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Has your approach to beauty changed since reading blogs or watching videos?
I’m much more critical of products, and I really have little tolerance for truly disappointing products. I am more willing to try different brands, products, and colors, I think, because being plugged into the community really gives one insight into just how vast it is! On a more negative note, I trust online reviews (not just influencer reviews but ones on retailers’ websites) a lot less, which is something I’ve experienced across types of reviews, not just beauty.
— Christine
I’m trying new techniques and shades that I would probably never have thought of if I wasn’t reading or watching. I’m less embarrassed about my beauty addiction because I know many other people share this trait! I’m also bolder in my looks, inspired by my favorite bloggers.
The negative side of it, if you ask me, is that trends are amplified very quickly, and before you know it everybody tends to have the same brows and to wear the same matte liquid lipsticks. Oddly I feel like the online beauty community encourages conformity rather than originality, except if you really go and look for smaller, less “influential” members’ contributions.
I’m much more critical now I’m approaching my 30’s! I enjoy experimenting but skin is such a personal preference that it is more about the experience. When applying products and how natural the end result is when applying makeup. I take everything review wise with a pinch of salt and only sometimes will I give in to the hype! X
Ditto, I’ve adopted a much more critical attitude. I’ve become quite picky 😉
So funny you say that about trusting online reviews, because I generally go straight to looking for negative reviews to read them first because it sometimes seems as if a lot of the positive reviews are kind of shady. And if there are zero negative reviews (and the product’s been out for a while), I’m skeptical.
Re: Retailer On-Line Reviews
I do this, too. I want to see if I can live with the criticism. For example, if it’s coming from someone who has combination-to-oily skin or has acne prone concerns, I dismiss that criticism as I’m dry and not prone to acne. Another example, if it says the product is drying, I don’t further consider purchasing it. I’m already too dry. It’s not like I avoid the positive reviews, especially if they’re informative and well-reasoned; it’s just that I don’t want to fall victim to the latest-greatest-hype. I want to spend my money on something that will suit my particular needs.
YES! Exactly!! One person’s deal-breaker may not be mine and vice versa!
I read negative reviews too. I feel people are more specific with those. Oh ok you like something but why do you not like something? Even on Paula Choice, if they give it one or two star, I want to know why that is. We all have our preferences and what we will or won’t put up with. We tolerate things differently. But usually with Paula it has to do with ingredients and we are on the same page with that one 🙂
Me too. I always go to the one-star reviews first.
Oh goodness, YES! I have learned or relearned many techniques, old and new. Have definitely gotten a resurgence of boldness of color or intensity. Tried shades I previously thought couldn’t work with my coloring. Those have been the fun aspects. But I’ve also gotten more jaded when it comes to products claims. And having had some extremely unpleasant allergic reactions, more leary of food scented makeup! There has also been that uptick most of us have seen in “sponsered” reviews that have certain brands or lines extolled to the heights above…and then see the honest, unbiased reviews here and a handful of other places. Truth is; just about all products, beauty and otherwise, are subjective to each users experiences with it. Very little is concrete, really.
Ditto. Reading blogs gives me ideas… before that, I was doing a lot of “standard work makeup” that was the same face and eye daily, but rotating maybe 3 lipsticks. And always a brown -family lip or wnw 666 liner with balm…(wait…ha ha I still do that!!) I do different eyes daily now. And rotate about 20 lipsticks at a time, scary, and i use more color families.
I use blogs to check reviews of everything before I buy… makes me buy more I think because I get ideas and interested, but it’s fun. So blogs definitely changed how I use makeup, and how I select what I buy.
Absolutely. It is rare for me to even entertain the thought of purchasing anything without FIRST consulting your site. I can see swatches, the color intensity, and read about your opinions on the item in question. And even then…while I might really want the item, I will wait and read a few other reviews and possibly make the purchase (finances considered and doing a mental checklist for dupes in my collection).
I appreciate the clear, detailed photos you take of the items and of the swatches and of the makeup in use. This all helps me make a more informed decision when I do actually buy the item.
And, I agree with you – due to our exposure of various reviewers and YT, I am more willing to try out different niche brands as well and have little to no tolerance for under-performing items.
Lastly, I used to resent having to wear makeup. Now, I enjoy it and I get excited to read your reviews on new items and to watch certain YT-ers review specific items.
Have a great weekend, Christine! 🙂 Big hugs to Mellan!
Of course in a very big way especially from your blog Christine.
