The rise of influencer culture has its perks. We don’t have to rely on faceless brand marketing anymore to evaluate products. We can instead find and read a thousand reviews from fellow consumers, watch unboxing videos, see swatches, and rely on hopefully trustworthy influencers to tell us whether a product works or not.
In a way, it’s a much more balanced, open, and accessible way.
But boy, does it have its dangers and dark sides.
Once, we were bombarded with ads in magazines and the TV. Now, everywhere we look, there’s something new that is “totally worth it”, “holy grail”, “cannot be missed” and that you just simply “need in your life”. Hauls, reviews, unboxings, first impressions, monthy favorites, top seasonal trends.
7 videos, 15 blog posts, 20 instagram pictures, and a 100 tweets later, we are getting caught in the hype and buying things we do not really need.
The “Bloggers made me buy it” posts are the epitome of this phenomenon. And the problem with that?
Bloggers might have made you buy it, but you’re the one who’s paying the price.
I for sure made buying mistakes, because the hype just clouded my logical senses. It probably happened to all of us at one point. Let’s just try to instill a little sensibility into our shopping to make sure we are on the winning side of influencer marketing.
How to avoid expensive mistakes?
You don’t need it just because everyone has it
In other words, FOMO in full works. If everyone has it and raves about it, it must be good and I need it, right? Not quite.
There’s a huge difference between keeping up with potentially good new releases and trusting others’ opinions that they’re really worth the money and mindlessly hopping on trends. And the difference can be found in your own strong sense of individuality.
Would you like to look like every second woman in the city? Write the same reviews? Asking what’s wrong with you because everyone loved the miracle mask and it just didn’t do anything for you?
To be honest, I hate trends. I don’t give a damn about what’s “in style” and would rather follow my own style than be trendy (whatever that means).
Wait till the hype settles. Wait for balanced reviews. Evaluate your own needs. Know your own style. Dare to break away from the crowd, be unique, and do not give in to the hype and peer pressure.
Know your style and figure
The top secret tip to having the perfect wardrobe: knowing your style AND your figure. It will also save you from falling into the trap of trendy pieces or blogger-hyped items. Be completely honest. Will they look good on you as well or do they only look good on Julie from Sincerely Jules? If the second, just appreciate how good she looks, move on, and save your money.
Be very confident in your style and beauty. I know it’s easier said than done, but we must at least try to practice it everyday.
Know your skin and your own features
One of the top 12 skin care mistakes you can make is not knowing your own skin type. Products work differently for different people. It probably shouldn’t be overexplained why it’s not a good thing to use products for dry skin if you have oily skin and vice versa. The same goes for make up. If you need coverage, don’t be tempted by the barely there CC cream. If you have pale skin, that strong yellow-ish highlighter or strong bronzer won’t do any favors, no matter how much others rave about them. Get to know your skin, texture, shades, coloring, your best features and work with them. You can find a lot of online tests and tips or ask a beauty consultant.
Find your authentic sources
Sure, everyone gets the benefit of the doubt at first, but let’s be honest. There are influencers out there who would sell a pile of dog shit as a new holy grail product for a hefty sponsorship fee. Celebrities are no exception (I’m looking at you, Gwyneth Paltrow). Always ask yourself whether the blogger/influencer is trustworthy. Do they also write about products that didn’t work? Do they disclose ads and sponsored posts? Do they write in-depth and practical reviews? Is their lifestyle/fashion sense/skin/coloring similar to yours? If the answer to any of those questions is NO, I’m afraid they are not your authentic sources.
Review the review process
This is especially true for skin care and also closely tied to my above point. If you see a video or a blog post that starts with “I got this product yesterday and it is amazing”, you can shut down your laptop in an instant and save your money. It is simply impossible to give a truthful review of a skincare product after 1 or 2 uses. Active ingredients, serums take weeks to work. For a moisturizer or cleanser, sure, you can see an immediate result, but you don’t know whether that will last or whether any side effects will come out a week later.
Wanna see a template for a great review post? Check out Caroline Hirons’ blog. She covers literally EVERYTHING, from ingredients, to possible allergens, price, availability, similar products, research etc. You can tell in an instant she knows what she’s talking about.
Try it before buying full size
A good tip for avoiding bad purchases. Believe me, the swatches never look the same in real light as in a video or photo with professional lighting. Just check different photos of the same product on Google and you’ll see the differences.
If you can, go to the store, see the colors, try the formula. Ask for samples in case of skin care. Take it home and try whether they really work for you. This might seem like an extra mile (especially compared to the wonder that is online shopping), but it’s totally worth it.
Don’t justify splurging – have a really good reason to buy
The bloggers made me buy it statement sometimes feels like a simple excuse – It’s not my fault, “they” made me buy it. In my experience, if you have to justify your purchases like that, something’s not right. You either know it was completely unnecessary or feel a hint of guilt, either way, it’s not the way to do shopping.
Aim for buying and owning things you’re proud of. Things that serve a concrete purpose. Things that make you happy. We should really only shop if we have good reasons for it. And by the way, a little luxury in life is essential, so if you really want those shoes and you’ll love and use it for a long time, by all means, go for it. But then OWN up to those purchases.
xx
I was just nodding along to nearly everything you wrote! As a beauty blogger you do sometimes feel like you need to review every latest (expensive) release but that’s just not me, I don’t actually spend a lot on beauty each month (with the exception of the colourpop haul, but it was things that I had my eye on for ages!). Knowing your skin type is so important and asking for samples! Some counters aren’t helpful with samples but it saves you from buying a foundation that doesn’t match you x
Velvet Blush
Yes, samples are everything. I don’t like either when counters are not helpful, how can they not realize it’s just bad for business? I can imagine that there’s a pressure on you to keep up with everything – I’d love reading a how to keep your budget as a beauty blogger type of post from you:)
Great tips and most read for everyone! Honestly, those kinda of posts and videos make me cringe. I hope we all somehow learn self restraint and only purchase what we need no matter how great reviews of products are! Thanks what I hope for my blog readers. To be intentional, no matter what!
I agree! And you can kinda tell who’s honest with the reviews, who only want to be helpful and not sell at any cost. Those are the bloggers worth following!
Great article, I hope this helps some people avoid the bloggers made me buy it excuse! I’m lucky I avoid this buy rarely reading reviews and instead listen to what my friends and family think.
Good idea, they are probably a lot more trustworthy than some bloggers out there!:)