrooms. But if truffles float my boat, I’m afraid it’ll have to be truffles or nothing.
Sometimes, I come across some amazingly affordable products that meet my stringent quality levels, and that’s when I tell you about them. Catrice Cosmetics come to mind almost immediately. Cheap and cheerful makeup that perform very well, with a very small price tag that is within reach of everyone.
But if you are truly a beauty afficionado, you will agree with me that Catrice is the exception to the norm. Even brands like Maybelline or L’Oreal Paris or Bourjois are hardly classified as “cheap makeup” locally. They are affordable, but they are by no means cheap, and the quality isn’t always up to par. I discount mascara because I don’t use it and therefore have no views on it, but I can tell you that if you want good mascara, look to the Japanese brands – they know their mascara.
Beauty is a luxury – but is it too much of a luxury?
Beauty has always been a luxury. We can only really think about spending money on potions and lotions and colours and powders, when we have that extra cash, after providing for our necessities and paying off our commitments. So, when you start to think about the co-relation between sticking to something that is of a certain quality, and the rapidly rising asking prices across the board that takes a larger chunk out of your income, I begin to wonder if beauty isn’t quickly becoming too much of a luxury item.
I can barely bring myself to pay for a bottle of EL ANR these days. How soon will it be before people start switching away from their regular brands, to something more affordable? How many people are cutting out products so they don’t have to use so many? Perhaps it’s already started. I’m told consumer brands (sold in pharmacies) are doing brisk sales. People ARE switching away, but at what cost to their skin, if it’s skincare?
I’m not saying of course that everything cheap is bad or sub-standard. It remains a fact that good quality ingredients cost money, and that will transfer to the consumer. I’m not saying also that all high-end products are good. Far from it. Some just ride on their name and celebrity endorsements.
Many skincare products I see in the local pharmacies, that are within easy reach of the populace, don’t live up to expectations, or are really not worth mentioning. The one brand I might be willing to stick my neck out for is perhaps, Olay because I’ve had good results using their products over the years, starting with Total Effects and then Regenerist. Hada Labo is another brand I’m willing to recommend (except for their cleansers which suck – and suck all moisture out of your skin) We don’t get the good French pharmacy brands, and the ones we do get, aren’t affordable here.
I won’t talk about Korean skincare brands because I personally feel that the affordable ones are, for the most part, very basic to be point of being too basic. If you haven’t used skincare before, it’s a decent place to start. But I wouldn’t use it for the rest of my life, because you just won’t get what your skin needs over time. You may disagree, that’s your prerogative. But when a brand engages the services of a high-flying popular K-pop/K-drama star as the face of their brand, and you walk out of the store with more freebies than products purchased (that’s always been the lure of Korean brands), it makes me wonder just how much their product is really worth 🙂
All I’m saying here is that in the current economic climate, and the rather uncertain economic future in a world gone butterly onkers, I don’t know how to justify some of the prices of products I tell you about – a RM400 foundation, a RM1000 moisturiser, a RM500 serum, a RM300 highlighter, a RM460 perfume… How are these not luxuries? How is beauty not becoming too much of a luxury? How are prices of beauty products spiralling beyond the reach of the everyday woman (or man) who just wants some decent skincare, or even makeup that doesn’t entail having to sell a kidney?
Your thoughts?
I just had to get this personal debate off my chest, but I’m not going to stop you know LOL As I said, truffles. I like my truffles and champagne and if I save for them, I get my truffles and champagne. I’m just a little more selective these days, and indulge a little more sparingly. But you can be sure that I’ll tell you that truffles and champagne are luxuries you can do without. Some day when I find mushrooms and sparkling juice that taste as good, I’d be sure to tell you about them too 😉 Have you started feeling the pinch already and are you switching away?
Paris B
Gerrine says
Nothing is cheap anymore. Even the makeup & skincare selling in Watson guardian. I can’t really afford skin care like Estee n others as I still have to pay for my expensive hobby. The most expensive skincare I m using now is the sephora glycolic acid serum which costs 150 for 30ml. I m trying to find skincare that costs below RM 100 .Last I remember Estee ANR serum selling for RM 350. Had no idea price hike to RM 100.
