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How much do you research a brand before buying products from them?
How much do you research a brand before buying products from them? Share!
If it’s a new brand that’s more indie, I try to look for reviews from people who have issues with their orders to see how they resolve customer complaints or if they treat customers well. I look into turnaround times, and I always read any about us/FAQ kind of pages they have linked on their website. If it’s a new brand that’s backed by a parent company I’m more familiar with (think AERIN) or if it’s an established brand now branching into beauty (think Gucci), then I’ll read some of the preliminary press releases and look at what type of formulas do they have.
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A little – mostly to make sure they don’t have any huge controversies, terrible customer service, sub-standard shipping/returns policies, or poor products.
I do my homework when it comes to new and/or indie brands, especially concerning QUALITY. This is another reason why your site and the work that you do are so indispensable and truly helpful. If I see a specific new product that looks interesting, I look here, and also on Makeup Alley, perhaps ask my daughter, Sabrina, who happens to be a mua, for info on it before I jump in headfirst and throw $$$’s at what could potentially be garbage.
I mainly research the product, rather than the brand. I read reviews, blogs, look at swatches. If it’s a lesser known company, I might take a look at their website to find out their story. But to me, it’s really about how the product performs
I don’t stray out of a handful of brands too often, because those brands have enough variety, and have proven themselves to me. What compels me too look into another brand is if I learn they are talc-, petroleum-, & paraben-free, and/or the color is amazing. However, there are brands I have stopped buying due to the fact their standards have dropped (ie, tarte now uses talc, LORAC uses talc, petroleum, & parabens), and no longer adhere to the ones that drew me in at the start.
It depends. If it’s a brand that’s either exclusively available online or isn’t sold in any stores in my area, I can spend weeks looking at swatches and reviews before I’m prepared to pull the trigger and place an order, even if it’s a brand that’s relatively inexpensive like Colour Pop. For brands that are available in my area, it depends on the price point. If it’s inexpensive, I probably do no research at all and just pick it up on impulse if I run into it at the drugstore (or wherever). If it’s more pricey, I’ll read some reviews and then go wherever they’re sold to test them out in person.
I like looking up reviews before I buy something even if it’s a brand I use regularly since quality can vary
Good question. This is one of my favourite parts of the makeup acquisition process. YouTube and written reviews by well known bloggers who have a good knowledge of a specific brand. Specktra is good too. Most recently, Instagram has been quite helpful.
I think a lot more people will after this Lime Crime fiasco.
Yes, I only buy cruelty free cosmetics. 🙂 And if there’s a lot of drama etc surrounding the brand, I avoid them.
If it’s a new brand I want to find at least a couple of good reviews, if I don’t the paranoia bubbles up in me 😉
I look for Temptalia reviews. This is my main place for searching information.
I probably do this backwards. I go ahead and buy products I’m interested in and then spend the next hour after I get it home looking up every review and swatch I can find. This usually makes me way more excited about it than I should be, and sometimes that backfires. But I figure, if I’m only buying things based on other people’s reviews I could be missing out on a really great product because it was either wrong for the reviewer or never got much coverage in the first place.
Usually, I read at least a handful of reviews, and if possible, watch a demo video or two before I’m willing to buy a product. I don’t have much spending money so unless something’s really cheap on clearance I don’t tend to make impulse buys with no prior research. Heck, even if a product is on clearance and super inexpensive, chances are I’ll still whip out my phone and give it a quick google.
I like to research brands by their products first before buying. Unless it’s a brand I trust I try to no impulse buy and even then with permanent products I still do my research.
Not at all!- but I really should since I care about animal testing. Thankfully, very few new companies ( if any) in the U.S.would employ this
Yes, as I try to only buy from cruelty free companies. So I normal google the company and email them to find out. Also to see what other people think of the company (cough, Lime crime, cough)
A lot. I’ll check both reviews and the ingredients.
Usually I just check to see of a brand is cruelty-free. If it’s an indie brand I’ve never heard of, then I’ll look up reviews, return policy, etc.
I definitely research brands a lot before I buy them. Especially in terms of their company history with customer service, product quality, their history if they’ve had any controversy. And obviously I look at reviews for specific products if they’re good or not.
I usually Google them and make sure they don’t have any big problems such as poor products, awful customer service, harassing reviewers, etc. (Cough**Limecrime**Cough) I read a smattering of reviews on different blogs (Temptalia first, of course), and retailer website customer reviews, to see if there are any clear trends on whether it’s good or not. I look at swatches on several sites, to get a better idea of colors, as they can vary in pictures. If I can swatch or try a sample, even better. After that, I buy something and see how it goes.
I’ve never researched brands (on purpose- if I read something good/bad about a brand it’s usually by coincidence) before, only their products and ingredients.
I’ll look at a lot of reviews if it’s a brand that’s new to me and I’ll try to find out their testing policies and what kind of ingredients they use.
