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5 Things Beauty Brands' Websites Need
5 Things Beauty Brands’ Websites Need
I really feel like the online shopping experience for beauty leaves something to be desired! I wish beauty brands would put a little more into their websites.
- INGREDIENTS should be mandatory! Not only is it frustrating that many brands don’t list their ingredients online, but when you inquire via e-mail, they refer you to call a 1-800 number. Is it really appropriate to have that kind of information–with all of those scientific ingredients–read over the phone? They have to be on the box, so it’s not like it’s forever secret information.
- REAL PHOTOS seem to be more than just lacking but nigh on impossible to find on major beauty brands’ websites. I know that Illamasqua has lip swatches, which is something you rarely see from bigger brands, that are much appreciated. I guess I’d be out of a job, though 🙂 You just see a lot of template photos that have the color altered in Photoshop rather than brands taking actual photos of each shade.
- QUANTITY should be displayed. It drives me batty when a brand doesn’t list it.
- SHADE DESCRIPTIONS are so much more important than brands think! When you’re using computer-generated color blocks for your swatches, a few words to describe the color would be so much more helpful! No color descriptions is particularly egregious when the naming scheme is numbers!
- POST POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REVIEWS if you ever want me to trust your reviews section. After hearing from readers about experiences where sites don’t post a negative review but will post a positive one, I’ve lost so much faith in the process. Beauty consumers are getting smarter every year!
SHADE DESCRIPTIONS Inglot you are VERY guilty of this. There’s alot of people no were near a store
I hate it when a company took down my 2 star review an a shade. It was Coastal Scents and I had given them plenty of glowing reviews on other products. I have not ordered from them since despite how nice there new products look.
true for both! hope cs see this and kick themselves.
I placed an Inglot order this weekend based on Christine’s swatch gallery. I think it would really help Inglot if they used a system like she does.
i did this recently also and relied on christines site entirely – you pretty much have too – their site is useless
Clear places to contact for help and responses in a timely manner! I’ve gone crazy trying to get in touch with companies about color matches for things like concealer and foundation! It’s hard for me to find a lot of brands on the ground (that won’t break my bank) that carry things that will match my NW45 skin so I’m really dependent on swatches and reviews and discussion with professionals about specific uses/undertones, etc.
Man, I completely agree with you. I still think beauty bloggers will absolutely have a place even if brands do take this advice, though; if they paid a model and had lip swatches and eye swatches and whatnot done, all the pictures would still be taken on one model with one skin tone, and under bright studio lighting. I got into beauty blogs in search of swatches, but I continue to follow them for actual honest reviews from people whose opinions I can trust, and who can offer up dupes and comparisons that a single brand website might want to (totally reasonably) not allow. For example, if you suggest an Urban Decay product to replace a disappointing Stila product, I think it’s reasonable for Stila not to post that review. On a place like Sephora, though, I find that kind of thing unforgivable, and yet somehow mysteriously, if a review is negative, it disappears into the ether! But you’re totally right. I honestly rely on beauty bloggers almost exclusively when deciding whether or not to buy something; brand websites are useless and feel vestigial or perfunctory, even the high-end ones, and it’s quite tiresome to have to google endlessly to find out if a lipstick is going to pull way too orange on my skin tone.
Hey Melissa! I don’t mind brands not highlighting a blogger’s review if it was negative or even neutral – more like when customers submit reviews to their website — since a LOT of brands now have their own reviews sections for each product (like Sephora). 🙂
This.
you are sooooooo right Christine I have actually been directed to other sites for reviews they say they will look into putting reviews for their own products on thier own site? Very strange. I will leave the skin are co name out of this review but the company is based in Dallas
Christine, these are all frustrating to me, too!! These are why I began to frequent your site, actually, because I needed more accurate pictures and information. So thank you. 🙂
I agree so much about using real photos as opposed to a few stock photos that are colored in Photoshop. Some of the ones I have seen are so horribly inaccurate that they might as well not use it! Even some collection promo photos (ahem MAC) are photoshopped to the point where they are no longer accurate, even though it may be a photo of the actual product!
