Writing a Product Review: My Tips

Tea and biscuits optional!

When I write an individual product review for this blog, I have a little tick list in my mind of things to mention in the review and generally follow this for any beauty product. I personally prefer quite detailed reviews; I'm not talking an essay, but a good few paragraphs as opposed to three or four lines briefly describing why the product is good or bad. I love to read an overview of the product and the writer's experience of using it. After all, a lot of the time I'm reading a review because I don't know much, if anything, about what's being featured or because I'm trying to make a well informed decision on whether to purchase it or not.

This is the format I tend to follow for individual product reviews;

Introduction

I keep this quite brief, but I like to write a few introductory lines to ease the reader into the review - for example, how I came across the product or who/what influenced me to buy it.

Brand and Product Information

After the introduction, I will write some facts that are appropriate to the product type and a sentence about what the brand claims it will do. If the brand is fairly unknown then I will include some facts about the brand too. Here are the key points I aim to cover;

• The size of the bottle/pot
• The price
• The packaging
• Key ingredients
• The formula e.g. a cream cleanser or a powder blusher
• Brand claims e.g. "designed to reduce the appearance of pores and re-balance oily skin"
• If the product comes with anything e.g. brush and mirror with an eyeshadow palette
• Any other appropriate facts e.g. 98% natural, non-comedogenic, contains SPF15

My Thoughts

This is obviously the key section of the review and I try to cover as many aspects as possible to thoroughly share my experience of using the product. 

Makeup

• How I apply/use the product and ease of application
• The pigmentation and how well the shade suits my skin
• The formula e.g. is the lipstick dry or creamy, is the eyeshadow overly powdery or smooth and buttery
• The finish e.g. matte, glossy, shimmery
• If there is any scent and what that scent is
• The average wear time on my skin

Skincare

• How I apply/use the product
• The consistency and feel of the formula e.g. it feels silky, it feels heavy
• If there is any scent and what that scent is
• How it affects my skin - this will vary massively depending on the type of product but could include if it's drying or hydrating, if it's soothing or irritating, if it improves blemishes/redness/fine lines/dullness/pores as promised, if it removes makeup effectively.

Summary

This summarises my thoughts from above in a couple of sentences. I try to be as balanced as possible - if the product wasn't for me then I will say so, but I will then recommend who I think it could be suitable for.

Other

I also like to include an external link to a website, which makes it easy for the reader to read more about the product if they wish and even make a purchase if they feel inspired to do so!

I may not always write a review exactly like this or in this order; sometimes I will put the external link at the beginning of the post and sometimes at the end of the post for example. However I feel like following this format as a guideline really helps to me to write a helpful, informative review - hopefully if you read my reviews you will agree! Please note that this does not mean I think this is the best way to format a review or that I do not like other formats, I just find this works for me. 

I would love to know your tips for writing a product review?

Beauty Bird xx