08/12/2014

Beauty products: when do prices become ridiculous?

Today sees the launch of an exciting collaboration in the nail polish world. Victoria Beckham has teamed up with Nails Inc to create a duo of nail polishes that have been inspired by her Spring/Summer 2015 catwalk and when I heard the news, I knew this would be something the nail polish addict in me would want. Cue me logging on to the Nails Inc site this morning, credit card in hand, ready to make a purchase. Until I saw the price.

At £25 each (or £45 for the duo set), these are some seriously pricey polishes. And in my books, far too much to warrant a purchase. Don’t get me wrong, I love a high end makeup purchase, but £25 for a single polish is just a bit ridiculous. Admittedly this is a designer collaboration for an already premium nail polish brand, but I think they’ve run the risk of alienating a lot of their regular customers by charging this much.

Every year we see the prices on some of our makeup favourites continue to rise (MAC lipsticks anyone?) and at some point many brands will become completely unattainable for lots of people. With Tom Ford charging £35 for a lipstick and many high end mascaras now pushing the £25 mark, makeup has almost become a status symbol rather than a pay day treat or just a life essential.

The more the prices rise, the less likely I think we are to experiment with different brands or try out new products. £25 is a costly mistake to make if you decide you don’t like a certain mascara, or find that the nail polish you love so much chips within hours. Maybe if we had the same policy as much of the US that allows us to return beauty products then it wouldn’t be such an issue, but at the moment I know I’m quite cautious about what I spend my hard-earned cash on and tend to stick with things I know work for me. I’m tired of spending money only to find out it doesn’t perform as well as it should or isn't quite what I expected.

How do you feel about the high end price tags? How much is too much?
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15 comments

  1. I think prices do get very extreme! But when it comes to lipstick, you don't HAVE to have a Tom Ford lippie - there are far cheaper alternatives out there. A Tom Ford or Chanel lippie will be a status symbol because they are luxuries, not essentials. It's snobbery. You can definitely get very similar shades to Nails Inc's VB offerings, for sure x

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    1. Very true - I guess they definitely fall into the status symbol arena. x

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  2. I think if someone wants to pay it then they will, whatever the price. For me, well it doesn't float my boat, im not the biggest Nails Inc fan having always been disappointed with every manicure I have had with them x

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  3. Pfffft! I do not and will not take that bag of bones seriously. She is not a fashion designer, just someone who's branded. A nail polish collaboration is as laughable as her clothing range that other people have designed and stitched. And while I'm on the subject Christian Louboutin can sod off with his overpriced nail polishes.

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    1. Lol you crack me up girl, even though I do actually really like VB! xxx

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  4. High end brands have such pricey things I would never pay 25£ for a nail polish it's absurd! There are so many great ones for less money. The same to lipsticks, I must be the only person in the world that thinks Mac lipsticks are too expensive for what they are. In Portugal you pay 19€ for 1 lipstick and it will not last that much time you expect. Kiko has been my favorite brand for a long time and for many reasons such as the price according to quality. It's amazing how they have great products and you can try them without breaking your bank. :) xx

    Mary Bloomy

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    1. I love Kiko! I think they are such great value products and perform much better than a lot of luxury brands x

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  5. You are so right. Just because the prices have gone up I have switched from foundations to BB creams. It's really not affordable for me to purchase high end makeup every month as my usage is too much. I love the quality of high end products but sometimes one needs to find alternatives.


    Sarah
    Pretty Gloss ♥ beauty, makeup & a bit of life..
    bloglovin' | twitter | pinterest | facebook

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    1. It's a shame that price hikes mean it's no longer always viable to get your favourite products. It's good to find high street alternatives though! x

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  6. I've been thinking this exact same thing all day - I'm in no way adverse to spending serious money on good quality makeup and skincare but £25 for a nail polish is just beyond...reality. I cringe when I spend £18 on a Dior polish and this is like half that price on top again! It's a shame because I love both shades but I honestly can't justify it to myself to spend £25 each on them. The funny thing is, a couple of years ago I was earning less and definitely would have bought them...I agree with what you suggest, that sometimes makeup items are a symbol of status. Hopefully I'm over that these days, or at least a bit wiser to it! xxx

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    1. It's odd isn't it - I think I probably would've bought them too when I was earning a lower wage! Now I'd rather save the money for something more long lasting x

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  7. Woah thats insane i thought Nails Inc were drugstore? am i wrong?
    i think in terms of makeup like £40+ for a blush from tom ford is pushing it especially when there is good if not better at more affordable prices

    www.beautyandtheboy.com

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  8. yes, it's almost double the normal price!

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  9. Wow that's pricey! It is hard with expensive products, because there's so many I want to try, but I can't afford to buy something and risk it not working for me. If there's something I really, really want to try I'll read countless reviews before deciding whether to splurge or not xx

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  10. I have to say when I saw that they were £25 each I couldn't believe it! To be honest, although I love their newly designed bottles I'm not keen on these ones and I'm not hugely keen on the shades either. I just don't think they look like shades that are worth £25, although I guess the cost reflects the fancy formula they're supposed to have and that they're Victoria Beckham ones. A couple of pounds extra maybe, but not £10 more than their (new) standard range x

    Becky @ The Little Blog of Beauty

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