by Danielle Corbett

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

For women, cosmetics are not only a necessity but also serves as that simple, inexpensive luxury in their life. However, the current economy is making many women to redefine their personal cosmetic collection thus questioning the pros and cons of having a large quantity of cheap cosmetics versus some of the higher-end products?

When choosing cosmetics it is important to choose quality whenever one can. Is it possible to find quality in cheaper priced cosmetics? The answer to this question is a unanimous yes. The reason being many higher-end department store lines produce many of the lower end cosmetic lines found in drugstores. Nonetheless, there are some cons in not trading up to more expensive products.

Higher-end department store brands tend to have significantly more pigmentation in their foundation and color palettes, which provide great coverage and a range of intensity not unachievable with cheaper cosmetics. Because of this, lines like Maybeline are joining the bandwagon of adding more pigmentation in their cosmetics to match the quality of pigmentation one can get in a department store line.

Many higher end brands offer better skin care collections and benefits in their products (i.e. anti-aging nutrients, a higher spf added to the foundation) due to the amount of laboratory research involved in production. However, this is where the pricing of higher-end lines factor in.

If looking to add variety to a current cosmetic collection, consider cheaper brands when choosing mascara or eyeliner as these items require regular disposal for hygienic reasons. Also any item that will not be of interest in the next fashion season (different eye shadow or nail colors, etc.) would be better bought at a less expensive price.

Another option of getting quality cosmetics at a fraction of the price is to search for private label cosmetics on the internet. Many professional makeup artists use private label cosmetics in conjunction with brand names. In addition, brands like Mary Kay offer great quality of skin care and cosmetics at a fraction of a cost that also perform as well as department store brands.

With a multitude of brands and products professing to perform various feats in improving one's appearance, there is no reason to be a mad scientist in the cosmetic laboratory. The key ingredient in having an inexpensive yet flawless presentation is to combine the best of the cheaper lines with the more expensive ones that offer great quality.

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