What makes you buy a product sight unseen? Share!
A lot of buzz, very limited edition/exclusive, or any high-end highlighter, teal eyeliner, or coral lipstick!
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Beauty guru’s reviews. For instance, if Jaclyn Hill says it’s good, I’m buying it!LOL I trust her expertise and the fact that she’s 100% honest in her product oppinions. I’ve bought tons of stuff (all great) because of her and I’ve also gave up on buying a lot of things based on what she had to say (realized it wouldn’t be good for my skintype, not worth the money etc.).
Is it red and can I apply it to my lips? THEN IT IS MINE. I’m also notorious for buying taupe eyeshadow that I completely do not need.
Your swatches and reviews, mainly! <3
I agree with that too.
Same here,
Limited availability: a brand that’s not sold in stores around me, or an LE that I know will sell out fast and I really want. If a blogger I trust gives a positive review, I’m also more keen on buying an item without swatching it first.
I’ve been disappointed in the past though so I try to do it as rarely as possible.
90% or more of the time, it’s your reviews and swatches that will finally compel me hit the “Pay” button to complete a purchase of something I’m buying online, usually sitting in my “Cart”, sight unseen! So far, you’ve never steered me wrong yet. That, and hype does help play a part too, ie; MAC’s promo pics, for instance.
Honestly, I won’t buy something till I’ve seen pretty extensive swatches & reviews if I can’t look at it in person. I’ve got a drugstore budget–in the most literal way, I work part-time at a drugstore–so I especially won’t go for things if I can’t see them first AND return them after if it turns out I hate it. I don’t wanna waste my money, you know?
So far Colour Pop is the only company where I feel really confident ordering with zero ability to find and see the products in the flesh first. It helps that I’ve loved everything I’ve received so far and can find almost any of their products swatched and reviewed online before placing an order. May the powers that be bless Youtube.
Nothing! Haha given that 99% of what I buy is ordered online (and I pay shipping, which I factor into the cost of the item and have a lump sum of how much it’s costing me, if this makes any sense) so I never buy unseen. I do tend to stick to a few blogs/comms/forums and see if they have an opinion of the product or have tried others by the brand. And then I look at reviews between that and what could be a similar product and then look at the overall cost of the item. If I still want it and can afford it, I buy it.
That does not happen.
Very little, to be honest! Maybe a very exclusive LE.
Such an appropriate question, since I just purchased the Bite LLLR 007 promptly at noon yesterday … sigh.
There’s very, very little that will motivate me to buy something sight unseen. The only product I’ve purchased recently (and this has to be a year or more ago) was MAC Fiction eyeshadow when it was repromoted in their By Request release. I even passed on Moth Brown for this reason – I just like to see stuff up close, on my skin. The only “exception” to any of this is stuff I buy from TSC (IT Cosmetics, Pur Minerals).
Geography-related names (i.e. place names), especially ones related to Canada or Nordic Europe. So basically, NARS can get me every time. And Cargo.
Good reviews!! Although it’s rare for me to buy anything sight unseen anymore. The last time I did was when I bought Macs Perfect Topping MSF based on the description of the original release, and it wasn’t even close!
Good reviews. I don’t have a Sephora, Ulta, or, Nordstrom near by so I buy unseen a lot.
Intriguing promises!
I buy a lot of makeup just based on the reviews or pictures I find online! Qualities likely to keep convince me:
LE colors of formulas I know I love (Dior Addict, Addict Extreme lipsticks, for example)
Fun/pretty branding (I’m a sucker for anything sea creature/Hawaii related, for example, or Brazil since I’m Brazilian. Good or at least thoughtful/interesting marketing goes a long way!)
Coral/peachy tones for blush, any shade of red for lips (if it’s an online purchase, I feel more confident that these will work on me, not like blue based pink that I NEED to swatch to confirm it’ll be okay)
And a big one: availability of online swatches! If I can’t be SURE what a product looks like, I’m unlikely to pull the trigger. I hate watching makeup videos on YouTube so photos are more helpful to me.
