SHOP SMARTER: Makeup Shopping for the Shopping Impaired

Smart(er) Makeup Shopping

In these EXTREMELY difficult economic times, we all have to be much smarter about spending our hard-earned money.  Cosmetics are one thing that are not usually hurt too badly during a recession (ie: Who can't afford a new lipstick??  I crave a new lipstick!  I DESERVE a new lipstick!)........ 

Yes, we can go buy an item or two of Department Store makeup for what seems like only a few dollars more, but my recommendation is that we instead go to buy more items for the same amount of money at the drugstore.  DUPES!

THEY ARE EVERYWHERE, 

and WE CAN ALL HELP EACH OTHER FIND THEM!

Yahoo in an article about saving money agreed that a great way to do so is to use drugstore cosmetics. Yahoo said that most of it is made in the same factories, with the same ingredients as prestige brands, implying that it is the same thing. 

Well, here's a news flash for us, it's not! Does that mean it is inferior? 

NO WAY ! 

Let's look at Lancome and L'Oreal. 
Does L'oreal own Lancome (OR VICE VERSA?)? Yes!
Do they share product information? Yes !
Do they share certain common ingredients? Yes !
Are you paying twice as much at the department store for Lancome when you could be getting the same thing at CVS for mere pennies? YES???   NO??? 

The correct answer, my lovelies, is SOMETIMES !!!

Here's why...drugstore brand makeup is now getting so much more pigmented,  you DO NOT need more of it to get the same look. 
You're NOT using more, so there are big savings there!!

Secondly, re: skincare...yes, drugstore brands can claim fancy sounding ingredients all they want, but the fact is that they are cheaper because there are generally less of the active ingredient(s) in it.    READ THE LABELS!!!

SOMETIMES THAT DOES NOT MATTER! 

You really are paying for what you get, and you should really ONLY get what you NEED. 
So, check out the OLAY Pro X and some of the newer lines that contain ingredients such as coffeeberry, etc.  
  
We may have to use more to get the same effect, (or NOT) and with skincare, it could take longer to see similar results and the results will, most likely, be more subtle than if you were paying for that really expensive prestige brand. 
I'm not telling you to go in to buy the $300 moisturizer vs. the $70 prestige one, vs. the $40 DS one....you can decide what you need and what you can afford yourself :)