What sorts of reviews do you find the most useful?
For me, I'm not as worried about length as I am about why they say. A short review is fine if it covers what I need to know. I like to know how easy something is to use (both packaging and product), the overall aesthetic, does it work - and what type of hair/skin etc the reviewer has, if they'd buy it again and why/why not, if it's either value for money or worth the splurge, and where I can get it if I want it.
I find really long, waffly, overly descriptive, meandering reviews to be less helpful. Editing, proofreading and criteria when you write a review are important, I think, and I can easily spot a review that's been carefully considered. Long doesn't always mean good; sometimes it's just word vomit :p
I'm really confident that the panel reviews will be useful to me - but I do wonder what others find useful when reading reviews
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All this talk around the expert review panel has me wondering...
74 posts, 21 members
I totally feel you on the being concise part Trudi! I'm so prone to over type and talk for ever so I always make sure that I actually think about the point I want to get across rather than just typing. It is something I always have had to be mindful about, especially at University and now in my job.
I seem to be incapable of writing short reviews even when I want to haha. I like to think that they're to the point though. I don't mind longer reviews so long as they're not repetitive and all the information is relevant. I like to know how functional the packaging is but I don't need a full description of how it looks as I can get that from the photo. Proof reading is important to me and paragraphing - otherwise I find it hard to read and it make sure my eyes hurt.
I have 50 film reviews to mark tomorrow and I'll be applying a lot of the same criteria to them.
I have 50 film reviews to mark tomorrow and I'll be applying a lot of the same criteria to them.
Bang on the money soozie , if you're going to write a lot, then formatting, grammar and clarity are essential. I reckon you're a good example of someone who writes a lot, but well, actually.
Personally I like (and write) product and packaging descriptions because I feel like you can tell how familiar someone really is with the product from that, but I'm quite visual as well and I like having that clear picture painted for me ;)
Personally I like (and write) product and packaging descriptions because I feel like you can tell how familiar someone really is with the product from that, but I'm quite visual as well and I like having that clear picture painted for me ;)
Hmmm yeah I like reading things that have a good layout and tell a story. I don't mind the waffling if it's part of the review, I waffle a loooot but I like to think that it's entertaining to read (my big head tells me so). I hate reviews that say "i liked this product it worked for me it smelled nice" like... ? #illreportyou
I think trusting certain reviewers often sways me as well, that and the fact if I like how someone tells their product story. Example, I loved reading Kellie's reviews before she became Pixie pants, and because I enjoy Kellie's writing I'm inclined to trust her reviews and potentially would want to try the product myself.
I think this thread is quite good too actually - it's opening my eyes on things I miss in my own reviews, so I'm off to check that they're up to standard!
I think trusting certain reviewers often sways me as well, that and the fact if I like how someone tells their product story. Example, I loved reading Kellie's reviews before she became Pixie pants, and because I enjoy Kellie's writing I'm inclined to trust her reviews and potentially would want to try the product myself.
I think this thread is quite good too actually - it's opening my eyes on things I miss in my own reviews, so I'm off to check that they're up to standard!
shaz, i think there's a difference between waffling on about how you feel about something and waffling on about something when it's unclear how you feel... I read one that was like 'I love this but here are the things I don't love but it's awesome but I won't buy it again because it doesn't really work for me, but it's amazing' kinda thing.... by the end I was so confused lol.
I love when things are ordered but (and this is picky) i hate when the ordering is part of the writing. 'firstly, secondly, thirdly, fourthly', or rhetoric questions (that are then answered) 'Do I like it? Yes I do! Would I buy it? Yes I would!' once or twice, great, but when it's on EVERY point it gets a bit much.
BUT the threads meant to be about what we DO like, so i'll stop nitpicking haha
I love when things are ordered but (and this is picky) i hate when the ordering is part of the writing. 'firstly, secondly, thirdly, fourthly', or rhetoric questions (that are then answered) 'Do I like it? Yes I do! Would I buy it? Yes I would!' once or twice, great, but when it's on EVERY point it gets a bit much.
