Thursday, September 20, 2007

Ours is a Star-Crossed Love, DiorShow Ultimate

I have fallen in love with a mascara. It is DiorShow Ultimate. It is the perfect mascara. I go to Sephora to visit it, to try it on and bat my lashes at myself in the mirrors. It costs $23.

The thing is, I have two perfectly good mascaras--a Rimmel my mother got in a gift bag somewhere, and a better one, from MAC (source of the vast majority of my good makeup). But the DiorShow has them both beat by a mile. It's the holy grail of makeup: you look better without looking like you're wearing makeup at all.

It's just--this is so blatantly something I do not need. At all. Beautiful eyelashes are not a need. No matter what Cosmo tells you. On the other hand, they are a want, and want is a force not to be discounted.

Just when I think I've got myself talked out of this purchase--on grounds of obvious wastefulness, of $23-plus-tax-is-$25-more-for-the-savings-account--want flares up again.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, Sephora. I too have a star-crossed love who I go to visit at Sephora. Her name is Poison, and she's been my favorite perfume since the 8th grade, but I've never owned a bottle, because I can't justify $60 for perfume. Sigh...One day, maybe...

Emma said...

oh... you made me want to check it out. So far I've been happy with max factor's masterpiece mascara, and the first tube was perfect but the new one I bought (when the first ran out, it lasted ages) just wasn't as good... my biggest indulgence is clinique face lotion though. I counted I probably spend 70€ on facecream yearly... horrendous!

Anonymous said...

I know it can be hard to justify purchases like this--but I have found that some things are just worth it. If they work really well, and you love them, and you use them to the last drop, and they make you happy...then what's $23? (Especially if you're like me and will buy 5 $8 mascaras because none of them are great and you're looking for one that is, it might actually save you money!)

SavingDiva said...

I received a sample of the DiorShow mascara from Sephora...I don't know if I want to use it now! I'm trying to switch to less expensive mascara because you have to buy a new tube every 3 months...UGH!

However, I just spent $70 on foundation and tinted moisturizer!

Ms. M&P said...

Good masacara is so hard to find! I think I would buy it if I were you, but I'm trying to cut costs too...then again, I don't think I could ever let go of my Chanel foundation. It's just amazing and I think I would buy it even if they raised the already ridiculously high price.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the idea that the happiness factor is really worth something. If you feel like you're depriving yourself, you're not going to WANT to keep saving--eventually, there will be a breaking point, don't you think? As long as you're not buying $25 mascaras every month without a second thought, you can probably justify the expense. If it lasts you for four months, let's say, that's only about 20 cents per day. You could probably make up the cost somewhere else--use a little less water or electricity, or something like that, maybe?

Anonymous said...

I have a line in my budget for these sorts of things, so I say go ahead and buy it (rather than something else) if you want it that much.

Anonymous said...

Is there a less expensive way to buy it? Maybe try checking online, or even Ebay? When it comes to stuff like this, I always try for the compromise solution!

Anonymous said...

You know what? Sometimes you just have to live a little. Like others have said, if it makes you feel good every day then it's a purchase you won't end up regretting. Cut back on eating out for a week and that'll take care of it. I myself just blew $22 on a tiny concealer at Sephora yesterday that I didn't know I needed but now I love. I think I was convinced because I went in only to replace my spilled foundation (Sephora brand), and found that it had been reduced from $20 to $6 because they're changing the packaging (HOT TIP)! Of course I bought two...

E.C. said...

I'll join the chorus and suggest that you go for it. I don't like mascara, but the occasional little indulgence is a good thing. If you are sensible most of the time, it's worth it to get something simply because it makes you happy.

That said, I've devoted too much energy to deciding whether to go buy some more powder. It's generally all the makeup I wear, and Neutrogena Healthy Defense looks and feels nicer than anything else I've tried. I'm almost out, and if I buy two Neutrogena products by the end of the month, I can use a $3 off coupon. However, that would increase my spending on personal things this month a little more than I'm comfortable with.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to go against the majority of comments and say, don't buy it. I had the same experience with a Lancome mascara my aunt had given me, it was amazing! Once I finished it, I went to Lancome to get some more, well after I realized it was 25 dollars I thought long and hard.

My end conclusion was that I would not buy it because it's not just 25 dollars one time, it's something that needs to be purchased quite often. So, you will be setting yourself up for a recurring 25 dollar purchase, that's the problem. I try to stay away from things like this...but that's just my two cents ;)

My good makeup is also from MAC, and that's expensive enough for me!

The comment that mentios that mascara shoudl be replaced very often is true...I would try a couple of other brands to see if you can get the same type of effect with a different brand. I am using loreal voluminous and think it's great.