Small rant: The Beauty Review Bandwagon
- Thread starter LeeleeBell
- Start date
NernersHuman
Well-known member
I have also never had issue with your videos, Julia. I love your enthusiasm and warmth and I've learned a great deal from watching your videos.
I think really what my issue is with a lot of the gurus is that so many started out like you-more focused on teaching and creativity, with the occasional review thrown in if they happened to find something they really really liked. But once the cosmetics companies starting tossing out free product, so many seemed to lose a bit of integrity because they were so bedazzled by all the swag. People that used to post nothing but tutorials (which I LOVE) were now posting nothing but reviews/hauls, one after the other. The fact that so many were endorsing a site that I know for a fact has been a nightmare for dozens of consumers didn't really sit right with me either.
I realize when you get into this arena you are going to get free product, and it becomes a very slippery slope for some. Some, like yourself, hang on to their objectivity. These are the people I keep watching. Sadly though, it seems that more will endorse absolutely anything that gets delivered to their door, so long as its free and keeps on coming. These are the ones I no longer subscribe to.
I think really what my issue is with a lot of the gurus is that so many started out like you-more focused on teaching and creativity, with the occasional review thrown in if they happened to find something they really really liked. But once the cosmetics companies starting tossing out free product, so many seemed to lose a bit of integrity because they were so bedazzled by all the swag. People that used to post nothing but tutorials (which I LOVE) were now posting nothing but reviews/hauls, one after the other. The fact that so many were endorsing a site that I know for a fact has been a nightmare for dozens of consumers didn't really sit right with me either.
I realize when you get into this arena you are going to get free product, and it becomes a very slippery slope for some. Some, like yourself, hang on to their objectivity. These are the people I keep watching. Sadly though, it seems that more will endorse absolutely anything that gets delivered to their door, so long as its free and keeps on coming. These are the ones I no longer subscribe to.
Willa
Well-known member
Quote:
I'm just wondering, where is this all going?
Because I dont understand the pics?
I have too much difficulty to follow when a post is too long (ADD), so, maybe it's just me but I got lost in the last pages
Originally Posted by Casadalinnis
Your channel was never the issue of this thread and I know you stand by what you do. I honestly never had a problem with my sister viewing your videos but there are some major changes that Youtube needs to address but it has nothing to do with your videos. Both the girls here are your fans and luckily the baby in the picture is her friends' and not hers because I'd have to kick her behind. 
A month or two back they were looking up makeup tutorials and even though the girl isn't a guru, it came up in the listing that she did tutorials. I said okay, my sister wants to check her out. I know I'll catch hate for this but I'm getting used to it as of this point. I've seen her videos solo now and was fine with it as an adult but the 15 year old in that picture has no business watching her videos. I only have my sisters when my mom gets sick or is exhausted but I do care what they watch...her friend lent her movie called Thirteen, I confiscated it due to the theme, she wanted her naval pierced I told her to wait until she was older and I took away her Buckcherry cd because of a song called Crazy Bitch. 
This is why I monitor my sister and her friends if they're over, not because of you. I let her watch your video about your newspaper article and read the translation on your Twitter and you're not this person here nor the people the original topic was about. That vid especially the last 10 seconds is why I have to pre screen what she sees and I'd advise anyone in my shoes to as well if kids are present. Notes in the sidebar "this bitch doesn't know what she's doing" and an end message that my sister will not see hopefully and Youtube doesn't have ratings so I have to. It also got too darn expensive buying her every darn product that people kept hyping that she saw failure with. She's a normal teen and with that comes her shopping and my shopping and luckily my other sister is less like us....still I've shopped for her as well. It adds up when it's coming out of my pocket and she hasn't gotten the results she was hoping for. I'm sorry if my posts are too long winded for some but I'll try to get whatever higher being to remove my ADHD so I can fit the mold here better. I really hope Specktra doesn't discourage free speech because there were a few I actually admired the views of...there's also a few I'm seeing the true colors of as well. Good luck Julia and hope this let you know some of the flaws and again congratulations on the news. |
I'm just wondering, where is this all going?
Because I dont understand the pics?
