Good, Bad and Fake

• The news of a major skincare player falsifying reviews has come to a shock to many. Those in the industry know otherwise. This is commonly practiced. However, the lengths of which those employees were asked to go is what make it fraudulent.

  The accusation that has come up is the requirement to place stellar reviews of products. All of them.  To go another step further, they were asked to create fake profiles to stack great reviews. Big problem.   

  While commonly practiced there is a certain level of morals that come with it. Sure, all brands want their products to be the top seller, and have the best reviews. But lying just won’t do. Typical directive for such are ‘write as if you were a consumer, not expert of product’, and ‘be honest. Only review what you actually use’. I’ve been known to review products for the brands my close colleagues work for. Did I lie in my reviews? Absolutely not. Saying great things about products even when they are subpar are what “influencers” are for.

  How to spot fake reviews. If a product has been online for less than 24 hrs and has a few dozen reviews, it’s 99% their team. Especially when they are all top ratings. When it starts to sound like you’re being trained, and it’s a rebuttal for previous comments.  Chances of that being an employee are high.  “Cut and paste” reviews. Many that sounds the same.  Reviewer only reviews products from 1 or 2 certain brands. On many shopping sites you can click on the reviewers profile and see what all they have reviewed. Great feature if you have similar taste, and concerns as reviewer. Helpful if you thing you found a fake.

  What’s sad about this particular scenario is that it’s a really good line. I’ve use a few of the products and really enjoyed them. There was no need for fake reviews. I get trying to get reviews organically can take a long time. Not all that purchase review. Just how people are. Faking them will never be the answer. This will be interesting on how the ruling affects the way reviews are utilized in the future.
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/10/22/us/sunday-riley-fake-reviews-trnd/index.html https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/10/22/us/sunday-riley-fake-reviews-trnd/index.html

Contamination Nation

Every year, dozens of people file a lawsuit against a major retailer claiming they got an infectious disease after using the testers. How can this possibly happen? Well, humans are gross. Most will blame the store or even the person applying their makeup.  What they seem to forget is that other consumers don’t necessarily care about cleanliness or hygienic practices.
Oh, the things I’ve seen. I spent 13 years in retail cosmetics, and it gets really gross. Grown ass women, 40 years of age and older, picking up testers and applying it directly. I’ve found teens are the easiest to get to use disposables properly. Germs seem to scare them. The worst testers will always be mascara, lipstick, lip gloss. If there is a tester it will be smeared on as if they’re immune to germs. Throw caution to the wind, and treat the store as their personal makeup bag. Eww. You know better. No one has made it that far in life without learning about communicable diseases. Get it together, humans.

How do stores deal with such? A few ways. There is not one team member that wasn’t taught how to sanitize and use testers in a hygienic fashion. If you’re not seeing your consultant use alcohol, hand sanitizer, or disposables of any kind, walk away.  The chance of getting something is mild, but why risk it? 
Teams are also trained to dispose of any product used directly on customers. Most will have no problem asking customers to use disposables, and even show them how to clean what they are using. Do they listen? Not always. There are some that have a difficult time understanding disposables. You still can’t double dip! You’ve just defeated the purpose of the disposable. That’s like licking your spoon then using it in a communal dip. WHY?!?  One use. That’s it.
Yes, I’ve snapped off a mascara wand in front of the client that after several requests, would not use a disposable. She seemed offended… yes, I’ve sprayed many shelves of boxed products after a man openly sneezed all over them. Sir, your hands were free. Tissues were right next to you. Act like the adult you appear to be… Yes, I’ve thrown away NEW freshly made testers after seeing a client apply directly, only to see her lip BLEEDING. Ok, those for double bagged and off to trash… but seriously, how gross, and unsafe.
This brings me to the 'personal makeup bag' , and I use this term loosely, customer. I’m not even sure how, or why this became a thing, but people coming in 4-5 days a week to apply their makeup for the day. Rarely, if ever need help or purchase. I compare it to going to a clothing store and trying on several outfits only to leave a pile in dressing room… daily… these are the people, that don’t want to buy, can’t afford to buy, don’t want to spend money on ‘trend’ makeup.  Many companies have policies in place that looks at continual sampling of the same products as theft. Eventually, and soon, that tester runs out and you’ve used all of it. And that’s for the employees. So, why customers see this as ok, I’ll never understand. But more importantly than that is the lack of standards in which the products have been used by the MOTD customers.
Recently, I got to witness the post MOTD disaster. Blew my mind. A brush ruined ( team Still infused on where it came from). 2 powder compacts ruined. Masacras, and lip products ruined. Roughly $250 in product straight to the trash. Hearing, that it was a ‘regular MOTD' client is absurd. Easily $3500 a month lost to this.  This is when teams make more testers of certain products than they sell. Keep the germs at bay.
Here’s the destruction. Mind you the color of that powder is what’s in the center. So much contamination from that brush. Unreal. How does that happen? Why did this client think this was ok?

