Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! Time for a new post!
Annoying Things the Tick Tock Beauty Influencers Do!
I feel like doing something relevant since Tick Tock has been the newest platform for people in the beauty space to do reviews on. We have Micaela Niguera, Glamzilla, and of course Jeffree Star coming back to the beauty space to do reviews on Tick Tock but did cause one thing there. I would say watch the Viewer’s Voice and Dustin Daily for their updates. Anyways, it has been a new platform for them while others are still on YouTube and Instagram. Heck, I post my beauty stuff on Instagram instead since I find doing through there more easily since I did have a troll take down an Urban Decay look I had done. If you all want to follow me there, MariBlueCat is my username!
Besides the new platform rising, we do have some annoyances that are also arising that I feel like are making a scene. Here is my list of those annoying things I have noticed and want to have a bit of a talk but first!
Disclaimer!
This post is based on thoughts and observations from the lead writer of this blog! Please respect her thoughts on these observations because she is only human! You have been warned!
The Influencer GASP!
I feel I should start with this post with this one since I always see this in every Tick Tock video and I did make fun of it on Instagram alongside with something a bit later. There has been something called the Influencer Gasp where the person is doing a review and they gasp at the effects it gives. They give the usual gasp or the “OMG!” or the “Oh!” when it looks “amazing”.” One prime example is Jacklyn Hill going, “Oh!” wWith a green CC Cream she tried onn for her gasp. I feel as though that the gasp is not necessary with how the item works or if it works since it can be misleading to the viewer when it comes to the short. Yes, we can have a gasp towards being surprised during an unboxing from PR but not an individual product. Another thing is that an item takes time to work. Yes, a CC Cream may work at first for one person but not work right away for another. For instance, I used to use the corrector green shade with NYX’s concealer pots and it worked by hiding myn post blemish spots. It would work for me but it would not necessarily work for someone who has major redness since the item does not work for everyone. So, people just don’t gasp unless you are getting a nice gift!
Saying a Product is “Life Changing!”
Another annoying thing, especially with how Glamzilla and Micaela have been saying it, is how a particular product is life changing. I understand that skin care can change someone’s life if it works for them after a few months but a makeup product doesn’t change someone’s life in one use. It’s like saying if I just started the Mac Pro LongWear Paint Pot for eye primer. I would not say it changed my life after putting shadow on it once, I would say I will have to use it more before saying something like it would be my holy grail shadow primer when there are so many out there. For instance, not only do I use the Mac Paint Pots but I also enjoy the shadow primer from Ulta due to how well my shadows stick to it and it’s lower priced than a paint pot or the primer from P. Louise. Tangents aside, I think that some of these people on Tick Tock should stop saying something is life changing after one use.
Saying One Item Is Awesome and It’s Not Afterwards!
I’ve seen this with Micaela where she reviewed the Rare Beauty Blushes and the Got 2 B Brow Gel. She said these items were amazing and how well they worked in one video, well separate videos at first and then the next she says the Rare Beauty blushes are not in her Top Five and the brow gel is hard to remove. This is why I prefer honest reviews from people on YouTube, especially the ones who do the all day wear test to show how the product wears at the beginning and then comes back later to show if it wore off or stayed on and give their thoughts. I miss those kinds of videos since we get a better idea of how the product works throughout the day. I loved how Tati did that with the Wet N Wild liquid lipsticks when she went to IMATS one year to test how well they worked throughout an event! I wished we had more of that since we would be drinking water or soda and see if the lipstick stays or needs to be reapplied. A Tick Tock is just a YouTube short that shows only a small bit of that test. Heck, I was honest one year when I said Havana Nights from Ofra kept on bleeding all over the place, if you saw my interview with Tia Ballard on YouTube, would you see that! Again, tangents aside, I miss those videos where it is an all day test of something to give a better idea of the product rather than saying this product is amazing one video and then the next it sucked a few months later.
Saying Where to Get the Item When the PRoduct Sucked!