I have too much difficulty to follow when a post is too long (ADD), so, maybe it's just me but I got lost in the last pages
staceb1990
Well-known member
Quote:
jpmetz is hysterical though...
| Originally Posted by Casadalinnis
This is why I monitor my sister and her friends if they're over, not because of you. I let her watch your video about your newspaper article and read the translation on your Twitter and you're not this person here nor the people the original topic was about. That vid especially the last 10 seconds is why I have to pre screen what she sees and I'd advise anyone in my shoes to as well if kids are present. Notes in the sidebar "this bitch doesn't know what she's doing" and an end message that my sister will not see hopefully and Youtube doesn't have ratings so I have to. It also got too darn expensive buying her every darn product that people kept hyping that she saw failure with. She's a normal teen and with that comes her shopping and my shopping and luckily my other sister is less like us....still I've shopped for her as well. It adds up when it's coming out of my pocket and she hasn't gotten the results she was hoping for. I'm sorry if my posts are too long winded for some but I'll try to get whatever higher being to remove my ADHD so I can fit the mold here better. I really hope Specktra doesn't discourage free speech because there were a few I actually admired the views of...there's also a few I'm seeing the true colors of as well. Good luck Julia and hope this let you know some of the flaws and again congratulations on the news. |
jpmetz is hysterical though...
chocolategoddes
Well-known member
Wow... this thread... I'm totally lost.
Quote:
Yeah, it was fake.
I don't see how jpmetz compares to MissChievous or other big makeup gurus. Jpmetz already has a set audience and her fans watch her for her comedy, not her actual makeup tips, reviews, and tutorials.
Quote:
| Originally Posted by Casadalinnis
It's not that I personally don't find her comical because if you saw the Angela video, you would have laughed too though I hope it was false about the reason it was there but kids need to be kids. |
Yeah, it was fake.
I don't see how jpmetz compares to MissChievous or other big makeup gurus. Jpmetz already has a set audience and her fans watch her for her comedy, not her actual makeup tips, reviews, and tutorials.
JULIA
Well-known member
The audience should not rely 100% on a guru's review of a product. I don't understand how people justify leaving hateful comments on a guru's video simply because they were unsatisfied with a product or it simply didn't work for them. First off, there's a really great chance you're of a different complexion and skin-tone so...Duh, it probably won't do anything for you. I'm absolutely astounded that people have all these wonderful resources available to them (MUA, Specktra, etc) and yet they still manage to be irresponsible consumers. You should be doing everything you can to learn about the item you're interested in buying, instead of depending on a single review. It is not the guru's fault you eat up everything you're fed; educate yourself a little more and you'll find yourself making more worthy purchases.
MakeUpGeek
Active member
We are not talking about single reviews here though, if you read the thread. The point is we get bombarded with product reviews from loads of "guru's" all with different types of skin / lifestyle - all singing praises about this new amazing product.
Hateful comments left on channels is not my style personally, so I agree on that. My response to someone not telling the entire truth about products, or not having properly reviewed (ie fafinette raving about everyday minerals, and then after extended use discovering it broke her out. She was not the only guru who switched on that product later on either) If a person is going to review a product...they need to give it a proper test drive before recommending it to everyone.
I am kinda done on this subject because it will go around and around, so no more input from me you'll be glad to hear. My advice to those disgruntled about it all is simply to do what I did - unsubscribe from people who you no longer trust.
I have very few people I watch now, but all are quality, and that is most important to me.
Hateful comments left on channels is not my style personally, so I agree on that. My response to someone not telling the entire truth about products, or not having properly reviewed (ie fafinette raving about everyday minerals, and then after extended use discovering it broke her out. She was not the only guru who switched on that product later on either) If a person is going to review a product...they need to give it a proper test drive before recommending it to everyone.
I am kinda done on this subject because it will go around and around, so no more input from me you'll be glad to hear. My advice to those disgruntled about it all is simply to do what I did - unsubscribe from people who you no longer trust.
I have very few people I watch now, but all are quality, and that is most important to me.
MakeUpGeek
Active member
Quote:
That statement makes no sense.
| Originally Posted by JULIA
It could be a thousand people reviewing the same product, idc. You should still inform yourself. |
That statement makes no sense.