I totally agree. That’s why I mostly never buy stuff on the spot from sites. I always (need to) check on blogs what people think about it, the swatchs, see if it really looks like the site’s photo etc…
All 5 sound about right, but I’ve had 1 & 2 on my mind for ages. So true! An honest list that I know so many will agree with!
I am SO with you in the ingredients. I forgot what two sites I was on the other day, but it was IMPOSSIBLE for me to find the ingredients! I was going crazy! So I ended up not buying whatever I wanted to buy.. lol
Well basically, I’m so with you on EVERYTHING! 🙂
It would be great if beauty brand websites state honestly whether they test on animals or not. Also, Pro discount information should be easier to find. Many times I feel like I have to click on a dozen links to get to the Pro section.
+1 on the pro-discounts, Chris25!
I absolutely agree with your list. Listing ingredients definitely needs to be mandatory, I can’t even imagine how many women and men could be saved from having adverse reactions if companies would list all the ingredients not only on the packaging but on their websites.
I second you on the photos! Also, no shade descriptions seriously discourage me from buying. I was on a website yesterday for their warehouse sale and was interested in a set, however, they didn’t even post the shade names of the products in the kit! I did not partake!
Oh Christine,
the problem is even worse than that. Color pictures are virtually meaningless since they can appear differently depending on the monitor and it’s settings. Regardless of computer generated or real (though I agree strongly that REAL is better), it’s always going to be different for every monitor, and the camera’s interpretation of the color. But there is a reason we value them and that’s because we feel they are closer to life (and often are).
Textual descriptions get tricky because they can be very subjective. I might describe a color as a “sparkley peach” while someone else may say it’s a “glittery salmon” and it means completely different things.
But thank you so much for writing this post on behalf of us the consumers. I hope brands see it and it gets taken seriously.
I think saying “glittery peach” is still better than a shade that might not quite look peach on the monitor because it’s just a color block – it at least gives you multiple reference points!
Ingredients ingredients atleast mention the ingredients what if someone is allergic to some random ingredient but the site doesnt list them? They lose business
I SO agree with you on points 1 and 2!
Having some allergies knowing the ingredients before I buy a new product is essential, and often the stores in my city don’t sell products or brands I wish to purchase, so if I can’t find the ingredients online I end up not buying the product at all most of the time.
Same goes for photoshop colour squares that don’t even show if an eyeshadow is matte or has glitter in it, that is really bad when you can’t have a look at the real shade in a store. I usually refer to your site for swatchs and photos then, but for German brands I don’t really know a site that does this like you do.
I second this!!
I really need to know product ingredients before I buy as I have allegies/sensitivities to certain ingredients.
We have the exact same concerns lol 🙂
All of the above (pics! ingredients!!) PLUS prices. I don’t really care if they have a shop or not, just a recommended price would suffice. Googling just to find more info the brands usually just don’t provide themselves makes me lose interest in the products…
I would also love if they stated when the product was released, as in a quick note under the description like (Nov 2005) or something.
What do you mean by quantity, Christine?
I absolutely agree with the other 4 suggestions you had! I think some of those areas, like swatches, ingredients, and descriptions, are where indie companies excel (like Fyrinnae), which makes the lack of them on mainstream company websites more glaring.
Is it 0.05 oz. of product? 1.0 oz.? About half of websites have this, half don’t.
Ah, now I understand. That makes sense too. Size/weight of the product.
Where to buy and prices (or price range)!
For example even though i cant order from, I give credit for Illamasqua’a website because they got lip swatch photos of lipsticks:D
I completely agree about having shade descriptions. Some websites have “swatches” that are not even remotely the actual color you’re buying (i.e. a beige swatch when the lipstick is berry!). I think you covered the big “5” the sites need. 🙂 Even if they gave swatches, we’d still want your reviews!
