Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Are YOU qualified to beauty blog? (Warning: LONG)

I heard about this issue from ~tHiAmErE~. You can read her post here.

It is in regards to this article:
http://makeupadviceforum.com/2010/02/is-blogging-the-new-media/

To summarize, the author basically is saying that beauty bloggers should not be taken as seriously as MUAs or other professionals because they don't have the same credentials. Excuse me?

The author herself says:

"I will hasten to add that I’ve never been to journalism school and don’t have qualifications in writing, however, I write with a journalistic approach. When I review a product, I talk about it from both a professional point of view, and from a personal point of view. I talk about the good and bad points of a product and my articles have a start, a discussion, and a conclusion."

So she does not have real credentials either, yet she's saying that she's better qualified than the rest of us just because she writes with a "journalistic approach?"

Do beauty bloggers not write from a professional and personal point of view? Do they not look at all aspects of a product, good and bad? Do they not have thorough and detailed discussions in their reviews? Okay, I will digress that not ALL beauty bloggers might plan out their posts so meticulously, but it's certainly unfair to lump ALL of us into the category that isn't qualified to be blogging. I know I sure as hell try to make my reviews as thorough as possible, without being completely wordy but also not so brief that you wonder if I've even used the product at all.

Also something to note; not EVERYONE wants to read a fucking novel of a review, nor only an extremely short bulleted list. Different people review differently... and it's YOUR choice to decide what kind of reviews you like... she shouldn't imply that all beauty bloggers should be doing their reviews the same way as hers in order to be "qualified."




She bases her judgement upon a few bloggers she has met, a few blogs she has read, and her view of bloggers in general. I understand and agree with her on the point that there are many bloggers out there who just blab about the latest trend products, give half-assed reviews, or only gush about freebies they got, etc. But does she realize that WE'RE NOT A SINGLE ENTITY? Yes, the beauty blogging world is rather close-knit (although I DO feel like there are some "cliques" or those who feel like they're "higher" than others) but everyone is different. Everyone has a different blogging style. Everyone has different opinions. WE ARE NOT ALL THE SAME. Some are professionals, yes, but some just want to share what they learned/know. What difference does it make? We all have our own opinions and are entitled to share them.

She says:
"I struggled to find blogs about core products that brands offer. Very few talk about foundations and powders and base makeup, and even less talk about staple eye products, like neutral eye colours and shades. What they all talk about is the ‘latest thing’ that’s on the market, new ‘cult’ lip products or wacky eye colours."

Well, you must not be looking hard enough. I got to where I am now by reading blogs all about the basics. You just have to go through their archives. While I do agree that there are many blogs out there who just want to be the first to review the new "IN" thing, WE ARE NOT ALL LIKE THAT. There are many blogs out there that cover the basics and staples of beauty, from drugstore to high-end. Maybe she isn't thinking of looking at their blogs because they don't have 8504917564 followers?



Also, beauty bloggers are very important for up and coming as well as established brands/companies. I don't know about you, but I would much rather read 10 reviews written by beauty bloggers than 1 review written by an MUA. Regardless of if they're totally trashing or loving the product, I'd feel it would be more honest than a review done by a professional who probably just wants to endorse the product even if it sucks.

Furthermore, just because a product has bad reviews doesn't mean that NOBODY will ever want to buy it. If I read multiple reviews trashing a product, but I'm still interested in it, I will go ahead and try the product anyway. If it sucks, it sucks. If it works, it works -- and NOT just because I'm trying to force myself to agree with the reviews I read. Everyone is different, and will get different results. Anyways, if a large company has a product that is being badly reviewed by bloggers, it is NOT going to kill the ENTIRE business. A brand isn't made popular solely by reviews... history of the company, price, quality, customer service, availability, etc. all factor in as well.

Her example:

"OCC (obsessive compulsive cosmetics) have had great success with their Lip Tar based on blog reviews, but their other mineral products have had less than favourable blog reviews, and as a result aren’t selling anywhere near as much."

