So what happens, in theory, when a publication decides they want to write about beauty bloggers and You Tubers? Do they look at what’s really happening out here in beauty blogland, or do they chop up information to make it a fit a pre-selected format? I was recently sent some questions from a publication that ran along the lines of ‘do you get invited to celebrity-studded events?’, ‘do make-up brands send you whole collections of make-up?’ and even ‘do you review spas and hair salons?’.
Erm, unless you count the cast of TOWIE, no to the first, no to the second and yes, sometimes to the third. But you can easily see that a pre-set question list could well turn out to be an obliteration of the truth with a salacious copy line running something like this, “Beauty Bloggers lavished with free goodies at celebrity laden events’. As if. There seems to be a worrying and sudden trend to furnish beauty bloggers and You Tubers with a reputation of hauling in the cash and flash. If only it were so!
This happened in the States as early as 2008 with mainstream media on a mission to show beauty bloggers as amateur hobbyists who just got awfully lucky when the freebie fairy visited. In theory, if you were to be asked these questions, I’d think long and hard about how you answer them. If indeed, you answer them at all. Currently only an unlucky (and unsuspecting) few know how their words can be twisted and turned to make years of hard work knee deep in make-up seem like a money-grabbing exercise, and again, in theory if it were to happen again, it would not be pretty, and that is a fact.
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12 comments
I have been reading another blog about this today and it’s just devasting how its being represented in the media. I started my blog because I wanted to pass on the experience I had and talk about what I loved and enjoyed, thus sharing it with people who felt the same.
I think no matter what was said in interviews they would write the story they wanted to write and not the truth that is behind the blogs.
x
I feel totally the same as UnevenLemming.
I never wanted to get into blogging for the freebies etc yes it is nice to get something for free of course it is but at the stage i am at anyway I buy everything or its from my kit. I started this because I know how hard starting as an MUA was so I wanted to be a source of knowledge and help. The mainstream press just have a bee in their bonet and as for the hobbyist part I have actually witnessed some better non trained MUA’s, who have learnt through blogging, than some of the working artists I have come across.
This for me is also something to stop me going stir crazy and still play with make-up since I can no longer work and for that its amazing.
x
I wonder if who ever is writing or wrote the article to the pre-selected format has thought this through. Folks interested enough to read beauty blogs will also read beauty articles in print media. They may read more beauty blogs than the writer. They might be aware of the level of freebies given to the bloggers and not mind because the honest reviews have saved the reader pounds in not purchasing disappointing products. The point I’m trying to make is that the writer could end up looking a right pilock in the eyes of the reader.
I find it quite shocking a hobby and something we enjoy doing can be represented as a ‘money-making’ mission by the papers/magazines. As a Journalism graduate I know how the media mind works and they exaggerate everything and anything. Being sent one free sample suddenly turn into a ‘whole collection’. Pretty ridiculous really.
Lets just hope beauty bloggers don’t get a bad name for themselves at the hands of the media!
Great Post.
Xxx.
This just seems like blatant bad reporting. Most beauty bloggers do not get free stuff – even those contacted by PR often do not get products. I think Trimperley has an interesting point that the survey may just be poorly designed. Either way, it is a sad injustice.
Very interesting, well I was recently contacted by PR from Fashion Fair Cosmetics to review some of their products. I don’t have a lot of followers and i’m a 50+ beauty blogger who blogs as a hobby to keep up with friends accross the country… so i’m wondering how they found me?
Great post! I think that’s quite true – Media just wants to use arguments to support their view. On the other hand, brands do send products to beauty bloggers because this is the new way of marketing. People don’t hear about the latest release by reading catalogues and magazines – they read it first on blogs, make their first impressions, do a little bit of homework. And at the end of the day, bloggers who have integrity, know that they are invited for this specific reason. I wouldn’t go to an event with crappy products. Afterall, my dresser is already chock full of products that I purchased with my own money. I couldn’t care less about products that doesn’t meet my personal standards.
First off, I’m not a beauty blogger or a would-be beauty blogger. I simply love anything connected with makeup, hair and skincare and products. For this reason I have been a subscriber to sites such as http://www.makeupalley.com for at least 10 years. I’ve seen a massive shift in the way products are reviewed by consumers , with the rise of beauty blogs and other forms of social media. Undeniably it is not only a hobby now, some bloggers are business women – their blog is their business and they make serious money. Even some of the smaller players receive lots of products or are paid by brands to host advertising banners on their blogs. Then there are the events – it’s not uncommon to read about certain bloggers being whisked to Paris by Eurostar, or invited to some chichi event in London (and then they post photos of the canapés, cocktails and even the floral arrangements on display at these product launch parties!).