Paris B says
You know what? It’s actually hard to find anything really good under RM100 which makes me feel rather sad and disappointed 🙁 The best advice I can give is to spend wisely, by buying when there are sales or offers – it’s what I used to do back in the day, and it’s what I still do now. It’s hard to afford much otherwise, thanks to our shrinking RM 🙁
Baroness Octothorpe says
“Yet, back then was when I started my beauty collection and experience – Dior lipsticks, Chanel blushes, Guerlain Meteorites. I was using Estee Lauder, La Mer and SK-II as my skincare.”
Speaking as an American, if you could afford these brands as an “ordinary” worker, then they were REALLY underpriced compared to the US. Here, these have been high-end, expensive, luxury brands for years. I don’t pretend to understand macro economics or business strategy, but it sounds like those brands’ Malaysia prices are now more in line with their US affordability.
Because I haven’t, in general, used these brands (with a few exceptions–Meteorites are worth every penny!), I can’t really say if they’re worth the extra cost, but I’m dubious. At least in the US, there are an awful lot of brands, both drugstore & specialty, with similar or even identical ingredients for a fraction of the cost.
Paris B says
Well, I didn’t buy them all at once and I did save up and buy the expensive skincare when there were special offers, so it was actually manageable 🙂 It wasn’t cheap, by any stretch of imagination, but there was time between launches and using a product, to save up for them. Also, it was affordable, in the sense that it didn’t take as large a percentage of my pay, as the current prices do. Locally, prices have gone up drastically, but pay hasn’t, so it works out a lot more expensive now than it did before. That said, someone could do the same thing and save up for it now, the way I did before. It’ll just take them longer 🙂
By contrast, from what I can tell from online observations and speaking to some people overseas, while these same brands are expensive, it doesn’t carve out as large a chunk from your pay cheque, as it does here. You are lucky in the US, to have pretty decent and affordable drugstore brands. Here, a lot of things are imported, hence the rising costs.
nicole says
hi PB! i’ve been reading your blog for quite some time but have not really compared prices to those in singapore.
interestingly, i was just researching reviews for the hada labo hydrating essence and came across yours done in april this year. converted to sgd, the essence would be sgd 23 in malaysia. however, it’s sold for sgd 31 in the singapore guardian pharmacy.
i know we cant compare like this, as minimum wage and economic statuses are different. but i couldn’t help wondering it’s still cheaper to buy from malaysia.
could i ask, what’s the starting pay for grads in malaysia?
fyi – the anr costs sgd 160 here. just couldnt fork out the money.
ps. i hope my comment doesn’t offend you or anyone else. just curious to know how sg and malaysia differs.
Paris B says
Hi Nicole, thanks for reading my blog! 🙂 From what I can tell, prices are actually more expensive for many similar things in Singapore, compared to the local prices. But in many ways, it comes down to the exchange rate, and relative earning power. If they priced products here, the same as they do in Singapore, the reality is that it won’t be as affordable. So, here’s a tip – come to Malaysia and help boost our economy please! LOL! 😉
I’m a little out of touch with the young grads, so I can’t honestly say what the starting pay is. It will depend on the industry. For a professional in KL, it could be RM3000 or it could be a little more or a little less, depending on where you are. I believe it’s the same but in SGD in Singapore? So, you could probably understand my consternation at these prices of beauty products, that really shouldn’t be a luxury good, but now is.
