Having been around the circuit for a while, I’ve noticed a huge explosion of beauty blogs in the past 2 years. Its not a bad thing, of course. I’m just a little curious as to why people read beauty blogs.
I mean, its useful for me to know, naturally, since you’re reading one, and I’m writing for it 😀 But do you generally read beauty blogs and lots of them, or do you just read them as and when you need information for a potential beauty purchase? Why do you read beauty blogs? Come on, humour me 🙂
I read a fair number of beauty blogs myself and I suppose the reason why I do, is because I like knowing what’s available out there, and what’s good or what to avoid from a consumer point of view, leaving aside the marketing spiel.
I read some blogs just for information, some to stay up to date, and some because I enjoy reading their blogs, even if I am not all that interested in the particular brand or product being talked about. Some are just fun reads, you know.
I used to read a lot of personal blogs back in the day when blogging was mostly about personal thoughts and experiences, and not too narrow a niche, and when I come across a blog that has that chatty, rambly, random vibe to it, while still maintaining a focus on fun beauty stuff, I tend to stick around longer because I never know what will come next.
With others, I look to them for information on what’s new in the market. I tend not to be too attached to those that feel a little clinical to me, so I may just browse over once or twice a week or only when I need to view pictures or get some information. And naturally, the more “real” the blog feels, the more likely I am to read it. Oh and yeah I guess it also appeals to the voyeuristic pleasure in sneaking a peek into someone else’s life or beauty cabinet 😀
I suppose we all have different reasons for reading beauty blogs. What’s yours? 😀
Paris B
Marla says
I like to see what other people are talking about when it comes to new products. I also like to see swatches.
Paris B says
Swatches are extremely helpful! Especially if it’s a product we may not have access to.
lisa says
Being someone who loves makeup, usually I will check out how a certain product works on different people and the latest offerings in the market. I do also follow certain blogs that i can relate to even if it’s not always (or not) about skincare and cosmetic …one of which is yours! 🙂
Paris B says
Haha I’m glad to know the occasional off shoots into non cosmetics territory doesn’t turn you off, Lisa! 🙂 I like knowing what’s new too but the information overload can sometimes be mind boggling, we just have 1 face! >.<
Tammy says
I want to know whats new….I also want to know what people think about certain products before I make my purchase!
Paris B says
I find that helpful too, especially if someone had a reaction to a skincare or makeup. I like it when people talk about their experiences with addressing a skin problem too because I’ve found it helpful in case I have the same problem!
Jyoan says
I read for information, updates, swatches, reviews, yup, that’s it.
Paris B says
Everything most of us read for, it would seem! 😀
Rin says
You’re my favourite beauty blogger Paris. I read your blog everyday (unless I m super duper busy) because u tick all the boxes for all the reasons why I read beauty blogs. Some beauty blogs are just random. One of the reasons why I read beauty blogs is if I want to read reviews of a certain product that I am interested in, I’ll just type the keyword and randomly pick some blogs. I just want to know how that certain product works on different people. I can then make my own decision whether or not to purchase. Some products are not cheap so yeah, I prefer to read reviews 🙂 Sometimes I want to find some information. I really do appreciate all the effort that the beauty bloggers put in for the readers 🙂
Paris B says
Aww you are very sweet, Rin. Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings. I hope not to disappoint! 😉 I love how product reviews are so helpful. I like reading the comments too because sometimes readers share their experiences too, and that can be very enlightening.
HapaGirl says
I’d say I read mostly for informational material like swatches, collection launches, sales, etc. I snagged some pretty good deals by reading blogs geared toward more – ahem – frugal beauty fans like myself! But sometimes it’s just pure, simple eye candy – pretty packaging, beautiful colors, unique textures, and of course, how it looks on! I love your blog because of its thoughtful, intelligent content and its personalized and opinionated style. You also take the time to reply to questions and comments, which is wonderful. I’d say your blog is among the top 5 I visit on a daily basis!
Paris B says
I’m honoured to be on your top 5! 😀 I must say that where you are, deals are really deals and quality of the products in the more affordable end of the price spectrum has increased a lot. I’ve found that over here, sometimes it’s just more worth our while to pick up something a little more expensive that does the job better. I love reading blogs on drugstore/pharmacy brands overseas. It’s usually so hard to get hold of those vs the big counter brands and that makes it all the more alluring! 😉
vivavoomz says
I used to read selected few that I learnt from forums to pick up makeup tips, look at swatches or read reviews of makeup products. I think I started one because initially i reviewed/raved some stuff and then I was thinking, might as well dump it on my blog (so random).
After a while, there as a surge in beauty bloggers. While there were some truly great ones, there were new bloggers who just did it for the sake of striking big and getting advertorials and free stuff from companies. To be honest, it was quite disappointing. If a new product surfaces, ten bloggers would blog with the same information they learnt while attending some seminar or event for it. So whenever I google for reviews of that product, I would waste time sifting through these bloggers to look for a decent review that doesn’t smell like advertising. Sorry i had to be blunt here. It pissed me off that much.
