Become Your Own Beauty Expert – Part 1
So you want to refresh your appearance and revamp your makeup? Great!
But think twice before relying on an online article or magazine for beauty product recommendations…Why?
Have you seen spreads like these (above) in the beauty section of magazines?
These are trend-inspired collages of beauty products and cosmetics. The collages look like collections of beauty-editor picks; as though a discerning makeup lover has shopped around to find the best and most effective products in stores right now, and gathered them around a current fashion trend…
But there’s something else these products have in common.
In the two beauty collages above, you’ll find cheaper items from Maybelline and Garnier, with mid-priced products from L’Oréal and luxury items from prestige brand, Lancôme.
What you probably don’t see, is that all the brands represented here are owned by one parent company. In this case, it’s L’Oréal Paris (with the exception of QVS & Yves Saint Laurent, as far as I’m aware).
So you’re not looking at a collection of the current ‘best ofs’, but a clever advert. For one company. Made to look like a helpful page of innocent, unbiased recommendations.
The problem with most beauty ‘advice’, is that it’s commercially-motivated.
Instead of being unbiased and truly helpful, focussed on what’s best for you the customer, the advice we get is often commission-driven and/or exclusive to one brand.
One of my past lesson customers confided she spent $300 on her last foundation (no, I’m not kidding). I’m confident that when she was at the beauty counter being sold the La Praire foundation+concealer, there existed other foundations equally (or more) suited to her needs, from other brands, and at prices more sustainable for her budget. Even if you do have oodles of money for expensive or designer makeup, your personal beauty is too important to risk on biased advice! Don’t jeopardise your appearance by acting on hype, ‘cookie-cutter’ advice or possible misinformation like much of that found in magazines or online to sell products .
Ask yourself: “Who is the source of this advice?” If it’s someone who relies solely on product sales, e.g, retail store, salesperson at a beauty counter, think twice. They may be putting their commissions or sales goals before your personal needs.
If the source relies on advertising dollars, e.g, magazines and newspapers, they are probably creating the content you’re reading with their advertising clients in mind, not you!
Want proof? The above images below the past advertising rates for Simply You magazine (as shown on their website circa 2012). See the top row for ‘beauty strips’ pricing? Advertisers paid $6,500 to have four products placed in these beauty columns throughout the magazine. It’s safe to assume this is standard practise for all large publications.
Is this news to you? Will this revelation change the way you view beauty ‘advice’ from magazines?
You’ve discovered the first essential to becoming your own beauty expert! It’s to seek out unbiased product advice.
Want to know my favourite source of unbiased product recommendations? See Part Two!