Spot on! I wish they’d do all 5 of those things! The only thing I can think to add is: I often use promo codes, discounts, and GWPs. A lot of times, it’s the deciding factor in whether I purchase something. So don’t make me start the checkout process, create a new account, enter my billing info, do a rain dance, and all that jazz before letting me enter my code. If GWP has run out or the code has expired, I just wasted a bunch of time. The worst is when the free gift is supposed to automatically appear at the very last step, after I’ve confirmed my order. I never know beforehand if they’re still in stock or what.
I definately number 6 on this list should be international delivery options! Most of the brands I prefer do not have international delivery options (and no Swiss version website either) and so I have to wait until one of the larger beauty internet sellers gets the product/s I want in stock! Very annoying as it means sometimes I can’t get my hands on new releases for weeks depending on avaliablity and postage options from internet vendors.
“I guess I’d be out of a job, though :)” LOL!!!!! Your writing style tickles me pink. I almost spat out my coffee!!!!
Excellent points though! I always find myself clicking every tab whether it’s “description” or “details” or “more info” just to find out the size! It drives me especially crazy if it’s a new product or the shape/size looks misleading (definitely didn’t see Estee Lauder’s Eye Gelees coming in at 0.03 oz).
It’s like the Facebook-effect–some brands will show reviews, but sift all the best ones to the front pages or make it difficult to access negative reviews. If a brand goes that far to hide negative reviews…it makes me wonder.
I think NYX is the absolute worst when it comes to product photos and swatches! They never look like what’s on the site! At that point, it’s not even an issue of screen resolution or brightness!
Yes yes and yes!! I especially wish that Inglot would take you up on ALL OF THESE!
I agree on all the points mentioned, I’d also say that they need to get with the times and encourage links to blog/vlog reviews instead of just the piddly little review paragraph provided, or even links to posts/vids with tutorials or even just looks using that particular product. They have a lot to benefit from by allowing those who do have blogs and channels to share their work with potential buyers.
Agree wholeheartedly. Shopping on Sephora’s website is immensely frustrating. What looks like lucious, opaque lipgloss is clear and with a hint of sparkle. I have bought items expecting holy grails and receiving okay to mediocre products. Fortunately, there’s a return policy, but that is time-consuming! I feel like it’s shopping for perfumes; you don’t know what it’s like until you try it out in person.
I think it’d be awesome for beauty websites to have information on how to care for your products as well to ensure their longevity. Additionally, I’d like to see health-conscious things like typical expiration dates and things like that; mention that mascara does expire after 3 months. Whatever you put on your skin goes into your system–we need to note that, especially because so many items have things like formaldehyde in the formulation! But maybe I’m asking for too much.
I have to say, most of the time I have tried a product out myself before purchasing it, but I have friends overseas who do not have that luxury.
I so agree about having REAL photos. Those photoshopped images are usually a far cry from what the actual product really looks like.
True Color- Saks color swatches are not accurate.
If Mac posted the list of ingredients,in their website it would be kind..i’d like to see them to choose what’s the best product for me,without purchase everything and read what’s in it on the boxes..
Definitely ingredient lists! It’s almost 2012, ffs!
Love the list.
Of course #5 equally applies to blogs, you know?
Yes, ingredients!!! I wanted to know if Chanel’s recent collection had fragrance in their blush, highlighter, eyeshadow and lipgloss. It took several emails and phone calls and 3 weeks for them to find the ingredients for me. While I was waiting, I went to a Chanel counter at Macy’s and asked to read the ingredients on a few products and the sales associate did let me read it but other customers were waiting and she couldn’t wait on anyone while she was with me and I didn’t feel like purchasing anything after that. I did find that the tweed blush, eyeshadow and highlighter do not have added fragrance. I tend to stick to cosmetic lines I know already because I know most of their ingredients. I think they would increase sales if they listed ingredients on the website.
I agree that sites should include real photos, especially for older products. At least with newer products, they are a bit more popular and other people can review and swatch them.