BUT the threads meant to be about what we DO like, so i'll stop nitpicking haha
Haha Shaz, I love your ones that tell a story. A bit of humour is always good. Especially with the monotony of "I like it, it smalls good" reviews that you have to trawl through to get to ones by reviewers you trust. I also noticed a load of three sentence reviews for a certain deodorant, saying "this reminds me of high school" so the reviewers hadn't even used the product recently.
Thanks Trudi. I do like there to be a description of the actual product itself - what it looks like texture etc.
Kirsty, I will be looking for introductions and conclusions when I'm marking my film reviews tomorrow lol. Happy Birthday btw.
Thanks Trudi. I do like there to be a description of the actual product itself - what it looks like texture etc.
Kirsty, I will be looking for introductions and conclusions when I'm marking my film reviews tomorrow lol. Happy Birthday btw.
i hear you on trusting certain people, Shaz! I'm WAY more inclined to trust people I relate to and who seem to be really taking this review thing seriously. Interestingly many of the people I rate are making themselves known as panellists so there's probably something in that, lol.... clearly other people value the same things we do!
soozie before i really understood the reviews i had a few removed for various reasons, but you learn and grow and I could see the point. Rather than get annoyed about it I just chose to get better :D
I'm with you about reporting those Shaz, i don't think I've reported very many but been tempted more often than I've actually done it.
I'm with you about reporting those Shaz, i don't think I've reported very many but been tempted more often than I've actually done it.
All this talk about waffles mmmmm waffles
I've had a few reviews removed too - they were perfume ones and I was a newbie, and let me tell you I hate writing perfume reviews hahaha I don't know how to write a smell! stupid perfumes :P
I report them all the time. I do wonder if BR monitor who is reporting them but then again I don't care, I'm sick of reading rubbish reviews that are nonsensical or 2 sentences :P
Haha yeah with the trust thing - half the time I don't even need a review, if I see someone mention it in the forum I'm like... OoOooOh so and so likes this, lemme have a nosey haha
Hahaha Soozie I quite enjoy adding humor, I mean, reading review after review and then finding one that makes you have a laugh is something else. I guess thats why the follow button is great, but then again trawlling through all of one persons reviews is a bit mundane... but then you find new products this way so... silver lining?
I've had a few reviews removed too - they were perfume ones and I was a newbie, and let me tell you I hate writing perfume reviews hahaha I don't know how to write a smell! stupid perfumes :P
I report them all the time. I do wonder if BR monitor who is reporting them but then again I don't care, I'm sick of reading rubbish reviews that are nonsensical or 2 sentences :P
Haha yeah with the trust thing - half the time I don't even need a review, if I see someone mention it in the forum I'm like... OoOooOh so and so likes this, lemme have a nosey haha
Hahaha Soozie I quite enjoy adding humor, I mean, reading review after review and then finding one that makes you have a laugh is something else. I guess thats why the follow button is great, but then again trawlling through all of one persons reviews is a bit mundane... but then you find new products this way so... silver lining?
I don't often report bad reviews, especially if the person is a BR Newbie, I'd rather mark it as unhelpful and hope they realise where they've gone wrong.
There is, however, one review in particular that I did report about a year ago and again about six months ago, as the entire review consisted of one drawn out word. But, I see that the review is still sitting in BR's directory and nothing has been done about it, which makes me wonder if the report function actually works!
This is is what the person typed as her product review:
"Bad'dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddxddd!!!!!!!!!!!!"
There is, however, one review in particular that I did report about a year ago and again about six months ago, as the entire review consisted of one drawn out word. But, I see that the review is still sitting in BR's directory and nothing has been done about it, which makes me wonder if the report function actually works!
This is is what the person typed as her product review:
"Bad'dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddxddd!!!!!!!!!!!!"
oh my gosh Silvene that's not even a review, just an opinion!
