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In addition to being a crackerjack equities analyst, I'm also something of a makeup aficionado. Credit my upbringing for this; my mother grew up in the '50s, and even today, she is loathe to so much as check the mail without a full application of liquid eyeliner. So, as you might imagine, I'm quite familiar with Estee Lauder Companies (NYSE: EL).

While it's technically a consumer-goods company, you might have a perception of Estee Lauder as a peddler of upscale cosmetics -- in today's economy, high-priced eyeshadow is unarguably a discretionary expense worth cutting. However, EL's reach is probably broader than you realize. For example, the company owns MAC, a line that caters specifically to professional makeup artists and amateur makeup fetishists. No matter the economic climates, these two constituencies can be counted on to keep shelling out for blush.

Estee Lauder also boasts the lower-priced Clinique line, a staple of many women's' skin-care and cosmetics routines for decades. On the high end, the company sells fragrances by the likes of Tom Ford and Michael Kors -- two names favored by the kind of consumers who do still have disposable income to spare. Plus, its Bumble and bumble brand name is a favorite of professional hair stylists.