VS 
A $120 Dior product (left) and a $29 Target NP Set product (right).
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times notes that sales of super-premium beauty products priced at over $150 have increased 21% since 2007! The article says that women who might not be able to afford a decadent bauble from Cartier, for example, opt to pamper themselves with a lush face-cream instead. While this makes complete sense to me, I’m nonetheless surprised at the staggering number especially considering the rise in drugstore finds (eco-friendly line Yes To Carrots and Olay who is aiming to bring prestige beauty to the masses in January with their anti-aging line Olay Professional Pro-X, for example), not to mention the likes of Target teaming-up with prestige beauty lines. I’ve actually recently tested-out some Target beauty products. They have a new line called NP Set which was developed by celeb makeup artist Napoleon Perdis (his clientele includes Debra Messing, Evangeline Lilly, Winona Ryder, Amanda Bynes, Jamie Lynn Sigler…). I have to say that given the price, the quality isn’t bad. Yes, the lip gloss is a little sticky (but then again so are countless prestige glosses), and the white, plastic packaging isn’t all that dazzling, but for decent quality at a price that won’t break the bank you can’t complain (nothing is over $30). That said, there’s something about picking-up a Chanel compact or a Givenchy pot of cream that is truly not comparable to anything you can find at a Target or drugstore. Which is why, if you can afford to splurge, no matter how great drugstore buys get, I think it’s totally worth it. I just always remind myself not to get caught-up in price or brand, but qualitity because there are just as many prestige flops as there are drugstore ones!
Hi Sharon,
I’m glad you mentioned the fact that there are just as many prestige flops in the cosmetics industry as there are drug store brands. It’s a fact that jar packaging, which kills any unstable antioxidants ability to stay effective are out the door the minute it’s exposed to light and air (case in point, the Dior jar packaging above), ingredients that have no benefit to the skin, irritating oils, etc, make it a hard pill to swallow when it comes to the higher priced luxury brand cosmetics that are out there today. Given the economy’s weakened state, if a gal can find an effective drug store brand that has state of the art ingredients, antioxidants that are packaged in an air tight tube, and are free of skin irritating ingredients, she’s in a lot better shape in the long run and so is her skin!
i use a pretty expensive dior cleanser because it’s the only one that consistently doesn’t make my skin freak out… but i can skimp on moisturizer, because i’m only 22 and don’t have any major skin problems. i just get one with high spf that doesn’t make me too oily. there’s no point spending more money unless it’s actually something that will make a difference in your skin. the most important thing is knowing what your needs are, and what to splurge/skimp on. same applies to makeup (for me, splurge: eye shadow, powder; skimp: mascara)
Which Dior cleanser do you use? I just got their eye cleansing water which was $29 and it’s horrible! Totally drys-out and doesn’t cleanse at all, but I’ve heard so many great things about their beauty line all the creams I’ve looked at though I haven’t loved the smell so I have yet to try…
sharon – i use their creme moussante rinse-off cleansing foam. http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P109408&cm_mmc=us_search-_-GoogleBase-_-P109408-_-857813&_requestid=42976&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=857813
it’s super gentle and doesn’t leave any trace of makeup (i can tell because i usually use a toner with a cotton pad afterwards and it’s clean.) it’s recommended if your skin dries out easily and tends to feel tight after washing. it lasts forever too because you only need a tiny bit, so i can justify the price.