Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Department Store vs. Drugstore

As the economy plummets further into the depths of recession, my friend hair-crazed Jenny (if you don't remember her, click here) and I had an intriguing conversation about the difference between department store products (expensive) and drugstore products (less expensive).

So, as the new year approaches, here's some "beauty for thought" straight from the lips of hair-crazed Jenny:

She doesn't want to focus on her hair at the moment because it's become too exhausting (GASP!) - to layer or not to layer; cut or not to cut; highlight or au-natural. Instead, it's all about obsessing over the skin.

New York winter leaves skin dry and cracked. So, what's a girl to do when she is desperate for some moisture but also wants to combat wrinkles and not spend a month's rent in the process? Sure, there are tons of products that merge the two, but Jenny's found products - from both department stores and drugstores that fight dehydration as well as aging. The major difference is the price tag...

Cle de Peau La Creme - An intense moisture treatment for the face. It's a thick and cream that really seeps deep into the skin to rehydrate a dehydrated complexion. "Encourages the natural turnover of epidermic cells and protects support fibres, thus improving the softness, elasticity and firmness of the skin. "
PRICE TAG: $475.00


Boots No 7 Time Resist Night Cream - Just as effective and it contains a retinoid which works to combat signs of aging. "Pro-Retinol visibly reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, leaving skin smooth, supple and radiant." Not as moisture driven, but it still does the trick. Plus, it leaves the complexion glowing and dewy (and at times, even flushed - like a just-got-off-of-the-beach, I'm-so-tan look).
PRICE TAG: $15.99


In the end, we chalked it up to this: It's not about the price tag on a product. The expensive and inexpensive work just as well. It's all about alternating! Jenny believes in bi-weekly alternation. "It's like alternating shampoos. Once you use a product for too long, it stops working." Never use a product for longer then a month - regardless of the cost, your skin will become immune and it will stop doing what it's meant to do.

What drugstore finds would you use to substitute your department store products?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to be a diehard Lancome lover, and while all my makeup is still Lancome, I'm now a Lush addict for skincare. The Fresh Farmacy soap and Celestial facial moisturizer has left the skin the softest and clearest it's ever been, no matter how many hundreds of dollars I spent on other products.

Grayburn said...

Good tip on expensive vs. cheap. I like that you talk about alternating.

Wish you a Merry X'mas & Happy New Year!
Grayburn

CecilyT said...

Sorry, I think that stuff about your skin/hair/whatever becoming 'immune' to the benefits of products is a bunch of bunk. That's like saying that you'll become immune to the benefits of eating broccoli if you eat it too often.

I think you might see bigger benefits from a product when it's new if you haven't been exposing your skin to many of its ingredients (e.g., an alpha hydroxy solution). When I first started using an AHA product on my face, it was tingly and burny, but man, my skin was bright and fresh. As long as I keep using it, I get those results, though with less tingling and burning, b/c I'm using it consistently, there's less stuff to be dissolved. I'm sure if I stopped using it for a month or two and let my skin get dull, and started again, I'd end up w/ the tingly and the 'oh wow' factor, but really, it wouldn't be better than just using it continuously.

Anonymous said...

I too have found that if you use one product too long it doesn't work as well as it did. I've never been a "brand loyal" kinda gal because I always like to try new things and I've often found that just because the price tag is higher doesn't mean the quality is.

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