Discontinued Makeup

It happens more often than not that a shade of favorite lipstick is promptly discontinued by the company the moment one falls in love with it. And discovering that a favorite eye shadow, foundation or nail polish has been taken off the market could make the user furious and terribly upset as well. This brings us to the logical question as why do companies discontinue makeup products?

Discontinued makeup

Many would wonder why a cosmetic company should discontinue a product of choice at some point of time. It has to be understood that no company wants to deliberately discontinue or make obsolete a beauty product. The cosmetic industry is constantly changing and certain regular cosmetics have to make way for new and ostensibly improved versions to come in.

Current trends are also taken into active consideration before discontinuing a makeup product altogether. For instance when a couple of years back gel blushes grew unpopular and then a cosmetic major reintroduced them with a new nomenclature 'liquid cheek stains' or 'cheek tints.' Several factors are taken into consideration before such a decision to discontinue is made:

• A product which is similar but which deemed better in performance has been recently developed by the research wing of the company.
  
  
• Probably a vital ingredient that went into the manufacturing of the particular cosmetic product has been discontinued by its supplier and no suitable alternative has been found.
  
  
• A noticeable change in the make up trend observed during a survey by the company revealing the altered preferences of the customers
  
  
• Lack of sales of a particular cosmetic product
  
  
• The discontinued makeup must have been a limited edition or a seasonal product.
  

What to do when a makeup is discontinued?

The important thing to remember when a favorite makeup product is discontinued is that there is hope still. Cosmetic companies do provide various viable options and solutions to this dilemma. And with little time and resourcefulness, discontinued makeup can be bought through other ways as well.

• The first thing that you can do is to contact the company outlets by phone. In fact many discontinued makeup products are sent to the company outlets and a user can purchase it from there. A Google search should come in handy to find out the outlets where the discontinued makeup products have been sent.
  
  
• Also looking for auction sites and closeout sites that sell a particular makeup product. EBay and Yahoo are prospective sources. EBay is one of the world's largest online market place and it is a rich source for discontinued makeup products. Although it may take some time to track down the exact cosmetic one is looking for, nevertheless the cosmetic products are posted on daily basis here and there is bright chances that one may find the discontinued cosmetic. It is advised to purchase products that are sealed to prevent unwanted infection from used cosmetic products.
  
  
• Alternatively one can try typing the exact name of the discontinued makeup product in a search engine of one's choice and find out if there are sites that carry it. This way price of the product can also be compared and a discontinued item may still be found at an online store. For instance, there are particular web sites like Makeup.com which not only render advice on beauty and cosmetics but also have a discontinued makeup section.
  
  
• An avid user of a discontinued makeup can consider a swap. Makeup Alley is one such web site which helps users swap or exchange makeup. This is one way to find the special makeup brand that has been discontinued.
  
  
• Yet another option is to look at the cosmetic manufacturer itself as several cosmetic companies like Revlon, Estee Lauder and Mac do sell their discontinued makeup directly to the customer. These cosmetic companies are sensitive enough to the needs of the regular customers and they sell the discontinued makeup in jars to the eager user. One can browse through the respective company website to learn more on this possibility.
  
  
• Some cosmetic companies also have 'Gone but not forgotten program' to help customer find the discontinued makeup of their choice. Estee Lauder, Clinique, Origins, Prescriptives and Bobbi Brown are some such companies.
  
  
• The discontinued product may be found at a cosmetic outlet store that stocks the product on frequent basis. Such stores carry discontinued items which other stores may no longer have.
  
  
• Discontinued makeup can sometimes be found at discount stores. These stores often sell the surplus and discontinued cosmetics that manufacturers no longer produce. Sometimes discount clothing outlets also have stock of such discontinued cosmetics.
  

Interestingly there is a cosmetic company in the US under name 'Three Custom Color' that has pledged not to discontinue anything. Their ability to replicate the texture, finish and exact color of almost any type of makeup is the primary reason for their climb to fame. A beloved product can be duplicated and the company stands by the results. Although the price for customization is really heavy, many ardent users of a particular discontinued makeup product are only too eager to pay dearly.