Financially speaking, makeup can be a burden. One item might not break the bank, but the combined cost of everything you might find in a woman's makeup bag—foundation, blush, mascara, eye liner, eye shadow, and so on—quickly adds up. By one estimate, a woman in the US will spend an average of $15,000 on makeup in her lifetime.
化裝品在是咱們經濟上一個累贅。一款化裝品大概不會讓你停業，然則把一個女人化裝包裏全部的化裝品加起來——粉底，腮紅，睫毛膏，眼線筆等等——用度就許多了。據估量，美國女性平生在化裝品上的均勻消費就有1.5萬美元。
The kicker is, the ingredients in these products often account for no more than 15% of the cost, according to Randy Schueller, a cosmetic chemist who has been in the beauty business for more than 30 years and is co-founder of The Beauty Brains, a website devoted to debunking cosmetic myths through science.
從事美妝範疇30多年的化裝品專家、同時也是The Beauty Brains網站的結合開創人蘭迪·舒爾勒說：讓人糟心的是，化裝品裏質料只占不到售價的15%。The Beauty Brains網站致力於經由過程科學的方法揭穿化裝品的機密。
Mainly what people are paying for is marketing, packaging, and brand prestige. That's why lipstick, for example, which is mostly wax, oil, and pigments, routinely costs more than $20 a tube at a department store makeup counter.
人們費錢重要買的是市場、包裝和品牌形象。打個比喻，這便是為何身分主如果蠟、油和和著色劑的口紅一樣平常在阛阓櫃台上要賣20美元一支。
Where the makeup is sold matters, too. It's a form of marketing in itself, which is evident when you consider the difference between upscale brands carried at retailers such as Sephora and Ulta and mass-market brands sold at drugstores.
賣化裝品之處也很主要。所在自己便是營銷的一種情勢，這在你思慮絲芙蘭和ULTA等商家賣的高級品牌、與在通俗藥店賣的民眾品牌的差別時，這類營銷就變得很顯著。
Quality in the cosmetics business can vary greatly, depending on the ingredients used and the way the makeup is manufactured. Schueller offers the example of powdered cosmetics, such as pressed eye shadow and blush. The cheaper manufacturing method uses a hammer mill, which breaks the makeup into small particles but can leave clumps. Another method uses a jet mill, which Schueller says breaks the makeup into finer particles, creating a smoother, more even finish.
在化裝操行業裏，質量的差別也很大，這取決於應用的身分和化裝品制造的方法。舒爾勒舉了眼影和腮紅等粉裝化裝品的例子。便宜的制造方法便是用錘磨機，把化裝品弄成小顆粒，然則會留下小碎塊。而另外一種辦法便是用氣流破碎摧毀機，舒爾勒稱這類破碎摧毀性能把化裝品磨成更渺小的顆粒，做成加倍滑膩，加倍平整的制品。
What should a consumer do? Know what you're looking for. But don't assume that more expensive means better. More than anything else, what the price of makeup simply reflects is the price that you're willing to pay for it.
那花費者應當做些甚麽呢?要明白你想要的是甚麽。但不要認為價格高器械就越好。撐死了講，化裝品的價錢只是解釋你樂意付的誰人價錢罷了。
市場價：HK$ 110
