Are Expensive Cosmetics Worth The Money?

By Elisabeth Norton

Some type of cosmetics have been in use since the dawn of man. Even Cleopatra, one of the most powerful female rulers who ever lived, is better known for her imaginative use of kohl eyeliner than her international diplomatic policies.

During the Middle Ages, wealthy society men and women used cosmetics - heavily! The most popular was white powder which was put on wigs, faces, and any area that was exposed. Add some red rouge on the cheeks and lips, and the effect, nowadays, seems quite comical.

In the early part of the 20th century, cosmetics became popular purchases at the corner drug store. Up till then, cosmetics had never been mass produced. It took the new movie industry to make that possible. Rich, poor, beautiful, and plain all ran to the new make up counters to see and to buy. Suddenly even the average housewife had a supply of lipsticks and eyebrow pencils and eye shadows.

Makeup didn't really become a household name until color movies became the norm. When moviegoers could see their favorite stars up close and personal, they were amazed at the colors they saw on their faces. The brows, the eyes, the cheeks and the lips. They were gorgeous! And every woman wanted to look just like these beautiful starlets. The cosmetic companies to the stars - Max Factor and Maybelline - made sure that would be possible.

Companies competed against each other for market share like no other product on the market! Expensive brands began to show up in leading department stores, giving drug store brands a run for their money. No matter where the counters were, makeup was selling.

Of course, as with most products, there comes a point where some of the options simply become so expensive that we need to step and say, "What exactly am I paying for?" When an ordinary foundation can be had for under $10 at the drug store, or a similar product that sells closer to $75 at the local department store, which one is really worth the money?

Although the ingredients in many of the high end expensive lines purport to be better a quality, how much better can something really be? What exactly are you paying for at the major department stores that you aren't paying for at the local mass retailer? Probably the packaging. - 33386

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