IYing says
I used to use Shiseido range of products and only buy them once or twice a year. And that’s all I spent on skincare. Which basically keep the yearly beauty budget to within 3 figures (RMXXX). But ever since I discovered brands like Antipodes, Trilogy, Ren, Caudialie etc, there’s no way I can keep within that budget. Hence, online purchase it is. Also, I try to finish them off before ‘restock’, and sneak in some ‘cheaper’ finds from iherb (Heritage Products Rosewater for example). Of all the beauty products, I find perfume is the most ‘outrageously’ priced but if I find something I really like, that’s my ‘truffles’! Speaking of perfume, it’s really tempting to try that Jo Malone mini perfumes, oh women…
Paris B says
Haha I feel you IYing! Not being loyal to a brand does that to you 😛 But you know, I think Antipodes or Caudalie or even REN is more affordable than Shiseido is now right? They too haven’t been spared the price hike! 😛 Oh and I’m so thankful for online stores too, and all the random little discount codes that float our way now and again. Not that it’s a terribly good thing because, temptation is always there 😛
Perfume is crazy, I’d agree. I used to buy perfumes at just a little under RM200 for a 30 or 50ml bottle. Now, it’s just through the roof! If you have the money, and don’t already own Jo Malone scents and want to play around with them, the Christmas set is a very good way to start. It’s expensive, but it will give you lots of fun mixing and matching. But I’d be the first to admit that RM450 is a crap load of money, and it’s hard for me to tell people “Eh, buy it! It’s good value” when really, RM450 could go a really long way otherwise!
JackieA says
PB I totally agree with feeling some sort of pain in the gut when I have to fork out so much for cosmetics. I am surprised that with your basic salary 15 years ago you could afford Dior, Chanel and La Mer which at that time would have rendered me penniless!! Even with what each expensive product touts as their miracle ingredient or secret to youthfulness, for the amount I am paying, I would expect to see results almost instantly which is sadly never the case. Still, the thrill lies in purchasing and trying out all sorts of new products in the hopes that you find “the one”!
Paris B says
I could, JackieA but not all at once la! haha… Maybe a new lippie a month, and with La Mer, it took me a few months to save up before I bought a jar that was RM600 back then. Now, it’s over RM1k. Pay hasn’t risen in a commensurate percentage, so needless to say, it’s no longer my playground. Also, back then, I found it less distracting shopping for cosmetics. There weren’t all these new releases popping up every other week. So I could focus on the lipstick or collection I wanted and go for it. I used to buy just Meteorites from Guerlain as a treat, but that was only after I’d been working for about 4 years. In the early days, my pay was shocking, so Maybelline it was LOL! 😀
Fathin says
I’ve been trial and error to find cheaper alternatives for products that I found the best. I don’t go to the most cheapest I can find but started with slightly cheaper. But it’s very hard to move to another products when you already met your best haha.
Anyhow, my plan now is splurge on basic and save on additional. Basic for me is cleanser, toner, moisturizer and foundation and face powder. The rest are what I can find alternatives based on my budget hehe. But even on splurge products, I still think of my budget not blindly buy.
However the thing I’m most despair is book – I have to carefully choose what to buy!a
Paris B says
That’s very wise. We should ALL work within our budgets. Some have bigger budgets, some have smaller budgets, but it’s a challenge isn’t it, making that first purchase? I’m wondering if I want to replenish my ANR at those prices! 😛 Oh books haha! Do you buy them locally? I bought loads during the Big Bad Wolf sale a few years ago, and you can get more affordable books at BookXcess which also sells online – maybe they have something you might like? 😉
Fathin says
I usually buy my books at theee stores: MPH, Kinokuniya and Popular. I guess like Bobbi Brown, I’m pretty loyal with MPH :P. It’s easy to shop online their website, free shipping to East Malaysia for min RM80 (members), lots of promo nearly every month and they replied to your enquiries pretty fast. Sometimes there are nice freebies haha. With Kino, I like to find old or hard to find books there and sometimes their prices without promotion can be cheaper than other bookstores. And lastly, Popular – the big bookstore in my town and sometimes they have big warehouse sales, too. Actually, to find my preferred books, I have to rely on those big chain bookstores haha.
I just visited the BookXcess and though their books are so cheap, they have limited choices for my preference and their search options are not quite suitable to search books hard to use – should have search options by authors for example. I haven’t been to Big Bad Wolf, I keep missing it whenever I’m in Semenanjung lol
Paris B says
Yes, BookXcess has a very limited selection. I haven’t bought from them myself, but they are the same people who do the BBW sale, and you basically find very random books there. I have found some good ones, but in the main, it was my go-to for cheap fiction that I’d never otherwise buy LOL! I buy most of my books from Book Depository myself, the only caveat being the long waiting time. I haven’t really stepped into local book stores for a while, because prices of books here shock me 🙁 Then again, prices of everything these days shock me 😛
Fathin says
Lol we might need to use more minyak cap kapak and panadol with all these price hike! I think I heard about Book Depository, that one from UK, right? Once, I won a book in a facebook contest and the author herself ordered the book from a foreign website which delivers FREE worldwide 😀 Took quite a while to arrive to my hometown, I think about a month. A month of keep checking my mailbox or listening to the mail truck’s horn haha.