Yes! Ingredients! As someone who is allergic to specific ingredients, I find it a waste of time now to go find the help link, e-mail them asking for ingredients, get a response saying they will e-mail people who would know, wait a week, then finally get a response if I’m lucky. Essentially, I only order if I can find ingredient lists online or have already used to product. I also agree qith quantity, I don’t order unless it is there. Great suggestions!
Illamasqua has swatches of everything, and for foundation there are photos of people that show the skintone.
If only other brands would follow the example…
I definitely agree with this, especially 2 and 5! Not having actual swatches is a major pet peeve of mine because you can’t even tell what the computer-generated colour is completely misleading, and usually looks totally different from a real swatch.
I agree on all, especially #2, and they should also consider including at the very least real sized pictures. Or a zooming option for them. It gets ridiculous when it is a brand you know and respect. Take Inglot. I live in Spain and:
a)There are 3 Inglot shops veeery far away. Yes, they’ll take online orders, though not through the website (?), which anyways has no pictures. You get a list prize of the products, no pictures yet, just names as descriptive as AMC FREEDOM POWDER 55… total madness if you think about the shade range in this brand.
b)Tried to fix it, Googled it. Problem with swatches? Well, not the eyeshadows thanks to you (me and my friends owe you a lot)but you culdn’t trust foundation, concealer or my favourite product (the lip paint, currently #55)because the result varies depending on the skin type and undertone of the swatcher (swatcherer? swatch-maker? swatch-master? English is not my first language)
c)For a laugh, go to the uk inglot site. We tried there. Really tried. Pictures are tiny. No problem, click on them. Waaa now the background goes black and the picture… stays the same. We were trying to find a dupe for MAC 226. Impossible. I mean, 6ss could be. Or could not.
After a few weeks during which our little group of BFFs almost broke up, many arguments about a concealer subtone being orange, yellow or green based (at that point I suggested it was probably neon-glow-in-the-dark- pink based, but they were busy getting at each other’s trhoats to laugh), nights of tears and mornings of regrets, we decided TO GO TO LONDON for a week in the summer and get everything we needed at the site. Granted, travelling it’s great, but a series of bad designed websites shouldn’t force you to it.
With this concludes my tragic tale. Sorry for any typos. Love the blog!
holy smokes Marta, that’s a terrible experience! (though i must say the London trip sounds fun. you are one persistant lady!).
Thanks! If I’m a lady at 27 then I’ll be a wise old sage by the time I get to 40 😀 I like it!
We really had a blast in London, but really at that point I would have said yes to anything… and sending one of us to get the colours was out of the question, until they better their website, the only acceptable choice is going to the shop and swatch. So sad. Also the prices in Spain were waaay cheaper >_<
ULTA’s website leaves MUCH to be desired. Some of the listings have all or most of the things on your list, but some listings… I was looking at a kit a while back, and it didn’t even say which items were IN the kit. Maybe it’s just me, but I think that’s something most people would want to know before they purchased it. You couldn’t even zoom in on the picture to try to see the items.. I even e-mailed them about it. They never responded. 🙁
I agree with the positive AND negative reviews.. its such a red flag when i see just positive reviews.. it just screams out “filtered reviews” or “fakes” to me.. shrugs.. ingredients and swatches as well.. also certain sites *ahem UD* fail to ship to Canada.. HI THERE. i live in a city a population of 7 million people, JUST IN THE CITY, i think you can ship to this COUNTY.. its not like im talkin Laos here…
I totally agree with you., and I also want to add to your list one more thing, country of origin.
Many people seem not to care, but I personally just don’t want to take side with some
unethical companies that make profits out of cheap labor and tainted products. So, I tend to avoid everything made in China/Korea/S.E.A./India/Bangladesh, etc., unless it’s a fair trade.
