Friday, 7 June 2013

Cosmetics prices: USA vs Australia.

Hello hello,

Over the past couple of weeks I have been researching the price differences of make up between Australia and the U.S. There is a buzz about the high cost of living in Australia all over the interwebb world and quite a lot of talk about beauty products that are substantially more in cost in Australia than other countries in the world. I am not an economist by any stretch of the imagination so please don't take any of what I say as educated fact, however I know that the average wage in Australia is higher than the average wage in America also taxes need to be considered... And so on and so forth... However just to give a clear idea of the price difference of make up I did some research and went on to Target online Australia (http://shop.target.com.au/) and the Target online America (www.target.comand got the prices of identical products on each website. (I viewed these sites on the 31st of May 2013).
I will also make note of the current exchange rate and attempt to give as clear a picture of the inflation of products in Australia. Please know this is not me complaining or winging about prices this is just to see side by side the difference.

Here is the link to a website that helped to put into perspective the difference between cost of living comparing a variety of every day products, it also makes note of the difference in the median salary of both countries.
www.numbeo.com

And here is a link to a forum thread about make up costing in Australia, New Zealand and other countries that have high prices for beauty products.
www.makeuptalk.com

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The exchange rate as of the 7th of June 2013 is For every $1USD it is $1.05AUD.

So that it is easy to see the difference I will put both the USD and the AUD equivalent next to each item...

These are the prices I found on the target online stores.
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Revelon colour stay make up (liquid foundation) 

Target Australia  $34.95AUD = $33.20USD

Target US $9.49USD = $9.97AUD

Loreal shine caresse (lipstick) 

Target Australia $23.95AUD = $22.69USD

Target US $7.99USD  = $8.43AUD

Maybelline volume express falsies (mascara)

Target Australia $19.25AUD = $18.24USD

Target US $4.99USD = $5.27AUD

Cover girl cheekers blush

Target Australia $9.95AUD = $9.43USD

Target US $3.74USD = $3.54AUD

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There isn't really any conclusion to this post, it is what it is, just trying to shed as much light on the topic as I can in regards to this. I am sure I am not the first to do this.
If you have a blog post relevant to this one put the link in the comments so I can check it out and if you have a request for a similar blog post for a different country then comment, I will try my best, like I said I AM NOT AN ECONOMIST.... If you are an economist/mathematician/ expert in cost of living then feel free to weigh in on the conversation.

Thanks for reading

X
Anna

Sunday, 2 June 2013

Savvy Volumising Mascara - product review

Hello fellow beauty Scrooges!

Today we welcome you to read our opinion on Savvy Volumising mascara. The mascara retails at AUD $9.99 and is available from any store that stocks Savvy products - we got ours at Priceline.

For the money you pay you get a decent black mascara that comes in a 9.5ml black tube packaging. There is subtle pattern along the tube which does make it look nice and more expensive that it really is.
 
The wand is nice and long so it is easy to work with. The wand is an interesting shape: I think Savvy's original idea was to make it hourglass - wider on top and bottom and slightly "pinched" and narrow in the middle - which is great for a mascara, and would have worked a treat if it was perhaps a bit more pronounced (like the Sexy Curves mascara by Rimmel). The fairly large tip also makes it a bit difficult to get into the corners of the eyes.

Subtle hourglass shape of the wand 
The bristles are synthetic and spread the colour nicely and evenly. The formula is not too wet in itself but does take that little bit extra time to dry once on your lashes. The mascara does not clump, does not smudge or flake even after 12 hours of wear which I find quite impressive.
After
 
Before
My lashes are fairly long and curled on their own but they do lack colour, so this mascara worked quite well for me - a few coats of it lengthened my lashes visually, and kept them separated.
However, I can't honestly say that I found it to add a great deal of volume, so in that respect I feel the mascara did not quite live up to its name.

Pros:
  • Good formula - not too dry, not too wet.
  • Mascara has good staying power - does not flake and does not smudge easily.
Cons:
  • The wand makes it hard to get to shorter lashes in the corners of the eye.
  • Mascara comes only in the colour black - would've been nice to have at least a brown as well!
  • I find the mascara lengthens more than it adds volume, and while that's a great result, it's not quite what the mascara manifests it will do..