Paying for your Product or Paying for its packaging?

{via Pamela Heywood from alwynwturner.com}


It is pretty easy to be taken in by ornate bottles, sleek boxes and stylish brand fonts, not to mention luxurious ad campaigns. But in the end, is the actual gift worth the gab?


We are in quite a tense time in the economy. I get it -brands don't want to lose business, and I'm not saying that sometimes, a little expenditure proves worthwhile in the long term. But then, we also don't want to be paying quite so much, that the only person actually benefiting is the cheeky manufacturer.


Someone was telling me the other day that it is a clever marketing ploy to raise the price of products, not because of the highly sought after ingredients used in certain cosmetics, but because it raises the prestige, and therefore the demand, of the brand. The stats show that we are more likely to buy the expensive brands than the cheaper alternatives because we assume the price indicates the effects. In our minds, cheap stuff  = minimal magic, whereas £80 for a thumb nail pot must be the miracle cure we have been searching for.


But quite often though, we are disappointed that the products haven't proved their price-tag. So how can we avoid making the same mistakes again when we are next taken in by some clever marketing and a large array of numerals? Firstly, check the ingredients. Not many of us are chemists, but we can all play 'snap' pretty well, and when you read the small print, quite often we become suspicious that we are paying more for what is virtually the same ingredients as the store's 'own brand' variation. Second - read reviews. Youtube, blogs, or fashion/beauty websites will tell you if the product is actually worth buying whatever its cost, so listening to those who have tried-before-you-buy, could save you your bank balance and a massive disappointment.


Again, don't get me wrong, some products out there are a lot of money and deliver great results - I think Eve Lom for instance, is one of those more high end, but high quality brands. But don't dismiss the cheaper alternatives - remember the Waitrose baby butter at under £3 was deemed the new Creme-de-la-mer? . Don't be conned by consumerism - it costs not to be cautious. 


Any recommendations out there of great value for money buys? Or cosmetics that you think are really worth their cost?


Miss V x