Archived Post
How much does a shade or product's name impact your decision to purchase?
How much does a shade or product’s name impact your decision to purchase? Does it matter? Will certain names push you to purchase or keep you from buying?
On occasion, there might be a shade name that represents something I like so I might feel more compelled to purchase, but I’m generally not put off by a shade’s name.
Thanks to Polly for today’s question! Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
Having a name that’s unique/represents something I like will definitely make me like a product more…or make me feel more disappointed if it’s a bad product.
It normally doesn’t matter to me, especially since where I grew up make-up shades tend to have numbers instead of names. (or be referred to by the number even though it may have name) ^^;
Lou Lou has been my signature scent since I was about 14 or 15, but what drew me to even try it was the fact I’ve been a fan of Louise Brooks for as long as I can remember. I also picked up NARS Pandora duo for the same reason, although I had no need for *another* matte black & shimmery white eyeshadow. I also had to pick up NARS Nico, unswatched, as I’m a big Velvet Underground fan, but it has proven to be my HG everyday highlighter.
While names can draw me to look at a product, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll buy it; it still must be of quality, and something I’ll actually use. NARS Debbie Harry palette is a perfect example of that…
I’m also not put off by a name. I have plenty of products that have the most annoying punny names (primarily nail polish), but if I like the color, I’ll look past it. There was a time I wouldn’t bother with a product like that, as it just seemed marketed to tweens, so I (wrongly) presumed it wouldn’t be a quality product.
Overall, I really prefer simple, straightforward names, that describe the actual color.
Most of the makeup in my collection comes from birthday or Christmas presents that I’ve carefully picked out and put on a wishlist.
Many times I find myself wanting NARS products, but I don’t feel comfortable asking my ultra-conservative family for some of their naughtily named products (think “Orgasm,” “Deep Throat,” etc…). Thus they have lost sales due to their naming scheme. Yes, I do eventually get around to buying a select few things that I *really* wanted to try, but there are far fewer purchases when most NARS purchases are being made on my scanty student budget as compared to being able to put them on wish lists.
Hopefully that doesn’t sound too shallow…
I think you’re totally right! I was embarrassed to buy Nars “O” blush. Call me a prude! Plus, I don’t like the blush anyway .. too sparkly for me .. lol.
Monica.
I think they may make me more interested in the product, if the name has some funny meaning to me. I did get Zoya Gia because that’s my cats name, but I also liked the color and knew I’d wear it (and had a coupon for a free polish – I don’t think I’d have purchased it). The one time I ALMOST purchased stuff for the name was during that mac feline collection with names like the soft meow and prrr I came to my senses before shelling out $15+ for a cute name. Funny that both examples have to do with my cat, haha hmm…
I’m glad someone else wanted to buy out the entire Feline collection because of the cat theme. I have 2 cats and was seriously considering buying some products just for the name, but my friend slapped some sense into me.
The names of shades can be cute and naughty which does give them more appeal, but sometimes I feel like companies give their products.. well, unappealing names. Like for instance, the OCC lip tar in the color “Grandma”… who the heck wants to wear makeup that reminds them of grandmas???? I ended up returning it anyway, it was much too garish for me!
I love that “garish” shade and the name. I think Grandmas are pretty awesome and that cosmetic styles in my grandmothers day were far more attractive then the mainstream modern ones. I love the unapologetic lip color that a Grandma might fearlessly wear. Before they were grandmothers they were vibrant women sassily applying lipstick from a metal Coty tube.
It’s not the most important factor, but a fun name does make me love a product more. It certainly captures my attention during the research phase.
I was going to say I wouldn’t be put off by a name, but I actually have been. I decided not to buy sephora OPI “leaf him at the altar” because the name made the romantic in me sad.
I need to feel enthusiastic about makeup in order to spend money on it. It’s a luxury, not a necessity.
I actually bought ‘Leaf him at the Altar’ because I loved the name, though the green color was great too. It’s now my all time favorite nail polish.
If it’s a really unique shade I will totally buy it. If it’s plain, nah… I probably have a dupe or two at home. I’m honestly never swayed by names, except when it comes to indie brands. Geek Chic cosmetics has a Doctor Who collection that I am currently coveting because it’s all Who references. There is also an eyeshadow from Shiro Cosmetics called “Nic Cage Raking Leaves On A Brisk October Afternoon. I think that it’s a really average brown with gold shimmer, but I would honestly buy it for the name because… well… reasons.
I couldn’t care less. If I loved a shade that happened to be called “turd brown” or something, so be it. Actually I’d find that really amusing.
So far names have only made a shade more appealing to me- though I have never bought something on name alone
This summer I very nearly didn’t buy mac’s Heroine (I am a huge fan of purple lips, but heroine is very pink!) but in the end, the name helped me out and I have been happy with the purchase ever since.
