What’s the Most You’ll Pay for a Beauty Product?
There's no denying that the cost of maintenance as a woman can be expensive. Aside from hair upkeep like cuts and colour, there are skin treatments like facials, peels, and lasers; preventative dermatological procedures; hair removal; manicures and pedicures; dental care; and so much more. It hardly seems like there'd be funds left for plain old products! You know, like your foundation, moisturizer, serum, bronzer, mascara, and arsenal of lipsticks. All of the fun stuff that composes your medicine cabinet and beauty bag. Which is why we're curious: What's the most you'll pay for a single beauty product? Do you have a price cap that you'd never go above? Keep scrolling to see my answer, and share yours!
I'm in a unique position as a beauty editor, because I get sent products to try. Because of that, I've come across some fancy beauty products that cost upward of $200, and I've fallen utterly and impossibly in love with their effectiveness. I see and experience, firsthand, that they change the appearance of my skin for the better, and that makes their price tag worth it going forward. But I probably never would have tried them in the first place if I hadn't been sent them, because beauty products, particularly of the skin variety, are a risk. If you drop $200 on a cream that you didn't buy at Sephora (where returns are accepted), and it doesn't work or it makes your skin break out, then you may have just lost that money, so there's a lot at stake. If, however, you get the opportunity to try something and know that it works wonders, then $200 might feel like a small price to pay for the changes it delivers to your skin. Of course, price caps for beauty items are likely going to depend on the category. For instance, the most you're willing to pay for face cream or foundation is probably different than the most you're willing to pay for mascara, lip balm, or shampoo and conditioner.
For me, the most money I've ever spent on a beauty product was my personalized-label Santal perfume, which was around $180. But perfume lasts forever and is inherently a pricier beauty category. (On the forever front, I bought my bottle in November and spray it almost every day, and nine months later it looks like the bottle hasn't been used). Aside from perfume, the most I am willing to pay for a beauty product—across all categories—is $65, which is the cost of my all-time favorite, holy grail foundation, Armani Luminous Silk. It lasts for months as well, and I will never stop loving, using, or buying it. I think if a foundation were $75, I would have a hard time justifying it, so $65 is about my sweet spot for a non-fragrance beauty product with high performance that I'll pay for at this stage in my life.
What about you? If you'd like, take our poll below and/or tell us in the comments what the most you'll pay for a beauty product is!