3 Sites You Must Visit Before Hitting the Beauty Counter

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August 30, 2010 by Nicole S. | Comments (1)

Cosmetic companies have a brilliant knack for pushing all the right vanity buttons to make us CRAVE their products. Beautiful textures, packaging, fragrances, colors and alluring promises keep us buying new products in hopes of finding “the miracle” line-eraser, face lifter, or glow enhancer. 99.9% of these claims are exaggerated at best. While we might know that on a deeper level, it’s hard to resist when they pull out the “before and after” photos and pretty glass jars with cursive font.

Don’t give in, ladies! You work hard for the money, so take a moment before you buy that $100 cream and put in some due diligence. That way you won’t end up wasting money on empty promises from a tube or jar. There are several helpful reference websites where you can research specific products before you enter the gauntlet of the cosmetic department to help you make better, informed purchases.

MakeUpAlley - makeupalley.com

This is one of the most comprehensive makeup and cosmetic review sites on the web. You can view ratings and reviews from women of all skin types and tones for just about any product currently on the market. You can search reviews by general category (e.g. blushes, sunscreens), by brand, or by specific product name. I’ve found this to be the most helpful reference for determining how a product stands up to its claims because the information is based on literally thousands of women’s personal experiences with products.

Beautypedia - beautypedia.com

Here you’ll find priceless information about the root of nearly every skin issue and how to effectively treat it. The site also has an ingredients dictionary, so you can find out, for example, what the ubiquitous dimethicone really is and what it does. Perhaps the most helpful resource on the site is the encyclopedia itself where you’ll find reviews of hair, makeup and skin products from every major beauty line from the perspective of their chemical composition versus the product claims. While the encyclopedia is subscription based, the $4.95 cost could help save you from wasting much more money on poor products.

Skin Deep - cosmeticsdatabase.com

For those among us who want to know how the chemicals in products affect our bodies, and which of those chemicals to avoid for their potential adverse health effects, this site is for you. Not only does the site grade products on the level of impact they may have on our skin and bodies, it also shares which companies carry “green” policies and which do or not test on animals. The consumer information found therein can help us to buy products from beauty companies that support healthier and greener options.

Hopefully these resources provide some insight, but we can’t be good all the time. If you do find yourself in a beauty aisle on a whim and are seduced into buying a beautiful looking cream that turns out to disappoint you, don’t be shy about contacting the maker and asking for a refund. Your buying power speaks volumes, so help make companies accountable for the products and claims they make.

*This post was written for the CRAVE company by Melanie Tremblay, founder of Vancouver-based Mink Makeup and Hair.

Visit Melanie’s website here: minkmakeupart.com

One Response to “3 Sites You Must Visit Before Hitting the Beauty Counter”

• anni bruno Says:
  August 30th, 2010 at 12:49 pm

  This is great info!

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