I’m from Nigeria and in as much as we try as far as cosmetics is concerned, a large part of the population still don’t appreciate good makeup due to economic reasons mainly.
However, I’ve come to know a lot of things, try them out via your blog (thanks for that)
Even though I don’t buy high end products, I still have them on my wish list.
My approach hasn’t changed much in that I still aim for a polished pulled together, but not too makeupy look.
Positive side: An veritable geyser of ‘free’ knowledge has finally given me a grasp on how to deal with hooded eyes. Yep, also finally gone and learned myself some decent technique 😛 That free knowledge comes with a price though and I get that in many cases these are full blown professionals employing people and using expensive technologies so I do not get too worked up about the adds and the promotional stuff.
Negative side: Pet Peeve: The 30 second useless review of a product. ‘First Impressions’ drive me batsh*t. Who cares about first impressions. In many cases, they can be entirely misleading and trumped up by product excitement. At this point, I rarely take product recs from vloggers into consideration; depends entirely upon the channel. It helps to keep money in my pocket for better products. I find bloggers more helpful for product information and choice. Most of all, I hate the comments and watch vids while avoiding the section altogether. It all feels so high school. It is a total turn off.
I don’t mind first impressions… with caveats. First and foremost, it should be VERY CLEAR! that they’re first impressions. Second, hyperbole must be avoided as much as possible unless it’s a product one already has a lot of experience (say lipstick minis of lipsticks you’ve already tried), but I don’t want to see/hear “wow, this eyeshadow is the best!” without it actually being worn on the eye! And ideally, anyone who does first impressions should (as much as possible) follow-up with a full review later on – I obviously understand that things happen and not everything gets a full review, but that should be more the exception than the rule.
Amen to that, Christine. This is why my favorite vloggers for video product reviews are Allura Beauty Channel, EmilyNoel83, and Phyrra Nyx. They hold nothing back. If something looks chunky, splotchy or just *off*, these 3 WILL call it out. Plus, they each generally follow up with a written review in a timely fashion.
The comments. Lordy, stay away. Between the gushing fan girls and the vitriol, I’m out. There is an intelligence and respect here that makes it safe to comment and share opinion.
exactly!!! 😀
I don’t like first impression videos either. I’m much more likely to trust your views if you wore something a day, a week, in various weather conditions and then give your thoughts over using it one time very briefly. Similarly I don’t trust the views of ones who like everything. Not realistic. We all have are tastes and preferences and skin conditions so not possible everything is a score all the time. Imo. It is not that first impression videos are bad. It is a concept and an idea for a video. But it is just I’m much more likely to watch something else than those type of videos!
Yes in the sense I pay much closer attention to ingredients and products claims ie do they hold up to what they claim thanks to you, Emily Noel and Paula’s Choice. Or maybe a bit in terms I’ve found a new technique to try. BUT there a lot of useless crappy blogger/youtubers who get endorsements or try a product once and rant or rave about it. I don’t trust many tbh. A little too much hype and followers imo
There are just a few beauty reviewers I trust enough to continually read their blog, which the amount I can count on one hand and includes you Christine. So many blogs I’ve just basically mention and describe the product and it really isn’t an honest opinion or even a review and they always disclose they got the product sent to them for consideration(for free) in small print. I understand to review a lot of product the only way some people can do it is to get it sent for free, but so many seem scared to give a real review because it will make the company mad and they won’t send them products to review anymore. There’s nothing wrong with getting something for free if the blogger gives a real honest review though. Basically some blogs and vlogs seem more like ads with no real opinions or reviews. If I see that I will stop reading the blog.
Interesting question. While it has opened me up, vids and blogs have also make other things rock solid.
YouTube inspired me to learn more about the artistry of makeup and how to use it better. There are very few people I “trust” in this regard, but you have to kiss a lot of frog videos to get to the ones that are worth attention.
Some of what I have learned?
* How to use brushes. I also learned that getting good ones the first time, leads to savings in the end.
* How to create enhancing looks with eye shadows that I never knew how to do before.
* That my beloved lavender undertone products are called “color correction.” 🙂
* How to contour and highlight, and that it’s worth doing for me
* To trust my judgement about trends and products
What has been cemented?
* That I will never be comfortable with a trend other than a polished, classic look. It’s all I have ever liked even from a young girl, and it’s what works for me.
* That I will forevermore remain picky about the efficacy and performance of products. If they don’t work, or don’t suit, back it goes no matter how much I hate to do that.