Shaz i got pinged for a perfume one because i'd tried it a kajillion times but never actually owned it, fair enough! I got a bit carried away I guess.
BR are great with explaining why somethings not up to scratch if you email them and ask (rationally, not 'omg do you hate me why is my review gone?' wahing on, I'm sure haha)
we're all capable of not making sense from time to time - and i love that you can edit your reviews even after they're posted. I'll often read things I wrote back and re-word, correct and update.
Shaz i got pinged for a perfume one because i'd tried it a kajillion times but never actually owned it, fair enough! I got a bit carried away I guess.
BR are great with explaining why somethings not up to scratch if you email them and ask (rationally, not 'omg do you hate me why is my review gone?' wahing on, I'm sure haha)
we're all capable of not making sense from time to time - and i love that you can edit your reviews even after they're posted. I'll often read things I wrote back and re-word, correct and update.
Hahahahahah omg Silvene thats... Wow. Fantastic. So review much wow lmfao. I don't mind reporting them cos half the time they're reviewers that come for the free stuff and then bugger off again, which annoys me more. So. ehhhh I'm cut throat I guess hahahaha
Hahahah well I can understand getting pinged for that lol. I think mine were just crap so I didn't mind, I didn't email them about it (I was scared of the powers that be... frankly I still am :| ) but I did go back and redo them and then they were all hunky dory, and I haven't had one since woohooo
Hahahah well I can understand getting pinged for that lol. I think mine were just crap so I didn't mind, I didn't email them about it (I was scared of the powers that be... frankly I still am :| ) but I did go back and redo them and then they were all hunky dory, and I haven't had one since woohooo
The only time I reported reviews was a newbie who had posted about 30 reviews in one day and they were mostly cut and pasted e.g. there were about 6 different brands if deodorant reviewed but it was all the same three sentence review.
I still I'll have a half written perfume review sat in my notes that I must have started two years ago. Those are so hard to write.
I still I'll have a half written perfume review sat in my notes that I must have started two years ago. Those are so hard to write.
Myself I look at 'trusted reviews' by that I mean, reviews from well known BR babes that give good reviews on products all the time. Or if there isn't one I find two different reviews of the same product with a high star rating and one with a low star rating and see what the difference between the two are.
I'm not great with spelling, nor am I great with grammar. I try my best but for me my biggest priority is getting a truthful review out there.
I'm not great with spelling, nor am I great with grammar. I try my best but for me my biggest priority is getting a truthful review out there.
Amy i've NEVER noticed you struggle with grammar and spelling - I think you write really well!
Macs - I think that the role of the expert review panel is simply that it's the pool of people who will be selected to trial products, I don't think that there are other duties etc other than making sure we stay connected to BR and interacting across the site and social media, while keeping our review standards high.
Macs - I think that the role of the expert review panel is simply that it's the pool of people who will be selected to trial products, I don't think that there are other duties etc other than making sure we stay connected to BR and interacting across the site and social media, while keeping our review standards high.
Amy i've NEVER noticed you struggle with grammar and spelling - I think you write really well!
Macs - I think that the role of the expert review panel is simply that it's the pool of people who will be selected to trial products, I don't think that there are other duties etc other than making sure we stay connected to BR and interacting across the site and social media, while keeping our review standards high.
Macs - I think that the role of the expert review panel is simply that it's the pool of people who will be selected to trial products, I don't think that there are other duties etc other than making sure we stay connected to BR and interacting across the site and social media, while keeping our review standards high.
If I'm researching a product that I'm considering buying I want to read about whether it worked for you or not and if you did like why and if you didn't what was it that you didn't like about it. Because, what you consider a con say when it comes to a makeup item the pigmentation or the texture. For example, say you're a darker skinned person and you love your blushes more pigmented and you're reviewing one that doesn't have that pigment that you want, it a con for you but for someone with lighter skin or someone who over applies blush it's a pro for them. Say a foundation is a bit drying for your skin and has more of a matte finish and you have dry skin, for you it might be a con but for someone with oily skin it's a pro.