Needed:
1- Testing on animals: Not only the FINAL product but for the ingredients as well
2- Suggestions on how the product is to beused: What I mean by this statement is, many products come out and we wonder “HOW do I apply, use” etc. Prime example, Beauty Powder, um? Blush? Highlight? How about a hint here.. NOT everyone automatically “knows”.. You might, I might, but thats not EVERYONE..
3- WHEN to use a product! Over/under moisturizer? Over/under concealer? Sure, we figure it out, but how many times to you want to fight with a product before its ridiculous.
4- Better packaging! Sure, be pretty, but be USEFUL (COUGH*URBAN DECAY*COUGH). Don’t make me have to perform surgery on a container. And MAC, do something about the fluidliner containers. How about a rubber ring to make it airtight. You charge me enough for the darn stuff, at least help it LAST a little bit.
Cosmetic websites have adapted the ‘give them fantasy’ concept. But the photoshopping and perfect lighting isn’t what a savy cosmetic shopper needs. We need swatches on real people. Not a fancy video with snappy editing. I like this webstie due to the swatches (Armani—-YAAAAY!) I use YouTube for reviews. The women vary in all shapes and sizes, accents and education.
So they lack substance.
I don’t mind photoshopping in advertising myself, to be honest – but when it comes to product photos/swatches, not so much!
I’ve had a lot of good luck Googling Karlasugar’s swatches for new products, but I agree. I don’t think there is anyone who is fooled by the supplied “swatches” anymore. Especially on MACcosmetics.com. Theirs are the worst, imo.
I posted a few bad reviews on beauty brands’ websites, and they never posted them. The one that irritated me the most was on the Benefit They’re Real! Mascara. I’m mad they completely ignored my review because I didn’t rave about it like everyone else has 🙁
amen sister!
I definitely agree with you about all of them! The lack of ingredients always drive me insane! Thankfully, there are many websites that list ingredients of products. But when I can’t find them, I feel compelled to go to a counter or something and ask to look at the box.
Real photos would be nice and convenient, but I’d still want to go into a store a swatch or sample something.
Quantity… I LOVE that you use the word “batty.” And I rarely see that!! I completely sat here chuckling for a good 30 seconds. xD But I agree with you.
Shade descriptions… eh I’m not so sure they are necessary once again, because I’d still go into a store. But I can see their usefulness.
Reviews… While they are important, I still don’t trust a brand’s website-based review system. There’s just too large of a conflict of interest. Leave the reviewing to unaffiliated sources.
Hahaha I’m still over the moon that you said batty!!
Many people can’t go to the stores – there are millions of people who can’t just hop down to their local beauty counter because their nearest counter may be several hours away!
Ooh you’re right. Imagine trying to match your foundation color over the computer. *Shudders*
Agreed! With all of it! There is nothing I hate more than having to go to a department store counter to look at the ingredients label. It’s annoying for the sales associates, and annoying for me when they don’t want to be bothered with a potential “non-sale”. And if you, or a handful of other bloggers that use real photography equipment and understand the concept of white balance, don’t have swatches I generally don’t spend the cash…unless it’s five bucks or under. And if I have to read one more description that calls something red and when in my little grippers it’s actually plum or dark purple (before application)….. *grumble* And lastly, yes, positive *and* negative means you’re comfortable with the products you’re putting out there.
Everything Temptalia has! I only use the website if I need to make an order, for any information I just check here. You’re doing a wonderful job, and you always save me money with your reviews!
Thank you, Elena!
re #2, Christine, have you ever been approached by a brand or considered approaching brands to sell your swatch/product images to? they are obviously better than 99% of what is out there and it would be sososososo beneficial to the brand.
I wish! 🙂 I am doing a couple of lip swatches for a small etailer this week, actually, but that’s really been the first time ever!
omg! moving on up christine! hopefully it goes amazingly well and other brands will start to catch on.
once the swatches go up will you share the etailer with us?
I wasn’t planning on it, since it’s kind of a one-off project, lol!
