Honesty Policy
Since the inception of this blog, I’ve been reviewing beauty and skincare products. 99% of the products reviewed here are purchased with my own money and the other 1% is kindly gifted to me from the brand being reviewed. That said, 100% of my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.
How I Chose What to Review
Since I focus mainly on luxury beauty, I’ll usually review newly released luxury (and sometimes mid-priced) makeup and skincare that I’m interested in trying and think others would be interested in too. I sometimes also review older products that are still popular and my readers might want to know more about before purchasing. I try to test out luxury products so readers can read an in-depth, honest review to determine if the products are something worth trying before spending their money on these pricier items. I also choose to focus on luxury beauty because there aren’t usually a lot of luxury beauty products shown on deeper skintones, so I’d love to be a resource for black women who are looking for luxury reviews on skintones similar to theirs. Because I do independently fund this blog, I may also occasionally review free samples that I receive with my orders to save money on the full-sized items.
My Review Process
Overall, my review process is to test the product for the specified time it claims to work for and report back on the performance, results, ease of use, packaging, pricing, availability, etc. I follow the instructions and let you all know my experience using the product and my final thoughts on if it worked for me.
Skincare
When reviewing a skincare product, I like to test it out over at least a month, if not longer, so I can report on the immediate benefits as well as the long-term ones. Unless it’s a cleanser, I like to track how my skin adjusts to the product over time. I try to always include the main ingredients, texture, smell, directions, price, and where to buy the product. I also like to include what skin types it might work for and which ones it may not work for.
Makeup
Makeup reviews are a little different since there aren’t any long-term claims with most makeup products. You usually see the results in one day. If there are claims of long-wear times, I’ll report if I found them to be true. I’ll usually test out products over a week or so unless otherwise stated in the review.
The Process
- When sharing a product review, I give my honest opinion 100% of the time.
- During the review process, the product is used for a specific amount of time that’s appropriate to the specific product, in order to give the most accurate review.
- I purchase everything I review with my own money unless otherwise stated.
- Occasionally, I may be sent products as PR samples for review. However, positive reviews can not be bought. Reviews are my honest opinion of the functionality and performance of the products being reviewed.
- I will always have full disclosure in the review if I’ve received the product as a PR sample.
- I do not review products for the sake of it. The products reviewed on this blog are ones that 1) I am genuinely interested in trying and 2) ones that I think my readers would enjoy.
Factors Considered
- Pricing: How much does it retail for?
- Packaging: Was the packaging durable? Was it aesthetically pleasing and functional?
- Application: How (and with what) is it to be applied?
- Longevity: How long did it last vs how long it claimed to last?
- Texture & Smell: How does the product feel to the touch? Does it have a scent If so, what does it smell like, and how potent is it?
- Pigmentation (makeup): Is it highly pigmented? Did it easily show up on my medium-deep skin tone? Will it show up on deeper skin tones than mine?
- Performance (Makeup & Lifestyle products): Did it do what it claimed to do?