Guest Post: You Might Remember Her From Such Comments As...

This is a guest-post written by one of my lovely readers, Lo. I've been working on my University dissertation (and will be, up until January 29th) hence my blogging absence, so now I'm making you guys fill in and do all the hard work for me. - Ana

***

There are quite a few small beauty companies popping up, including a handful of "celebrity" run ones. They include bloggers, YouTubers, and others that are well known in their corner. While they may be more cult than mainstream, they're using their starpower to launch beauty lines. Even though they are loved by their fanbases, how do you know that their products are worth the typically hefty price tag? Well, here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

Tarina Tarantino. Photo: Sephora.com

1) Are they backed by a major supplier?
If yes, this puts a lot of weight behind the product line. Sephora wouldn't bother selling tattoo artist and reality star Kat Von D's makeup if it didn't at least work well. They carry high quality lines as it is. Any celebrity based line is going to have to bring something new to the table and meet the quality standards already in place. Sephora also carries Lauren Luke's (panacea81 on YouTube) and accessory designer Tarina Tarantino's lines. Still, to find out if the makeup is good for you, continue onto #2.

2) What are the reviews like?
I cannot stress the importance of reviews enough! They are so, so very important. I'm not talking about the ones that are on the company's website either. You never know if they are moderated. Never take the creator's word on their own products. They want to sell to you, so they will tell you that their product is the best thing since written language. Go to a third party review site like Makeupalley.com. Not only will you learn if the product is pure crap, but you can look at skin tone, skin type, and other variables to see if those that are similar to you had good experiences with the product in question. If this doesn't provide information, search the product + review and see what's out there in the blogosphere. Don't buy reviewless. You may get burned. Oh, and when you experience a really awesome product or a really horrific one, put your review out there!

3) What is the ingredients list like? This has several categories in it!

• a) Is there an ingredients list? No? Don't buy. Do they put silly things in the list like "special ingredient" such as Lime Crime used to do, navigate away.
• b) Do you have allergies or want to steer clear of parabens? This is probably obvious, but look to see if these are in the list.
• c) If you're looking for skin care, be aware of the active ingredients and see where they fall in the list. If they're towards the top, that means they comprise a larger amount in comparison to the others. Towards the bottom, there may not be enough to really do anything.
• d) Are there spelling errors or repeats? YouTuber Michelle Phan's line, iQQU, lists the ingredient "water" twice in her Acne Serum ingredients list (which is, by the way, rather difficult to read.) Xenia of Lime Crime misspells "castor seed oil" and hydroxystearate in her lipstick ingredients list. Perhaps I'm too picky, but if a company can't put together an appropriate ingredients list, how can I trust them to create a good product?

Click to enlarge.

4) What is the first impression when upon arrival at the company's website?
Sometimes this is right, sometimes it's wrong. For example, the Sassy Minerals website is boring. Very, very functional, but not all that inspiring creatively. That's not a fair reflection on their products, some of which are very edgy and fun. On the other hand, you may come across a website like Archetype Cosmetics and automatically feel the unprofessionalism rolling off your computer screen. In this case, you'd be right. I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if the design seems to be dull, but functional, give it a shot. If it screams sixteen year old goth girl trying to be cooler than all the other kids in her website class, you may want to go check #2 for info on customer service and quality of product. (Yes, I realize these examples move away from the celebrity line theme, but they best illustrate my point.)

photo: www.cartoonstock.com

5) Are these things FDA approved, dermatologist approved, etc.?
This is #5 because it might not be so important to everyone. I, personally, enjoy small mineral makeup companies that cannot afford FDA testing. However, if a company claims to have a product that contains a certain level of SPF, it's good to know if they are actually FDA approved. I've emailed iQQU asking if their sunscreen was FDA tested since it's not stated on the site, and never got a response. While the ingredients may indeed have sunscreen properties, the company has no real way of knowing the amount without testing. Also, if you have picky skin, you may want to check out new products with your dermatologist before working it into your routine, especially if the ingredients list is chock full of words you can't pronounce.

Everyone that gets involved in makeup or reads beauty blogs knows that it takes a lot of trial and error to find the products that work. It would be nice to think that someone we admire would never push us in the wrong direction, whether on purpose or with the best intentions, but people like us must be pragmatic! Consider these things before you lay down twenty or more dollars, and you may be saved from regret.

If you have any other tips, let us all know! If we can help each other weed out the bad there will be a lot less grief for all.