by Mariam Nundu

Created on: March 01, 2009   Last Updated: March 19, 2009

There are two main illusions to having lots of cheap cosmetics: versatility and cost effective. Cheap cosmetics may allow purchases of various products from different brands. Thus implying that one is able to enjoy variety in colours and flavours from this rainbow effect of mixing-and-matching products. However the same versatility can be just as easily accomplished through the up-market cosmetic brands. In fact the market is infused with packaging from such brands that optimizes this very quality. Different colours, textures and even products are effectively packaged in one container.

Although the current financial difficulties may suggest that consumers will opt for cheaper cosmetics, this is not necessarily the case. Firstly, even before recession was part of our everyday vocabulary, fierce competition within the cosmetic industry was already pushing prices down. The surge of cosmetic brands and changes in consumer consciousnessaffected too, the overall standard of cosmetic products. Consumers didn't want inferior products they demanded better, effective products that cost less. The up-market brands seized the opportunity by extending their range to include low priced products: effectively nicking the customer base for cheaper brands. Hence what was once a wider price gap between the up-market and cheap brands begun to narrow. The inferior products were left on the shelves despite the low price tags. Slowly major stores stopped stocking such products in favour of those, which delivered.

This trend is even more pronounced during these hard times. Superior, effective and durable products are essential now than ever before. We need reassurance that our money is worth spending. Thanks to the Internet we can shop for bargains worldwide or choose to find information to concoct our own DIY makeup options. Hence the increase in promotions, free-samples campaigns, bogof, 30-day-money-back guarantees and so forth fighting for our money. We can get nectar points or air miles with our choise of eye shadow!

Cheaper brands do have a part in all of this, just not the ones traditional associated with such brands as discussed earlier. Nowadays these brands continue to keep the competition in the industry going. We benefit from this of course but we also like cheaper brands for their 'disposability'; if we don't like it, we can bin it, it was only a couple of quid anyway! Unfortunately not many of us are able to bin a couple of quid anymore.

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