Who fucking cares? If they're having success with Lip Tars and not mineral products, then they should listen to what the consumers are telling them and quit it with the minerals and go on with the Lip Tars. Maybe the quality of the minerals SUCKS anyway. The opinions of everyday consumers are just as (if not MORE) important as professionals... I would say we're the buying majority anyway.

I guess she feels the opposite, but I know I want to hear reviews from REAL, everyday people, who aren't getting paid to do reviews and just want to offer their honest opinion. I believe I have enough sense in me to know which beauty bloggers are just blindly agreeing with what everyone else is saying about a product, and which bloggers are actually testing the product over a period of time, looking at all aspects of it, noting the pros/cons, AND THEN giving their unbiased review..... btw I don't think I've ever read a review in a magazine that really trashed a product....



Lastly, if I don't like what I'm reading, I STOP READING IT. I can look elsewhere for the information I need. I think the author should consider trying this before summing up ALL beauty bloggers as "unqualified" or "unprofessional."

She concludes with:

"So is blogging the new media? Well it would appear that we’re going that way, but perhaps its time to take more seriously, the blogger who has a professional background to what she’s saying, rather than the one that talks the most and the loudest, often with not a lot of content."
.
.
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I guess I won't be taking her seriously then.




31 comments :

  1. This has got us all fired up. Very well said.
    I can't stand her negative attitude. She clearly doesn't get why we do what we do.

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  2. WOAH. I wanna slap her! Haha! She shouldn't speak in such a bias way. She's never been a beauty blogger & if she doesn't like it she should suck shit! HAHAHA!
    I mean there's like a HUGE community of video/blog beauty gurus.
    Everyone KNOWS the web is the place to be. You want products sold advertisement online is the way to do it.
    I mean Lancome and Michelle Phan! They know she likes their products and she's the biggest Guru on YT. Big boost in sales and advertisement.
    I always look to bloggers and video gurus for advice and opinions.
    Make-up artists at stores/counters I think would rather sell their product than suggest you to one that would actually work for you.
    Plus you make friends along the way!

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  3. I agree with you, just b/c some bloggers aren't professional makeup artists, doesn't mean they do not have the credentials to review products. And having the label 'professional' doesn't always necessarily mean a person will know a product inside and out to review it or is better than anyone else. I have to say, sometimes I see makeup on the runway and think what the heck the makeup artist was thinking! All in all, we're all different and will always disagree with things and she just needs to accept that fact. And I agree, sometimes we just don't want to read a whole novel for one simple review =) =P lol

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  4. WHAT A B****!
    Sorry erynn... I'm way too bold at times lol
    Ugh, people have nothing better to do but insult others now a days.

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  5. Gotta love the drama hahaha. I love how in the beginning she contradicts herself. Like wow, if you're gonna bitch and moan about something at least have something yourself to SHOW for it, jeez. *rolls eyes* I think I'd have a lot more respect for her IF she was a professional herself. But I agree with everything you wrote Erynn because this person clearly doesn't know wtf she's talking about.....

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  6. I heard about this issue from Sarah @ I Heart Cosmetics and I'm just thinking to myself...what is this person's problem? Obviously she's doing all the things teachers have been telling us not since middle school--overgeneralizing and drawing conclusions without enough evidence. She's taking one small slice of the entire pie and declaring that that's all there is to the pie. But hey, I think the rest of the pie is pretty damn important too! (I think I choice the wrong analogy, but you get my point, Erynn xD)

    Thanks for taking a stand and bring this to our attention. I hate to see fellow bloggers get put down by an article that was immaturely with no thoughts to the consequences of her action.

    I support you all the way! & yes about the "I stop reading" part. It's funny because Sarah was talking about how she's not holding an AK 47 at readers' head and forcing them to read her blog and buy the products she recommends, absolutely true!