I wanted to bring this up since I did mention the brow gel in the last point. Besides Micaela reviewing the brow gel, she points out how good it is and where she purchased it, which was Amazon. She mentions later how hard it was to remove but then people commented on those videos saying they bought the product. It went the same way for the Maybelline Hybrid Powder where people bought the powder because not only Micaela said it was amazing and it blended like skin but Nicki Tutorials said the same thing which caused people to go to Ulta and buy it! People didn’t get the same results as Nicki and Micaela which caused them to return their product. I saw the reviews on Ulta as well and they were not good. This is why I love watching anything from Jen Luv because she can give you an honest review about a product if it’s crap or not. I love her Top Ten Favorites and Fails every month because with the items she gets in subscriptions or PR or even buy herself, I feel relieved if she says it’s not good then I don’t spend the money on it. Such as the Peanuts Face Pallet from Wet N Wild’s Holiday Collection 2022. I was shocked with her review since Wet N Wild is known for their blushes and highlighters but that was not a good one and I was glad I didn’t buy anything from that collection specifically. Lauren May Beauty is another great resource for reviews and Karen Harris as well since she focuses on more of the Cruelty Free stuff. I just got into Kelly Guche recently and she is really good on her reviews. I got the Fenty Bronzer recently and need to keep using it before I decide to do a Favorites post again. Stilol, I feel as though you’re better off seeing someone on YouTube for recommendations on what to purchase rather than someone on Tick Tock and wasting your dollars on it. I feel bad for the people who picked up that brow gel and felt that they wasted their money. I bet you’re wondering, I suggest the NYX Tame & Frame Brow Pomade and their Control Freak Clear Brow Gel. I have used that combo for years and they are a chef’s kiss in my book! I think Got 2 B Should stick to hair stuff since I used to use their hair pomade when I started looking for jobs in the past.
Making Cuts for The Effect!
I remembered how people pointed this out for some of the people on Tick Tock where they are trying a product and they make cuts to hide what they’re doing. One example is the reason for Lash Gate where Micaela puts on the Telescopic Lift with one coat and then makes the cut to say what happens after a second coat but has Ardel Wispies after her cut. Viewers even wondered if she did the same idea with the Maybelline powder where she put something on and that was not shown. When I did beauty videos, I showed the whole process of putting my makeup on and how it applies. Yes, the video is longer back then but you see there is no cut for an effect. It’s all me! As in, putting on the foundation where I spread it on with the Wet N Wild Photo Focus and then the powder, no cuts to show a weird effect to say my skin is so smooth due to my translucent powder.. I can see why so many people got mad at Lash Gate and were distrusting of some of the people on Tick Tock because the cuts can be anything and we’re not getting much. I know that YouTube editing allows someone come back with the finished product but they say that they tend to do a particular step off camera which includes brows or lashes and they say they will be back and say that their brows or lashes are now on and go to the next step but others do show how they do their brows and lashes. So, no cuts required with some people.
Don’t Need That Much Foundation!
I have to point this out because it is a reference to Meredith Ducksbury. She has posted on Tick Tock how she uses the entire bottle of foundation for her entire look, especially when she uses her hands to apply it. This caught the attention of Makeup by Mario where he talks about how his foundation really needs about one pump and to come to his studio for a makeover. Meredith did go for a makeover and was not happy with the amount he used, which was half a pump. I researched it and apparently less foundation is more coverage and I agree with that. I do about two pumps with the Urban Decay Stay Naked when I first used it, I also used two with Smashbox but that was not my favorite due to the pump being so tiny for the product you need, but I tend to do one squeeze with the new NYX Blur Foundation i’ve been liking at the moment. I don’t use my hands because it’s hard to get a good blend so I use my Real Techniques sponges to get an awesome blend. If I don’t blend too well, then RJ helps with added blending. I think Meredith just likes to cake on a bit much which you don’t need much of it and foundation has not been cheap with inflation striking last year. I was surprised that the Stay Naked foundation went to $40 last year and just wait for a sale or just purchase it if I feel like it at some point. In the meantime, I will stick to spreading on Wet N Wild or just squeezing one dollop of NYX.
N0ot Disclosing Your Sponsorships!