Paris B says
Yep that’s the one! It does take a while to get here unfortunately, but I find a lot of books there I enjoy. Besides, book packages make me as deliriously happy as beauty packages arriving in the mail! 😀
Fathin says
Same here, feel like someone send me a gift everytime a package arrives, no matter the size and the content hehe. If the price rate is much cheaperthan our local bookstores especially those books in older series, it will be worth the wait 😀 Sometimes I think I’m getting a job because of books and cats and all those lovely limited edition Bobbi Brown makeup haha.
Paris B says
Yep, I found some books and series that I’d not seen locally or were hard to get locally. So it’s all good. In the big scheme of things, they weren’t much more expensive than in store, but with the USD being as high as it is, that will change, naturally. Sigh.
Efrain says
Since I always comment late I’m going to write as soon as possible. In my opinion beauty is a luxury because we can skip it and we’ll still be alive.
Right now beauty products in Mexico are going higher than ever, our salaries are low AF and half of the Mexicans are in poverty. Thus I’m not surprised of how prices are going up in every product, call it food or foundation.
I’m a student, I still live with my parents and they provide me everything. For that reason every time I buy a beauty product is because I saved or I sneak it in the grocery shopping.
Therefore I can’t buy something from mid or high end unless I get some unexpected money. In fact sometimes I struggle to buy my Olay cream, which is around 50 RM, because my dad argues every time I buy it because he says it’s a lot of money on creams -this is a sensitive topic because it isn’t only because of the money-. So I end up doing miracles with my money.
My lastest higher end purchases have been a MAC lipstick, MAC Selena Amor prohibido, and a trio of Benefit mini stains. Actually I haven’t bought any in a year or so.
I was planning to buy the Meteorites because I got an scholarship but if I want to use that money in a better way I should buy skincare for a year and if I still have some money I may use it to buy any lemming.
So yes, beauty is becoming more expensive and I really don’t understand how more expensive brands are popping out when more and more people can’t afford it.
Paris B says
Haha thanks for jumping in so quickly Efrain! You are so right about beauty being a pure luxury – we need to cater to our basic necessities first! I’m so sorry to hear that you’re facing the same problems we are i.e. rising prices and low wages. We have similar issues here 🙁 I think you’re a very responsible person, and I take my hat off to you, because so many young people these days don’t think before spending their parents’ money on luxuries. I see it a lot, and it sometimes makes me sad, because they may not realise how hard their parents have to work, to save up for their education (which is also very expensive these days) and they go off and squander money on a new mobile phone or luxury items. There’s time yet for you to indulge in luxuries, when you’re earning money – it’ll always be there 😀
I hear you too on all these more and more expensive products popping up. Apparently though, there is a market for it. I’m not sure I understand it, but it’s there. It puzzles me more than ever!
Efrain says
Thank you for saying I’m a very responsible guy; I try hard to not spend more money that I can because of the economic we’re living in my house and in our country. Luckily education, when public, isn’t completely expensive if you’re a middle class family -in fact it’s quite cheap but because of the low wages it is hard for many families to send their children to university-.
You’re right there’s going to be a time when I will be able to splurge on many stuff but sometimes it’s so hard to see how people spend their money so easily when I have to save a lot to buy only one product.
I understand they’re niche brands so they have a really specific public but sometimes I wonder how no one has been able to create cheaper products but with quality. As you said in your post, once you’ve tried truffles and champagne you can’t easily eat mushrooms and sparkling juice.