You’re dead on about the fake swatches. That’s my #1 problem with purchasing cosmetics. I’d buy so much more if I didn’t have to disregard products because I didn’t trust the swatches. In reference to the color descriptions, I’d like them to be more accurate too. If it says coral it should be coral. If it says plum it should be plum. With some brands it seems as though no matter what color you buy you always end up with the same shade of dusty rose!
Korres is the worst when it comes to their names… they’re so rarely true to color, LOL!
I agree with all of these, but 2 and 3 especially! I’d still go to beauty blogs to look at swatches to see how the product looks in different lighting, against different skin tones, etc. But I should be able to see real pictures of the actual products on the brand’s website. I also hate having to go searching the internet to find out how much product I’m getting for my money. That info should be found right on the website with the product description.
I could not agree any more with your points especially #5!! Sephora in particular is terrible when it comes to posting reviews. They rejected one of my reviews on a product even though I had a horrible reaction to it and wanted to inform other customers of my experience. How can people make informed decisions when negative reviews are filtered out? If you look at Sephora’s ratings for products most of them are between 4.5-5.0, it’s ridiculous! I even e-mailed them complaining about this and the customer service rep did not address any of my concerns.
Have you tried MakeUp Alley? They are great for cosmetic reviews. It’s funny because sometimes a product will have a boat load of bad reviews and someone will actually go against the grain and say, “Well I actually like the product.”
YES to all of these, but especially the ingredients. Not only do I have allergies to certain ingredients, but I feel like I have the right to know what’s in a product before I buy it. Some people have allergies…some people are vegan…some people don’t put things on their skin if there are ingredients they can’t pronounce…every time I see ingredients not listed, I just feel like the brand may be trying to hide something. Very irritating.
In regards to real photos the photo should be of it’s accurate size. Too many companies use photos and make the product seem larger than it real is. Very misleading and annoying.
Then you wouldn’t be able to see the detail – I’d rather them tell me how much product is in it (e.g. oz.) and let me be able to see it up close 🙂
I totally had Urban Decay reject a post of mine on their cream eyeshadow. It made my eyes water and it creased like mad even with primer. Just trying to tell the truth! I had about 7 other reviews to their site that day as well, all positive, and those were all taken! I don’t trust all of the reviews anymore, I come out to the interwebs and search for sites like this to get my information.
I TOTALLY agree with the negative reviews! When I’m going to purchase a product, I look online and I sort (if possible) the reviews from most negative to most positive. If I can’t do that, I will skim reviews for anything rated at less than 75%. If there isn’t any, I don’t buy it UNLESS I’ve seen a review from you. I’ve probably saved several hundred dollars just from refusing to purchase stuff without negative reviews, because, let’s be honest, there will never be a product where 100% of consumers are happy.
ive reviewed products on loccitane’s website and they never published anything, anything! and i own a lot of their skincare products. i mean they were mostly good reviews too and they never published it! haha i find it funny. the only negative review i wrote was for their limited edition makeup products, loccitane is a genious when it comes to skincare, but makeup ehh they should retire. the lipstick was so dry and packaging cheap made of cardboard. and this face powder that was supposed to be a highlighter was actually a transparent color with chunky gold 99cent flecks it was a pot of mess and fall out, no where near a highlighter.
also some youtube beauty gurus also filter their comments and only keep the positive, they cannot interact at a professional level with their subscribers and take critique like hollyanaree, allthatglitters and juicystar07. it makes me not want to trust them or watch their videos anymore.
the best site for reviews is of course temptalia <3 and sephora i really like how they publish reviews and organize things well.