I realise that is perhaps not the normal experience of most beauty bloggers, and the comments on this thread seem to suggest not. However, the whole beauty blogging experience is not a million miles away from what goes on with womens’ magazines: we know that gushing reviews about a new products written by beauty editors’ should be taken with a rather large pinch of salt because magazines make their money from advertising revenue – i.e. the likes of Dior, Chanel, YSL etc. paying for double page spreads adverting their clothing/accessories and skincare, fragrance and cosmetics – not from magazine sales (these have been falling for quite some time now). Magazines are therefore under pressure to promote these big brands’ products . I remember how in one magazine recently, the editors’ letter (the one that appears on the first page) actually referenced how fantastic a new Dior anti-ageing serum was and how she’d been using it all month, then you turned over the page and lo and behold there was a DIOR advertisement for the same product! How could anyone think the 2 things were unconnected?!
I’m sure many bloggers will deny that they would be anything other than completely objective and honest when reviewing a product. Some people have said on the other thread about fake bloggers that they wouldn’t dream of contacting a PR and demanding/requesting products to review and that they are flattered and surprised when the PR contacts them or sends them an item to review. It’s interesting though, to learn that some PRs are afraid they will get negative reviews if they *don’t* send over products, so presumably they think that all they have to do to ensure good reviews is simply give out the products! What would happen if a new-ish blogger, trying to establish herself, suddenly and out-of-the blue receives a gorgeous basket of say, Lancome goodies from the latest LE spring-summer makeup collection, beautifully presented with a lovely hand-written card from the PR. She would be thrilled as that is major kudos for her (limited edition items always have a certain cachet), plus she can post loads of lovely photos of the products and review them, so instant content for her blog. Everyone is happy. But, what if the colours looks really ‘off’ once applied, the nail polish chips within hours and the blusher brings her out in spots. If she’s bought and paid for those items herself, she could take them back to the store, and then let rip on makupalley or on her blog. But, she’s been gifted them, major dilemma I would say! Does she phone the PR and explain her position and warn her she’s going to be less than enthusiastic about the products, or does she write a glowing review, thus ensuring that this is not her first and last chance to engage with that brand. Ok, so this is all purely hypothetical, but it’s an interesting relationship that exists between brand and blogger.
I was one of the “unlucky”. I’ve got few questions from local magazine. One of them – how much makeup do I have in my collection? It turned to be an article about women obsessed with makeup. Beauty maniacs that want some botox at the age of 20 or can’t cope with buying everything.
Hi French Fancy: thanks so much for these incredibly well thought out comments. It IS really difficult to bite the hand that feeds you in terms of less that glowing reviews. I wrote recently about a Bourjois foundation where I thought the sponge addition was ridiculous and unneccessary. I have a great relationship with Bourjois but I felt it was something that needed saying and it was my true opinion. But, it isn’t easy to say such things when you know the PRs may well get it in the neck from the brands. And, that’s why it is important to stay true despite any gifting/personal relationships.. because ultimately it is the consumer that counts. Just because the PR is nice doesn’t mean they are entitled to a less than honest review. Hopefully, I think by now that people realise that if I say something negative it is justified and from the heart and they need to go away and make a better product so beauty lovers aren’t wasting their money. But I understand that not everyone can do it and I understand why. It’s a constant dilemma but blogs do need to stay true to their writers. Readers are pretty savvy and they just stop reading if they suspect a review isn’t right. This is such a massive subject and I have SO much more to say but work beckons.. :-))
Dear BBB, thanks for your reply. I do think that there there is an integrity and level of honesty in your posts that your readers appreciate (Beauty Mouth is another great example with her ‘take no prisoners’ approach). By the way, I bought that new Bourjois foundation and I didn’t even attempt to use the ridiculous sponge. It wasn’t integral to the packaging or the application method and was just an appendage basically! I found the product gave excellent, high coverage, but unfortunately an enormous spot broke out on my right cheek the following day, which may or may not have been connected to the new foundation. Anyway, it scared me enough to hotfoot it back to Boots for a refund and back to the safety of my trusty Sisley Phyto Teint Eclat.
“There seems to be a worrying and sudden trend to furnish beauty bloggers and You Tubers with a reputation of hauling in the cash and flash.” – that’s exactly what came to mind as I was reading this…
Surely, there’s a handful of people blogging for all the wrong reasons (not to mention the fake ones you recently informed us of), but that’s only a small (and easy to spot) minority, which shouldn’t reflect badly on all the rest of us!
But I guess it only shows the level of threat they perceive that we pose to them, slagging us off with such ease. I’m sure though that this is only a trend like you said, and it will fade away soon; considering the popularity of blogs in general, the readers will know better, if they don’t already!
PS: Who believes any of those articles anyway?