I don’t want to sound cheesy, but my first reflex it so go on Temptalia, look for review, swatches. I also check out if there’s any drama around them.
I obsess. I read reviews, look at the website, ingredients, pictures, swatches, etc. Sometimes it takes me weeks to buy online, especially skin care and lipsticks/gloss.
I don’t necessarily research the brand but I do research the product. I will be in Sephora or Ulta or wherever and I’ll whip out my phone and look up the reviews right there. I’m also the type that will look at the 1 star reviews first to see what the actual issues are for the reviewers. I don’t only do this with make-up, I do it with everything I purchase. Some things are hit and miss but for the most part it has worked out well for me.
None really – I rarely buy from brands that aren’t well known.
I have never considered Lime Crime – but after seeing a post here I wondered if the rumors are true? What I have found online is that the rumors are unfounded?
Temptalia doesn’t support Lime Crime, and we haven’t since our own dealings with the brand in 2010 after writing our one and only review and have had to deal with subsequent copyright infringement in the last couple of years. I can attest to those portions of the very long history as truth, as they played out here on the blog and that post is available for anyone to see.
I wouldn’t even touch Lime Crime with a 10 foot, no, make that 1,000 yard pole! Totally unethical business practices and mode of operandum. And anyone who *dares* to complain? Horrible customer handling and service.
Frankly, I don’t do a lot of research. I wait for you Christine to tell me about the PRODUCT and how well,or not, it performs. I feel then, iI’m making an informed decision. Thanks Lady!!!
Yes, I always research just about everything I buy. I’m on too tight of a budget for pricey misses. That makes being a lifestyle blogger a bit hard because I don’t buy things when they are just brand new very often.
Always! I never thought I had sensitive skin, but I will break out if I use anything with Shea butter in it or with any level of SPF. Mineral make-up also breaks me out. So, before I buy anything that goes on my face/lips/neck/decolletage/hands, or body in general; I check the ingredients and several reviews. That goes for: lip gloss, lipstick, foundation/pressed or loose powders, eye shadows, blushes, primers, cleansers, day/night moisturizers, toners, blemish control, eye creams, and anything else that would go on my face or lips. Even hair products and other skin care items.
I’m religious with my research! I never buy a product without reading a tonne of reviews first haha. Particularly if they’re expensive; I’m not parting with that much money if the product is a waste of time! I’m more pedantic with my skincare though, as opposed to make up. x
I generally buy from brands I know because I have sensitive skin. I read reviews of the product I am considering purchasing (such as from this blog) and if possible, I have a look at the product to see if it really is the colour I want. Especially for lipsticks – you cannot tell the real colour often until you see and swatch it.
I look to see if the company is cruelty free.
I research a bit! Every now and then, I’ll do an impulse buy, but that’s usually from brands I already know, not a newer brand. For indie or newer name brands, I try to look at their social media pages or tags to see people’s reviews on their products or their customer service. If it’s a new-to-me brand that’s a bigger name, like something you can find at Sephora, I will read reviews on there or on other sites to get a feel for people’s overall opinions.
Specifically for skin care and face makeup, I try to be sure and look at ingredients because I’m sensitive to shea butter on my face and hands and I just hate silicone primers so I try to avoid dimethicone-heavy items.
I really enjoy doing research online to find out information about a brand. I keep up with a lot of blogs and YouTube channels, which sometimes don’t help (ahem, Anastasia liquid lipsticks hype). I tend to take positive reviews with a grain of salt on most sites/ videos. I check out the negative aspects about the brand (product quality, shipping or products not showing up, customer service) & I’ll decide to purchase based on that. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again: I feel like I can trust Temptalia for honest reviews. And sometimes something works for me (Marc Jacobs Beauty Genius Gel Foundation) and get gets a not-so-stellar review from @temptalia but that’s alright – some things work for people that others don’t get on with!! 😀
I always research any beauty product I buy, some more so than others. For skin care, I do a lot of reading, contact the company’s customer service department to get answers for questions on things that are specific needs, I also check any reviews that may be available for the products.
For beauty products, I read reviews, pros, cons, recommendations and ingredient list. Sometimes, ingredients are not readily available in which case I will contact the compant.
I do this for my main makeup items, not for the occasional bottle of nail polish or little tube of tinted lip gloss I might pick up.
I look to the company website after I read it in the magazine or see it on TV. If I think I would work me with the look I’m going for, then it’s a marriage made in makeup heaven. For example, I wanted to try the Christian Louboutin Nail polish in Simply Nude. I know that seeing the swatch wouldn’t help me. I watched a review on You Tube as well as looked on a few reviews online. It helped me some. Then I went to Nordstrom to try the color on. Voila, I found another addition to my Spring/Summer nail color collection. It takes both reading and watching reviews online to get a feel if you want to try a makeup line. It is also helpful to go to the makeup counters to see the products you’re interested in person. Rather be safe than sorry.