Oh man, realistic swatches! I really have a problem with sites because of this. I’ve been wanting to try some NYX lipsticks and eyeshadows recently but the swatches on their site are SOOO unrealistic and unhelpful! It’s taking me forever to find all the swatches for their products on other sites. And review tampering should be a big no-no. Sephora has done this to me and I haven’t purchased from them since. I always go here or to makeupalley before purchasing now.
ooh also i forgot to add, loreal! their products have such harsh chemicals and unethical ingredients my perfectly fine face turned into a pizza face with their cleanser that they had with the scrubber attracher, i think it was called go lean, it took months to get rid of the tiny red bumps on my face, i emailed them and complained i never even got a reply back, my friend also used the everpure sulfate free shampoo which is not sulfate-free at all if you read the ingredients every other word in the humongous list is something something ___ sulfate. hmmn so “ever pure” huh? anyways my friend used the shampoo and conditioner her entire body broke out in hives and she had to go to the ER. it was bad. we emailed loreal and the BBB and reported several FDA sites and i got no response back. its quite sad. and if you search reviews online many people reported the same issues.
i also hate birchbox and cancelled my subscription. when they sent out full sized laura gellar blushes, upon opening my shipment, the baked blush was wrapped in a thin pretty pink tissue paper and just thrown in my box, of course it was shattered and powdered and was a huge mess. i was upset. i paid my $10 a month for what to get a shattered baked full size blush because of your irresponsible and careless tissue paper packaging? so i emailed them and some girl named amy replied saying shes sorry to hear that and that they only have limited quantity so they cant replace my blush, and i replied back saying but on the birchbox website you sell the monthly products so you obviously do have inventory of it. Amy replies saying oh but the blush we subscribers received is not full size its a delux samlple size, and i checked the grams on both my shattered blush and the blush sold on the birchbox website and they were the same oz. and same grams, so i informed amy and she replied saying oh sorry, but we cant give you another blush because we would lose money. and then she emailed me again sending me random blog sites showing how to press pigments and fix broken makeup blushes and such. how classy is that!! way to go birchbox! lol its pathetic. i think uk’s glossybox is way better and now michellephan and other youtubers have something similar. haha.
Seriously? I have been very intrigued by the Birchbox idea and have watched several YTs through a year of subscriptions, and of course the ones *they* get are handled carefully (not blaming the YTs, blaming Birchbox for playing favourites). This is a lemming-killer for me.
Inglot Inglot Inglot…is there any other brand as massive as this with as horrible a site? I’ve been wanting to order more eyeshadows and completely skipped it during their 15% sale this weekend because I found it IMPOSSIBLE to figure out what color was what! I spent forever going through blogs and forums looking for eyeshadow swatches and after an hour, realized it wasn’t worth the effort. With seemingly hundreds of shadows and nary a description on their site, I declare them the WORST beauty brand website out there.
Some of the better websites I can think of are Bobbi Brown, NARS, and Bare Escentuals.
My point exactly! Here’s Inglot’s uk website description on duraline:
Duraline
9 ml/0.30 US FL OZ
Price: £ 7.00 / Each
Such a shame it’s one of their better products and they don’t even tell you WHAT is it, nevermind the ingredients or how to use it. The website is so bad it’s almost funny!
I would love to order from Bobbi Brown, BUT she does not list what is in her MU. No order shall be made from me =:((( And ITA that list of what the color is and a swatch or two ( dry or wet would be awesome).
Christine, you are so on point with the Five Things Beauty Brands’ Websites Need. I agree whole-heartedly!
ahh yes…negative reviews! i posted a “comprehensive” negative review on sephora.com for the UD lash curler. next day, it was gone! acckk! wth??
and i also agree on the color descriptions. my sister and i are huge fans of your reviews, christine! we especially appreciate your efforts in describing a color as accurate as possible! i feel like, i would run out of color shades to describe “gold” or “pink,” and yet you come up with an accurate to semi-accurate descriptions.
Thank you, Sheena!
Oh yes, real product & swatches photo!!!
While I agree with the list, ‘2. real photos’ – producing professional, high-quality pictures for the website can cost a lot if your product line changes often;
It is 100% that negative reviews should be posted alongside positive ones but from the point of view of a seller if the product has reasonably high proportion of negatives, the seller then may not be able to shift it at all.
