Looking Good for Less is Now Even More Important to Job Seekers

Palm Bay, FL, October 29, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The struggling economy has educated many formerly free-spending consumers on the art of penny-pinching. While many shoppers have axed discretionary items from their budgets, lipstick remains one of the affordable luxuries women refuse to live without. Sales of lipstick have risen by 40 percent in the past few months. This supports the loose economic theory of the so-called “lipstick index,” which holds that lower-end cosmetic sales go up as the economy goes down. Lipstick is a cheap investment that is a quick morale booster; like Charlie Chaplin films were during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

The demand for anti-aging products continues to grow as the economy drops – looking young and making a great first impression is important when competing for a job against someone half your age in an extremely competitive job market. In 2008, nearly 32 percent of all facial skincare launches were for anti-aging products, and the release of high-demand product lines such as Oil of Olay Pro-X is fueling the clamor for ‘prestige’ high-end products at the drugstore. These new drugstore skincare products cost less than half their department-store counterparts and less than a third of what they would cost at a spa – proving that consumers are seeking lower priced alternatives.

Combining the feel-good index with the job-seeking challenge, more women are looking for ways to enhance their looks for less money. Women have known for years that expensive brands at department stores offer free makeovers, and now they are discovering that major drug chains such as Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid are offering makeovers, free events and giveaways as well.

At Walgreens, the store Beauty Advisors host a monthly “SaturDate” event in almost all of the chain’s 7000 stores, where consumers can sample new cosmetics and skincare products. And, vendors such as CoverGirl, Wet n Wild and Yes To Carrots are using in-store demonstrations with professional makeup artists in drug and food chains to educate the consumer on their products and get an instant sales lift.

To get the word out to consumers, these events are being heavily advertised on websites such as www.freebeautyevents.com, which debuted in October. A recent study by BlogHer, the women’s blog network, found that 79 million adult women in the United States use the internet and 53% of them participate in social media at least weekly. As they spend more time with social media, women are spending correspondingly less time with traditional media: 39% less time with newspapers, 36% less time reading magazines, and 30% less time watching TV.

To capitalize on this trend, Freebeautyevents.com was launched as a dedicated site for listing free beauty events at retail and spa locations across the U.S. Consumers can enter their zip code to see what makeovers, gift-with-purchase, and sampling events are happening near their home and can sign up to follow the site on Facebook and Twitter. They can also enter each month to win a beauty-product prize. A blog section provides space for product reviews and interaction between event attendees. The site expects traffic to expand to approximately 30,000 users per month.

For more information on freebeautyevents.com, contact Kristen Jason (info@freebeautyevents.com)

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