Happy Wednesday! Here's this week's survey, which you can copy and paste and share as a comment.
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Your skin tone/coloring: fair, neutral to cool
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? Depends on the price difference and the availability. Sephora is easy because I can order online and have it delivered right to me, and I can return if I change my mind. Drugstores are frequently sold out and hard to order online where I am – even worse if it’s an indie brand. So I frequently end up buying the higher price tag because I like everything else the price tag affords (return policy, availability, & packaging).
Will you pay more for more ethical production? To an extent. To the same as the extent as the above, I like things to have a good return policy and be readily available. I hate jumping through hoops to get things (hence why I’ve never bought Kylie cosmetics), and I hate paying duty fees and exchange rates (why I never order from Colourpop anymore) because even things that appear affordable don’t end up that way. However, if all things are considered equal, I’d rather pay a bit more for a brand that’s fair trade, uses ethically sourced ingredients, has sustainable business practices and product packaging, etc.
What turns you off a brand immediately? Scandal, poor actions, and even worse: poor responses to poor actions (i.e. tarte’s response when they were called out over their Shape Tape foundation shade range).
Ghaahh! I have been going with my standard MAC MC30/Luminous Silk 5.75, and when I recently tried those products on, they are too light! I am medium warm, and apparently a shade or more darker than I thought, lol.
If the quality is the same, I will go for the dupe, but that dupe has to be almost identical or I’m not having it.
Yes, if there is an ethical alternative to the product I want, I prefer the ethical, even if the cost is higher. I do the same with meat and eggs.
I will have to think about the last question for a bit. There are brands that turn me off but I’m not sure how to explain why they do. Sometimes it is celebrity association: if I don’t like the celebrity, I want nothing to do with the brand.
I agree about the celebrity association. For me, the one that really stands out is Kardashian/Jenner. I won’t go near any of those products.
I’m exactly the same I totally agree, can’t stand the Kardashian/Jenner lot lol!!
Your skin tone/coloring:
Light neutral, green eyes, salt & pepper hair
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original?
If quality and color are the same, it makes total sense to get the dupe. (But I don’t always use that logic, to be honest.)
Will you pay more for more ethical production?
Not necessarily, because there are good products that are ethically produced that don’t cost “more.”
What turns you off a brand immediately?
It depends. The most recent instance was KVD. As soon as I learned about her irresponsible and misinformed anti-vaccination beliefs, I stopped supporting the brand completely.
Seraphine, that’s exactly what put the final nail in the proverbial coffin for me when it came to KVD, too. Especially since I have a slew of autoimmune diseases that are primarily being kept under some sort of control via Remicade, which is an immuno suppressor. Without it, I wouldn’t be long for this life. There are many millions of people in the same boat. We do not deserve a death sentence because of the ignorance behind anti-vaxxing.
Your skin tone/coloring: Light-Medium with warm yellow undertone (MAC NC20-25)
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? If they are truly identical in quality, I’ll get the cheaper one. But I’ll pay the extra price premium when the original is just slightly better.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? Yes, I would pay more for ethical production (which for me includes ingredients/packaging/manufacturing/shipping that is environmental conscious/safe, production that involves safety, fair wages and fair treatment of employees).
Unfortunately, while it is easy to find information about ingredients, packaging and animal testing, it’s very hard to find out how workers are treated. And I’m not talking about the ones at make-up counters or the chemist formulating products; I’m talking about the ones manufacturing or sourcing the cosmetics ingredients. It’s hypocritical of companies to talk about fair wages and inclusion/diversity for their top paying employees, while the workers sourcing the powders or oils/butters (just to name few ingredients) are poorly treated.
What turns you off a brand immediately? I personally don’t look at brands as a whole, I focus on a specific product. I don’t tend to be as opinionated on brands as other people. I don’t consider to have brand favorites (just brands I have many favorite products from) or `hates`. Given the previous question, I’ll avoid a company that uses ingredients that are not safe for me or the environment, but I can’t say I’ll be turned off by it.
Your skin tone/coloring: Very fair with neutral undertones; magenta/red hair; hazel/green eyes.
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? Whichever is cheaper and/or easier to obtain. Sometimes it’s the one with the better packaging.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? Yes, as long as I can afford it.
What turns you off a brand immediately? Bad ethics; mocking and being rude to customers on social media; harassing bloggers/vloggers who give a product bad reviews; poor quality products.
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? Depends on the price, where I can find both, how I like the packaging, etc.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? Definitely yes! I already do for household products and I would love to see beauty brands go this route. I wouldn’t mind a small price increase if it meant brands are transparent about how the products are sourced and produced.
What turns you off a brand immediately? Being involved in petty drama, supporting values that I strongly oppose, disrespecting customers.
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original?
