Maybelline and Cover Girl Product Prices Are Out of Control

I'm no economics expert or retail genius but Maybelline and Cover Girl ought to be ashamed of themselves!

I decided to take a quick jaunt out to my local CVS to pick up a few items: some eyeliner, mascara, foundation, and nail polish and came out of the store with a tab of $71.33. Though prices differ from one area to the next to a degree, I'm in a rural area, and mark-up simply shouldn't be that high. This is price gauging. Maybelline and Covergirl began as the every-woman's line, a line that middle America could afford, I mean we're not talking Chanel here.

Here's what I bought and what I was charged (if you can believe it):

1.) Precious Body Lotion and Fragrance by Vera Wang - $4.99

2.) Cover Girl Ultimate Finish liquid powder make-up - $9.49

3.) Maybelline Volum' Express Mascara - $7.49

4.) Maybelline Define-A-Line Eyeliner - $5.99

5.) Maybelline Unstoppable Smudge-Proof, Waterproof Eyeliner (Cinnabar) - $7.89

6.) Maybelline Unstoppable Smudge-Proof, Waterproof Eyeliner (Sapphire) - $7.89

7.) Maybelline Unstoppable Smudge-Proof, Waterproof Eyeliner (Onyx) - $7.89

8.) Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil - $4.19

9.) Almay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover - $5.99

10.) 2 Milani Nail Lacquers - $4.99

Now is probably a good time to state that I don't wear makeup often but like to occasionally so I only buy it maybe once a year, but even so, these prices are ridiculous. By these prices, a girl would have to work an hour (depending on how much she makes) to afford a simple tube of mascara. And don't even get me started on the craziness of an eyeliner being more expensive than a tube of mascara and waterproof eyeliner costing nearly $2 more than non-waterproof (as you can see from my shopping list above).

Even more shocking to me was the lack of choices offered to consumers. Since I so rarely buy makeup and am a pretty thrifty shopper in general, I tend to go for the Wet 'n' Wild line which offers $1.99 eyeliners and lip pencils and $2 to $3 nail polishes. My plan was to go to CVS and purchase all of my goodies from the Wet 'n Wild line for somewhere around $30. To my amazement, after scouring the make-up isles to be sure I wasn't missing something I realized that the typically seen and very affordable Wet 'n' Wild line was gone. Has this line gone out of business? Or perhaps, some retail genius sitting in an office somewhere decided that people in my neck of the woods should only be offered the over-priced Maybelline, Cover Girl, and Revlon lines. What happened to our choices?

Even stranger to me was that the designer perfumes: Halston, Elizabeth Arden, Elizabeth Taylor, etc. were all $12.99 and under, but the simple standard Maybelline line was selling mascara for $10 and Covergirl had their makeup/powder combo going for $9.49. And that's just for standard makeup - no age-defying, hydrating, illuminating, or SPF mark-up add-ons - if you want any of that extra stuff, forget about it, you're reaching into the $16 to $26 dollar range for one basic everyday product. Even the traditionally low-priced Rimmel London brand had mascaras going for $8.49 a pop.

To Maybelline, Covergirl, and Revlon I must say, you're missing the mark, you're pricing yourselves out of your demographic and the quality of your product isn't high enough to match that of Bobbi Brown Essentials, MAC, or the like of higher-end status. Wake-up guys, prices are rising and wages are not increasing to meet this level of mark-up.

Alas, I feel a bit better now that I've ranted a bit, but I will make a point the next time I purchase makeup to avoid the brands that feel the need to pad their take with senseless price gauging of the everyday consumer.