Women are women everywhere. They want to be beautiful and want to please all men around them. How might Russian women be different from foreign women in their preferences for cosmetics? "The mysterious Russian soul" is always distinctive and even contradicting. From the one hand Russian women like to imitate the preferences of the West, and their tastes are becoming more and more similar to the world's tastes but from the other hand the unpredictable nature of the Russian soul peculiarities are apparent.
Make-up is the first step on the fashion pedestal and women from all social groups and from all income levels have the weakness for cosmetic products. Russian women traditionally prefer to save money on the items that are not visible and spend more on those that are visible to others. Most Russian women consider lipstick as the most important tool of beauty. A Russian woman might not comb her hair, might dress in any manner, or forget about a tidy manicure, but she would never forget to paint her lips as this is the pinnacle of beauty.
The second step on the fashion pedestal is occupied by mascara and shadows for eyelids. And of course the powder box is a necessary occupant in the handbag of most Russian women.
When our "foreign girlfriends" talk about cosmetic preferences, they usually begin with the technique of hygiene and cosmetic products that deal with skin and hair care. A Russian woman will by all means add a full coverage foundation as well.
The most popular nail polishes in the west are mostly colorless including the sets for French manicure, but Russian women are soppy for nail art and their hearts prefer bright polishes.
As for perfume products they are adored by fashionable women everywhere. But if to talk truthfully about everyday use, about 80% of Russian women use their favorite perfumes even if they go to the grocery. Foreign women prefer just a deodorant.
Hair care methods have been the bestsellers for many years world-wide. They are becoming popular in Russia as well, especially in the big cities. Older Russian women are generally indifferent to hair care. But western women of the same age take care of their hair even more thoroughly than younger western women.
The reasons for buying makeup for Russian women are different too. Russian women value the opinion of others very much but they value the opinion of their men secondarily. They rate the opinion of other women and their girlfriends first. "Let rouse envy be in my co-workers" - is the driving force that compels a Russian woman to take care of herself and fortify her beauty armor.
A western woman is more confident and less dependent on the opinions of others. She takes care of herself for herself and she will never compete with other women using the benefits of cosmetic products.
For Russian women and Russian girls cosmetics are still items of prestige and status. That's why they still choose a cosmetic item of a well-known brand, especially if you can trumpet this brand in public, by an opening of their cosmetic bag. This phenomenon applies to makeup, not to the various kinds of creams that no one will see at home. | 