Continue to shop. Try things. Just know teams do what they can to prevent contamination but they need your help too.

Battle of the Beauty Retail Sale

It is no secret an all retailers are struggling and trying to find new ways to get consumers back in the store. Everything from popup shops, new emerging brands and designers, collaborations with celebrities and influencers. All great ideas but the last few years shows that the success with such is a flash in the pan. Here today gone tomorrow. Now off to try and capture them again.

The current retail battles are happening in beauty. Sephora with the Beauty Insider promotions, and Ulta with their 21 days of beauty. It’s fascinating to watch. Beyond the 2 previously mentioned retailers, they all get in the game somehow.   Price matching that was not a common practice 6 years ago, and is what stores are doing to keep the sale from going elsewhere. They must do so to “stay competitive”. They’re all chasing the same dollar. Consumers are getting the same deal everywhere. Super convenient for consumers. Not so much for retailers. How do retailers make a sale enticing enough to make people leave their home and head to the store?

Gone are the days of big traffic on the sale days. People waiting to get in, long lines, and sell through. When you started seeing Macy’s commercials for a 1 day sale, with a 1 day preview, twice a month, you kinda know that the sale really isn’t anything special, and a sale just doesn’t cut it anymore. No more wow factor, the excitement of snagging a huge deal. Now, just the knowledge of if they miss that sale, they can make the next one in a few weeks, leaves consumers no longer in a rush to shop.

 Ulta’s 21 days of beauty for years had been a big push for brands and cam really help boost those numbers. Not so much anymore. More and more clients are staying home, setting reminders on their phone, so they can snatch the deal they want. With the added bonus of getting online only deals, and no price match in their B&M store. Strange.

Clients are getting the product burnout. Too much of the same thing over and over again. New, different, better is what most consumers seek. So where is it? After the big promos of the year with Beauty Insider, Sephora’s big day is Black Friday. $10-15 Deals day. Why these are so good for B&M is they are unique to Black Friday. Special editions, special sets, and special sized of already loved products (as I gaze at my last year’s FAB Ultra Repair Cream black Friday steal… that’s a lot of cream.. and yes I’ll pick up another this year).  Happening during holiday shopping rush is helpful, but these are things that typically aren’t available the rest of the year. They go fast! That’s how you get attention and get people in. Something Unique. And a killer steal.

Don’t get me wrong, 21 days is great. And consumers will grab a few of their staples, and some will try new things. Ulta has a great rewards program that allows you to earn money off your purchases, and coupons galore.  So really, a sale can happen for you just about any day. No need to wait until official sale.  Why would anyone rush out? Why would they bounce from retailer to retailer when the sale price will be offered everywhere?

Consumers are looking for a deal. They know when they are coming too. How do retailers recapture the fire of promo days past?

One of these things is not like the other

With so many “beauty truths” out there, actual truth is getting lost. Buzzwords swarming around. A new “better/ best” popping up weekly. The industry is clouded with information, and some misinformation. So let’s get a few things straight:

Clean ≠ Vegan.  Yes, they are commonly lumped together, and it seems like a new brand every day is launching with title of Clean & Vegan. One of these things is not like other.

“Clean Beauty”. Not made with any known harmful ingredients. Everyone’s new hot trend. With the daily uptick of wellness blogs, healthy lifestyle blogs, and awareness, chemicals have gotten a bad name. Nothing makes a professional roll their eyes harder than clients wanting “chemical free” products. Unless you are mixing the moment you are applying it, “chemical free” isn’t a thing. Now, there are chemicals safer than others. Which is where the FDA and EU come into play with regulations and bans.  The European Union has a full list on banned, and chemicals for restricted use. The US has very few in comparison. Why? The US FDA, while it has rigorous testing to get approval for usage, very few get banned. IF harm is caused by an ingredient the FDA pushes for voluntary discontinuance of use, whereas the EU looks to not begin usage. When you hear the words “clean beauty”, it really letting you know of what’s NOT in the product. Known endocrine disruptors are not used, and this helps those suffering with certain conditions narrow down their search. They aren’t organic, they aren’t natural, they aren’t always vegan, just less likely to do harm.

Vegan. No animal products or bi products. That’s it. Simple.