I almost always hunt out reviews before I buy products now. I feel a lot more informed as a consumer. Before I would go to the drugstore and feel so overwhelmed and end up just buying the cheapest option (usually in the wrong shade/finish) because I knew it probably wouldn’t work out for me anyways and no sense in buying something more expensive that also wouldn’t work out for me. Online blogs and videos have given me a LOT of confidence to navigate the consumer market and find products I enjoy using and work for me. I think a lot of people who also have skin tones in the very fair and deep ranges have felt that way at the drugstore before when trying to buy face products.
This will be a bit of a rant, but yes, my approach has changed. It used to be excitement and wonder and OMG and now it’s more of an eyeroll. I think it’s suffering from overexposure – giving hints doesn’t really excite, it just annoys (at least for me it does) and when everyone releases the same kinds of products it’s “meh”. Watching youtubers go nuts over products THAT THEY WERE SENT FOR FREE rings hollow.
I think now with social media, it’s pretty easy to see how all of the brands trend together (rainbow highlighter palette! liquid lipsticks! rainbow lipsticks! metallicy goodness in everything!) and it makes it more obvious that it’s a cash grab; that at the end of the day, it’s a business. Before, when I would just see advertisements in magazines or commercials, the beauty industry still had this elusive quality, still felt . . .I don’t know, alluring and . . .I don’t know. Now it’s so in your face all the time with youtube and social media and that it’s taken all of the allure out of it and I feel like there is so much fomo with how fast everything is trending.
Also, while my wallet is breathing a much needed sigh of relief, I feel like I am aged out of a lot of trends. On the one hand I am relieved because I feel like I am now current and my collection is complete. On the other hand, I feel like I’m the industry is calling me old. It’s like, if the current trends are any indication, I’m starting to move into the age that makeup companies don’t know what to do with except sell lots of anti-aging products and nude colors. I saw a shot of Amber Valleta (sp?) on the runway at Tom Ford the other night, they had her in the makeup they had the younger models in (or maybe no makeup at all?) and she looked downright angry and haggard. I was happy and mad at the same time – happy because it made me feel normal (I think we all have that natural downturn of the mouth after a certain age and things start to sag and everyone eventually gets a hooded eye), mad because they tried to fit a gorgeous 40 something lady into a 20 something mold.
Wait, sorry, what was the question? (Hardy har.) Rant over.
I have learned so much by reading this blog Christine. I am grateful because you have saved me over and over again from buying products that didn’t perform well – and you have brought some pretty terrific products to light that I might have (probably would have) missed! Thank you!
I try new products from time to time based on reviews. I trust you more than most because even if it’s a press sample, you’ll tell it like it is! I also realize I wear less makeup than most bloggers 😛
I have grown to love makeup again since the information is coming from a live face, rather than from a flat piece of paper such as a magazine. I enjoy watching how to apply new products and techniques from some of the video gurus between having the spoken word and also the live demonstration as opposed to a picture with stripes of color and arrows pointing to where to put what. I especially love chatty get ready with mes that make these gurus so likable and inviting.
Tremendously. I didn’t really use much makeup until I was in my 30s. In the past few years, sites like Temptalia have been my makeup school and saved me from making costly mistakes. I have also learned how to apply makeup from people who look like me on youtube. At a young 65, I am really enjoying using all the colors. It’s fun and I have a modest and well- stocked collection of both everyday and bold colors Every day is a new makeup adventure!
Blogs and YouTube have inspired me so much! Watching YouTube videos is how I learned how to apply my makeup actually lol. The more tutorials I watched, the better i became and the more I wanted to experiment. Now, most of my purchases are based from blogs and YouTube reviews. Sometimes they help me discover brands and products that I wouldn’t have tried otherwise. Or I learn new techniques or trends that encourage me to branch out from my everyday looks. Depending on the product and brand, I am leery to trust certain reviews because I know they can sometimes be sponsored so I take those grain of salt. Overall though, blogs and YouTube have been a really good resource for me. They make me buy way more stuff lol. But they also help me make better informed choices and fuel my creativity
I’m taking my skincare more seriously. Not that I haven’t in the past, but its become such crucial part of my day (or night in this case.)
I agree with posters on here as well: i’m more driven by the negative reviews. Huge fan of Tati on YouTube. She doesn’t seem sponsored by anyone and really has no problem calling out brands and products (especially when they are expensive.) I think by now everyone is familiar with Becca Jaclyn Hill eyeshadow fiasco. It really shed light on how disingenuous lot of beauty blogger and v-loggers are.