I haven’t ever had the quality, consistency, performance, color, etc be the same. I suppose it would depend on the company if everything aligned and something was 100% the same. For example, I have been a proud UD customer for over 25 years – it is the first makeup my mom started gifting me back in middle school (and I still have the old school glitter palettes to prove it). It would take something major to pry their products out of my hands just out of sentimentality and love for their brand.
Will you pay more for more ethical production?
It should probably be higher up on my list of what I look for in a product, but no. I’m not going to pay $50 more for something that is, say, vegan because that isn’t something that is important to me. Cruelty free? Yeah… I’d rather give my money to a company that is cruelty free.
What turns you off a brand immediately?
If a brand does not listen to their customers, berates their customers, or overall has poor customer service then I don’t need that brand in my life.
Forgot my skin tone/coloring: I am light/medium with neutral undertones… green eyes, dark blonde hair.
And I’ve been hoarding my UD products for 20 years, not 25… whoops (aging myself unnecessarily!)
Your skin tone/coloring: Deep pink brown
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? Dupe
Will you pay more for more ethical production? Yes
What turns you off a brand immediately? When they dont have an expansive range, and if the quality is never good
Your skin tone/coloring: Medium w olive undertones, MAC NC37, deep brunette. None of the above matters for this particular post, I’m thinking.
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? That would depend on how much and *why* I love and want the OG! Also, if the dupe is more expensive, then you can bet I will go for the OG.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? Yes, absolutely. Even though I do still buy some MAC products, I would applaud them if they pulled out of China. Even if this meant that they raised the prices another $1 or 2 per product. Even a
What turns you off a brand immediately?
* Even a 5% increase in price would be worth it to me personally if it meant no more animal testing.
What turns you off to a brand immediately? Drama. I will not consciously support a brand whose name is connected to racism, misogyny or outright intentional cruelty to others. Especially when there is proof thereof on Twitter, IG, YT. I also have issues with brands who do underhanded, unethical things to their customers. This would even include their putting the public at large at risk because of their irresponsible and very PUBLICLY announced decision to not vaccinate their child. Because there are millions of us out here who are immunocompromised in one way or another.
Your skin tone/coloring: warm/fair
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? — Always the dupe because why would I ever pay more for the same product?
Will you pay more for more ethical production? — No.
What turns you off a brand immediately? — High prices, preachiness, and false claims.
Your skin tone/coloring: Light medium, yellow undertones.
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? Depends on price/value and a little bit on the packaging but I’m easy either way, really.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? No, it should be standard practice. I’m not paying someone more $ just for the sake of it so I can feel better about my decisions. I will happily pay more for better product that is produced ethically as opposed to mass manufactured rubbish, but I’m also not paying top $$$ for something that was made in a sweatshop.
What turns you off a brand immediately? Crappy packaging – it can be cheap and functional, but if it cracks, the pans are loose, lids don’t fit, etc then it will just piss me off every time I use it. Also, I don’t like it when brand representatives are dicks to their customers.
Your skin tone/coloring: Medium-tan
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? — Depends on a couple other things like packaging, availability, etc…but in general I would like to go for the cheaper option for sure.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? — I have paid more to stick to my own ethics, yes. There are some brands that tout themselves as “ethical,” but I’ve always thought that was strange and kind of annoying, as ethics can be pretty subjective. I want brands to just tell me what they are without taking the opportunity to pat themselves on the back for every little thing. Lol that turned into a bit of a rant, but I’ve just been really annoyed lately with companies’ marketing/ads acting like they solved world hunger by showing how ~ethical~ they are, when it’s really all about making more $$$$.
What turns you off a brand immediately? Product offerings that are not remotely suited to my tastes
Your skin tone/coloring: Fair to light/cool to neutral undertones
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? For me quality implies more than staying power, bendability etc. Ingredients and where the product is made are top priority for me. Therefore I choose depending on all these criteria, with the last two elements being no. 1.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? Definitely. Same goes for food, coffee etc (no dairy products, eggs, meat, involving hormones, antibiotics, pesticide, soy, transgenic stuff, GMOs).
What turns you off a brand immediately? Copying other brands and bad ingredients.
Christine, I wanted to ask you something. Is it possible in the future to add our skin tone/coloring next/below our username so as not to add this info every time (for those of us who choose to do so)? It will be helpful I think, especially when someone recommends/raves about certain beauty products, as it is more visible and stays there all the time.
I love this last idea, Nicole!
Your skin tone/coloring: fair neutral
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? I usually go for the original. Since makeup is more of a hobby for me, it’s more worth it to buy the one that will make me happy to use even if it’s the over-hyped, more expensive version of something comparable in the drugstore. I also really dislike the scent of drugstore lipsticks, and lipsticks are my greatest weakness.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? It depends on the quality of the makeup and how much more I’d be paying.
What turns you off a brand immediately? A history of bad behavior (i.e. Limecrime) or something that hits home. The Kat von D thing about very publicly not vaccinating her child bothered me because I work with transplant patients – they can’t get certain vaccines, so they rely on the herd immunity.
