How to Research Beauty Products Before Buying

Gone are the days of regretful, impulse buys! Up until 3-4 years ago, I was a total impulse or “blind” beauty product buyer! I’d just obliviously walk down the beauty aisle and pick up items on sale, ones I’ve seen in ads or whatever was recommended by makeup artists/friends. No Research whatsoever. I definitely wasn’t the smartest beauty shopper… My drawer of countless unused products accumulated throughout the years speaks for itself.

Slowly but surely, I have become a much more “smarter” and well-informed beauty shopper. Now, l research the HECK out of any beauty related product before buying it. The handy, dandy internet has made this oh-so-easy. There are several online resources out there that have become my go-to sites for beauty product research. By doing ample research, I am more likely to find a product that will work for me and that I will end up LOVING. This has saved me money and the agony associated with regretful & wasted products.

Below are my top tips and tools to do quality & trustworthy research before making any beauty buys.

1. MAKEUPALLEY (link)

Where would I be WITHOUT THIS?! I’m pretty sure EVERY makeup junkie & beauty blogger alike are well aware of this website by now This is my #1 go- to site for trustworthy reviews of beauty products (from makeup, skincare, hair care, etc.). It has MILLIONS of reviews of literally almost every single beauty-related product out there! The reviews are written by average, everyday consumers for FREE (NOT paid/sponsored). I would say this site has the most HONEST & RAW reviews I’ve seen (possibly because there is no third party interest). The review is written at the full discretion of the user and the rating scale is between 0-5.

Navigation is SUPER EASY-- you can search by brand, category or product name. You can filter and sort reviews by age, skin type, skin tone, hair colour, eye colour and so on. You can also browse the “highest rated” or “most reviewed” products for each category or brand. Example: MAC> Blushes> Most Reviewed> Highest rated> Olive Skin tones = x number of blushes. I personally consider products rated at least 3.8+ worth checking out. FYI, you must make an account on makeupalley (it’s free) to have full access to the product reviews.

Makeupalley - subjective, trustworthy reviews of beauty products

2. BEAUTYPEDIA (link)

Beauty + Encyclopedia = BeautyPedia (In case you didn’t catch that). This was a recent discovery for me but an absolute LIFE CHANGER! Both Makeupalley and Beautypedia are alike in that they “review” beauty products from well-known brands. What’s completely different is the “how” or the method to review the products. Makeupalley is based on subjective, personal experiences whereas Beautypedia is written objectively by a Research Team. They rate the products based on ingredients, formulations, packaging, stability, effectiveness and so on. The reviews are trustworthy as they are based on scientific research/peer-reviewed journal articles.

Want to know if a certain product will live up the claims it’s being marketed as? Whether it’s “safe” or contains harsh ingredients/fragrances? Then this is your site! I rely on Beautypedia mainly for skincare reviews rather than makeup (because the skincare world is a lot more confusing & makeup is more personal). The rating scale varies from poor, average, good, best or “best of the best”. You can search for a specific product or browse through products of a certain brand/category. One of my favourite ways to use this site is to browse through the “best” or “best of the best” products of a category or brand to find new & effective products worth checking out.

Beautypedia - objective reviews of beauty products based on scientific research

3. COSMETIC INGREDIENT DICTIONARY (link)

Want to know if a cosmetic ingredient is safe or effective? With one too many websites out there saying this & that about cosmetic ingredients, it’s hard to find a reliable source. This Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary also run by Beautypedia or Paula’s Choice is my go-to, trustworthy resource. Just like Beautypedia, they draw from scientific research and rate ingredients using the same poor, average, good and best scale. It’s a great tool to know the purpose or efficacy of a certain ingredient, how safe it is and to be aware of some of the “best” ingredients to look for when shopping. It’s also very user friendly and easy to browse.

Cosmetic ingredient Dictionary - rating, safety and effectiveness of hundreds of cosmetic ingredients

4. TEMPTALIA (link)

Temptalia is an absolute GEM! It is an “everything-in-one” website. Temptalia has countless reviews, a foundation matrix, a swatch gallery, a dupe list and more. It has reviews of almost every makeup product out there (old, new, limited edition, collections, etc.). The Foundation Matrix is a helpful tool to pinpoint your foundation shade and find your match from hundreds of other well-known brands. The Swatch Gallery makes it SO EASY to find every single swatch out there and compare them side by side. Awesome tool for comparing foundation or concealer shades for example. If you’re looking for dupes of higher end brands, you can find it all on the Dupe List without going through several google searches.Bonus: the image quality of swatches & try-on's is very HIGH!

Temptalia - countless reviews, swatch gallery, dupe list, foundation matrix & more

5. YOUTUBE, BEAUTY BLOGS, GOOGLE IMAGES & SOCIAL MEDIA

The OBVIOUS. This goes without saying, as most if not ALL of us already do this. There are so many beauty vloggers & bloggers out there that do in depth reviews on beauty products and you can actually see them used in action. Social media (Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) is another great way to find snippet reviews and images of how a product looks or works on someone. I’m also constantly google-imaging keywords to find how a certain product might work on someone with similar skin tone or hair colour to myself. Example search: “MAC All Fired Up Lipstick on NC42, olive skin tone”.

6. SAMPLES & TESTERS

Another obvious but important tip. Get samples when you can! Most makeup counters give out free samples, so don't be afraid to ASK. It's always best to test a product out first in order to make an informed & confident purchase and to avoid disappointment. You can test the longevity of wear, the texture, how it looks in different lighting, etc. Testers are also available in most makeup counters, but be sure to always ask the assistants to disinfect it first. If they can't disinfect it, do not use it! If you can't get a sample or a (hygienic) tester, then I'd go back to Tip #4 or #5 and search for reviews/images,etc. of how a product would work with someone of your skin tone or whatever it may be.

7. READ NEGATIVE REVIEWS TOO

Don’t be biased! Isn’t it true that when you really, really want something you focus only on the good in it and ignore the “not-so-good”? Like that 2000 calorie, triple, fudge, caramel chocolate cheese cake topped with whip cream?

Well, same goes for beauty buying! You might tend to read ONLY the positive reviews and turn a blind eye to the negative ones, when you’re convinced you need that certain beauty product in your life. But, detailed negative reviews can be helpful too - if it just so happens to relate to you. For example, perhaps the reviewer gave a negative review because the product didn’t work with their oily skin or coarse hair (which MAY or may not relate too). So just to be sure, it’s best to skim through some negative reviews that you may come across (no need to actively search for them). Obvious rule of thumb: If Positive reviews > Negative reviews = Worth checking out.

8. DON’T FALL INTO THE HYPE

So everyone and their MOM are RAVING about a certain beauty product? Now, you’re determined you must have this ultimate, god-sent product in your life?! (Anastasia Contour Kit? Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer?) Yes? A little dramatic but YES… some of us DO feel the pressure of the hype. Just, remember to TAKE YOUR TIME & DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST, before you get swept into the hype and buy it on the whim.

SUM IT UP:

Makeupalley - subjective reviews; personal experiences. I use it for all beauty products.
Beautypedia - objective reviews; scientific research. I use it mainly for skincare.
Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary - purpose, efficacy and safety of ingredients; scientific research
Temptalia - Personal reviews, foundation matching, swatches and dupes.

& That’s that! I no longer hit beauty aisle without doing my research first. I may do some sneaky impulse beauty buys now & then but for the most part, I always research, research & research!

More Research=Less Disappointment/Regrets=More Loves!