Thursday 23 October 2014

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




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18 comments

  1. Amazing post!! I always need something like this when I'm reviewing. I know I always forget things so this is very good! Thank you :-)


    xxx | daisydaisyxxo
    enter my Christmas giveaway!

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    1. Thank you so much! I'm so glad you found this post helpful xx

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  2. Great tips! This might be helpful in case I get to review some beauty products. Thanks for sharing them. :)

    Life With Antlers // A Personal Blog

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  3. Some really useful tips, sometimes it's tricky to put your ideas together in a coherent way. This is would be a good rough guide! xxx

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  4. Great blog post and tips! I also try and write detailed review posts so I can give a true and honest opinion
    www.elledeesbeauty.com

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    1. Thanks Laura! Writing a more detailed post always takes more time, but it's always worth it xx

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  5. I always enjoy your reviews, it's interesting to read a proper breakdown of how you write them!

    Tara xo

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    1. Thanks Tara! It is nice to get it written out, this has always just been in my head!! xx

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  6. Great tips, I sometimes struggle to think what to write about so I'll refer back to this :) x

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  7. I think this is a really useful post and some of the steps you included I often forget so this is actually a pretty great template to refer to! xx

    Angelica // One Little Vice

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  8. I love this little guide! <3 I always try my best to look at ingredients in skincare and see what they do and how they work :)

    Dannie x
    www.famousinjapan.co.uk

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    1. Thank you lovely! I like it when you list the ingredients on your posts and explain what these are :-) xx

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