LeeleeBell
Well-known member
Quote:
How do you inform yourself about a product that isn't available except online (and given away as freebies to "gurus" and bloggers)? OR what if you live overseas, or in a small town with no Sephora, Ulta, Macys or Nordstroms--how do you swatch items? Answer: You can't...and "informing yourself" means reading reviews online. Eventually the hype wears some people down, gets them/us curious and makes us want to see what the hype is about. Some of us buy stuff based on reading 15-20 reviews that said the same thing.
And it's not "ignorant" and "misinformed" people who fall for it either...It's a whole lot of very intelligent customers and skeptical people too. Try and label us/them as stupid, but that doesn't change the fact that people are "overhyping" products, redundantly (and sometimes simply because they have been paid or sent things for free).
Did we have a choice whether to buy? Yes. No one has denied that. This thread isn't about whether we were "forced" to buy something, it's about asking for people not to be redundant by hyping things that have already been reviewed half a dozen or a dozen times before.
Whoever you think is "at fault" for purchasing things isn't the issue here....there are just some of us who are sick of the redundant product reviews and we are expressing that opinion here. Most of us DO and HAVE skipped over them...because of the redundancy and overhyping. That doesn't mean we can't discuss the topic and why we dislike this new "trend".
As for haters and people who leave nasty/rude comments on youtube...that's not me and I think most of us in this thread have tried to remain civil and polite and wouldn't reduce ourselves to such pettiness.
| Originally Posted by JULIA
It could be a thousand people reviewing the same product, idc. You should still inform yourself. |
How do you inform yourself about a product that isn't available except online (and given away as freebies to "gurus" and bloggers)? OR what if you live overseas, or in a small town with no Sephora, Ulta, Macys or Nordstroms--how do you swatch items? Answer: You can't...and "informing yourself" means reading reviews online. Eventually the hype wears some people down, gets them/us curious and makes us want to see what the hype is about. Some of us buy stuff based on reading 15-20 reviews that said the same thing.
And it's not "ignorant" and "misinformed" people who fall for it either...It's a whole lot of very intelligent customers and skeptical people too. Try and label us/them as stupid, but that doesn't change the fact that people are "overhyping" products, redundantly (and sometimes simply because they have been paid or sent things for free).
Did we have a choice whether to buy? Yes. No one has denied that. This thread isn't about whether we were "forced" to buy something, it's about asking for people not to be redundant by hyping things that have already been reviewed half a dozen or a dozen times before.
Whoever you think is "at fault" for purchasing things isn't the issue here....there are just some of us who are sick of the redundant product reviews and we are expressing that opinion here. Most of us DO and HAVE skipped over them...because of the redundancy and overhyping. That doesn't mean we can't discuss the topic and why we dislike this new "trend".
As for haters and people who leave nasty/rude comments on youtube...that's not me and I think most of us in this thread have tried to remain civil and polite and wouldn't reduce ourselves to such pettiness.
TISH1124
Well-known member
^ I agree with a most of your points and 100% understand what you are saying...Honestly I used to be a hype buyer too...I was drawn in by the ohhhh and ahhhhh, this is a must have yada crap....But I have simply learned that if I can't see it, try it or swatch it for myself I just don't buy it. That way the only person to blame for the purchase is myself. I also buy from places that I know if it does not work out...I can return it....Nordstroms, Sephora, MAC etc have excellent return policies....hell even Walmart /Target for that matter
MAC_Whore
Well-known member
Wow...8 pages already! lol I haven't yet expressed my viewpoint on this and thought I would do so now, for what it's worth. I may not make any friends on this one, but I have to keep it real.
I have been a member/advisor/mod who has been with Specktra for 4.5 years now. I have enjoyed being here, because it is a forum-based site. That said we do have a blog and I do contribute to it.
As far as the products I review, I can honestly say that withing the 4.5 years I have been here, I have received samples on 12 occasions. That's it. Of those, 2 were just so bad that I refused to write them up. I guess I could have posted a bash review, but I just don't care to do that. I like to focus on and feature products that work. So that is why most of my review/feature posts are positive. That said, when the product does have some flaws, I will bring them up.