This is one thing that people have been questioning about some of these people on Tick Tock and that is how sponsorships are being disclosed. I like the idea of making your coin but not disclosing with the guidelines the FTC puts in place will get you in trouble, which they need to start breaking down. Seriously, they get on MLMs for saying they cure certain conditions but not break down how bad some people do their sponsorship claims! As in, how some not only use the banner but they don’t[‘t put if it’s ad or not at the beginning of their descriptions or put it in a hard to see font to hide it. To me, that is very tacky with how it gets hidden by white text. I understand paying my bills is important but if I were the FTC, I would tell the person to pay back the check to the company because not disclosing can cause problems. This also goes the same with Amazon links apparently where the person has to disclose that they do make commission off the purchases that are made. I think Amazon and the FTC should crack down and say, “Hey! You need to mention you get paid for your links, if not then we have to take that money for ourselves. Sorry!” One problem I’ve seen with this is, which includes with the past with Morphe, is that the viewer loses trust in their favorite YouTube star or Tick Tocker because of how it feels like if they use their code or buy the product then they are just a paycheck to them. Remember the Morphe codes? Especially with how Jacklyn Hill pushed it constantly with every beauty video she had made? It felt as though we are lining their pockets and like I said above, not all products will work out for everyone. What happens if that linked product or sponsored product does not work out? That also causes a mistrust for that person which would cause the viewer to think, “Are they making a paycheck off me viewing this or buying it?” So, if you’re being sponsored then just disclose and follow the FTC guidelines. They are right on their website for public viewing!
Buying a Gift for the Audience to Promote a Collaboration!
Had to point this out since it just happened and talked about on Viewer’s Voice. Apparently, Glamzilla bought gift cards to give to her audience for Sephora and said something about going broke if she keeps on buying these thank you gifts and then she did a promotional video for her nudeStix Collaboration that will be sold in Sephora locations. I am glad she got the collab but getting gift cards for people to use it on them is kind of cheap in my book. When I get a gift card I’d rather use it on something I really want from the store such as a set of earrings if I got one from Hot Topic or get my favorite Orally Top to Bottom if I’m running out if I got one from Ulta as examples.. It’s a bit tacky to give your audience this incentive and expect them to purchase your collab when those gift cards should be just giveaway prizes if the person were to do a contest using the collab and hash tagged them, that is what I would do if it was my own collab. I just started using NudeStix by the way and so far they are good but I need to keep using them since I did get the Sweet Peach Peony and Sweet Cheeks sticks and have to see how I feel about them.
Giving Advice on a Different Product That is Being Asked About!
Since I pointed out about how people spend money on items that were reviewed and were loved at first, this kind of goes back to people asking for makeup advice. Glamzilla was asked about the concealer from Bobbi Brown since she had made a video about how she enjoyed it. Someone asked if they still recommend it, Glamzilla turns around and says that the Bobbi Brown one was not her favorite and suggests the Maybelline Age Rewind instead because of how iconic it has been, plus she has been sponsored by Maybelline as well. Like I said above, if you like the product and say it’s good then recommend it to people even when they ask about it. Don’t go around and say it sucks when you said it was great at first and tell someone you shouldn’t get it if you loved it. I admit I was guilty of doing that when I said I liked the Star Light Gel Liners from NYX on video and found out later they were really drying and never recommended them in any blog posts after the fact. If you don’t like the product, then say you don’t like it and just say you prefer something else! I think I said in my Coastal Scents video for the Makeup Forgotten video a long while ago that I didn’t like lip pallets but did try their lip pallet for the video and would prefer a lipstick instead.. Not sure if that thing survived the flood, if it didn’t, like said before I prefer lipsticks over lip pallets. Heck, I even said earlier that the Smashbox Foundation is not my favorite due to the pump not being powerful and would even tell someone that if they asked about it.
I think that’s it, I hope no one doesn’t come after me for being honest about some of these points. I’d rather watch an honest review on products by people I enjoy on YouTube than being told to go out and buy something that won’t work on me. I did forget to say with the makeup being life changing . Most people wear it for a day and then wipe it off at the end of the day with some mycellar water, a makeup removing towel, or makeup wipes. Just enjoy the makeup you love to use already instead of buying things that won’t work out or just watch people who you trust on YouTube and just buy what works for your skin or what is suitable when it comes to formulas. You should not be uncomfortable with beauty. That is it! Just look out for my book review next!
Nerdy Shique Universe 