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Other than quality, what factors contribute to you purchasing a product?
Accessibility, color/finish, price.
— Christine
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I look for products with unique colors or finishes that I don’t already own.
Accessibility, color/finish, and price like you Christine, as well as packaging, if it fills a hole in my makeup collection, uniqueness, an overall good experience with the brand, fragrance/scent, if they don’t test on animals, ingredients, where/how they are made, sustainability, and in some cases if it’s a limited edition as I prioritize those a bit as well.
After quality, it absolutely has to have my interest either because I really need it to fill a gap or because I am head-over-heels crazy for it! Another thing of note is that I am more of a visual person. So while I may need a skincare item, if something comes along with a fantastic color and finish and catches my attention, resistance becomes more futile!
I think you are my alter ego. LOL! I always find myself nodding in agreement with everything you say!
Supporting a charity or being organic/cruelty free and price. Preferably something I can test prior to purchase.
Having good packaging
Value always!
Is the packaging enjoyable to use?
Does this brand also cater to women of color?
Novelty, uniqueness, belief that the shade/texture will be flattering on me, and yes, there’s a trend factor.
As vain as it sounds: Promotion and coverage on blogs.
There are several depending on what the product is. I’m also just nit-picky about certain things.
Factors that contribute to my purchasing a product in a general sense & in no particular order: online reviews, price, product appearance/packaging, being formulated for my oily/acne prone skin, ingredients irritating my eczema, & if foundation/makeup offers shades for black women & non-black POC.
Price and – unfortunately – packaging! I would buy a product, even if it got bad reviews, if the packaging is cute.
The shade. I love colors in general so if the shade is pretty, I can’t resist to purchase the product.
How much I want it, how much I’ll use it, reviews/research, price, value for that price, whether or not it’s LE, and packaging.
I won’t lie, raving reviews by fellow bloggers definitely influence me. reading a good review is sometimes enough to make me want a product out of the blue.
Packaging has a big impact for me. If I don’t like the packaging chances are I won’t buy it. Maybe that’s silly but I tend to think that if a company can’t present well it figures their product may not be up to par either.
I’m with you there. Even if I hear rave reviews about a product or I really like the shadows in a palette, if the packaging doesn’t speak to me, I don’t purchase it. Mainly for me is if the packaging is too bulky.
color and price
Mostly I gauge need versus want. After that, I almost always get samples, if possible. And I rarely purchase at full price- there are always coupon codes, ebates, etc.
I would include animal testing status, packaging and uniqueness (to my personal collection) along with the factors you mentioned. I have to set up a lot of barriers to slow down the acquisitive product monster that lives inside me. 😀
My history with the brand
The finish is most important to me. A product could perform beautifully, be reasonably priced, readily available, and be the perfect color and texture, but if the finish isn’t right for me, then none of that matters.
Products that suits my preferences (like for example at mac, I only stick to cremesheens and amplified cremes for lipsticks), if I’d actually get the most use out of it, maybe it could be a cult or rave that I’ve never tried before, and as a bonus, if the company gives to a good cause.
ethic , color/finish / innovation / price
1. Will it look good on my paper white, yellow-undertoned skin? (Aka is it too dark/pink?)
2. Accessibility/shipping costs
3. Finish. I’m getting older so I can’t wear shimmer and glitter like I used to. I love a good satin or matte finish on all my makeup.
Sometimes it’s the “collecting” factor, LOL! For example, I have all the UD Vice & Naked palettes, most of the Kat von D palettes (there were 2 I *really* had to talk myself out of, as the colors were just sooo wrong for me), & I have one more MAC eyeshadow palette I need to complete, even though I can dupe nearly every shade with what I have. I also went through a phase with the Too Faced 9-pan palettes, but had to stop when I realized I never reached for them, even after depotting, which brings me to an issue that generally prevents me from buying-packaging. While packaging doesn’t typically make me want to buy a product, cardboard packaging (particularly with juvenile artwork and/or shade names) will often make me walk away.
Overall, color, finish, and history with a brand will make me keep buying. Accessibility is also key; if I can’t buy in-store, it’s not typically worth it-too many perfectly good brands are available. Ingredients are important, and it’s rare I find a product that is worth paying top-dollar for that is full of cheap ingredients,
Price and/or availability in Canada. I try and see if I have similar products aleady, but sometimes packaging and hype get the better of me.
Packaging to a certain extent (i.e. I wouldn’t buy the product if it was bad, unless it had absolutely amazing and unique display-worthy packaging). Price and value is also a factor, although if something has absolutely rave reviews and is high end, I’ll definitely consider it. I look for unique colours and finishes for colour products like eyeshadow and lipstick – just today I wanted a cheap and cheerful treat of a drugstore lipstick but ended up walking away because nothing seemed unique enough for me – all the finishes and colours seemed bland and/or like items I already owned.