Cruelty Free ≠ Vegan.  Cruelty Free means the product has not been tested on animals. On occasion you will see “final product not tested on animals”. At some point, some ingredient(s) may have been tested on animals. Vegan companies will not perform animal testing, and search for ingredients that have never been. There is a rare occasion where there is one source, or one ingredient and many many moons ago it happened. There was a time when this was the only known way for safety testing. Many companies are moving away from these antiquated methods.

The demand for cruelty free, vegan products is reaching new heights. With that comes the need to expand distribution, and deep pockets. Many of the small brands are getting purchased by some beauty majors. Many of the majors have made the decision to go ‘cruelty free’. Great. Fantastic. Now, how do you navigate the beauty world with majors that still perform animal testing, or own other companies that do? What if the parent company does animal testing in another field but is simply the financiers, and do not require them to use same testing? Where is your line in the sand?

Natural ≠ Better. The term natural is unregulated. We’re not talking organic which is regulated where testing, and approval can take years. Let’s just talk “naturals”. Along with clean beauty comes the naturals of the world. For many years, if a product was natural it was seen as not being as high quality, high performing, and just missing the mark. The more technologies that join the market, the more possibilities there are. Naturals are now getting the performance, and quality people want. But is natural better? Not necessarily. The more sensitive, reactive, and allergies one has the less likely natural would be the best. Safe synthetic is the way to go. It’s why they were created. The biggest misunderstanding I encounter is thinking natural is not going to give you a reaction. It’s quite the opposite. Common allergies are from things found in nature. Reactions can and will happen.

If these buzzwords have caught your attention, I encourage you to dig a little deeper. Why are you so drawn to the idea? What are you seeking from your routine that your current one is lacking? What are these products offering that your current selections isn't? Nothing wrong with a little change and improvement. Be sure you get what’s right for you.

Beauty Essentials

So much information is available to consumers, it becomes challenging to find the right routine. Many are constantly experimenting, changing products trying to find the magic bullet. Some new finds are excellent, but often they result in lack luster results or irritation. Here are some key items to keep in your beauty arsenal.

Cleansers-  An oil cleanser, and a classic. A double cleanse will ensure all makeup is gone and skin is clean (once to remove makeup, 2^nd to clean skin). My skin is a fan of oil cleansers. Double cleanse with a quality oil cleanser is fine.

Exfoliator- AHAs, scrubs, enzymes, all great for weekly exfoliation.  Every ones skin can get a dead skin build up and leave skin looking dull. Gentle weekly exfoliation can help bring vibrancy to complexion. Some things to avoid are OVER exfoliating. Dry skin types are prone to over doing it with these products and leading to more dryness. 1x bi-weekly is enough. Combinations to oily skin can tolerate 2x per week.

Moisturizer- Everyone needs a moisturizer suited for skin type. Oily skins do well with gel cream textures. Still gives the skin hydration without the oils. Dry skin needs a richer texture. One that provides hydration as well as oils, since that skin isn’t producing enough. Environmental factors (desert, high humidity, and recycled air), as well as lifestyle (sports, time in sun and high heat) should be considered when choosing a moisturizer. In heat, a lighter weight during the day is great, and richer for evening.

Eye Cream- The eye area is one of the first places to show aging. The skin is thin, delicate, and easily irritated. Finding one formulated for the eye area is important. Along with hydration, firming peptides should be on your list of ingredients to look for.  A few more are arriving on scene that are LID safe. Most are for around the brown and orbital bone. If crepiness of the lid is of concern, look for this to be noted on package.

Sunscreen- UV rays are everywhere. They accelerate aging by drying out the skin, causing age spots, breaking down collagen. A minimum of SPF 15 daily IF you are indoors and have no direct exposure.  The other factor to think about there is Blue Light. More and more research is coming out about the blue light from our lights and screens. This year we are seeing a big push to produce products that can filter it. Traditional sunscreens do not filter blue light.

Now, I know many will say their makeup has sunscreen in it, which fine. With sunscreens you have to reapply every 2 hours. So does it really matter that it’s in your makeup? Not really. It’s best to apply before your makeup, and reapply using a spray or powder sunscreen.

Of course you can add a serum, toner/ softener, but I don’t consider those Essentials. More like great additions. Great skin can be as easy as a few products used correctly and consistently.

Retail and the 30 something shopper

Brick and mortar stores have taken quite a hit in the last few years. The convenience of online shopping, next day delivery leaves little desire to go to a mall. Time is precious, people are overscheduled, and want to simplify their errands. Once Strabucks fully launches with delivery service, people may never leave their homes.

One of the biggest issues I see in retail, working there 5 days a week, is the shift in brands catering to a younger demographic, leaving many in late 30s and up to feeling left out.  Not just because their favorite lipstick they’ve used for 15 years is suddenly discontinued. The basic products they are wanting are gone, discontinued to make way for “instagrammable” trends the younger shopper is looking for. Not a thing wrong with trends, but when trends become the core aspect of a brand, a large group of consumers look for other options.