Paris B says
Ah, but you see, you recognise your personal constraints and see the bigger picture, when so few young people do! Speaking of brands that are creating affordable products of quality, I have ordered some very affordable products and are waiting for them to arrive. While I get that niche products or even luxury products have a standard or image to maintain, I think it’s also sometimes to do with economic levels and earning power (wages) in different countries. Where I live, wages haven’t risen as significantly as prices in recent years. That makes it harder for people to sustain a certain lifestyle they may have been used to. In a higher income nation, price rises or even luxury prices, while high, may not feel like such a pinch.
ishi says
There used to be the ‘lipstick effect’. Seems that this theory is out the window now. Brand name lipsticks are so expensive now, you can get two weeks worth of lunch for the price, it is ridiculous. So do I eat or do I save for that lipstick….
As for skin care, it is unfortunate that as one grows older, the skin tends to need a little more TLC , need a bit manja.
I am dabbling with the idea of a ‘do it your self’ skin care. The sort you buy the ingredients and mix yourself at home. May not be glamorous, but if it works , why not. Who cares about the brand I use anyway, at least I keep the money i have with me longer. Maybe I’ll be the next Mrs Lauder ..who knows.
Sharing a DIY link here. I am not affiliated but I hope this helps those who would like to save a bit more money. These are tough times. http://www.soaplabmalaysia.com/2016/08/how-to-make-hyaluronic-acid-vitamin-c.html
Paris B says
You know that lipstick effect was partially replaced by the nail-polish effect, because nail polish is cheaper! LOL But you are right. It’s getting harder to indulge in that coveted high end lipstick or makeup item, because you have to weigh that against something else like a good meal. The only consolation is that if you aren’t a makeup junkie, then one item can grant satisfaction for a while. But woe betide if you’re a junkie! 😛
As for DIY skincare, kudos to you! 🙂 DIY skincare is something I can’t get into because I prefer to let someone else do the work. I’m not confident enough to be able to source proper ingredients and mix it hygienically enough. But it’s a trend that I know is popular. Just be sure you buy your ingredients from proper sources so you get the proper, and right ones! 🙂 And when you’re the next Mrs. Lauder, don’t forget your friends here at MWS hehe… 😉
ishi says
There used to be the ‘lipstick effect’. Seems that this theory is out the window now. Brand name lipsticks are so expensive now, you can get two weeks worth of lunch for the price, it is ridiculous. So do I eat or do I save for that lipstick….
As for skin care, it is unfortunate that as one grows older, the skin tends to need a little more TLC , need a bit manja.
I am dabbling with the idea of a ‘do it your self’ skin care. The sort you buy the ingredients and mix yourself at home. May not be glamorous, but if it works , why not. Who cares about the brand I use anyway, at least I keep the money i have with me longer. Maybe I’ll be the next Mrs Lauder ..who knows.
Amalia says
The world is divided into the haves and the have nots. This is reflected also in the cosmetics industry and most of the times luxury products / skincare are worthless cheap in term of ingredients- water, alcohol, silicones, perfume. For the “have not” who struggle to survive , I am (I want to speak only for my self) a part of the problem. Even for € 10 mascara – I’ m afraid to mention companies who have mascaras that cost more than 30 euros – for other this money is their daily wage. Big hugs from in Greece.
Paris B says
I hear you Amalia. My only quibble is how the prices of goods are now reaching levels that cater to the ‘haves’ when the local wages haven’t reached those levels. So, having to dedicate a significant portion of your pay to a “little splurge” is to me, something that weighs on me. Prices have risen a lot, but wages haven’t gone up as quickly. Hoping you’re keeping well over in Greece! 😀
Margaret Cheong says
I have found alternatives to expensive Estee Lauder ANR with Korean brand Missha. Maybe you should review this brand. It’s skincare range has none of the playful twist associated with young girls and bubble gum pop appeal like other cheap Korean brands.
Paris B says
I’ve heard that the Missha Time Revolution serum is an ANR “dupe” 🙂 I have it somewhere from one of my iherb buys LOL! I should dig it out now that my ANR is almost gone. I also believe that Missha has a more “premium” range, which is where this serum sits, if I’m not mistaken. Their other products are more affordable, although I had some bad experience many years ago, hence my reluctance to go near the brand again 😛
Bugs says
I have skin that loves loves loves high end skincare. Unfortunately, my pocket can’t keep up. With the recent price increase, I can only make do with Avene milk cleanser. Yes, it doesn’t feel that good on the skin compared to the high end cleanser, but I should be thankful that I can still afford to use a Rm75 cleanser.