I also like to read the ingredients in a product because that's where you get an idea of how good something is or if you like natural ingredients like me, you can see where a company has green washed a product. Plus if you're allergic to something you can see if there's something in there that your skin would react to, regardless of whether the product has been designed for "all skin types." That's why I try to included the ingredients list in my review.
I also really like comparisons of say a lower priced product to a higher end one so you can see if you really need to spend top dollar or you can save a few bucks. Packaging is somewhat important to me, I do have a preference for certain things in pumps to having them in pots for sanitary reasons but mostly in a review I want to do if the sprayer or pump or packaging is faulty. For example there was a decent face wash I reviewed a while back, good priced, reasonably gentle but the pump was really hard to get working the first time so that put me off repurchasing. So issues with packaging like that I of course want to know about.
I also like to read the ingredients in a product because that's where you get an idea of how good something is or if you like natural ingredients like me, you can see where a company has green washed a product. Plus if you're allergic to something you can see if there's something in there that your skin would react to, regardless of whether the product has been designed for "all skin types." That's why I try to included the ingredients list in my review.
I also really like comparisons of say a lower priced product to a higher end one so you can see if you really need to spend top dollar or you can save a few bucks. Packaging is somewhat important to me, I do have a preference for certain things in pumps to having them in pots for sanitary reasons but mostly in a review I want to do if the sprayer or pump or packaging is faulty. For example there was a decent face wash I reviewed a while back, good priced, reasonably gentle but the pump was really hard to get working the first time so that put me off repurchasing. So issues with packaging like that I of course want to know about.
I also don't like bad spelling and grammer. Sometimes I try to read sentences and after several times still don't really understand what it says!
With long waffley reviews, I usually only get half way through then move to the next one - my attention span isn't long enough.
I usually find the reviews of a handful of regulars to be consistently the best and most reliable, but sometimes I read a really good one from someone I haven't heard of. I tend to start from the directory rather than seek out a specific person's reviews though, because all sorts of interesting opinions and writing styles are hidden in there.
With long waffley reviews, I usually only get half way through then move to the next one - my attention span isn't long enough.
I usually find the reviews of a handful of regulars to be consistently the best and most reliable, but sometimes I read a really good one from someone I haven't heard of. I tend to start from the directory rather than seek out a specific person's reviews though, because all sorts of interesting opinions and writing styles are hidden in there.
Sometimes I wish there were little "like" buttons for each comment in a thread, because I agree with so much here! I have to admit that I can waffle a bit in my own reviews, but also enjoy the story (so a little waffle can become a by-product). I like to use humour and have fun with trying to describe scent and colour.
In terms of having reviews reported as bad: how do you know? Now I'm worried I've got lots of reviews that need re-writing but have just been sitting there tainting BR...
In terms of having reviews reported as bad: how do you know? Now I'm worried I've got lots of reviews that need re-writing but have just been sitting there tainting BR...
Hey Jess, if one of yours has been reported and BR agree they'll remove it and send you an email to let you know - usually it's a simple fix or a rewrite if you're far off the mark, but you can generally email then and ask what the issue is.
Things i know get reviews removed include reviews being too short, slanderous, really brutal with no reasoning (eg 'this is totally useless noone should ever buy it, they are trying to rip you off!) when you clearly haven't properly tried the product (eg one one-use sample), if you've used inappropriate language, or if your review is plagiarised. There's probably a FAQ article round here someplace, I'll have a look
Things i know get reviews removed include reviews being too short, slanderous, really brutal with no reasoning (eg 'this is totally useless noone should ever buy it, they are trying to rip you off!) when you clearly haven't properly tried the product (eg one one-use sample), if you've used inappropriate language, or if your review is plagiarised. There's probably a FAQ article round here someplace, I'll have a look
Using paragraphs is soooooooo important. It's really hard reading a wall of text that has no break. Grammar and spelling is great too but in this day and age I'm finding it used less and less (thank you text speech!).
