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Did you know that in a recession lipstick sales go UP? It makes sense, if you think about it -- a new pair of shoes seems like such a commitment or a splurge or an extravagance, but a tube of lipstick, even an expensive one, is still so reasonable. And it's such an easy way to change your look without really CHANGING your look.
Perfect.
I've been thinking quite a bit lately about what we give up when economic times are tough; we still have to pay the bills, after all, but there are so many other things that we don't have to pay for. So how do we decide what to spend on, and what do we do when we're not spending?
I have my short list of Things that I Will Continue to Shell Out For: hair color (because I can't do it as well myself), manicures (because I only go for special occasions), good mascara (because I wear it every day). I am actually not buying lipstick these days because I have made a deal with myself that there will be NO NEW LIPSTICK until I've used up what I have.
I've also become more conscious about preventative skin care, in order to need less product; I went to the dermatologist this fall, which cost me a total of $75.00 out of pocket, for the office visit and the two prescriptions he sent me home with. Following his instructions -- which included tossing all of my high-end skin care products and replacing them with a cleanser and sunscreen from Neutrogena (both available in the drugstore), my skin has completely changed.
Recently, More magazine ran a short list of recession beauty necessities; on their list, with manicures and hair color, was Botox. My knee-jerk reaction was to scoff at this -- for heaven's sake, who thinks of Botox as a necessity in a recession?!? At the same time, though, I suppose that one could say there is no difference between my prescriptions and the Botox, but I still found myself wondering.
How do we decide what is necessary and what isn't? Especially when we're talking about beauty products, which are essentially frivolous in the first place. What makes these "necessities" for us? And what happens if we just stop buying them?
Perhaps the larger question is how we justify vanity in an economy that is making it hard for many people to get by. I tell myself that manicures and hair color are work-related, because I've been doing more media appearances for various projects, but really, I just don't like having dry cuticles or visible roots. Really, truth be told, I keep up my nails and my hair and my face because it makes me feel good.
Understandable? Maybe. Justifiable? I don't really know.
Of course, I can afford all this -- that's not the issue. Or is it? Does that make spending on lipstick really acceptable?
What about you -- how has your beauty spending changed since the economy turned? Are there things you've stopped doing or purchasing? Or are you carefully protecting your beauty routine?
SheFinds has the best drugstore blushes, BeautyTalk goes recession shopping at Sephora, and Penny Lane Designs wants to know what your recession-buster products are.
