Yes, definitely! Over time, I feel I have become more and more aware of how important it is to be clear, descriptive, and transparent when talking about products and writing reviews. I spend a lot more time thinking about every aspect of a product than I ever used to as a regular consumer.
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Immensely!
I’m a much more informed consumer now. The beauty community has taken the guesswork out of my beauty purchases.
100% yes!!!! I cringe when I think of how I handled makeup before the internet. All the blind buys, the questionable techniques… Although I spend considerably more money on makeup now, I enjoy and understand it so much more. And thank you, Temptalia, for all you do to educate and entertain the makeup lovers of the world!
Yes. I came back to makeup about five years ago after being too broke and tired from raising two disabled kids and treatment for my husband’s then-inoperable brain tumor (it was eventually removed and he’s fine now). Once my kids were mostly grown, and I went back to work, I felt a bit lost. Blogs and vlogs really helped me get a handle on the new makeup world.
I think I’m a more discerning customer, for sure. I also buy a much wider variety of brands and products, because there is so much information available on which products are good, and how they work on people with my coloring, allergy issues, skin type, age (hormone changes wreak havoc with skin), etc.
Thank God for you husband’s recovery! Like you, I came to makeup during a stressful time in my life and a need to find a place to relax, escape and just play (so to speak, with art, color). It has been and still serves as a therapeutic tool for me. I’m glad that I’m learning to not let it get out of control though, because I have had a period where it was a little out of hand and I’m finding a way to have a more balanced place for it in my life while yet helping me to getaway from the daily grind.
Thank you, Jane. Fortunately, his tumor was very slow-growing, so it did very little permanent damage. It was in his speech & language center, so he was left with occasionally issues saying or hearing the wrong words, but the constant micro-seizures went away.
Sorry to hear you went through some stressful times, too. I hope things are better for you. Good job not letting the makeup get out of control. It’s easy to go overboard, especially at first.
Absolutely. Before I’d just go “ooh pretty I’m getting it” and never considered quality. I just wanted what looked cool and fun and pretty. Now I wait to see if there are any glaring reports, or glowing reports, which help guide my decisions. If something is pretty but is noted as being really difficult to work with I can bypass it because I don’t want a palette meant for a pros hand. I’m not a pro and I get frustrated! There are also sometimes that I may be so so about a product, but if it gets an amazing review then I’ll definitely consider taking a second look.
I also really appreciate that reviews, blogs, Youtube, etc. expose me to more products than before. I used to only know about products if I happened to see an ad (how I got hooked on MUFE Ultra HD – that ad was everywhere) or walked into a store. Now I know there is so much out there and love trying new non-mega brands.
Most importantly, the blog shows me what not to buy. I’ve wasted more money on products that don’t work for me. Thank you for daving me $$$$.
I honestly wait to buy a new makeup product until you review it. I find your 100% honest about the product and give it a fair review plus it’s pros and cons. I see a lot of other blog reviews or YouTube reviews that are lacking in actually reviewing the product on color payoff, texture, work ability, dupes, pros/cons etc etc. Plus it seems so many influencers out there are paid to give an uplifting review so it’s difficult to find a straight shooter like you. I really appreciate what you do and can only imagine the amount of work that it takes to do one review let alone thousands. So for me I will not buy a product until you review it.
Thank you so much, Jamie!! <3
+1 What Jamie said! I owe my makeup collection to you.
i agree with you both, Chrisitine you have saved me a lot of money and all your reviews are honest. Thank you.
Yes, primarily in critical thinking about product acquisition. T has helped me so much in avoiding duplication in color cosmetics. BHaving an autoimmune/ inflammatory skin issue, becoming informed on ingredients has become mandatory. Isabella/Muse, T, and Cat Cactus/Snow White and the Asian Pear have been invaluable. They lead me to my two bibles, Cosdna and EWG skin deep data base. The chemistry can be daunting, but I no longer get products that provoke me, or cause dreadful reactions. I had to use the info sources for the blogs, but it has been a true blessing. (And has led to the strangest skincare routine ever!)
Definitely yes. It never hurts to be an informed consumer. I know it sounds crazy but up until about 10 years ago, I was pretty naive about the beauty industry. If the SA told me it would take 20 years off my looks I was all about it and would buy whatever the SA recommended. I would also buy the entire collection regardless of whether it would work for me or not, especially from Chanel and Dior. For some reason I had/have a real weakness for those brands. Ten years ago, I was 55 and should have known better but if the SA said it it had to be true, right? It is kind of like that internet joke! The concept that a brand could turn out a beautiful lipstick and a crummy eye shadow palette just never dawned on me. I feel like I am so much better informed and since following Temptalia on a daily basis, I have learned what works for my skin type, coloring, undertone, etc. That alone is worth every minute I spend reading because it saves me money. I also have learned what works for readers who have my same concerns. I honestly couldn’t live without the reviews that Christine writes.
You know Deborah, the thing about it not coming across your mind that a brand could be good st one product category but not at another is what used to happen to me before as well! I also used to think that the more expensive something was, it sure must have been the most incredible thing, because duh! Why wouldn’t it be?
What saved me was that before I started reading Temptalia and watching beauty YouTube, I had virtually no money because I was on my second job and spent whatever little money I earned extremely unwisely, but on other cheaper stuff. I’d be in deep trouble if I started buying expensive makeup then! But then I started learning a lot, and now I actually do research before buying, and know what I like, what to look for and not to spend money on brands that have name (or products that have been super hyped), but not quality enough.
