Become Your Own Beauty Expert – Part 2
This post is 2 in a 5-part series. Missed the rest? Start at the beginning with part 1.
Now, I don’t like to dwell on the negative, but misleading information needs to be called out. Why? Because your image and beauty is too precious to risk on biased beauty advice.
Recap: Most advice we receive as consumers is biased toward one brand or product and is profit-driven. Think of the beauty counters at Farmers or your local chemist or department store. Even most beauty-related ‘articles’ online and in magazines are written with the single purpose of driving product sales. And products listed as ‘beauty editor faves’? They’re usually paid product placements, not genuine, insider recommendations like the fun lay-out leads us to believe. Have you been duped?
In this article – part two of five – I’ll share my favourite source of unbiased advice. If it’s good for me as a dedicated, working makeup professional, it’s great for you. Read on!
MY FAVOURITE SOURCE OF UNBIASED ADVICE
To find what really works for you in the world of beauty, you must seek honest, professional advice NOT consumer advice.
Consumer review websites like MakeupAlley.com and video reviews on youtube can be helpful, but it’s easy for the reviewer to love a product because of how it smells, the prestige of the brand, the advertising claims, the packaging or because it was so expensive they really want it to work!
People rave about no-hope, ineffective, even irritating, and unhealthy beauty products all the time. Love that cleanser that makes your face tingle? That’s irritation, which, over time, leaves your skin defenceless, unable to retain moisture, irritation breaks down collagen and more. Enjoy that cool-feeling lipgloss that plumps and swells your lips? That’s irritation, too. It’s easy to love things that are bad for us, so expert advice is necessary in this crazy, mixed-up world of makeup where there are huge corporations buying people’s favour, so many consumer opinions, and where facts are less ‘glamorous’.
Do you want to know my main source of unbiased advice? What I measure products against before I stock them in my kit or purchase for myself? www.beautypedia.com When you use the free Beautypedia review database you can blissfully ignore the enticements of the latest overpriced, overhyped makeup product or gimmick. Just look it up here before you buy it.
My video above shows the old websites but the basic information is still valid. The rating system is no longer ‘bad, ‘average’, good’ and ‘best’ but a standard five star system.
You won’t find Australian or New Zealand cosmetic brand there, but most brands on the US market have been reviewed – over 45,000 products.
Instead of giving in to advertising tricks and throwing money at disappointing products like so many women do, imagaine how smart you’ll feel, revelling in your insider advice on which products really do work, which don’t and why. Another bonus of seeking unbiased beauty advice is you’ll often find many best-rated products (like those with five stars on Beautypedia), have a recommended retail price two thirds cheaper than many designer labels products you see in magazines touted as ‘superior’ or having an exclusive formulation. Quick example? Dior’s Diorshow Iconic mascara ($60) and Maybelline’s The Colossal mascara ($24) both receive the BEST rating available.
Warning: Prepared to be shocked.
In browsing the brands on Beautypedia you’ll discover ‘expensive’ does not necessarily mean ‘better’, and ‘cheap’ does not necessarily mean ‘crappy.’ You’ll find amazing – and dreadful – products at all price points. Most beauty brands carry both stunners AND duds. Many makeup artists believe professional makeup is impossible without MAC, or Smashbox or [insert favourite brand here]. That’s simply not true.
Another source of honest information is an independent makeup professional (like myself), who’s not exclusive to one brand, knows the basics of skin health, can spot bad ingredients in an ingredients list and can speak freely.
NEXT POST: The first essential to becoming your own beauty expert is to seek out unbiased advice. And here we’ve seen how Beautypedia offers that. Now you know how to find fabulous products, the next trick it knowing HOW to use them! What are your best makeup colours and techniques that will have you looking fresh and ‘pulled-together’ in record time? What do your well-groomed friends know that you don’t? Read Part Three!