Also if a product is Japanese or Korean, I am more inclined to buy it because of their constant high quality and lovely products!
my number two: VALUE!
Scent…..the lighter the better
Price and ease of use .
Rave reviews from multiple sources always peak my interest. Color is definitely up there, and so is packaging.
The three that you mentioned are definitely points of consideration for me too. I focus (probably too much lol) on YouTuber reviews and favorites. If I love the concept of a foundation but someone like KathleenLights, who has a similar skin type, finds it problematic in my concern areas, I’ll pass.
Uniqueness of the color/finish, how close it is to something else in my collection, ingredients, and price.
I read many reviews and also must have cute packaging. Read great reviews about laura gellar blushes and the gilded honey highlighter. Went to purchase but couldn’t justify the price with that ugly packaging.
I like a product I can test and see for myself first, especially lipsticks and foundation. Accessibility is essential.
The colour needs to appeal to me and the finish is important (no mattes, glitters, frosty).
It helps if it is reasonably priced.
Mainly price and how unique the color is! Admittedly I have a lot of colors that dupe each other but I’m trying to only buy things that look dissimilar to stuff I already have this year.
Something less influential but still a definite plus are brands that are owned by black people (and people of color in general) because they usually tend to “get” it and they have a harder time breaking into the industry anyways, so I’m definitely up for throwing my money at them if I like the product.
Uniqueness, price, an item that I would use regularly or seasonally. I’m big on actually using makeup I purchase. Also, Glittery fallout is a no go for me.
Availability, price, choice, packaging, discounts–all these play a part.
Will it look good on me rather than just take up space in my collection.
Other than quality, I typically purchase based on brand and packaging. I’m pretty brand loyal because it keeps things simple for me, but I am a sucker for luxe packaging.
Thanks for using my question, Christine! 😀
I’m a sucker for a few things:
1) Color: Always seeking the holy grail matching/flattering colours, particularly for foundation or lipstick.
2) Texture: If it feels good, I’m biased for it. That has also led me to some ugly clothing purchases, sadly.
3) Bargain: If it’s good at a good price I’m sold.
4) Ease of application: Sometimes the formula, sometimes the applicator
5) Gimmicks and marketing: I have to admit I’m a sucker for new “tech”.
6) NO CELEBRITY ENDORSEMENTS: I’m sorry, I don’t want to smell like JLo, Brittany Spears or even Halle Berry. I want to smell/look like me. That’s more of an influence AGAINST a purchase, but…
Wear ability, accessibility, uniqueness
I’ll start with uniqueness first. The product has to lure me in, in a few ways. The first is how is this product any different than any other product that I might have tried or still have. The product has to have ingredient names that I can say, understand what they are, be better for your skin. Also I first notice the packaging. It has to be feminine and pop out, basically it should call my name! Lol. Accessibility, face it, nobody wants to wait for a product. I need to be able to buy it right there and then while I still intreged by it, or the mystery goes away. No gimmicks should also be under accessibility. I don’t want to purchase $50 in order to get a product. Lastly is wear ability. This product needs to pass the heat and humidity test, the 18 hour lastability, crying, hugging, laughing, kissing, raining, windy and cold tests! But if a product is tested on animals, that’s a no no in my book. If it goes to a great cause, awesome. It also has to do what it claims to do, or it goes back. 🙂
Durability, color uniqueness and wear of the product.
and ingredients.
1. How much use will I get out of it?
2. I’ve decided I’m only buying cruelty free brands, so this is a factor.
3. Do I have the money for it?/Is it a good value for the price?
4. Do I like the shade(s)? Will the shade(s) work for me? With eyeshadow, I can pull off any shade I want…it’s about placement more than anything. But I can’t do pastel or very peachy shades, most shades of orange, bubblegum pink, or coral on my lips without looking completely ridiculous.
5. No heavy perfume/chemical scents…especially for lip products.
The appealing! The product itself, for example if I´m looking for a matte red lipstick for a specific red, I won’t go for dupes at all because dupes are mostly for the color and I look for the color, consistency, duration, texture….and the packaging is a plus if it is attractive!
This may sound silly but brand reputation plays a big part for me. I did some digging on Lime Crime after momentarily swooning over their packaging and shades. So glad I dodged that bullet! You do a little research about every brand on your vanity table and you may realize things you didn’t want to. I’m WAY late to the date on M.A.C. not being cruelty free anymore. Now I’m not sure if I’m going to buy from them anymore. I love them mainly for their viva glam campaign but I really do prefer cruelty free cosmetics.
Color scheme, something that’s flattering beyond words and of a great price!