Some things I want to clarify, not because I feel personally attacked at all, but more because I like being a part of the YT community and feel like I should try to highlight a few things from the other perspective. Most of the comments I've read are coming from people not involved in the video making process, so I just want to highlight some things from the other side of the coin. I do feel that overall, there are some pretty exaggerated statements thus far.
1. All "popular" or widely read/viewed bloggers and vloggers get sent free products from companies. This isn't some new phenomenon only in the YT community - bloggers get free products too. The reason that people are talking more about this now is that on YT a product review video might get 100,000 views, whereas a blog entry might only get 1000 or so. So YT has a much wider audience than traditional blogs, I would wager.
2. Bloggers/Vloggers/businesses exist in a symbiotic relationship. Bloggers and Vloggers are often expected and requested by their audience to review the latest makeup trends, collections, or new products. That's what the audience wants to see - new stuff, not many people want to see a review on a collection that was released 5 years ago. That's just how it is. The cost of being able to do that though is staggering - something most v/bloggers wouldn't be able to afford unless they are rich. So if you want to keep up with the new items coming on the market, it's almost necessary to work together with public relations people from makeup lines. The cost of producing makeup videos is actually pretty high - I am constantly replacing products I've run out of, or having to buy very specific products to do looks. These are products I purchase specifically for my YT audience, products I would not be buying if I wasn't involved in making makeup videos. Which is fine, I like doing it! But working together with a company makes it easier because it means I can continue to do so without going completely broke. Most YTers still purchase or purchased the majority of their products anyway. I'd say about 90% of the products I have in my collection that I use for videos, I bought myself.
3. Just because a company sends free product does not guarantee a feature, or a review on YT - at least on my channel. I have enough makeup to last me a lifetime, I really don't need another eyeshadow or lipstick. So what is the reason behind doing a video on a product you hate, just to get sent more free stuff? Personally, I don't see the appeal there. I'm actually trying to reduce my collection because of storage issues. If I was sent a free product from a small company just starting out - for example a mineral makeup line - and I absolutely didn't like it, I just won't use the products and won't do a review. Now some people ask why I wouldn't say in a video that I hated the product? Is it because I'm worried about not getting sent free products in the future? No. Public relations people rarely look at past videos you have done for other companies, at least that's been my experience. The reason I wouldn't is because I realize that I have a huge audience, and my bad review could lead a start-up company into huge financial losses. I don't think that's fair to the company because I don't want one person's influential opinion to potentially ruin a company. Someone else might love the product, who would otherwise have been turned off by my review. These companies are obviously looking for more exposure and a positive review - we are aware of that. But I just don't see it as fair to slam a company's products if they are just trying to get the word out there. Often these are smaller family-run business or start-ups that do not have the budget to launch more "professional" campaigns like MAC or L'Oreal or whatever, so YT might be the only way they can get exposure. If I say something bad about MAC, chances are, it won't have much of an effect on MAC anyway because it's a huge worldwide company and probably only a tiny sliver of their potential customers watch YT. So, I think it's a fair resolution to just deny them that exposure on my channel if their product is not to my liking. I personally have many products that I've given away to friends and family because I have no use for them, and never featured them on my channel.
4. If a product is sent that really is great and deserves recognition - what's so bad on doing a video on it? Usually the title of a video is self-explanatory. If you're subbed to many of the "top gurus" and have already seen 1 or 2 videos reviewing the same brand (Sigma was the one mentioned) then why click on a 3rd video reviewing that same product? No one is forcing anyone to watch. And while you may have already seen a few reviews on that product, many others might not. Same principle applies to MUA - some products have thousands of reviews, doesn't mean you have to read them all, and you probably wouldn't. The vlogger might just be honestly excited about the product or brand, and wants to share his or her views with the audience. Rarely, if ever, are gurus paid for these videos featuring products.
5. Someone mentioned YTers not using products again they reviewed. That is a fair point, but you have to remember that many of us have vast makeup collections, including some faves we reach for all the time, just like anyone else. I've done videos with products that I genuinely love, and haven't used them in a 2nd video yet because maybe the color was so bold, or I just have so many other products to go through that I just haven't had the opportunity to use it again in a video. That doesn't mean we don't use the product again in our private lives. I'm sure many other YTers are in the same boat. I can say for the OCC lip tars which I genuinely love, I've worn NSFW many times in my private life and would repurchase if I ran out - but I've not used that exact color in a second video because I literally have so many products I can always switch it up.
6. Lastly, someone mentioned that YT should be a place to get ideas and to hear about new products, and I totally agree. I like to look at lots of different sources before I make a purchase decision, be it YT, MUA, Specktra or elsewhere. I never expect or want my viewers to only listen to my opinion and then - without doing any additional research - purchase a product I recommended on a whim. Chances are, they won't like it - it might not be right for them or their needs. But again, it's not a Vloggers responsibility to do all the research for viewers - videos are great to get product reviews and ideas, but ultimately the viewer has to decide for herself what she wants to purchase or skip over. I think some people are just getting lazy, and don't want to put in the effort to research a product a little bit before and get second opinions, and expect Vloggers to do everything for them. I try to incorporate pros and cons into my reviews if I feel there are certain cons that need to be addressed - for example with all those "Coastal Scents" type of palettes. But the fact is, you can't please everyone. If I review CS some people complain they are not good quality (even though they are so cheap), when I use Illamasqua others complain the products are too expensive. It's really impossible sometimes to please everyone.
I hope that helped to illuminate some of the issues at play here. I do feel that vloggers are sometimes used as scapegoats which is a bit unfair - most of us are just in this for fun, and to share our love of makeup with like minded people. If we were in this for money from YT Partnerships, you'd get richer investing the allotted time in a second job, rather than spending countless hours producing videos.
