Beauty products: How much do you really need?

By Malu Fernandez

It?s a well-known fact that all women love makeup and beauty products, I can reassure you that even those women who don?t regularly use makeup will have a cabinet full of skin care products. Whatever the case may be, the industry of beauty has such a vast array of products it can be overwhelming just to pick one. Have you ever gone to a makeup counter with the idea of buying one item, like a lipstick, only to be overwhelmed by the different lip products to choose from, starting with lip base, lip liner, lipstick, and gloss and finishing sealant? Lipstick used to be the easiest product to purchase? Guess again. With all the choices to choose from?glossy, demi-gloss to matte?it can be a headache and that?s just for starters. What about skin care products? There is night moisturizer, daily moisturizer, moisturizer with SPF base moisturizer, etc... The list goes on.

With today?s global economic crisis, a lot of women who are feeling the restraints of a budget opt for a single lipstick to curb their shopping urges. Some say it can change your whole look and lift your spirits. I agree. But we still can?t forego our basic beauty routines. Being on a strict budget doesn?t mean looking horrid. All you have to do is be smart about the purchases. Do you really need all those products? Some products have a dual purpose. If you know how to maximize the use of your beauty products not only will you save money but you will have extra space after getting rid of all the unnecessary clutter on your dresser.

All women use some type of makeup remover. Please don?t use plain soap and water?that will make your face really dry as the alkaline in the soap isn?t suitable for the skin on your face. When choosing a makeup remover, choose a product like Pond?s cold cream or liquid makeup remover after you tissue off all the dirt and makeup. Do not wash your face, just pat with a damp towel to remove the excess grease. Pond?s has a dual purpose. It also acts as a moisturizer after you have removed all your makeup. The damp towel is used to remove the greasy feel but don?t rub it all off or you won?t benefit from the moisturizing effect.

Cr?me foundation is a perfect choice for those who wear makeup on a daily basis. Your foundation can act as a base for your whole face. You need not buy eye primer, or coverup for facial blemishes or dark circles under the eyes. Avoid liquid foundation?it can get streaky in the heat?or powder pancake which, unless you?re on stage, can look a bit thick and cakey. With a cr?me foundation you can control the thickness in areas that need more coverup. Try the cr?me foundation of the Face Shop (about P500). It?s a cheaper version of Mac?s Studio Fix which is over P1,000. If you?re really on a budget, E.L.F. foundation stick for like P100 available at SM is the best way to go. Cr?me foundations are multi-purpose, so don?t bother buying primers, coverup, or blemish removers. A good foundation can erase all your sins away, just remember to seal it with a face powder or it won?t last the whole day. Make sure your face powder matches the shade of your foundation.

For shampoo and hair care products, don?t buy into the myth that the more expensive shampoo is the better one. You only need a clarifying shampoo if you have a lot of product build up like gel, mousse, hair spray, and molding mud etc... But this country being the land of straight, no-nonsense, fuss-free hair, stick-to-the-basics local shampoos are actually the best for us because they cater to Asian hair rather than those expensive imported brands. You need not buy all those deep conditioning or hair spa treatments. Use your regular conditioner and leave it on for about five minutes and rinse. It has the same effect as those hot oil products. Don?t buy into the adverts?the ingredients on most of the products are the same.

Basically as Asians, we are blessed. Our skin elasticity is much better than our Caucasian counterparts and the humidity in this country is a blessing for our skin. If you have a few lines and can?t afford Botox or YSL Touch? Eclat, use a regular highlighter cr?me shadow on your lines. It will play with the light and diffuse your lines just like Touch? Eclat. There are also a lot of expensive anti-aging cr?mes in the market but go for a mass brand like Olay or Pond?s, which have the same ingredients as expensive cr?mes.

Just remember it only takes 50 cents to make a lipstick, another $2 or $3 for the container and the rest of the money goes to the adverts and marketing. Therefore, a mass brand like Pond?s or Olay is cheaper because of mass volume produced. So the next time you?re going through the beauty product aisle at your favorite store, choose wisely. Think: Does the product have a dual purpose? Is it good value for money and if it?s a mass brand, how long has it been around? For instance, Pond?s has been around since the time of my grandmother so I know it?s a reliable brand and think about it, 50 years ago, so many of these products didn?t exist yet the women looked fabulous. I guess grandmothers know best!