The truth about beauty?

THE BRIGHTLY-LIT make-up counters of our upmarket department stores are scary places for novices (and men). Intoxicating smells waft from the counters as shop assistants in various states of ridiculousness and boredom lounge about waiting to be asked for make-up tips and advice on how to be more beautiful.

The scariest thing is not the staff with the alarming make-up plastered on but the prices being charged for some of the products which promise to smooth away wrinkles, soften skin, remove blemishes and make you look younger for longer.

Hundreds of euro can quite easily be spent on tiny amounts of potions which may or may not deliver the promised results.

While the advertising industry is frequently – and rightly – accused of selling unrealistic promises to the gullible, the section of the industry which really takes the (skin rejuvenating) biscuit when it comes to flogging dreams is the cosmetics world.

This summer, one of the biggest players in the industry, L’Oréal, fell foul of the British advertising watchdog after it was found to have airbrushed photographs of Julia Roberts and Christy Turlington in advertising campaigns for two of its most prominent brands.

The Advertising Standards Authority banned ads for Lancôme’s Teint Miracle Foundation which promised to recreate “the aura of perfect skin” and its Maybelline Eraser which, the ad claimed, would conceal “instantly, visibly, precisely”. It would also “cover dark circles and fine lines to help conceal crow’s feet – as if erased”. The problem was not the words but the pictures of Roberts and Turlington which had been touched-up creating an affect that no-one at home would have been able to match.

It was not the first time L’Oréal has come unstuck. It had to add a disclaimer to its Telescopic mascara ads after it emerged that actor Penelope Cruz was wearing false eyelashes in the promotional photographs.

Neither the prices being charged for some cosmetics nor the advertising claims being made impress Aisling McDermott the author and blogger whose new book Gorgeous to Go(Gill Macmillan) has just hit the shelves. She started the beaut.ie blog with her sister in 2006 and within weeks it was drawing in clued-in readers thanks to its ballsy, take-no-prisoners approach to a world of bogus claims and false promises.

Her new book debunks many of the myths surrounding the beauty business, exposes some of the more dubious practices of the industry and points readers towards ways they can cut the cost of looking beautiful.

It wasn’t going to, but the money-saving aspect ended up being central to the book says McDermott.

In her introduction she says she had planned to write a straightforward shopping companion but “when the economy seriously tanked and the IMF moved in, we, as a nation became armchair economists”. She points out that people “became obsessed with seeking out value, particularly in areas that might be considered non-essential”.

So a different book was born. It is a book which will help people spend less on cosmetics but why not adopt a more manly approach and do away with such luxuries, asks Pricewatch?

We are quickly shot down. “Women regard spending on beauty as so essential that they will trade down in other areas in order to keep their make-up habit going,” McDermott says.

Some 15,000 people visit the beaut.ie blog daily and according to McDermott, trends have changed dramatically over the past two years. “Women had much more discretionary income and they used it to buy expensive cosmetics and perfumes. Now we’ve still got that taste for luxury and love of quality, but we simply don’t have the money to waste on unnecessary purchases. So women are becoming much more clever about why and how they spend. They will research their purchases, usually online, and won’t buy unless something is worth the money. So they’re not giving up their cosmetics habit – they’re just becoming more clever about it.”

There are things that people can give up, she says and the first thing that should go is brand loyalty. People can swap products for cheaper alternatives because “cosmetics at the lower end of the scale have improved in leaps and bounds”.

She says women are swapping “expensive staple buys” for more work-horse brands and when “they absolutely can’t bear to swap they are demanding more value. So if a Lancôme moisturiser is still the only thing that will do, they will delay gratification, waiting for a gift with purchase or another form of special offer”.

There are also DIY options, in particular she recommends making body scrubs from salt and olive oil which she describes as “fantastic and so cheap”.

McDermott says people can save money on almost everything. “It’s not a case of scrimping – it’s simply finding who does something really well for the least money. What we need to do in Ireland is stop being so brand loyal – plenty of brands do the same thing for a lot less money.”

She is preaching to the choir when she says that “clever marketing and raised expectations” from some luxury brands have delivered massive results in terms of sales and allowed companies get away with murder.

“Super luxe, great ingredients and a premium price all present women with a package of sophistication and excitement that is very hard to resist. At this end of the scale, money becomes much less important. If you can afford Créme de la Mer you probably don’t need to worry about saving money on cosmetics in general.

“Yes we are manipulated and yes we do fall for a lot of marketing, but women are increasingly savvy and much less willing to fall for something that doesn’t work without proof. That’s why we’re seeing a rise in the amount of skincare “science” being published. Cosmetic companies know that the way to sell their expensive serum is to prove it works.”

When it comes to selling, big brands are not above the odd sleight of hand and they have lots of tricks at their disposal. McDermott’s book exposes just some of them.

“Putting false bottoms on tubs of moisturisers is a favourite. The tub looks bigger and they may also make it feel heavier – you’re getting visual cues that the product is good value for money.”

Lots of packaging is a top way to disguise the puniness of a product – or to hide that it has been downsized. Plastic is cheap, bulky and particularly effective when selling to the mass market.

Among the tips included in the book are stockpiling staples when they are on special offer and she is a big advocate of the online shop. “We’re ripped off in our shops and the only way we can try to bring down prices is to vote with our wallets,” she says.

“There’s a reason why everything is cheaper north of the Border. It’s because they’re part of the huge UK market and won’t put up with the disgraceful mark-ups that we meekly submit to. It’s incredible that this situation exists.”

Something that doesn’t exist is the metrosexual. “Sadly it is a myth but I am devastated that it is. Irish men are gorgeous and a little bit of moisturiser never hurt anyone. Come on lads, do yourselves some favours.

Everyone should have a few lotions and potions on standby and it’s the young Irish man who’s picked up good habits and looks likely to change this stereotype. I predict that we should see the old porter nose and roseacea-skinned Irish male become extinct in this generation.”

Beaut.ie’s top-five product swops

NARS Orgasm Blush vs e.l.f. Candid Coral Blush

NAR’s Orgasm is fiendishly priced and while e.l.f’s cheapo version can’t hold a candle to the rubberised packaging of its more expensive doppelganger and it’s nowhere near as silky-smooth to the touch, we challenge anyone to tell the difference.

MAC Lipstick in Ruby Woo, €17.50 vs Rimmel Colour Show Off in Red Fever, €7.55

The shades aren’t a precise match but the finish is retro-fab and longevity is great.

Benefit Posietint vs 2True Cheek n Lip Tint

A brilliant dupe for Benefit’s way pricier Posietint 2True Cheek n Lip Tint is a tiny price and performs really well.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, €35 vs Aldi Lacura Beauty Concealer Pen, €4.99

Hands up who’s tried Touche Eclat? Yup, that’s all of us, so. Aldi’s is a damn good substitute for the much pricier YSL.

Clinique Take the Day Off Make-up Remover for Lids Lashes and Lips vs Johnson's Daily Essentials Gentle Eye Make-up Remover

Both are dual-phase cleaners that you shake to mix and they make short work of eye-make-up. Johnson’s does the same job as Clinique but at a fraction of the price.