What's the point of luxury beauty?

Let's get one thing straight: anybody can live a fulfilling and happy life without a luxurious jar of Creme De La Mer or a sexy bottle of Tom Ford perfume. Luxury beauty is not necessary for day-to-day survival nor can it dramatically change your life - never mind the price tag, they are not magical spells from a wizard's grimoire. That goes the same for organic beauty and essential oils by the way, so let's not get too excited.

So what's the point of luxury beauty then? Why should we buy them?

I think part of it has to do with what it means to be happy. Think of happiness as an endless ladder and not a mountain with a single summit. Each step feels infinite but there exists a level above the next one; you can see it, therefore you yearn for it no matter how high up the ladder you get. My belief is that it's impossible to be permanently happy because there's always something else we want. Maybe it's marketing, or maybe it's just the human condition - this need to evolve, no matter how minuscule or subjective the improvement is.

This may be why rich people aren't necessarily happy people. Even if it looks like you have everything, it's impossible to be completely and permanently happy if you can imagine a better life than the one you have now. Maybe it's a more loving life partner, less anxiety over finances, less stress at work, or just better skincare. Maybe a beautiful lipstick. That fancy perfume everybody is raving about.

We all have different priorities and income levels, of course, but it comes down to what matters to us and therefore what we perceive would contribute to our happiness - that next step up the infinite ladder. Luxury beauty is a fairly easy way to cosmetically improve our life. A jar of Guerlain Meteorites may instantly elevate your dresser even if it's surrounded by Maybelline stuff. That goes the same for your face; the classic orchid scent of it wafts through your nose as you apply it, setting the mood. The micro shimmers add a radiance to your skin that perhaps no one else will notice but you feel makes you prettier anyway. Confidence, after all, can sometimes be as cheap as a swipe of expensive powder.

This is not to say that the things you use and what you look like should be the source of your confidence. Being competent at what you do (even to the point of enjoying it and constantly improving upon it), your past achievements big or small, a supportive group, self-awareness and acceptance are just some of the core things that can help you be more confident. A little help though from beauty products can be nice and help you project what's inside, outside.

Luxury beauty is certainly unnecessary in the great scheme of things. But if it is what it takes for you to feel like you've improved at least one area of your life that you care about, then it's a worthy splurge.