I also pay attention to finishes (some things are better glowy, other things are better matte, some others can totally benefit from an immense amount of glitter), packaging (Touche Éclat style pens? No, thank you!), undertones (my face is pink because of all the blood near the surface but I’m actually yellow – might even be light olive, I suspect), pigmentation (more isn’t necessarily better, IMHO), types of products (I learned rather quickly that I really dislike liquid lipstick – and foundations in general – because I’m dryyyyyy), and what I can realistically expect from makeup (I can’t cover my dark circles completely at all, and if I try I look like I tried to use wall paint on my face; makeup doesn’t fix texture; i have to with what I have, not with what I wish I had). It’s made me a somewhat better buyer.
Unless it’s lipstick/lip products in general. I am avoiding buying what I don’t need but I tend to go overboard with lip stuff when I find something new that I didn’t try yet, especially if I end up liking it – then I’ll want to buy the entire line. The last ones were, luckily, Essence shine on lipsticks, of which I own all but one of the shades they’re selling in my country. I even bought a backup of one of them. Did I need a backup? No. Did I want it? …yes.
*i have to work with what I have, not what I wish I had. Missed an entire word there.
It sure has! When I began to dip my toes back into the beauty world after a long dry spell of just slapping on very basic makeup and skincare every day, I really got into reading reviews written by fellow consumers on Makeup Alley first, and then written blogs, too. That was the beginning of what was to become a slow but steady immersion back into the pool! I became more “picky” about quality. And sought out info on individual products more thoroughly. However, it was when my daughter turned me onto Temptalia, plus Allura and xSparkage (YouTube), that I really got on board 110% when it came to the finer details. Because, before that, I didn’t even know just how deep the info could really go! Or just how creative one could actually go, either! Not to say that I didn’t go super creative and colorful back in the 80’s, but this time it was with the knowledge of which brands (and shades within brands) would BRING IT; the pigment, the intensity, the smooth textures that were easy to work with, the quality.
My beauty approach has changed 100% since I started reading this blog 4-5 years ago.
Firstly, I learnt about all kinds of brands, like UD, that I had never heard of before and was introduced to your rating system – which provided excellent guidance on the best products to purchase.
Second major learning curve – the undertone factor in foundations. Beforeheand, I had no idea why my foundations were looking so bad on until I learnt and realised that my undertones were pink (cool) and therefore I could then really start looking for foundations that worked well on me. Happily I have found several.
Thirdly, I have learnt that price does not guarantee quality and that some of the HE brands were quite rubbish. In Aus at the time, we either had HE or DS – no mid brands. And certainly a lot of the DS brands have lifted their game too. I now purchase wisely, products reviewed here and I have been happy with the results.
And last of all, importantly for me too, is that I have found an online community of like minded beauty devotees who are warm, friendly and amazing people.
Thank you so much Christine for all your work on this blog over the years. Please don’t stress over it, we are all there for you too.
Yes. I feel more confident. I love watching beauty bloggers that are NOT perfect and look like real humans. Jill E Crist does the best reviews on high end luxe products and her face shape is close to mine. Luccia Tepper is another vlogger that has honest reviews. I definitely don’t look like an airbrushed model and I don’t want my vloggers to be either. I do admit I watch Tati videos because she also gives real and honest opinions about makeup and will tell you if it’s worth it. I also like that none of them are sponsored.
I don’t remember how I stumbled on to this site but it was a really good day. I don’t buy anything without your reviews because I know you will be honest, nobody does a review like you Christine. I have saved so much time and money. Most of all you have the best community of readers they are so open. warm and friendly.
Yep! Christine because of all the hard work you do I’m a much more informed buyer.
I consider trusted Beauty Bloggers the fire wall between consumers and great products or makeup that’s no bueno.
I know for myself before I make a beauty purchase I whip out my phone and check the reviews. ( I see others checking their phone while holding a product all the time at Sephora , I cant be the only one ) lol…
Yes, but not as much as for many people here 😉 I still make many impulse, unnecessary purchases and still have too much stuff. But I do get to know many new brands or products that are not avaliable in my country physical stores. And I faster know about new releases. I also am so in love with temptalia dupes section! It helped me many times not to buy the same shade but from different brand – Thank you Christine!
Definitely. I make much, MUCH more informed purchases now and for that I’m thankful. Almost nothing feels worse than wasting your time and money on garbage. Sure I still make some mistakes here and there, but it’s a lot less frequent and usually because I’ve ignored the warning signs in the reviews beforehand.
Plus your blog has been an absolute treasure of a resource for making sure I’m not *unintentionally* (because, let’s be honest, some colors/products are weaknesses and I’ll always buy more regardless) purchasing dupes.
I’ve learned to separate the actual reviews from the disguised ads. Anything that’s worded in more vague way, that can technically pass the test of “all opinions are my own” because they’re not an opinion at all – I’ve managed to catch them well now. For example, someone that might be promoting a pink highlighter might say “I really like a pinky shine, it’s perfect for spring!”, while not really adding information about the product itself. I’m wiser now but it’s still so disappointing,
Yes so much! I use so many more products now and am much more inspired to do full glam looks daily since getting hooked on videos. It’s not that I feel I need them, just realizing I’m not such a freak for loving makeup and glam as much as I do has made me want to do it every day. Before I discovered these blogs and especially videos, I didn’t know anyone who had even half the interest in beauty that I do.