Yeaaahhh you asked my question! I only wondered what everyone else thought as I once bought an
Eyeshadow that was called “Rapunzel had Extensions” simply because it cracked me up! Sometimes the name hints at the product, Dark as Night, Carbon etc and I think that helps with the overall togetherness of a product and makes it easier to identify xxx
Rapunzel is a Fyrinnae color, non? I refuse to buy $OPI Iris I was Thinner because WTF kind of message is that? No Thanks.
Oh, totally. At least if the name refers to something sci-fi or the like.
I really like products that have cool or weird names. I’ve been drawn to Illamasqua’s Bacterium nail polish over and over, not because of the colour, but because of the name. Names that tie a collection together are also good (it makes me feel like they’ve really thought about the collection as a whole). I don’t find pun-based names all that funny, especially since some of them are far too long (OPI, get your act together!). Overall, it doesn’t necessarily influence whether I buy the product, but it might draw my attention. I buy all my own makeup (my family/friends know I’m far too fussy!) so the name won’t be a barrier in that sense, either.
Foundation is the only thing I think should have numbers. It’s far easier to remember you’re a 4 than a ‘warm beige’ especially when there’s also ‘cool beige’, ‘tan beige’ and ‘nude beige’. If the names are confusing, it’s a big turn off.
It does have an impact as I love words and words in context even better ! ” Frivole ” ” Rosy Glow ” or ” Vertigo ” means something to me and I think every woman or beauty addict has her owns memories, background and dreams. That’s why every collection has a name, just to make us dream and make us buy of course ! From ” Glitter and Ice ” to ” Cherie Bow ” or ” Strength ” it’s a question of business too !
A product’s name has zero impact on my decision to purchase or not purchase a product.
A name might grab my interest but I doubt I would ever purchase a product for the name alone, unless (maybe) something had the name of my daughter, my late mom or of some person or place near and dear to my heart. I started making a particular dessert because it has the same name as my mother-in-law, whom I absolutely adore. And I bought Saint Germain lipstick for my daughter because she loves all things French and, especially, Parisian. It also happens to be a colour that looks lovely on her, otherwise I doubt I’d have bought it even with the name!
I wouldn’t say names have a big impact on my purchasing products. However, I much prefer straightforward names that help you have an idea about what something looks like (i.e. Revlon’s Really Red). When a shade’s name isn’t helpful, it can be annoying (i.e. UD’s Hustle). Certain brands are notorious for unhelpful names like Nars, UD, and Essie to name a few. Also Nars and UD have been known to include racy names in their line (i.e. Nars Orgasm and UD Backdoor). I don’t find racy names amusing.
The shade name or product name is not the deciding factor. I did bought Candy Yum Yum because of the the name but I the deciding factor was if the color would look good on me. I am a “red” color lipstick person. The brand name is a the deciding factor also….will not buy from NYX or Wet N Wild…..or any makeup made in China….Didnt buy it 30 years ago when none where from China and I am not going to change now.
I never purchase a product based on a name; it doesn’t matter to me whether a shade has a name or not, as most things are numbered at my home country. Nars Orgasm and Deep Throat are called 4013 and 4016 respectively, and I have no problem with that : )
The only name that has ever put me off is Urban Decay’s dark brown eyeshadow called Back Door. I’m fine with edgy, but that crosses the line into disgusting and it put me off from buying the Smoked palette.
Eww! I just got that!
The first thing that came to my mind was, literally, a back door, like the ones in a dive bar. I have some old haunts that have dark brown, heavy doors in the back, and that’s what I thought of. At any rate, it’s a *gorgeous* shade, and I have no regrets buying the palette (although, I already had 5 of the shadows & Back Door is a near enough dupe for MUFE 139).
Same thing with Illamasqua’s TAINT (and they have some other terrible name/color combinations too… Taint is an “Urban Dictionary” word (in Google you can type “define taint” and see what I’m talking about… and the color is brown – that is just GROSS. I refuse to own those polishes with terrible names just for that reason… Poor judgment if you ask me… How do you explain what that is to a teen-aged girl? Just avoid it all together – sale lost!
When I discovered “Bitchslap Cosmetics” I found their product names so distasteful I couldn’t imagine owning anything with those names (And I swear like a sailor in my own home and am certainly no prude!) Then I read their reputation and reviews and that sealed the deal for me, but the names were awful! (if you don’t believe me, look it up!!)
Not at all. I don’t care what the name is as long as I like the product. 🙂
A lot more than your average Jane. I love words, mood, ambiance and the name of something actually matters to me quite a bit. For instance, with the MAC Strength collection I had to have Absolute Power because- what a name! I wanted Firm Form( which was sold out) but I didn’t fret nearly as much since I was so turned off by the name. If there were a Wuthering Heights eyeshadow, no matter the quality- I would have to have it. Vertigo polish wouldn’t have been such a must have without my favorite Hitchcock movie referenced. I am SO influenced that I don’t spend too much time with Shu Uemura because *ack* numerals! I need my lipsticks to have a personality.
