By Jennie

The other day I found myself at Sephora, looking for eyebrow gel, a product whose existence and necessity I’d been unaware of until maybe three years ago. Now, I can’t live without it (I have Eyebrow Issues), and my current tube was both almost used up and, I had just realized when I sniffed the wand last week, really funky-smelling.

So, I’m scanning all the products looking for my clear tube of gel, and what do I see but something called mascara primer. Is that a thing now? I was aware of the existence of foundation primer (which I do use, though not always), as well as lip primer and eyeshadow primer (both of which I guess I can see the value of, but I think I’d need more time and more money before I bothered). Now we have to prime our eyelashes for mascara? Isn’t that overkill?

I understand that beauty products are big business, and I’m as susceptible as the next gal (and probably more than some) to new items that promise to reduce the appearance of fine lines, brighten skin, and make the makeup I have on last longer without fading or running or flaking or doing any of those annoying things makeup tends to do. But I do wonder if I’m being hoodwinked. How do you know? And does it matter? Make-up aficionados might be interested to know that various online colleges offer programs in cosmetology!

I did a little online research and several products came up as being “not worth it” in the view of various beauty arbitors. One site mentions products specifically designed to moisturize/tighten/youthify (um, is that a word?) the neck. I can totally understand that – while I’m no dermatologist, I doubt that the skin on the neck and on the face are so radically different that the same products cannot be used on both. Another product mentioned was lip exfoliator – for smoothing flaky lips. Now, I myself find that lip balm (or Vaseline, in a pinch) keeps my lips well-moisturized, unscaly and unflaky. But I know some people swear by lip exfoliants (though many of these women go the homemade route, using a paste of sugar and olive oil, or something of that sort). Similarly, I don’t know that foundation primer has any actual function or value, but I feel like it does. The difference is subtle, so I may just be fooling myself, but I feel like it makes my foundation go on smoother and thus look better. I’m willing to pay for that, even if it’s an illusion (an expensive illusion, unfortunately – that stuff is not cheap!).

But still – mascara primer? I usually have more trouble getting mascara off than keeping it on, so I don’t need it for that purpose. Maybe it’s supposed to keep mascara from clumping? If so, why can’t they just make a mascara that does that? Many mascaras already claim to, anyway. (I have Mascara Issues, too – though my current mascara, Buxom Lash, actually works pretty well.)

What about you? What cosmetic products do you think are useless, and what products do you think are worthwhile, even if others scoff?

About the Author:
Jennie has contributed to Imperfect Women since its inception in 2009. She writes about politics, celebrity news, and anything else that catches her interest. She can be reached at jennie@imperfectwomen.com.
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Written by Jennie

A couple of weeks ago, I was having a bad hair week. I get these periodically – sometimes I think it’s hormonal. But in this case I suspected my shampoo, a shampoo/bubblebath/body wash combo that had been given to me as a gift. I made the mistake of popping into Sephora, just to see if they had anything that might restore my hair to something resembling its former glory (its current state managing to be both greasy AND dry).

This was probably not a good idea. I love, love, love Sephora, and there are some decent deals to be found there. The Sephora line of cosmetics tends to be reasonably priced, a bit over drugstore brand prices but less than most department store brands. I’ve noticed before that their hair-care section is small and pricey. Still, I was feeling both desperate and reckless, and before I knew it I had convinced myself to buy a $24 bottle of shampoo.

Yes, you read that right – $24. About five times what I usually pay for a bottle of shampoo at the supermarket. Furthermore, it wasn’t even a very BIG bottle of shampoo – I think ounce-wise it’s probably about 3/4 the size of the shampoos I normally buy. (Okay, in the interests of accuracy I just checked the bottle and then looked up the volume on the size of Finesse I usually get – the Finesse is actually 13 oz., to this brand’s 6.7 oz. So, technically I spent about 10 times as much per ounce. Ouch.)

But here’s the thing. I love my new shampoo. Love it. It’s a brand called Phyto, and the shampoo itself is Phytojoba Intense Hydrating shampoo. It is awesome and it has made my hair so happy.

Still, I can’t buy $24 bottles of shampoo every week or so. Can I? I don’t think I can. I think I’d have to be considerably wealthier to be able to justify that to myself. I’d probably still feel guilty thinking about all the starving people in the world who could benefit from the $4 per ounce I’d be paying for my shampoo.

I don’t always find that more expensive = better when it comes to beauty products, particularly hair products. For instance, as I mentioned my go-to supermarket shampoo is Finesse, which works just fine on my hair. On the other hand, I’ve sometimes used expensive shampoos and conditioners and found that they leave a residue in my hair or otherwise don’t work for me. I’m usually willing to spend the most on moisturizers and skins creams because I’m wary of anything that might have an adverse effect on my skin. Probably the most I’ve paid is $50 or so for a fairly small pot of moisturizer – man, Lancome is expensive. But I’m aware that there are many brands that are even far more expensive than that.

Do you have any beauty indulgences? How do you justify them to yourself? (I’m looking for help with my self-rationalizations here.) If not hair products or cosmetics, do you treat yourself to expensive shoes or handbags? (Those I find hard to justify, particularly the latter – a $30 purse will hold my stuff just as well as a $600 one.) Do you usually find that when you spend more, it’s worth it… or not?