Do you mean “unseen” as in not seeing it in person? If so, I buy most of my products that way because of a debilitating condition, anxiety, and usually feeling overwhelmed in stores. There is one SA at my local Sephora who makes me feel comfortable so, if she’s working on the rare occasion that I make it to the store, I will spend more time and really get a feel for a product. Other than that, I order everything online and hope for the best.
Not in person and presumably nothing yet online either 🙂
Oh… then only one thing comes to mind and that’s the Lancóme Hypnóse Dazzling in Rouge Cabaret. I was searching for a cranberry/burgundy eyeliner that wouldn’t look too harsh on me. After actually visiting Sephora and swatching “ALL THE LINERS!” with no luck, I scoured the internet. I saw the Rouge Cabaret, noted that it was LE, and bought it based on the description without seeing any swatches. And? I LOVE it! I know it’s a cream shadow… but, for me, it works perfectly as an eyeliner. 🙂
Thanks for asking; that was my question, too. I buy online a lot, but I research the heck out of things first.
I don’t think I’ve ever bought a product that I couldn’t find on the internet. The closest I’ve come was the Kat von D Star Studded Eye Shadow palette, which I saw some pictures and swatches of, but I didn’t wait for reviews to come out (I had some of her stuff and it was good, so I thought it was safe). I ended up hating and returning it, so never again!
I think, no… I KNOW I’ve done more research on makeup than I ever did for educational purposes! No one in my family is surprised to see me online with three or four windows open, comparing swatches, reading reviews. Perhaps I’m a bit obsessive about it but I try to avoid disappointment.
I rarely go to a store in person since I’m not a big fan of shopping that way. So almost all of my shopping for everything is done online anyway. For makeup, I purchase what grabs me – that might be a new shade, shade combination, new formula, whatever. Having neutral undertones to my skin gives me more flexibility with color than many since I can pick warm, neutral, or cool…I do lean toward cool as a preference though. I also keep my makeup collection organized by color/shade so I am easily able to see what may be new that I can add and not be a dupe of what I already have.
Does “sight unseen” include no swatches on the internet? I believe it would have to be hyped, limited edition and not available in my local area.
For makeup, I have to see at least online swatches before buying, won’t buy anything sight unseen
Unwillingness to drive 30 minutes to Sephora/Ulta haha. If I’m at the mall I’ll have a swatch fest but I’m not there often enough for my beauty habits. Thankfully we have sites like yours to help us with our purchasing decisions! <3
Ha ha – that’s easy! Anything Dustin Hunter recommends! I bought the Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess body cream online based just on his youtube review alone. The way he smells it in… mmmmmm. He’s never led me astray!
Very LE, early @temptalia swatches… haha 😉 Youtube reviews, which I am generally weary of (hello, hype). Caroline Hirons can make me buy anything skincare related. Sometimes some of my own internet research (if it’s permanent). I buy the majority of things sight unseen, since 99% of my shopping is done online!
If it’s NARS or UD, I can generally tell by the product description if it’s something worth looking into. I rarely buy online, so it’s not typically something I have to worry about.
Ok sight unseen for me means even no promo photos. Which would have to be something from a brand I trust and a description I can’t ignore like “the perfect burgundy cream lipstick that is made for cool toned pale people”.
I do a lot of online ordering since I’m not always able to get into the city to go to the actual store, but I’ll always do tons of research, review reading, and swatch-searching beforehand, which I don’t really consider “unseen.” I think the only time I’d ever actually buy something with my “eyes closed,” so to speak, is if it were extremely limited and I just had to have it in the next 5 minutes or it’d sell out instantly!
Usually Limited Edition of a brand I have had good experience with or it reviews well on here or Tom Ford. Also, mid to high end luminizers For me too. For example, I just bought the Becca x Jaclyn Hill luminizer and honestly, I can’t tell you the last time I watched one of her videos.
