When it comes to purchasing your favourite products, only the finest will do. Quality has an important role to play in deciding which brands to take home with you in your latest shopping spree.
With so many products on the market today, whether in beauty, alcoholic beverages, or health, it can be difficult to pick your way through the sea of options and find a true luxury item, not to mention that many of us rely on price alone to make a quick decision. After all, in most cases, you get what you pay for, right? So, it’s worth splurging on the priciest products to ensure you’re getting the finest quality that money can buy.
Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. A hefty price tag is not always enough to go on. It pays to know how to spot high-quality before you buy, which can be done in a number of different ways.
To help you to develop a keen eye for detail, we’ve dug a little deeper into a range of popular luxury products for you to find out exactly how to separate the wheat from the chaff. With these in mind, you’re guaranteed a more satisfying shopping experience – and will continue to enjoy the results for long afterward.
Watches
When it comes to buying a quality watch, it’s not enough to rely on brand name alone. In today’s consumer-led, fast-fashion world, it’s common for some of the biggest names in the industry to create throwaway timepieces that hit all of the current fashion criteria, yet several months down the line, it’ll already be looking dated.
The quality of components and craftsmanship are the most important thing when choosing a watch. So, look behind the flashy exterior and do your research to find out if the piece you have your eye on is really as good as it purports to be. A quality timepiece won’t just look good, but it’ll stand the test of time, too – lasting years into the future, and often, even becoming a family heirloom.
To determine whether it is truly a worthwhile purchase, look at the crystal – the transparent covering over the watch case. If it’s made from sapphire, which is more resistant to make, then it will be scratch resistant and highly durable – making it the gold standard for quality. Avoid mineral crystals since it’ll damage and scratch more easily.
Checking what type of movement a watch runs on is also important, as this will determine how accurately and consistently it keeps time. Watches with bad movements can lose several minutes per day. Swiss, Japanese, and German movements have the best reputations and lead the industry in innovation. Brands like Ronda, Sellita, Seiko, Miyota, and Citizen are all good picks.
Handbags
There’s no denying that designer handbags are expensive, but there’s a certain thrill that comes with handing over the cash in your favourite boutique and walking away with the latest Gucci or Valentino model. It begs the question: would we even want them so much if they were cheaper and more accessible? It would certainly take away that alluring feeling of exclusivity.
Still, it’s important to ensure you’re getting a luxury product when parting with such a large sum, and there are several things you can look for that’ll help you to determine a bag’s true quality.
Equidistance stitching – where every stitch is symmetrical and all of them are equally spaced – is a tell-tale sign, as well as excellent stitching at the corners and seams. If the stitches are uneven, then the craftsmanship is not up to scratch. So, save yourself the expense and look elsewhere.
Inspect the binding, too. A well-constructed binding should closely hug the corners of a handbag. Any signs of puckering, and it’s a no go.
CBD oil
CBD oil has been shown to offer a plethora of benefits to those who integrate it regularly into their routine. Known to have calming effects for those who suffer from anxiety, it can also help reduce chronic pain and inflammation, as well as helping users get a better night’s sleep.
As this sought-after product continues to increase in popularity, the breadth of choice available can be so amazing. So, what should you be looking for to identify high-quality CBD oil?
The best products are full-spectrum CBD oils that are extracted from a high-quality strain of hemp. High-spectrum oils don’t just contain CBD, but they’re also packed with additional healthful extracts that are found within the hemp plant, including flavonoids, terpenes and other cannabinoids – such as CBG, CBN, and THC.
Look out for third-party lab-tested products, too, as their quality has been verified independently. Visit Cheef Botanicals, for some of the highest quality CBD Oils on the market.
Whiskey
At the end of a long day, there’s nothing better than a glass of your favourite tipple. But, if whiskey is your beverage of choice, how do you ensure that you’re getting a luxury product?
The price attached to a bottle of whiskey comes down to a range of factors, including the quality of ingredients, length of aging period and production run. Some production procedures, which greatly impact the flavour of your brew, will include the age and type of barrel used, the combination of grains, and, of course, the alcohol content.
But, as with any consumable product, it ultimately comes down to a matter of taste, so reaching for the most expensive bottle won’t always guarantee a blend that’s pleasing to your taste buds.
Even so, bear in mind that many of the cheaper brands will have their alcohol content watered down in order to lower the price – whilst also reducing their potency. So, in this case, you really do get what you pay for. Our advice? Get stuck in and try a few of the pricier brands and blends and see which tastes the best to you.
When it comes to true luxury, only the finest will do – and once you know the secrets to spot the very best on the market, you’ll never have to settle for less again.
Image credit at the very top of the article: monticello/Bigstock.com