I’ve been put off by some NARS products because of the names. I buy some and avoid some and that’s one brand where the name has stopped me from even looking at something that might otherwise be of interest. The only other time I’ve been put off by a shade name so much that I didn’t buy was when Guerlain came out with their Rouge G L’Extrait, the liquid lipsticks with names that correspond to the seven cardinal sins. The testers where I looked only had numbers. After I made my selections and saw the actual names, I backed out of the purchase. I don’t see any humor in it at all.
Not until I saw UD “Stray Dog” shadow and liner (written with one dog on my lap, one across my feet, and two more looking at me with pitiful expressions on their faces).
Usually not much, however, I did purchase NARS Jungle Red because I love the old movie the Women.
I get biased if the products have the name of places, cities from the country where I was born, like where I originally hail from…
I really liked the color of OPI Uh Oh, Roll Down the Window, but I just can’t bring myself to buy it because of the name. I don’t tend to buy products just for the name, either, unless there is great themed packaging that goes with it.
I bought it because I loved the color, but this is the item that came to mind when I first read this question. Give me Orgasms and Multiples all day, but that name combined with the color really squicked me out.
It’s important because it gives me a hint of the color. If I’m looking for a red lipstick, then I want the product name to give me a clue as to the color range. For example, I have my eye on a Mac lipstick called Lady Bug. A ‘lady bug’, as you know is a red colored bug .. so it’s a great name to call a red colored lipstick.
Naming a cosmetic by a number or calling a blue eye shadow, Hubba Hubba is totally useless to me.
Only once have I done this! BUT MAC Scarlet Ibis: I have two parts of my family who are from the Caribbean; my uncles daughter’s mom, and my step dad, but he had replaced my father at 8months so he is really my dad. I am very close with both of these groups of people, and we would always go to this caribbean restaurant named Scarlet Ibis. So that was a huge contributing factor… I had to have this lipstick for the memories!
I won’t go out of my way to buy something because of the name, but if I am left with a decision on, say, which red lipstick out of 2 to buy (and I really can’t get both), and one has a cuter name , I’ll go with the cute name, almost every time. haha
I’ll be more inclined to take a second look if it’s a cute name, but the opposite doesn’t really hold true with me. Honestly once I own it, I never really think about the name, just the color.
I don’t usually pick a shade based off of the name. But I will say that a fun or quirky name does attract my attention and I’ll take a second look at it.
I’ve been attracted to products much more if I like their names. The only thing that’s put me off is Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics; I’m not a fan of trying to sell mental illnesses/disorders. I did get the nars multiple orgasm though, because I found that hilarious. oh, and I couldn’t resist the buxom eyeshadows named after dogs! I was also attracted to the hourglass liquid lipstick shade called “Empress”, but it turned out looking awful on me 🙁
i don’t really give a damn lol i buy things because of the color not because of the name
If I find a products name disgusting I will not buy. An example would be Nars Orgasm or deep throat. Let´s see what other names they come up with. They couldn´t pay me to use that, I just find it repulsive. Similarly, if the name represents history, romantic elements like roses or luxury it could be a good thing to make me buy, packaging and color are way more important though. However if I like the color, packaging and perfomance of the product but get disgusted by the name I will simply not purchase it even if everything else is perfect.
One of my favourite eyeshadows is by UD, called Roach, BUT…
I hate roaches, almost to phobia levels…just the thought of them makes me quiver!
I don’t think that is the roach that they are talking about…
Illamasqua Load. I am not putting a creamy white nail polish called load. I could not tell people the name if they commented on it. On the other hand, my sister doesn’t even like the nail polish all that much, but she wants it because of the name.
Funny/pretty/interesting/cool names can make me take a look at a product twice, therefore more likely to purchase it, but I won’t buy the product just because of the name. I’ve been tempted a few times, but unless the colour and product are good and would work for me, not a chance, when I could spend the money on something else I like.
The coolest name is a lipstick by Shiseido called Iron Maiden! I mean, who can resist that?! Well, it’s the closest I’ve come to buying a shade purely for the name.
A name should at least hint at the colour it is meant to describe, we don’t need cryptic.
I do not like rude, offensive or vulgar names (NARS and Tom Ford spring to mind). Products with those sort of names will make me avoid them. I think there’s enough unpleasantness in the word that we don’t need to add to it and my makeup is my fun time. Besides, the makeup world is so vast, that it is difficult to make a truly unique product. Given enough time and a little patience, a dupe will be found.
