How do you pick which cosmetics to buy?

*Note: This book was not sent to me to endorse in any way and I did not receive compensation. These options are my own.*

For Christmas this past year my Mom gave me a book that she saw me read in Costco one day. It's called Don't Go To The Cosmetic Counter Without Me by Paula Begoun, a well known cosmetic expert. You can read more about her on her website here. This book is like an Encyclopedia for all cosmetics from face wash to lipstick, it has tons of products listed here broken down by brands and categories.

What makes this book so useful is that her ratings are based on the ingredients used in each product and also  spells out whether to product delivers on it's claims i.e. "moisturizes for 24 hours"! She will also disclosed if the product is tested on animals which if you have a soul, you will care about :)

I am a cosmetics junkie.... this is just some of what is in my purse and desk at work.

I have a ton more at home that fills a full drawer in my dresser, several plastic storage containers and about 1/2 of my cabinet in my bathroom!

In North America, we spend $7 Billion a year on cosmetics! That's mind blowing! That doesn't count plastic surgery either. I know I spend a lot of my income on beauty products and I used spare almost no expense on what I thought was a life changing product. Now that I am older I try to be more practical with my spending on beauty and this book has been an invaluable resource in that goal.

When approaching the cosmetics area of your local department store or pharmacy, it can be overwhelming! There are so many brands and products to choose from. This one moisturizes, oh but this one makes me look younger, this one has SPF and this one has sparkles on the package (how cute!). How can we possibly choose the best product at an affordable price when there are so many options? And after we have spent our hard earned money, are we going to be happy with that purchase? Well Paula is here to help you!

Paula rates products from Poor, Average, Good and Best with honesty and fairness from how they are packaged to what the ingredients do, results you can expect and their price points (huge money save here if you are slave to expensive, trendy brands). Paula also has her own line of cosmetics available on her website.

Now there will always be a matter of preference to consider. Even if Paula rates a brand with a less than Best rating, you may still love that product and see great results from it. For example, I have no idea why people love Maybelline Great Lash Mascara. It has been rated at the top of almost every magazine's" best mascaras" for decades and makeup artists claim it is a must have. I don't get it, the brush sucks and the results are "meh" in my opinion.  Paula, however rates it as Poor, finally someone sees the light!

I think it is really great to have a reference guide to arm yourself when you purchase a cosmetic of any kind. I refer to this book all the time and her website as well!

You can find Don't Go To The Cosmetic Counter Without Me in any bookstore or on Amazon and it retails for approximately $26.36 CND.

I hope you'll find this post useful and next time, before to run out to drop your dollar bills on the latest and greatest in make up or wrinkle cream, do some research to get the best bang for your buck!

Melmac oxoxoxox