The important things to me:
Ingredients -
Does it contain fragrance?
Does it contain essential oils?
Does it contain drying alcohols?
Does it contain any proven scientifically researched ingredients proven to help fight acne, aging, scars, pigmentation etc?
I will mostly check this out on my own though as what is bad for me might be good for others.
Effects -
Does it make your skin oilier?
Does it keep your skin matte?
Does it make you break out?
Does your make up hold up over it?
Points of Interest -
What is the packaging like? Jar or Pump?
How long have you used it before you noticed any effects?
Does it do what it promised to do?
There are probably others, these are off the top of my head.
The important things to me:
Ingredients -
Does it contain fragrance?
Does it contain essential oils?
Does it contain drying alcohols?
Does it contain any proven scientifically researched ingredients proven to help fight acne, aging, scars, pigmentation etc?
I will mostly check this out on my own though as what is bad for me might be good for others.
Effects -
Does it make your skin oilier?
Does it keep your skin matte?
Does it make you break out?
Does your make up hold up over it?
Points of Interest -
What is the packaging like? Jar or Pump?
How long have you used it before you noticed any effects?
Does it do what it promised to do?
There are probably others, these are off the top of my head.
Oooo few things.
1. I've not a 'report this review' for a while - someone report a review for me!
2. Silvene - product of the badddddddddddddddddddd review please!!
3. Shaz - honestly - we can't see who reports them, I used to play the guessing game based on who the reason sounded like, haha. I reckon I'm pretty good at it.
4. Keri - so, pretty much, the Expert Review Panel will be the primary selection pool for trial teams. We may dive into the membership base for trials we're can't find Expert Reviewers to match the target demographics of the product.
The Beauty Vault will become the main reward for all members, with trials rewarding the top tier/reliable/great reviewers :)
Did I get everyone?
xox
1. I've not a 'report this review' for a while - someone report a review for me!
2. Silvene - product of the badddddddddddddddddddd review please!!
3. Shaz - honestly - we can't see who reports them, I used to play the guessing game based on who the reason sounded like, haha. I reckon I'm pretty good at it.
4. Keri - so, pretty much, the Expert Review Panel will be the primary selection pool for trial teams. We may dive into the membership base for trials we're can't find Expert Reviewers to match the target demographics of the product.
The Beauty Vault will become the main reward for all members, with trials rewarding the top tier/reliable/great reviewers :)
Did I get everyone?
xox
Good question Trudi. I literally have a checklist in my head that I try to do fot every review. Things that I would like to know about the product and that I think may be helpful to ladies reading my reviews. I don't mind short reviews as long as they've got detail in them.
I don't mean to be bias but I also read certain BR members reviews before others simply because I trust their opinions. Hope that doesn't sound mean!?!?
I don't mean to be bias but I also read certain BR members reviews before others simply because I trust their opinions. Hope that doesn't sound mean!?!?
I don't tend to always read reviews of particular members but instead I'll go to a product and scroll through those reviews and I'll read ones in depth the reviews that either stand out to me. It is a bit of a long process sometimes. Some things I looks for are: advantages and disadvantages, how long they have been using the product for, did the product do what it said it was advertised to do, their hair/skin type/skin tone, how easy it is to review.
i agree that perfume reviews are so hard to write! Chikoboo who doesn't come on the forum anymore writes really good perfume reviews. She can somehow describe scents really well. So whenever I am reading perfume reviews I would look out and see if she had reviewed that product too.
i agree that perfume reviews are so hard to write! Chikoboo who doesn't come on the forum anymore writes really good perfume reviews. She can somehow describe scents really well. So whenever I am reading perfume reviews I would look out and see if she had reviewed that product too.
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