    We have a right to choose and we choose to read these blogs. & what she doesn't understand is that we also form friendships and gain advices/strength for things other than just beauty products related when we frequent beauty blogs, and I think she is personally missing out on a whole lot just because she's ignorant.

    Thanks again <3, full support!

    As for the rhinestone wheel, I'm currently in the process of asking the seller whether they'll relist it since the listing ended already. I'll keep you informed when I get a reply! :)

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  7. I personally dislike reading reviews of "MUA's" they always sound so biased and fake and "paid for"...subtle advertisements? coz it always sounds like a re-written form of what the company itself states...

    I definitely look for reviews on blogs because I feel they are more honest in opinions and they really try the product out and blogs about their personal experience...

    the key word being personal...because "MUA's" seem to lump every Liz, Steph and Mary when they "recommend" and stuff like that...i just feel more confused when i read their reviews etc..

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  8. For all her "journalistic approach" she's very biased. :D

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  9. Whoo intense. I read that article too. Some people just think that they're so "established" that they are better than others. :S

    RYC: Yeah, my cousin taught English in Japan for a while and then she decided to give it up to go live in Spain. lol! She misses it though. *sigh* I gotta figure out what I'm gonna do...

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  10. Hmm... is she ranting b/c she doesn't have as many followers as she would've liked or something?? I honestly go to my mom, my friends, and other females and ask them about beauty... these are everyday people. And I'd prefer to read everyday people to talk about products too. And eventually, we don't all listen to exactly what a blogger says anyways! Sometimes I say I hate something and then someone tells me that it is their HG... ya know. Overall, blogging is something that a normal person can use to pour their heart out.... so why must we let the "professionals" have all the fun?

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  11. i love you,hun!
    *hugs*

    very well said

    it just pissed me off when she went ranting about a few blogger but took the whole blogging community as one. Is that called 'professional writing'? Bite me in ass, i did not know that being pro means to be judgemental..

    what the fudge?!
    that's so pathetic!

    i don't feel sad by this..i feel annoyed & ll fired up!

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  12. Didn't know being a blog = having to be a "professional". That's a silly notion!
    We're here and you either like it or you don't! Won't hurt me personally either way.

    You being a "Professional" does not mean just because you praise a product I should go out and get it. I'm going to decide on my OWN. If a person chooses not to buy something because I stated the product didn't personally work for me, well that's on them. I didn't force that idea in their head.

    And many people look to bloggers/vloggers for their opinion, swatches, photos, and etc. on a product before they purchase it themselves.

    Her complaint was just contradicting. If we shouldn't be blogging, neither should she since she's not a "journalist."

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  13. wth!!!

    I just started my beauty blog.

    It's okay though, let the ignorant be ignorant and we'll all live happily and NOT ignorant. No worries :)

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  14. I've read about this issue yesterday from Lipstick Rules and yep, decided not to take her seriously. I'm majoring in journalism but I don't see the need to write in journalism approach when it comes to beauty blogging. I mean, it's my own personal blog talking about such trivial matter as makeup, what's the big deal?
    Clearly I smell jealousy in the air.

    Great post! :)

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  15. That's really mean! But she's not even a qualfied journalist so that means her words don't matter right? :) hahaha! But no some people do skimp on the reviews. I like your reviews, it gives the lowdown on everything ^_^ I think on my reviews i do forget some things, but I try to make it as detailed but not overkill for your brain lol :D

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  16. Wah I totally agree with everything you said! Ditto. What an annoying article and you had a great response.

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  17. Hey Ectini, I totally am with you on this issue. Although we are in the same online beauty community, we are all different individuals who possess different forms of writings and expressions. Not all of us are articulate and unbiased. When I write about a product, I'm going to tell my readers the experience I gained from it! It is MY beauty blog after all.

    I actually clicked the link and read the full article. I can agree on some of the points she makes but somewhere in the middle of the article, I sense a lot of jealousy. Seems like she's not happy that beauty bloggers are gaining the attention of the public. I also read the article comments that supports this when a professional makeup artist claims that she hates it when a beauty blogger is more credible than she is. BOo hoo!

