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!