In makeup we saw a huge surge in Matte everything. Matte Foundations, Matte Lipsticks, giant matte brows. Those items are very client (and skin type) specific. One type does not fit all. Within a few years we began to see a shift in all brands. Many moving away from their core, essence, and the things that built their empires, to doing the same thing every other brand is doing. One caught fire on a product category and suddenly every brand out there must produce a comparable item. Lines began to blur, and things that were once special and unique are now a dime a dozen.

Clothing has taken an interesting turn as well. There is a brilliant meme floating around saying “there are some people that want the other half of the shirt”. It’s true. We also want shorts to be longer that back pockets. By all means, if you want your ass to hang out, be my guest. But there are many that aren’t as posterior-ally confident.

More and more cheap, trendy clothing retailers are opening. I once had a co-worker that described them as disposable clothing. The quality is not exactly the best, they are super cheap, and you really wouldn’t wear it after that season. It took me several years, but I had convinced a friend to stop buying disposable and start buying quality to save money. We’re seeing classic, core, quality that last for years, and always in style clothing dwindling. Being a soon to be 40 year old, I struggle to find clothing. I’m wanting classic fashionable, not overly trendy and not matronly. My choices are getting more and more limited. There isn’t a balance between the styles available.

One of my biggest questions to brands, and buyers is “why cut out an entire demographic of shoppers to be a flash in the pan?”  It has become quite difficult for the brands that became juggernauts on the IG trend wave to keep up that momentum and reproduce the results. Shoppers are getting wiser to the money that is behind social media posts. The veil is being lifted from their eyes, and are getting back to the pre influencer days of researching for themselves. Impulsive social media driven shopping is slowing down. Now, how do retailers capture this and get the shoppers back?

What's with all the Baking?

We're not talking brownies here. I'm talking layers of powder on your face. This trend had taken the makeup world by storm! Companies are actually making specific tools for this technique it has become so popular. So why is everyone doing it?

Baking, what does it do? Baking is an overly generous amount of powder applied to key areas of the face for long, crease proof wear of makeup. Baking was really a stage makeup technique. Dancers, actors, drag queens, anyone under hot lights for hours at a time were known to 'bake' their makeup. No one wanted a melting face on stage.  Decades ago makeup wasn't what it is now. Most have heard the term 'grease paint'. Yeah, it was greasy! We're talking oil based. Not the cute, all skin friendly hydrating oils. Mineral Oil based makeup. It needed to be baked. The powder would absorb excess oil from the make up, essentially creating a 'seal'. A necessity for their work. Even today, baking really isn't used as much now thanks to the upgrade in formulations and an abundance of setting spray options (no more hair spray on the face.. or at least not as much lol).

Should you bake? Probably not.  Set your makeup? Yes. But dip your face into a vat of flour. NO. On that note, there is nothing in your kitchen cabinet that will make a good setting powder. Just say no...  Setting your makeup will get the job done with out the heavy look of the bake. What's the difference?  Many things. First, the products you're using. It's highly unlikely you're using products that contain mineral oil, as most companies have moved passed it. Should you find it in your products it usually a more refined version than that of decades ago and a good set will do you fine. There is no need to bake oil free foundations and concealers! If you're finding your under eye products creasing, check your skincare prep products. Are they right for your skin? How much are you using?? Not one product can be blamed for creasing. Its a team effort under there. They eye area is product texture phobic, and it's the #1 place people want to bake. The less product the better in this area. The less powder the better in this area. Heavy powder under the eye will show texture you didn't even know you had! Setting very delicately is best.

Understand your skin. If you're dry, a very delicate set in transfer zones (jawline, temples, places where we tend to rub & touch often) are where you should be setting. Baking would pull all the lovely moisture you're  trying to get back in. Delicately set your makeup.  Same for combination-oily skin. Set your oily areas a little more heavily than you do normal areas.  Like with your foundation coverage, with setting, think area rug, not wall to wall carpeting.

Choose your powder wisely. I happen to love talc free for setting. I find read softer on the skin (even when baked). No paranormal activity in photos (we've all seen & shared the memes) no matter what color the complexion. Be sure it is a SETTING powder. Not a Finishing powder. Finishing powders only change the finish of the makeup, as the name suggests. And never, never use baby powder or anything from your kitchen cabinet. No matter what you saw on youtube...

Many will try the baking trend. Some will hate it, some will be 'ehh', some will fall in love. To each their own. I just want to share the info.  Makeup is about options and feeling your best...