    I thought the article was a waste of time. Talk about something to write about lol

    And who knows what MAF.com is anyways? we got michelle phan and Eki LOL j/k

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  18. lolol hippo-crate.
    so she's saying that if you write with a journalistic approach/degree under your belt, you can actually be taken seriously as a blogger?
    total bs~

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  19. Wtf? This is the stupidest article I've ever read. My friend is a license cosmetologist but he knows NOTHING about anything! He didnt know what UDPP was until I told him about it!

    And what blogs has she been reading? Not many people here blog about the newest products. And so what if OCC's Lip Tar's have been getting all the attention? I dont know about anyone else but if a company has a good product with a lot of attention, I'm going to venture off to see what else they have that I may like.

    She obviously DOES NOT know what she's talking about! Ugh.

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  20. I so agree with you....I've read this article & it really made me so mad...I don't consider myself as a beauty blogger...just a personal blogger but beauty blogs has been a great help for me...what i wanted as a consumer are honest opinions from real women & that's what I get from beauty blogs...not fake ads from some fake journalists....

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  21. I stop reading her article half way thru cause it was just way to negative for me. Just because someone is not a MUA does not make them know anything less about makeup. I like reviews from beauty blogger because I find it more truthful and real.

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  22. that's ridiculous!
    pff...
    u'r right.. I feel the same way!!! ><

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  23. "I will hasten to add that I’ve never been to journalism school and don’t have qualifications in writing, however, I write with a journalistic approach."

    Er, that pretty much ruins her argument. While I'm not a huge makeup+beauty product buff, I like seeing the reviews other bloggers make, and I like the way they do them (for example, the pro+con format with a bit of explanation, which to me seems a lot like the system she describes as being ideal). I would probably try to find out what one of you guys thinks of something I'm interested in first, because I know that your situation and experience is probably somewhat similar to mine. And I haven't really seen anyone say, "This product is shit," usually it's just "I do/don't recommend it." And I think I the reader am, and should be, smart enough to know that one product isn't going to work the same for everyone, and that a few opinions are better than just one.

    I like the comment by the lady who says she dislikes blogs...and yet she's commenting...on a blog. Or online magazine, excuse me.

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  24. RETARDED !
    I trust "Real" people more than everything...

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  25. She;s a dumb ho that should be taken and thrown in a cage with hyenas. for example, I didn't go to photography school or any photo editing classes, and I didn't go to fashion school either, yet I get compliments on how I take my photos all the time even from "professional" photoraphers. experience is the key. credentials is nothing without experience. the co op working for me right now, might be getting straight As in school, but he doesn't know how to do a simple Microsoft word task I gave him. so basing everything on school is bull shit.

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  26. you're right, not everyone wants to read a novel or too short of a review. if anything, i would prefer beauty bloggers because they're EVERYDAY people that everyone can relate to.

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  27. well at least she got what she wanted more press for herself, lets not give her much more importance and continue with what we do best in this wonderful blogger world

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  28. Ugh!! what makes her think she is better than us? Journalism approach my ass, we all do that! We don't just write whatever when we do reviews! I mean I have to test the products for weeks, months just to see the pros and cons. She is making like "all beauty bloggers are like this and that.." We need to blast her off. The comments she gets agreeing with her were also stupid. *sigh*

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  29. I don't know why our society has to always be so negative. It's stupid.

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  30. This is too much drama for me. =( With that said, I'm with you. =)

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  31. I think that everyone else has said enough for me too already. lol

    I think that this whole thing is rediculous & that lady should've just kept her mouth shut. She sure underestimated the strength of the Blogging community & I doubt she was ready for everyone's wrath! I'd regret that article if I were her!!

    Idk with that said, I'm sort of lost for words as I could go On and ON and on. lol I could probably write a midterm paper on how incorrect her judgements and comments were. LOL

    Anyways. I love your reviews & you! <3

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