THE BIG QUESTION…
The one question I am always asked is… “How are you able to maintain such amazing products at such affordable prices?”
From the very beginning when I first thought about launching a beauty brand, the one differentiating factor from the other make-up artist brands was that I wanted to be affordable. I wanted all women to be able to have access to the best beauty products and not be prohibited due to price point. There was only one way I could make this dream happen; I had to partner with a retailer so we could go directly from manufacturing to retail and eliminate the middle mark-ups. The only retailer that I knew would embrace this concept was Target. They have always had a progressive modern approach with great style.
I approached Target in 1997 right after Cindy Crawford and I co-authored Cindy Crawford’s Basic Face: A Makeup Workbook.
Left to Right: Cindy Crawford’s Basic Face book,
Sonia and Cindy at shoot for Italian Vogue in the early 90’s in Colorado
Target loved the concept and I went to work developing the world’s best quality, most affordable beauty brand. We launched into Target stores in the Fall of 1999 to great acclaim! How do we do it?
Again, we go directly from manufacturing to retail. All brands begin their life and product development with the supplier. The supplier creates the product from the raw materials and places the finished goods into its final package. For Sonia Kashuk Beauty we then go directly to retail with the finished product. All other brands have to then sell their finished product first to the retailer and then the retailer has to mark the product up again to sell to you, the consumer. As you can see many more mark-ups are attached to the product on the way to its final selling point.
To begin, I choose a formula, which applies beautifully and feels great. I personally test, try and use every formula! Look into my make-up case and you will see I use all my own products! Once the formula is chosen, I then look at packaging. I wanted an all aluminum lipstick case. Most of the lipstick cases of other brands are plastic. This is often due to the expense of the aluminum case. Then the finished product goes directly from manufacturing to the shelves at Target. For instance, the new Tom Ford lipstick that has a similar style to my lipstick has to go through an additional channel to get to its final distribution point, which drives up the cost of the product! The cost of a Tom Ford lipstick, also packaged in an aluminum case is $45.00.
Left to Right: Tom Ford Lipstick $45,
Sonia Kashuk Lipstick $8.99
Other examples of our AMAZING VALUE proposition…
My Dramatically Defining Eyelash Curler is $8.99 compared to the Shu Uemura curler at $19.
Left to Right: Sonia Kashuk Curler $8.99,
Shu Uemura Curler $19
My Small Multipurpose Powder Brush is $10.99 compared to MAC’s #224 Tapered Blending brush at $28.
Left to Right: Sonia Kashuk Brush $10.99, MAC Brush $28
My Kashuk Tools powder brush is $19.99 compared to Bobbi Brown’s powder brush at $60.
Left to Right: Sonia Kashuk Brush $19.99,
Bobbi Brown Brush $60
My Kashuk Tools Hair Brush at $14.99 compared to the Mason Pearson hairbrush at $125.
Left to Right: Kashuk Tools Hair Brush $14.99
Mason Pearson Junior Hairbrush $125
My Radiant Tinted Moisturizer at $12.99 compared to Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer at $42.
Left to Right: Sonia Kashuk Radiant $12.99,
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer $42
My Velvety Matte Lip Crayons at $7.99 compared to Nars Lip Crayons at $24.
Left to Right: Sonia Kashuk Lip Crayon $7.99,
Nars Lip Crayon $24
Hopefully this gives you a better insight into why I created Sonia Kashuk Beauty and how I am able to bring you the best possible products at such outstanding prices.
Enjoy and HAPPY BEAUTY SHOPPING!!!