#4! When I can’t find a color description it drives me nuts! I agree with an above poster that it is a huge red flag when you don’t see any negative reviews, I don’t care for sites that use incentives for reviews either because then most of the reviews are so generic that they’re a waste of time to read.
I pay attention to beauty brands facebook pages, when issues arise for a consumer who asks for assistance on fb and they don’t address it or they delete complaints that sends up huge red flags to me. I have purchased a lot more makeup from brands I don’t normally purchase because of great facebook interaction with consumers/fans.
I would love it if sites kept a list of their discontinued products and colors! It would be very helpful and if they’re repackaged under a different name that information would be great to know.
I completely agree with every one of your points! Especially 3 and 5, well 5 is fine I google reviews but I absolutely hate it when I don’t know how much product I’m paying for unless I search for it in any other website or wait for it to come and hope that I’m getting my moneys worth. It shocks me more when a brand’s own website has less info than a website like Sephora. It doesn’t make any sense to me.
I agree with all of the above and would add:
1. If it’s a new product, when and where will it be released (month and region, for example, or if only this branch will have it) Some folks really enjoy the hunt, but I’ve begun to feel like a chump when I go here, where x is supposed to be, and hither and yon, and it isn’t anywhere, I feel stupid. I’m not playing that dumb game anymore.
2. Stop photoshopping the models’ makeup so much that the makeup on the model no longer resembles what you produced. If you don’t like what you made, for crying out loud, make it better!
3. If you’re one of the rarer, harder to find brands and only five doors of Neimans and three doors of Saks carry you, tell me which ones they are!
Cosmetic companies have adapted well in many circumstances, but they really need to do better in many other respects. It’s a billion dollar industry and we’re doing their work for them.
agree
THANK YOU! I’m sure there are a few things I could think of as well, but these are excellent points! This is one reason why beauty bloggers are *so* valuable to me (that includes you! xoxo) because if I’m not 100% sure, I can look up a swatch most of the time.
And as to your last point…..*standing ovation*. I had a bad experience with an indie company. I left a review (it was not nasty–stating facts) on their FB page. I returned to see they had eliminated their review section completely. And OH did I get flamed!
I will *always* try to give constructive criticism about a store/product/etc because unless it’s a horrible product, just bashing it doesn’t give info–nor does it give the company an idea on how to improve. The companies that accept negative reviews–and then work to improve–are much more valuable to me.
Any brand that doesnt test on animals/is cruelty free it should be mentioned clearly (like facefront, elf, urban decay, etc) bc it would be good marketing for them, and be easier for those like myself who only buy makeup not tested on animals!
I love this post of yours Christine! It’s very interesting and I agree with all of them. Especially, putting negative and positive reviews! I laugh when a product says “100% reviewers like this product.”
Another one I thought of: Sell foundation samples.
Some companies — Face Atelier, Coastal Scents, Sleek, and many an indie brand — do this already. I’d love to see other brands follow. Personally, I live nowhere near a Sephora, a MAC store or counter, an Ulta, or any department stores. If I want to try a foundation, I have to buy the full size and, IMO, I shouldn’t have to do that; if I buy a full size only to discover it’s the wrong colour or I don’t like it, that’s a lot of money wasted. Surely spending a little more money to make little sample bottles or jars available to purchase for a few dollars would be a massive help for a lot of us!
I find some brands like RBL tend to delete negative reviews and comments. It drives me batty. If everything is a glowing review, I tend to be leary. There is bound to be SOME issues even if its just a colour not being what a customer expected. ESPECIALLY on a brand that doesn’t have real life swatches!
I wouldn’t have expected a more independent/niche brand to do that 🙁
amen, sister.
Can we send this to all the makeup companies, and put up posters on their IT-development’s door 🙂 ?
You touched on everything that irks me I find unsettling – no ingredients and altered templates? What are they hiding from us?
Thank you, this goes into bookmarks straight away 🙂 !
Hm, messed up the tags – the “irks me” should have been with a strike through it.