I read as many rewiews as I can. A very limited edition. Or not available in stores.
usually hype by the beauty gurus or community, meaning everyone is talking about it & loving it. yes limited edition / exclusivity / limited quantities
Chrisine, I just noticed that Laura Geller has an awesome coral lipstick called Tiger Lily. I’m always looking at the coral lipsticks. It’s pink-leaning, but still coral.
Sometime limited availability, if there are thorough reviews of it and it’s online only (like Colour Pop), or if there is a massive sale and I’ve been eyeing it online for a while. But it’s very rare for me to not at least get a swatch of it in store.
Swatches and reviews. I sometimes check multiple sites, but I always check here.
I’m totally comfortable buying sight unseen. I dislike going to stores. I live in a major city, but I’ve never even stepped into a Sephora. I’m afraid I’ll buy the whole store. Despite buying exclusively online, it wasn’t hard to spend enough to qualify for VIB Rogue lol.
“Sight unseen” as in I don’t even look at reviews or research it? With the former, it would have to be from a retailer with a very good return policy, the product would have to be truly something unique, and timing is a concern–whether it be an LE product or something I could use right away. Also, the brand has to have a good following–the last I did this was for Cover FX Custom Cover Drops.
If “sight unseen” means I just can’t see or swatch it in person, well, most things I buy are sight-unseen–I can’t get a lot of the brands I like in person where I live so I have to order whatever products “sound good” from a retailer with a good return policy and hope for the best.
I order quite a bit. I choose based on reviews, reputation and sometimes just impulse. I do make certain that there is a generous return policy and buy in a small inexpensive size at first. I also get samples if possible.
I buy almost everything online so it’s almost always sight unseen. I do peruse your thoughts and swatches about products very often – but sometimes I buy because the product is so pretty!
Due to where I live I buy sight unseen a lot–no Sephora, Ulta, etc. I am more likely to buy if I have read/seen a good review from a site or someone I trust.
Your reviews Christine – I find I have to use ebay to buy my eye shadow palettes and I only do so when I have read great reviews from you – eg The Playlist, Wonderful by Tarina Tarantino, The Rebel by Charlotte Tilbury, Vice 2, Naked 1, Les Gris by Guerlain. Some of Lancôme’s former eye shadow palettes that I know would suit me – Sparkling Intoxication and Jade Fever (the best green eye shadow palette). Generally I like to see the lipsticks for myself – NO pink base.
If sight unseen means I’ haven’t seen very many swatches or reviews, then I hardly buy anything sight unseen except maybe Colourpop shadows and lippies, because they’re very consistent when it comes to quality. Other than that, I don’t buy anything I haven’t seen in the store or haven’t seen at least one review or set of swatches for.
When I’m taken by the swatches and your review gives it a solid A or A+
Instinct. Pure & Simple. I should also mention that I do as much research & asking if questions as possible as well as comparisons to fully be certain that what I feel will serve me successfully! Otherwise.. Returns. And I like mysteries.. 😀 Highlighters for sure, lip pies from brands I’m comfortable with, LE items that are formulas I’m used to.. Things like that! And I just indulged way too much! But I’m happy & STOKED! 😀
i always read as many reviews as i can. it is very important to me to know about other people’s experience with a product.
If it’s raved about by vlogger and bloggers I trust (who make thorough reviews) and if it is something I have been looking for for ages :D.
Well, there’s one big gimme that Urban Decay always has with me: Is it a new eyeshadow palette that mostly has shades I don’t already own, that isn’t another neutral-fest/addition to the Naked line? Then I’ll snap it up.
For a long, long time, I was working my way through Zoya’s catalog every time they had a promotion, looking at swatches. A few things have stopped that: its increased availability in brick and mortars means I can actually look at their colors now and the fact that I own 99% of the nail polish shades I’d ever want.
if they are from a Hello Kitty, Barbie, or Disney collection i’ll probably buy them without giving it too much thought or research. Also, I’ve bought more than one product on impulse because the package was cute lol