I’ve stopped reading beauty blogs for a while because of that. At times, I would still drop by some old blogs I frequent just to see if there’s anything new or refreshing. Today I dropped by yours. 😀
Paris B says
I know what you mean! Its quite easy to spot the ones who are in it for the freebies although some may deny it till they’re blue in the face. I don’t read those, and I don’t read blogs about events or that have copy-paste information from their press releases. Hardly anything of value is said, most of the time. And the flooding of similar posts after a product launch does put me off too. It desensitizes me, I think. That said, I do wonder myself if I too am flooding with my posts on a similar new product because sometimes, it’s an obligation. Hence my decision to be selective. Thank you for coming by, and I hope you’ll come around again soon! 😉
senN says
first of all i love cosmetics …so i like reading knowing about them thanks to bloggers in this was i learn advantages disadvantages of the products the other thing is that blogs give new ideas for product use,applications and also with current news in the cosmetic industry
Paris B says
All very good good reasons for reading a beauty blog! Thank you for sharing.
Juanneth says
Honestly I read beauty blogs just to keep me from splurge money ‘uneducated-ly’ on everything that my eyes could see. Spend a handful of money on something that would sits on my vanity table like a statue but good-for-nothing totally a torment to me,and my pockets,for sure. I also like to read beauty blogs because it give me therapeutic effect more than a B&J’s ice-cream could ever do. I could spend my entire day just by sitting in front of computer,reading beauty blogs,laughing to their humors,amuse by their photo’s skill and the way they communicate with their readers – the way they convince people – the way they entertain the readers (especially the ‘newbie’, ‘always-in-doubt’ and ‘dont-argue-with-me’), and due to the reason Im the only daughter in the family I need somebody to talk about beauty (esp. in 3 am LOL!).
Paris B says
Haha you made me laugh at the last line! You’d also know that the best beauty advise is to sleep early so I do hope you aren’t reading this at 3am 😉
eliv says
Hi,
I read it because I didn’t want to go through the hassle to find a good product in the market. It saves up time and cost! 🙂
Paris B says
Hi there, it’s great being able to do quick research to see how products fare, doesn’t it? At least we know not to make a mistake 🙂
Swati says
i read beauty blogs because i like to read about natural beauty….i do read some quirky personal blogs coz they are fun and relate day to day incidences and some of the fashion blogs because gals are damn good at their job and some photography blogs coz their snaps are irresistible!!!
Paris B says
Oh I have nothing but praise for those who do fashion blogs. Nothing I can ever do! 🙂
Tine says
I follow some to keep up with what’s new in the market (e.g. Temptalia, British Beauty Blogger, etc). A lot of beauty blogs I follow belong to blogger pals I got to know personally. Some are the very visual ones, with lots of gorgeous photos and little words.
I don’t normally follow blogs for swatches, those can be easily Googled. I tend to follow the ones which also talk about their lives, what they’ve been doing, etc (it’s not just about beauty). It’s like getting to know them and growing with them as they move to the next chapters of their lives eg getting engaged, getting married, have a baby etc. I love those 🙂
Paris B says
I love ‘growing’ with a fellow blogger too! I feel like I can relate to them better when I read a story vs a dry commentary. That said, it’s a lot to do with personal preferences and styles of course 🙂
Jennifer says
I read to learn more about the latest beauty products, what worked and what didn’t, cool tips and techniques, budget buys and of course socialize 🙂 I read blogs more than I ever read a real book, yeah this is bad I know. But hey, blog contents are intellectual and cool stuffs too thanks to people like you 😉
Paris B says
Lol! Glad you find our discussions cerebral 😉 oh and socializing! I love ‘chatting’ to readers and fellow bloggers. It’s so much fun, especially when people chat back of course 😉
Nadia says
I read beauty blogs to stay abreast of what’s new in the beauty market, also to look at beautiful pics and swatches which may help me in my personal purchases. I also read beauty blogs for the information and honest opinions of others. What attracts me to a blog differs from one blog to another…as it could range from merely being informative to liking the way the beauty blogger writes or even the quality of her pictures! 🙂
Paris B says
I sometimes think reading beauty blogs just makes us spend more because everything
Looks so pretty! lol!
Sam says
I’m typical Gen Y- I always want to know what is new and what’s exciting. This is good because I can jump on a trend straight away and bad because it takes so long for some things to arrive in Australia (hello Revlon lip products). I like to see swatches and read reviews first before I buy. Blogs also open my mind to new products to try! Plus, I tend to trust bloggers more than magazines as they appear to be more honest in their reviews.
Paris B says
Haha typical Gen Y 😀 sometimes it’s a good thing not getting new things right away. By the time you get them, the bad reviews might have surfaced so it’s more balanced 😉