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Once I see feedback from readers who’ve tried out and fallen in love with a brand, I’m more excited and willing to give it a try. I also need to see a decent product range, not hear horror stories about customer service, and not see problematic brand-owner behavior.
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I have a few dedicated places I always check for reviews that I know are reputable. If I see more likes than dislikes I am then more than willing to give that brand some love.
Cynthia
Your reviews definitely, thanks.
In store availability is #1 for me. That is and always has been how I prefer to shop. If I can’t see a product for myself, I’m out! Which explains why I have nothing from Sydney Grace or ColourPop (though the latter is interesting me less and less with its non stop releases of new products every 5 minutes and its ongoing use of PET glitter in its palettes). Thing is, re Sydney Grace, I’d probably order 10 shadows in very similar shades that also look like a dozen or so shadows I already own (variations on a Sumptuous Olive….)
The only thing from ColourPop I buy is their lux lipsticks – which are truly fabulous. Last week the brand bought back most of their shades and true to form, they sold out pretty quickly – although there are some left. For $8USD they are a steal.
I like supporting new businesses. Even if I don’t end up liking the product, I feel good about helping a new business get their footing. I especially like when new companies bring something different to the table. For instance, Game Beauty is a new company that celebrates the art that is found within computer games. I haven’t seen anyone else do that and I was intrigued, so I bought their first eyeshadow palette. I felt really good about spending 45$ to support them. If that same product came from one of the “big” players, then I would not have looked twice at it.
Reviews from places I trust (mostly here), availability in the UK without huge shipping and/ or customs charges, filling a gap in my collection. Ethical and diversity considerations.
You are the number one reason for me! If you haven’t reviewed it or you gave it a bad review, I’m out. If I’m interested in a product and there are no reviews that I can find, I’m super wary.
Basically: positive feedback from customers, reasonable prices, compelling products and a company I feel good supporting will persuade me to try a new to me brand.
I look for unique products or a formula or delivery system different from what already is out there from brands I like. For makeup, I rely on reviews here. For skin care I find Reddit fairly reliable. along with some You Tube creators who understand chemistry.
Time… I prefer to wait and see if people that reviewed the brand and enjoyed the products keep using them regularly. First impressions are sometimes biased by the newness (and eager to support something new), but I want to see that products are mentioned again and again in favorites.
I already have the brands and products that I like, I nowadays prefer to stick to old favorites instead of keep trying the new things. So it takes a lot for me to try a new brand.
Professional website with clear information, accessible design, and few linguistic errors. Product photos that aren’t FaceTuned or filtered to hell and back. Isn’t private label, dropshipped, or churned out as a sub-brand to a fast fashion company with likely poor quality/standards.
I would agree with everything Christine said.
Additionally:
-It needs to solve a problem I have (or didn’t know I had), answer a question, and/or provide educational content which then solves a problem, which could then lead to a product.
Aether Beauty, Farmacy and Beauty Pie are good examples; also Kimes Ranch Jeans and The Real Real and the little coffee companies I find are also good examples.
K. Also: Uoma Beauty, Flower beauty, Indeed labs, Davines, Briogio and (strangely!) Clarins….who have been kicking it up a notch.
A big one for me are short ingredients lists — my finicky skin can’t handle complicated stuff. I also look for good reviews, and for basic products with minimal fuss. There are probably a lot of niche companies that have great stuff but I wouldn’t buy from them because I so rarely need lime green eyeshadow. On the other hand, if you have a fantastic core collection and one of your basic palettes has lime green eyeshadow, cool. I also look for color stories that I feel are underrepresented — if you have cooler toned eye palettes, I’m interested. If you do light warm palettes with minimal if any orange, I’m interested. These are what originally drew me to Colourpop, since they were doing color stories in their palettes that I wasn’t seeing elsewhere. If you do a lot of lipsticks in the warm light range, I’m super interested as well. Basically, give me colors I can’t get elsewhere (or can’t find easily).
Excellent reviews, inclusivity, innovative unique shades and formulas, and a solidly good reputation in the beauty world. No crazy drama, nor poor behavior towards customers, is acceptable.
Eyeshadow and packaging and recently it’s been ‘does it fill a hole in my collection?’. Typically any btand selling eyeshadow with luxe or unique packaging gets my dollars. I really want to give Auric a try but want to finish my Tom Ford and Charlotte Tilbury cream shadows first.
Something new that will work for me, plus good reviews and a professional retail experience.
REVIEWS!! REVIEWS AND SWATCHES (enough with proper color balance to get a really good idea. none of this orange/yellow “i took a blurry pic in my bathroom – ignore the fact my skin is an impossible oompa loompa orange and none of this is actually helpful”)!!! Second I need to know that they’re not overcharging on shipping (I ship a great deal of things myself and know exactly what shipping materials and costs are and when it’s overinflated a bit too much for me to personally get down with). And last that I’ll receive my order. I can deal with a long turnaround time, it sucks, but it’s ok; I can’t deal with the possibility my order isn’t ever sent out or lost in the mail and not replaced.
Good reviews are paramount and when you review them then I can trust that they will perform well and my money won’t be wasted.
What makes me try out a new brand is stellar ratings by you Christine. They also need to have shades in finishes that I would wear (for eyes and lips); be accessible by me (international shipping at reasonable rates) and a good leadership ethic.
It is only in the past few years or so that the major beauty brands have gained access to the Australian market – eg UD, Too Faced, ND, ABH etc. No Charlotte Tilbury unfortunately. It is so much better when I can see the products for myself.
Ummm, Temptalia’s review. I’ve just stopped willy-nilly spending on makeup. If you give it a good review, I’ll try it if it interests me.
Reviews by someone that I value their opinion. Also great quality for the price, makes me think twice if it is highly priced and gets mediocre reviews. Also if the customer service is great and the company takes pride in it!
Your reviews are #1! I’ve had products that have worked for me where they didn’t for you and vice versa, but you spend so much time breaking down the why of everything that I pretty much know what I’m getting myself into! In contrast to other reviews who just say good or bad with no explanation.
Interesting concepts, colors or formulas I’ve never seen and might actually use really attract me nowadays, and I’m honestly leaning a lot towards indie brands because they’re the only ones really doing that.