Yes, I switched, reluctantly.
Paris B says
Glad you found an affordable alternative! I have to try this Avene milk cleanser, I’ve been told it’s good stuff. Avene is a good brand, but I find them a little pricey for the pharmacy. Time was when pharmacy meant it was easy finding decent items under RM100. Now, it’s getting a lot harder!
Jenn says
I agree, Paris. Beauty is indeed a luxury and getting more and more expensive to maintain 🙁 Doesn’t help that my skin loves high-er end products too… drugstore skin care doesn’t work as well for me. An exception is the Loreal sunblock which performs almost as well as its Lancome counterpart at 1/4 the price… which I’m soooooo glad for because I go through them quickly! 😀
And eeps for the ANR price increase again. Sadly, I still havent found a dupe for this yet, so I resorted to cutting down my application to once a day instead of twice to make it last! T_T
Finally, I’m glad that i’m not the only person who doesn’t really care for Korean skin care products, not even higher end ones. I picked up the much raved about Hera Cell Essence and Bio Cream when I was in KR but I wasn’t impressed. The only Korean product i’ve tried before that works for my skin is the Sulwhasoo ginseng cream. But, at that price point I’ll stick to Estee Lauder and SK-II, both of which worked better for my skin and are cheaper too! 🙂
Paris B says
Ooh you’re still using the L’Oreal sunblock! 😀 Yes, I do agree that it’s a very safe dupe for Lancome’s. They are sister companies anyway, so it stands to reason! I know it alienates me for saying I’m not into Korean skincare, because that’s the in thing right now. But hey, we all have our preferences! I do enjoy using some Sulwhasoo products but that’s probably about it. I will be testing some that I bought on a whim, but that is again, the exception. That said, I do still like that SUM:37 stick cleanser thingy. It’s super handy! 😀
Jana says
You certainly hit a nerve with this post! Especially with never ending limited editions. It feels very much like they are designed to milk the consumers, not so much to serve them. This oversaturation made me actually stop buying limited edition items, because I don’t see the point of them any more, they feel like cheap tricks rather then truly special creations.
Paris B says
I totally hear ya Jana! It’s come to the point, my brain shuts down when I see limited edition products, because I know it’s going to sell out, no matter the price, simply because it’s a “collector’s item” and because I know it’s a gimmick. But I can’t deny, it’s a really successful business strategy!
ShopGirl says
You know what, I have not popped into a Sephora or the counters in a long time mainly because after much trial and error, I’ve found that what I need is often available at the drugstore.
I’ve also found that my beauty tastes have changed and I’ve not always had luck with luxury skincare products. I gave away my ANR after only a drop or two of use.
Right now, I’m using what works for me and I’m fortunate that the el cheapo products seem to do the job. I’m happy with my mushrooms haha
Who even knows what luxuries I’m slathering on my face? I’m spending more money on other passions these days, Ms. P. – limited edition toys, books and even clothes, for once!
Paris B says
That’s great to know the drugstore works for you Shopgirl 🙂 Luxury brands don’t work for everyone. I started out using luxury brands (young, excited about getting a pay check, splurging LOL!) then when that became unsustainable, went the other extreme, and used purely drugstore which was when I explored pharmacy selections to the hilt. But I’ve drifted back, not fully, but mostly with a diverse mix of brands that are sometimes locally available and sometimes not 😀 Mushrooms are fine – nothing against them at all! They add a beautiful umami flavour to dishes and who’s to say, it won’t work eh? 😀 I think it’s actually very interesting how our interests change over time. But every time I fall off the beauty bandwagon, I come back on with a different perspective, and interests, and that in itself is fascinating! 😀
Anthea says
Your post is so timely! I just went in to a Sephora store today. I would usually head straight to the cosmetics area without even glancing at the areas displaying skincare. But today was an exception and I took the time to look at the skincare on display.