Each day, we (Specktra) are sent a good amount of emails on new items asking us to try and/or feature them. We are extrememly picky about what we respond to. I guess we could pimp ourselves out for product, but that isn't what the spirit of this site is about. Quite frankly, we like to be in control of what we say.
Another big reason for the positivity in my reviews is that I purchase the items I review/feature myself. It's my cash. It makes no sense for me to go dump $20 on an eye shadow I hate. Sorry guys, I love you, but I gotta think of me on this one. lol That said, I still try to be inclusive of other skin types and tones by mentioning how I think it would perform on others or suggest substitute items that might be better.
At Specktra, we do feature a lot of MAC and are generally happy with it, but that should come as no surprise as we are generally MAC fans on this site. There are other brands that we like to feature as we are consistently pleased with their overall line: i.e. Stila, Anastasia and for me recently, MUFE and NARS. If you've read my reviews, when there are bad points (MAC or not), I do mention them. Not to forget that there have been some, IMO, total dud MAC items, i.e. Shimmer Souffles, Glitz gloss, and pro longwear that I have had no issue calling out.
Even with the items I might originally love or hate, I do occasionally change my mind as my skills, needs and tastes have changed. Also, as I said, we are a very MAC-heavy site, but I do like to feature other brands as we never want to shut ourselves off from the vast world of cosmetic possiblities out there.
There are some talented bloggers/you tubers out there who I really admire. Then there are some who give terrible advice and/or shill products shamelessly.
I'll admit that I don't watch a lot of you tube tuts, but I really enjoy MissChievious, Makeup Geek and Risa (sonrisa). They are really skilled. I'm sure there are others equally talented out there too, I just haven't had the opportunity to view their vids.
On the note of what bothers me about certain blogs is when they simply cut and paste Specktra items or come shopping for content on Specktra. They just pick away at the contributions of our members like vultures. I do realize that the internet/blog community is all about sharing, but those blatantly steal and/or do not source are pretty scummy, IMO. One particular blog is so apparent in the fact that they have clearly picked over Specktra to garner info on collections to cobble together their own "MAC resource" areas that I have to laugh. Gee, thanks for the "hard work". Cut and paste doesn't take much. Then the blogger feigns a gracious thank you to her readers who appreciate her hard work. Saying it's all for them. BS, it's for monetary gain on your part.
Another blogging trend I dislike is the linking to Gilt Group, Haute Look and other sites that give the "referrer"/blogger compensation when individuals they refer sign up and buy something. A certain site pimps their members with endless posts about "great deals"/sales from those sites. Initially they were not even telling the readers that they (the blogger/referrer) were getting kick-backs. Now they say it is a referral link, but don't explain what that means. Oh and it's rather funny that in those referral link/sale posts the blogger mentions all the great items they already bought from that sale. Really? The truth is that they are all the great items that her readers bought for her by the referral kick backs she "earned". Shady. I guess some people will do anything for the money.
I have caught a well-known blog stealing my info, flat out. I know this as I had suspected them stealing info and set a couple of traps where I posted collection info with a few slight errors initially. This site then reposted my info (including my telltale, intentional misinformation) and listed the source as "internal". Repeatedly. Really? They also do everything they can to not source or source as cryptically as possible. I kindly return the favour and source them as cryptically as possible. That nasty site aside, there are a ton of great blogs out there that I truly enjoy.
What can I say? I'm a fan of people playing fair, behaving ethically and doing it for the love, not the cash.
Oh, and if you have made it to the end of this long-ass post, good on ya for your wicked ability to focus and the stamina of your attention span!
I have been a member/advisor/mod who has been with Specktra for 4.5 years now. I have enjoyed being here, because it is a forum-based site. That said we do have a blog and I do contribute to it.
As far as the products I review, I can honestly say that withing the 4.5 years I have been here, I have received samples on 12 occasions. That's it. Of those, 2 were just so bad that I refused to write them up. I guess I could have posted a bash review, but I just don't care to do that. I like to focus on and feature products that work. So that is why most of my review/feature posts are positive. That said, when the product does have some flaws, I will bring them up.
