It can be hard to keep up with all the different ways to interact and be involved, but there’s a lot of instant feedback and up-to-the-minute reactions that make it interesting and fun to at least try and keep up! I also like seeing more behind-the-scenes glimpses into brands and product development.
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With increase of social media presence for many beauty companies, I tend to make more of a conscious effort to support brands that routinely show an effort in promoting diversity and exclusively interact with those brands. Also, love the fact social media has made it so much easier to find and support indie brands.
At first a lot — when I first happened upon Temptalia, a whole new world opened up to me and I jumped in, exploring blogs, sites, communities eg Reddit’s, etc. I tried out any number of brands including ordering directly.
I did hit a limit mostly for time and saturation, also disinterest in the dramas and LE noise. Lately only Temptalia and a couple of Reddit communities.
I follow fewer brands now and purchase from even fewer, since I have all the products I’ll ever need plus some and because of problems with almost online orders direct from brands (oddly fulfilled and delayed orders, missing items, etc).
I guess because I’ve been around for well over seven decades, I view a beauty brand’s use of social media and product placement on blogs as just the latest in a long history of advertising platforms. The only real difference is that when readers see a review or article on the computer, they often have the ability to comment on what they have seen and I think that some of those comments add value to what I have just read. That is not the case when reading something in a magazine or seeing it on TV where the communication is one way. When it comes to the use of the computer, I like the spontaneous and conversational give and take that a well moderated blog affords. I also love the ability to so easily gather information about a particular product from multiple blogs that reflect different esthetics, skill levels, needs, etc.
Unfortunately, not all sites are transparent when it comes to advertising so my advice is always “Caveat lector!” Reader beware! There are shills a plenty that accept money and products in exchange for glowing (rather than honest) reviews, there are articles that only feature products that are paid placement, and there are “fake” comments that have been planted by a brand’s advertising department. So, yes, caveat lector.
I’ve never realized until recently that Temptalia.com is social media, ha. It’s so reliable and professionally done that it doesn’t seem like it’s part of what I think of as social media, which is frenetic, in-your-face, new posts/things/graphics/snaps/insta stories/live streams all the time. It hasn’t changed how I interact with brands – I still call stores (or email if need be) or visit rather than ineract with them on social media.
I think if I did attempt a comment or question and got a response, I’d feel like a deer caught in headlights. Temptalia is the only place I comment or interact. I think social media is meant to give instant and constant connection, but that just ends up feeling impersonal and superficial to me.
I love getting the opportunity to see new products and swatches on social media. I get frustrated when a brand’s social media presence is not handled in a professional manner and scandals arise.
Pros- I can find good opinions/tutorials/swatches, (mostly here and from my favorite beauty youtube channels)
– I can chat with people who share my interest in makeup
Cons – Brands with a strong social media following will sometimes have pretty skewed reviews (in the positive), which makes it tough to weed out the unreliable reviews
– While there are some really cool people commenting about makeup (like on this site), there’s also a lot of negativity/meanness prevalent in the social media world of the beauty community lately. It didn’t feel this way as much when I got into the community like a decade ago, but I think that’s because it was more of a niche compared to now. I want to do a better job of filtering out that stuff and focusing on the content I like
I enjoy the fact that I can get information on products at a click of a mouse. But I know I have to filter the reviews, that’s why I come here first.
I have a hard time believing reviews except yours Christine. I’ve tried to leave a negative review on a Nordstrom site and the wouldnt post it so I know how phony a lot of reviews are on other sites. Your site is about all I go on, love the honest reviews.
Social media, such as blogs like this one, has completely changed how I now interact with the beauty community. First of all, with the advent of the internet, it has enabled all kinds of people to develop their blogs and allow for comments. I have learnt so, so much and it has totally transformed the kinds of makeup I now purchase and use.
Social media has also helped to create online communities, such as this one which I cherish and has allowed a diverse range of products to be introduced, reviewed and celebrated.
It has also been a voice for those who have been left out of the traditional shades and colours to encourage/demand that brands cater for the diverse skintones found in our community. Social media also shows up poor products with dodgy ingredients too.
Of course there is a downside, with negativity, hype and disagreements, but I think that overall the use of social media in the beauty community has been a plus.
My interest in social media platforms has been changing gradually over the past few years. When I rekindled my love affair with makeup and found the YT beauty community at the same time, I thought I had found the holy grail. I followed wherever the piper led me. (Mixing metaphors there I think) I had to have every new product, shade and finish. I didn’t pay attention to what worked for me and didn’t distinguish between the truly honest, hard working content creators and those that were there for the fast buck. I have exchanged comments with people on other forums where they are very swayed by the gloss, the beautiful product displays, the perfect camera, lighting and filtering. Over time I have come to care a lot less about that and really place value in honesty, integrity and consistency. I value the platform that Christine has created here and those who frequent this site. We are spoiled by Christine’s commitment, professionalism and maintaining a level playing field. Over time I have stopped watching a lot of YT Beauty Guru’s and have wittled the list down dramatically. I have found that I have to avoid the comment section because it can be nasty, full of negativity and drama. I have found myself spending more time on IG and here on Temptalia rather than YT. I have 5 or 6 channels that I watch pretty regularly but that is down from probably 70-80 channels.
I do value the access we have now with all of the social media but it needs to be taken in context and I just don’t find I enjoy it or need it anymore. I watch the channels that I do because I respect the content creator, respect their honesty and I tend to watch more haul videos just to keep current on what is out there and what is coming out or trending but for quality I prefer to wait and hope that Christine is going to review it.
For me, it went from simply looking up fellow makeup users reviews on Makeup Alley, somehow stumbling onto Karen @ MB&B, followed by my daughter Sabrina turning me onto both Temptalia and Allura Beauty YT channel. And now it’s gotten CRAY over the years with my now spending a lot of time on IG and whatnot! And…all that exposure to new brands and products has contributed to my stash growing exponentially.
I don’t think I really interact too much with brands, but I definitely do with others in the community. I think it increases the excitement over new products by a LOT. It’s also given me lots of tips on new ways to use products. I thought I was good at makeup before, but some of these YouTubers have schooled me. I do think, though, that by far its most important contribution is it gives us more access to far more brands and products. Back before social media, I got my product info from magazines, which only came out once a month. Now the updates are constant. I love it!