I looked at ANR and slowly backed away to the Laneige stand, looked at the price of that famous blue tub of sleeping mask, wince a little at the price and left the store. 😛
Paris B says
Haha You know Anthea, when I walk into Sephora, I look at most of the products and I think “WAH! So expensive now. Who’ll buy this?!” but the cashier counter always has a line. So, I guess not everyone thinks the same. Perhaps some are even desensitized to the prices, who knows?! Perhaps only those who have been around long enough realise how high prices have gone haha! 😉
Hani Lutfi says
I guess it depends an individual’s measure of what “affordable” really means. If you think anything above RM50 is unaffordable, than you’re going to have a difficult time. Then again, you can’t have everything you want in life, unless you’re filthy rich. For example, I’ve been trying to get out there and travel more so in order to do that, I need to cut down on my beauty shopping and vice versa. So, you really have to learn to live, if not below, then according to your means.
Paris B says
Absolutely. We should always live within our means. What I was perhaps trying to get at was that it’s getting harder to sustain a lifestyle you may have been used to, simply because the products you are using have risen so much in contrast to salaries. So, people have no choice but to switch. I’ve done that before. The whole switch, which is why I know how truffles and mushrooms behave LOL!
Ayu says
I’m a drugstore girl, even for skincare. Though these days it’s pretty much all Asian drugstore that I have to buy online (I’m from the US). To be honest, the reason I read your blog is not because I’m looking for reviews for products I plan to try. Pretty much everything you feature is out of my price range. (My chosen skincare/makeup budget is by choice, not so much that I can’t afford it, so please don’t feel bad that you are making people envious with your luxury products!) I have read your blog for years because you are a good writer and your posts are interesting.
For those of us in the west who buy Asian drugstore products online, prices are actually becoming more affordable and accessible. I suppose sellers have realized that people in my boat are a growing market with great potential (to make them $$$). What I used to have to buy through Rakuten Global, I can now find on Amazon and Ebay for equivalent prices with shipping included. I don’t have to plan large hauls to save on shipping or deal with a language barrier on a non English site, which means it is much easier to order if I have a sudden lemming for just one item. All this convenience is great — except on my wallet of course =P
Paris B says
Hi Ayu, hey, you know, I’m glad that the products you use are getting more affordable. I have seen some of the mark ups of the prices of Asian skincare sold online in the US and it can be really crazy! So, being able to get it more affordably is a good thing. I only wish I could say the same for myself LOL! Our exchange rate has just gone mad, and as most of the products I use are sold in USD or various European currencies, I’m pretty much steeling myself for even more price hikes in the future. Nothing to do with the brands raising prices willy nilly – all to do with currency exchanges, and global standardization of prices. Sigh. Sorry to hear products I feature aren’t within price range – I’m such a snob LOL! 😉 But thank you so much for reading my blog despite that <3
Natalie says
that’s why DECEIM has a new brand called ‘the ordinary’. below RM 100 serums (after conversions) and honestly they’re working pretty fine for me.
Paris B says
I’ve got an order coming my way! Was so hard to get hold of them earlier because they weren’t shipping internationally, but now that they are, I quickly made an order haha! Glad to know they work for you! 🙂
Natalie says
Yay I can’t wait for your review! I’m already placing another order!
Jue says
Nooo! I didn’t know ANR is 400 now? It used to be a palatable 250 – 350. I bought them whenever I travel overseas but sometimes like in a few weeks I will be running out and I am not traveling in the near future.
The Malaysian ringgit really sucks and no thanks you know who.
I feel you PB. It used to be I can afford buying a Dior blushes as they are priced RM 180 and recently I saw they are over 200. I don’t think I can justify that anymore.
Lipstick used to cost 80-98 and now they are over 120. But these are the things that I cannot switch. I have dry lips and lower range lipstick just doesn’t compare.
I feel the pinch really.
Paris B says
Yes it is now RM400! I double checked with the EL online site. Sigh. Up till RM350 I was still saying “Ok, I can still suck it up” but now that it’s crossed another 100, it’s getting harder to justify. I’m the same as you when it comes to luxury makeup. For some reason, they were easier to spend on before. Meteorites were RM160 when I started buying them. Expensive, but not prohibitive. Now, it’s RM257 and salaries aren’t going up as quickly. Ouch! I guess we just have to suck it up and actually use up our makeup we’ve hoarded so far eh? 😉