Each day, we (Specktra) are sent a good amount of emails on new items asking us to try and/or feature them. We are extrememly picky about what we respond to. I guess we could pimp ourselves out for product, but that isn't what the spirit of this site is about. Quite frankly, we like to be in control of what we say.
Another big reason for the positivity in my reviews is that I purchase the items I review/feature myself. It's my cash. It makes no sense for me to go dump $20 on an eye shadow I hate. Sorry guys, I love you, but I gotta think of me on this one. lol That said, I still try to be inclusive of other skin types and tones by mentioning how I think it would perform on others or suggest substitute items that might be better.
At Specktra, we do feature a lot of MAC and are generally happy with it, but that should come as no surprise as we are generally MAC fans on this site. There are other brands that we like to feature as we are consistently pleased with their overall line: i.e. Stila, Anastasia and for me recently, MUFE and NARS. If you've read my reviews, when there are bad points (MAC or not), I do mention them. Not to forget that there have been some, IMO, total dud MAC items, i.e. Shimmer Souffles, Glitz gloss, and pro longwear that I have had no issue calling out.
Even with the items I might originally love or hate, I do occasionally change my mind as my skills, needs and tastes have changed. Also, as I said, we are a very MAC-heavy site, but I do like to feature other brands as we never want to shut ourselves off from the vast world of cosmetic possiblities out there.
There are some talented bloggers/you tubers out there who I really admire. Then there are some who give terrible advice and/or shill products shamelessly.
I'll admit that I don't watch a lot of you tube tuts, but I really enjoy MissChievious, Makeup Geek and Risa (sonrisa). They are really skilled. I'm sure there are others equally talented out there too, I just haven't had the opportunity to view their vids.
On the note of what bothers me about certain blogs is when they simply cut and paste Specktra items or come shopping for content on Specktra. They just pick away at the contributions of our members like vultures. I do realize that the internet/blog community is all about sharing, but those blatantly steal and/or do not source are pretty scummy, IMO. One particular blog is so apparent in the fact that they have clearly picked over Specktra to garner info on collections to cobble together their own "MAC resource" areas that I have to laugh. Gee, thanks for the "hard work". Cut and paste doesn't take much. Then the blogger feigns a gracious thank you to her readers who appreciate her hard work. Saying it's all for them. BS, it's for monetary gain on your part.
Another blogging trend I dislike is the linking to Gilt Group, Haute Look and other sites that give the "referrer"/blogger compensation when individuals they refer sign up and buy something. A certain site pimps their members with endless posts about "great deals"/sales from those sites. Initially they were not even telling the readers that they (the blogger/referrer) were getting kick-backs. Now they say it is a referral link, but don't explain what that means. Oh and it's rather funny that in those referral link/sale posts the blogger mentions all the great items they already bought from that sale. Really? The truth is that they are all the great items that her readers bought for her by the referral kick backs she "earned". Shady. I guess some people will do anything for the money.
I have caught a well-known blog stealing my info, flat out. I know this as I had suspected them stealing info and set a couple of traps where I posted collection info with a few slight errors initially. This site then reposted my info (including my telltale, intentional misinformation) and listed the source as "internal". Repeatedly. Really? They also do everything they can to not source or source as cryptically as possible. I kindly return the favour and source them as cryptically as possible. That nasty site aside, there are a ton of great blogs out there that I truly enjoy.
What can I say? I'm a fan of people playing fair, behaving ethically and doing it for the love, not the cash.
Oh, and if you have made it to the end of this long-ass post, good on ya for your wicked ability to focus and the stamina of your attention span!
MAC_Whore
Well-known member
Quote:
Thanks.
Yeah Glitz Glosses....all sexy on the surface, but dig a little deeper, no substance. Kind of like a really shallow supermodel,lol.
| Originally Posted by LMD84
great points mac whore. and thanks for reminding me about the crappy glitz glosses! 
|
Thanks.
Yeah Glitz Glosses....all sexy on the surface, but dig a little deeper, no substance. Kind of like a really shallow supermodel,lol.