I agree Maggie about Kat Von D publically stating she would not vaccinate her child – that would definitely bother me. Her brand is another I don’t use for that reason.
Your skin tone/coloring: light medium beige
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? original
Will you pay more for more ethical production? if the more ethical production is legit and not a gimmick (many claims aren’t substantiated)
What turns you off a brand immediately? Cutesy stuff: never went for the Too Faced teenybopper stuff or movie tie-ins or cartoonish stuff (except for Shu Uemura’s Murakami collab). I like an embossed blush or powder, but not embossed with a princess or something childlike.
Dupe v Original? only if it’s almost completely the same will I pick the dupe – like to have a cheaper version, but certain ingredients are dealbreakers (parabens, talc, etc)
Pay more for ethical production? if it’s still affordable for me – would pay a couple dollars more, especially if I know the alternative is distinctly unethical. Lots of times I don’t really know enough about the company’s practices to include them in the decision, unlike being able to look at an ingredients list.
Turnoffs: price gouging (my feeling about all TF products), poor value for the $, color ranges/formulations that mostly don’t work for my coloring/age, packaging or ad campaigns clearly aimed at another demographic or that I find off-putting. Certain celebrities. Poor treatment of customers. White-o-centric shade range.
Your skin tone/coloring: light yellow/gold
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? Depends on other factors, and depends what you mean by “original” … there are a million nearly-identical bright cool red lipsticks out there, and trying to figure out who made the first one doesn’t even make sense. In this scenario, it’s starts with quality, then I factor in other things, like whether it has a scent, sturdy packaging, or a message I love and/or hate (ach! unicorns! mermaids! no!). In a case like this, dupe just means something that a lot of companies have to offer, there’s no “original.”
If you’re talking about blatant rip-off dupes — where companies have basically copied palettes, etc — then I always go for the original, unless it’s noticeably worse quality or has other factors against it, like … being named after unicorns or mermaids!!!
Will you pay more for more ethical production? No, but I mostly happen to shop from brands that already take those factors into consideration.
What turns you off a brand immediately? Owners that are a**holes, and who never recover their grace or evolve as a human being. Also, packaging with unicorns or mermaids on it…
Your skin tone/colouring: Porcelain, with pink undertones
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? It really depends on what other shades are in the eye palette as to my preference. If the dupe is the same, and at a lower price, or is more accessible, I will go with that.
If the product is a lipstick, it again depends on price and accessibility.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? Generally yes, I much prefer eithical productions of similar quality. This is particularly true of skincare products.
What turns you off a brand immediately?
That’s easy: smutty names, CEO’s acting like prima donas, poor reviews of products and then the brand blaming the customers, poor customer service, long delays in delivery and dubious business practices.
Celebrity associations, where I don’t like the celebrity etc.
Your skin tone/coloring:
A: Medium Light skin tone with warm undertones. black hair. Brown eyes.
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original?
A: Dupe 🙂
Will you pay more for more ethical production?
A: Nah.
What turns you off a brand immediately?
A: Pink and red tones in palettes. (e.g: Huda’s rose palette) LOL. Ugh, like we all have seen tons of the same palettes and shade ranges. I’m looking for something more daring, like blues, or good purple palettes. Great packaging and then BAAAAM ugly products. Like Kylie Jenner’s Weather collection; like the packaging were really cool but then the products were boring.
Your skin tone/coloring: medium / beige with yellow undertones
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? Whichever is cheaper but quality is never the same in reality.
Will you pay more for more ethical production?
No.
What turns you off a brand immediately?
Inconsistent quality, troublesome brand image (e.g. they respond rudely to people on social media, or tone deaf to social issues)
Your skin tone/coloring: Light skin, grayish green eyes that can look like steel, or scarily transparent and even turn black when I get angry, or so I’ve been told. I don’t run off to look at my eyes when I get really angry. 🙂
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? Original most of the time it it’s available where I live.
Will you pay more for more ethical production? This question made me realize that I’ve never thought about the production of a makeup product in an ethical way. Maybe I should start thinking about it, but isn’t it hard to find out?
What turns you off a brand immediately? A lot of things can turn me off a brand. I stopped buying Lancome when they said Isabelle Rossellini was too old. I stopped buying Estée Lauder when Kendall Jenner fronted an anti aging line. I stopped buying NARS when they started selling in China, using some lame (IMHO) excuse, and after reading the previous answers I’ll not buy from KvD. So it can be a lot of reasons, all important to me, though I can see them being really stupid to someone else.
Your skin tone/coloring: Fair with neutral undertones and freckles, warm medium brown hair, blue/green/gray eyes.
If the quality’s the same, dupe or the original? It depends on if I’m saving money with the dupe!
Will you pay more for more ethical production? Yes, definitely.
What turns you off a brand immediately? If I can sense they’re not being genuine in their marketing, if they don’t handle “scandals” in a professional way, or if they treat customers or competitors badly, especially on social media.