According to the latest research from Roy Morgan, 64% of Australian women aged 14 and over buy some kind of make-up every six months, or more often.
Who wears the most make-up?
In a Canstar Blue survey on foundation brands, Gen Y respondents were the most likely to say they spend too much on make-up, which goes along with Roy Morgan’s research that found young women buy more make-up per six-month period than the average woman. 70% of women aged 18-24 buy make-up every six months of more, it found.
However, Roy Morgan reports that sales of most cosmetics have flattened or declined since 2011, with one exception – those aged 18-24.
Young women are also more likely than the average to buy one of every cosmetics tool, cream, and powder available, showing a willingness to experiment or try a ‘full’ make-up look.
Our survey showed that Gen X was more likely than Gen Y (at 43% compared to 39%) to say they could not leave the house without applying make-up.
Young ladies focus on the face and eyes
Young ladies aged 18-24 choose to cover up with foundation and eyeliner far more than other generations when listing their cosmetic priorities:
| Cosmetics Priority | Young ladies aged 18-24 | Australian Average |
| Foundation | 47% | 36% |
| Face powder | 38% | 21% |
| Mascara | 38% | 26% |
| Eyeliner, eyebrow pencil | 32% | 19% |
| Lipstick | 29% | 23% |
| Nail polish | 27% | 17% |
| Concealer | 23% | 12% |
| Blush | 22% | 13% |
| Eyeshadow | 21% | 13% |
| Lip gloss | 19% | 13% |
Source: Roy Morgan research, December 2015.
We were surprised to see that lipstick still outruns lip gloss when it comes to lacing the lips. It seemed like the 2000s brought a steady stream of shiny lip gloss and ‘nude’ lipsticks, but 2015 has clearly seen a resurgence of the vintage lipstick look.
The bright red lips made so popular by Cleopatra (who crushed beetles and ants with rubies to create one of the first forms of lipstick), Queen Elizabeth I, 1920s Chanel, and Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s are now being seen on celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.
Price makes a big difference
In the younger (and income poorer) age groups, cheaper brands such as MAC, L’Oreal and Australis triumph over pricier brands. Ladies aged 18-24 were more likely than other ladies to buy their cosmetics from a department store.
Quality still important
Young ladies were still keen for quality in spite of their desire for a bargain. Take a look at the Canstar Blue website, where we tell you which foundation brands smoothed away all blemishes in our award for most satisfied customers, and which brands needed a little more coverage.
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