WomenCo.

Yes.  I am brand conscious.  I'm conscious to be mindful that expensive brands often reflect high advertising and marketing costs , not high quality.   I am very discriminating.  Some products are worth the extra money.  Most are not.

Perfect example: GAP for Kids.  When I first started buying my son his jeans, being a naive mother, I ONLY bought GAP jeans for about $24 a pair.  Cut a long story short, I buy his jeans at Target now for $9.99.  They are every bit as good.   (Plus, I started disliking the choices that GAP started giving me in terms of style.  When they opened up their Old Navy Stores, the selection and quality at GAP for Kids dropped so much that they lost me as a customer.

My husband is the opposite of a clothes horse.  He buys his Wrangler jeans on-line (because no stores carry "boot fit" jeans for such a tall, slender guy.  T-shirts etc. are Target and socks are Gold Toe knee high athletic socks on line.  (Gold Toe knee high athletic socks are hard to find in stores.)

For makeup.  Gave up the department store brands for Rite Aid products.  Except for foundation.  Clinique works best for me, color-wise and texture-wise.  But lipstick, eye shadow, and mascara.  Rite Aid. Maybelline mascara, Revlon lipstick.  Eye shadow, anything as long as the color is good.  For concealer, highlighter, and blush, I buy where "Hollywood" makeup artists buy.  In L.A., Cinema Secrets in Toluca Lake.  More expensive than Rite Aid but cheaper than department stores--and far superior products.  Good brush cleaners etc. too.  Some makeup brushes are best purchased at a Makeup Store--others at Art Supply stores.  And both are always cheaper than Department Stores.

For women's clothes, my favorite place to shop is Nordstrom--mainly because of the service.  I'm not talented with clothes and sometimes I find a Personal Shopper who can really help me put together a great and versatile outfit which, because it fits well and is versatile, the higher price is worth it in the long run because I wear it more and keep it longer.  No need to pay Nordstrom prices if you're a talented shopper though.  I like the Nordstrom store brands too and they are more reasonably priced.  Best Nordstrom personal shopper is "LISA" in Las Vegas.  I wish she had never moved from West LA.  Although "Violet" in Arcadia has been very helpful for me.  And she is a sweetheart.

Brands don't really mean anything to me beyond a marketing/advertising spiel, until they've proven their worth - quality-wise - to me. If the quailty is good and incomparable to anything else I've found/tried, then I am willing to pay for it. For the QUALITY, not the NAME. If there's no quality, I don't care how pretty the ads are or how exclusive the branding is, I won't pay a penny.

Yes,I agree with Daniela,hate it when brands try to mispell things or add pink just to attract women consumers.Also I feel good brands dont need to advertise themselves.It's the people using them that can spread the good word about them.Personally I would'nt say I am brand conscious,offcourse I do have some favourites but mostly electronic,digital gadgets and perfumes,But  as far as clothing is concerened,It's not hard and fast for me to use branded stuff.Despite the fact that I live in a country that is brand crazy,I usual pick up things that I like which may not necessarily be branded.

Maddie,

Here's a sampling of brands/stores I am committed to:

• Trader Joe's: Excellent customer service; socially/environmentally responsible products; fair pricing


• Clinique beauty products: My dermatologist swears by them; good quality makes them worth the extra money (over drug-store products)


• Levi's jeans: Tried and tested ever since I've been a kid; durable, not expensive especially considering their quality


• Gymboree: Great kids' clothes; durable long-lasting color & fabric


• New Balance: Absolutely the best running shoes I've ever tried in my life; excellent foot support, long-lasting even for big runners like me

I have brand I like and don't like, generally I pay attention to price.  I like shopping at ALDI for things like water, bacon, cheeses and 90% lean hamburgar, just some of the good ones.  I am picky and like my Kraft cheese slices, Kens Blue Cheese dressing, HP Printers and  and Aunt Millies Bread/buns. 

I do by the more expensive brands at times, but I never pay full price, I wait to get it 50%+ OFF. or use a coupon to get it for less.  This goes for clothes to food to house hold items.