Beautynomics - The Economics of Vanity
...and they say vanity isn't economical.
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Monday, February 13, 2006


Economics in the Name of Vanity

If I were a professor ( which I've always dreamed about, but I really do hate math, Economics tamed my "hate" for it, but just a little bit ), I would be scolded for a very bad lesson plan. Jumping from one topic to another without even introducing my theme. Well, it's time. ( sounds serious..! )

What actually is Economics?
Economics is such a HUGE term that there are tons of definitions for it. In my college ( and I think, most colleges ), there are Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Economics. Economics can be found in two buildings as well - that's how complicated it is. I chose the Science, silly me, so I had to face more more math. But I almost got dumbstruck when my classmate taking B. Arts of Economics had shown me his book on Structural Economics. It was a total nightmare. My bronzer didn't do justice to my sudden pale valor as I read the highly mathematical book. I appreciated my Forecasting class right then and there.

Economics comes from the greek word oikos ( house ) and nomos ( rule ). It's actually summed up as the "management of your household". The most basic definition of Economics , is the study ( or the science ) of the decisions/choices of individuals to meet their needs and wants given scarce resources.

Scarce resources
. Everything in this world is limited. Food. Land. Money. Even Makeup. Look at the Nars counters. They're empty, and people still want more blushes. Actually, if everyone satisfies all their needs, I think we can share a very nice world, but man by nature, is insatiable - the more he/she gets the more he/she wants. Even the woman with the most number of lipglosses in the world ( The Guiness World book holder, who are you ? ) would still want more. So it gets more complicated.

Now, the main goal of Economics is equilibrium. Equilibrium is perfection for economists. Supply is equal to demand. Some other terms that economists like are maximization , and optimization. I know it sounds complicated, but finish my blog entry!!!!

In my beautynomics theory, everything I mentioned above is all relevant in the name of vanity. Yes, makeup counters, skin care and even haircare ( FINE! LET'S CALL IT HEALTH AND BEAUTY ). Health and Beauty counters are overflowing with products, but our wallets aren't overflowing with money. We are restrained by our budget. Therefore, our money, is considered a scarce resource. Given that we have a budget, we must make wise decisions on what to buy, in order to be totally satisfied to the nth power with the products we just bought, given our budget.

I'm not the type to buy too much cosmetics that their shelf lives might be due already and I haven't touched half of them. As a beautynomist, I believe it is wasting. Economists hate wasting resources. We believe in efficiency ( two words to understand that : NO WASTE. ). I want an efficient-working vanity kit - gives me good results, but also, no waste. Everything should be at least 3/4 used or even finished before their shelf lives are due. Vanity is not all about splurging too much. It's not a suicide on the part of your cute wallets, it's simply knowing what to buy , given your budget. If you don't have budget, you still can't buy low-performing products that can actually kill your skin, there are natural ways of fixing your skin! ( that's another topic )

Ten blushes
can be optimal ( budget reaches the maximum satisfaction ) and efficient for an actress who wears makeup everyday , but for a normal student who doesn't wear much, one can do ( of course, we can talk about WHICH ONE blush can be all it. ).

Equilibrium.
I believe that too! My supply of skin care, must be equal to my demand for skin care. Can you imagine stocking up skin care? I can't! I hate stocking up. I want fresh fresh products. Beauty products have life spans too , you know. I actually buy a new set of skin care a week before they run out. Optimality. I want to reach my highest satisfaction ( delirious, delirious happiness ) given the budget I have for my makeup. So that's why I'm always coming up for better funds for makeup since I know I won't be satisfied if I have a lower budget. Makeup is actually a crucial product - it can make, or break your skin, permanently. Why? some ingredients of bad makeup brands actually can cause your skin to breakout, or worse..dig up holes in your skin.

Is vanity nonsense? NO!!!
( whatta violent reaction ).
Do we NEED a clear face? YES, we do. We NEED to feel good about ourselves, we NEED to have a good reason to live. So therefore, we NEED to allocate some of our budget to making ourselves look good. Do we NEED to look like Kate Hudson? Don't be silly ! That's a WANT, we just NEED to look good, bring out the best in ourselves. Imagine if you change the word NEED in this paragraph to WANT. It doesn't make any sense.
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I need you , like water, like breath, like rain....
So to sum it all up, I just defended by vanity campaign again. haha :)
I shall be jumping to another topic, again, in my next entry, now that I've proven a point. :P


About Me

An economics graduate that always hated her math
but loved her theories.
Believes that Economics can be found in :
- the bathroom
- in front of your vanity mirror
- an in every place beautiful.




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