5 tips for writing beauty reviews

As you will know very well, reviews are everywhere in the blog world, especially on beauty blogs. I really enjoy writing reviews but at first, I found it difficult to do. Where do I start? What do I need to write about? Eventually, I worked out a little template that I use for all of my product reviews. This is mainly used for beauty products but I can adapt it for other products.

When I started reviewing, I would have loved to read a post with advice on what I needed to include. So I thought I'd write that post right now, just in case anybody else wants to know! 



Don't forget the packaging
I always start with packaging: Is it robust? Is it heavy? When reading a review, I want to know if I can take the product out and about in my bag with me. I'd like to know if it's really flimsy and liable to snap, or too heavy to carry around with me. Is it attractive or am I going to be embarrassed for other people to see me using it?

Develop a flow
It makes sense to develop a logical, systematic order to your writing. It's more pleasing to read and gives more structure to your writing. I always write reviews in this order:

• Packaging
• Appearance in packaging
• Consistency/ application
• Smell (if applicable)
• Appearance on skin
• Durability

Let us see the product on- in daylight

I want to see the product in the packaging, yes, but I also want to see what it looks like on skin. Not just the back of your hand or arm, either. If it's a lipstick, I want to see how pigmented it is when applied to lips. If it's mascara, I want to see how it alters your eyelashes. 

Don't forget that the best light is daylight. Take photos with lots of natural light. Flash or indoor lighting can alter the appearance of cosmetics. 

Photograph all the details

There's no point taking photos of the product from every single angle, but maybe there's a detail that you should include. What does the applicator look like? What does the compact look like on the inside? What does the lipstick look like when the lid is on? Don't leave out those little extra bits. 

Be careful with the editing

I know it's tempting to alter your appearance in photos. If a foundation is chalky and caky, it's natural to want to smooth it out in post-processing. But does this show a fair representation of the product? Nope. Of course you want to look flawless but, if the product doesn't actually make you look that way, there's no point in pretending. 

There's also colour correction to consider. If your lipstick is a coral-pink, but comes out deep red after editing, perhaps you need to go back and tinker with the image until it's a true likeness.

I hope this has helped. Ultimately the one question you need to ask is: Is this a true representation of the product? If yes, you're onto a winner!