Why luxury

A reader said on my blog post about a P1,350 lipstick yesterday, "I don't own any lippies worth over 500php. Is It really worth it po ba to spend that much for a lip product?" I think it's a great question. Why should we spend over a thousand pesos for just one lipstick? Or P8,000 for a hair makeover? Or over P10,000 for a bag?

Well, we don't have to. It's fairly straightforward. We don't have to spend any more money than we need to, especially if we don't have much to begin with. We can just keep on buying P500 lipsticks for the rest of our natural lives and still find meaning in prioritizing other things that matter. Some people love to travel more, or read, or eat, or spend time with people they love. Their disposable income goes to their personal pursuit of happiness.  

So I suppose that it comes down to what we value. One of the things I value is beauty, or to be more specific, the things that beauty can do to uplift or simply brighten a person's life. That's the reason I surround myself with good cosmetics, clothes, shoes, bags. I don't mind spending for them if I can afford them as I get emotional satisfaction in owning them. I also find that they're also more convenient and efficient to use, which saves me a lot of time and forethought when I need to dress up. 

Besides, I'm in an industry where presentation is important, so I buy some things as investments on my brand and image. These reasons determine the worth of a product for me. Some people might not spend on say a P3,000 eyeshadow palette, but I will if I want it and I feel it's worth it.  

I imagine that this will change in the years to come. Maybe I'll fall in love with traveling, have a kid, or suddenly have a burning passion for typewriters. Who knows? I believe that as long as we love and value something, we will always have room for luxury - for the inessential yet desirable things the world has to offer us.