It does sound somewhat irrational, to care about the name when it is of so little consequence, but the world shows us that somehow it matters. Strange how we get so bothered about names, isn’t it?
If Roach was a part of the modern UD I would agree but Roach was named when the company really stood for Urban Decay. The eyeshadow had names like Smog, Frostbite, ABC Gum, Snow, Hazmat, Mildew and it wasn’t all ridiculous drug references 🙁 Roach fit right in…
I think it’s all in the interpretation; I *did* get a “drug reference” from the name, as it reminds me of the color at the burnt end of a joint (alot of my friends smoke). It could’ve been a subconscious thought, though, because I’d rather have that image than of a disgusting bug…
Mudd Club. BritPunk. The era when UD was conceived in it could go either way. Midnight Cowboy? If they’d go prostitution they’d use a name as innocuous as pot. What about the heroin references?
I will almost always appreciate a name. I like vulgar names if they’re clever and make sense with the product (I probably won’t buy Illamasqua’s Load but I did chuckle when I saw it). Sometimes a name just appeals to something I like or is clever in its own right (Illamasqua Zygomatic blush). I think it’s prudish to refuse to buy something because of its name, but I also think it’s stupid to give something an edgy name if it makes no sense. I wrote a ‘complaint’ to Essie in the past because of how *freaking stupid* their names were. In particular, there was a polish called Van’d Go which (1) made zero sense as a pun and (2) made zero sense as a van Gogh reference (it was a pinky peach color!). I still OWN the polish, though, I just groan when I read the name.
I may feel attracted by names I can relate to, but I really never pick up a product for its name only. I do like products to have a name though – I don´t like products having only a number. For example, here in Mexico Lancome L’Absolu Rouge lipsticks are only numbered. That wouldn´t stop me from buying, but I feel a name is necessary to “complete” a product.
Honestly, the one and only reason I don’t use Clinique Chubby Sticks is because the name sounds like something a frat boy would call his junk.
XD Never thought of it that way
I’m glad I’m not the only one that occurred to … I mean they might as well have called them Morning Wood Sticks in my view
Lol!
I refused to by Chanel’s red/black eye crayon called “Diabolic”, and a Nars lip pencil called “Damned”. To me, those things are not fit subjects for lighthearted cosmetic naming.
When I saw that MAC was going to launch a LE lipstick called Scarlet Ibis, I made plans to make it mine regardless of what it might look like on me. Scarlet Ibis is the national bird of Trinidad, where my mom’s from, and I wanted the product as a homage to my heritage. I lucked out! It is BY FAR my most fave. lip colour now (esp. when paired with Redd)
love it!
that is similar to the reason i bought scarlet ibis!!
It does make me buy it sometimes. For example way back when MAC sold Liza red nail polish & lipstick I bought them. I like fun names. I never turns me off to a product though
1) It’s Illamasqua 2) considering the polish comes from a collection that revolves around Weimar Republic prostitutes, I think the traditional definition of Taint is not far fetched. 3) why would you find yourself explaining it to teenagers?
When it comes to actually purchasing or not I could care less.. but I do appreciate when they take the time to name it something cute.. or representative of the shade. I also highly prefer that they put the actual name on the product somewhere. Makes it so much easier to repurchase or recommend.
I don’t really like buying big palettes like the ones sold by BH cosmetics or Coastal Scents, mainly because they don’t have names. I know thats incredibly lame, haha. I’m big on packaging more than anything. I absolutely hate shiny gold packaging, like on YSL products. It doesn’t look good to me, i prefer glamorous black with clean lines like many of the NARS products have, that or fun packaging and colors like Urban Decay produces.
Usually they don’t change my mind, but I do find it more helpful when the name somehow reflects the intended color. I get a little chuckle out of clever names, but they don’t really help me in deciding if I want to purchase sight unseen, for instance.
My answer is basically the same as yours except it’s that I am more compelled to try it rather than buy it. I have very fair skin and get called China/Porcelain doll a lot so anything with Porcelain or Doll in its name makes me want to buy it more since maybe it’ll being enough for my skin xD but it rarely ever is. I love dark colors too but it’s hard to find colors that will still look bright and light against my skin tone.
There’s a lot of productsm mostly NARS that I want to buy but refuse to because of needlessly vulgar names. But if it’s a stupid pun, I’m gonna get over it if I like the color.
The name of the product draws me to it, and I will buy it if I think the color is okay but love the name. I cannot remember colors that use numbers instead of names.
Yes the name definitely has an impact, not superficially but because of practicality. Names are more memorable, easier to reference and to find the product, therefore increase the probabiity of it being purchased.
I know this is probably really stupid of me, but I find NARS’ blush shade called “Deep Throat” offensive, not to mention completely lewd and disgusting.