Every review on this site follows the same process — whether the product costs $8 or $80, whether the brand sent it or we bought it ourselves.
Before a product enters testing, we confirm its vegan and cruelty-free status: full ingredient list review, certification check (Leaping Bunny, PETA), and a look at the parent company's animal testing policy — including whether it sells in markets that require animal testing. If a brand cannot give us a straight answer, the product does not get reviewed.
No overnight verdicts. Skincare gets a minimum of 4 weeks of daily use; makeup gets at least 10 full wear days including a long-wear stress test; haircare gets 6+ wash cycles. Products are worked into normal routines — commutes, gym sessions, bad sleep weeks — because that is how you will use them too.
One reviewer's holy grail is another's breakout. Each product is used by at least three testers with different skin types (dry, oily, combination, sensitive) or hair textures. When a product only works for certain types, we say so in the review rather than pretending it is universal.
Does it pill under sunscreen? Does the pump break in week three? Does "unscented" still smell like something? The gaps between marketing copy and daily reality are usually where our most useful findings come from.
Ratings weigh performance (50%), ingredient quality and transparency (25%), value for money (15%), and packaging/experience (10%). Reviews are living documents: when a formula is reformulated or a brand's cruelty-free status changes, we update the review and note the change.
No. We do not accept payment for reviews or allow brands to preview drafts. Some links are affiliate links, which pay us a commission if you buy — but commission rates never decide what we recommend, and we disclose affiliate links on every page that has them.
Occasionally, and we label them when we do. Most products are purchased at retail with our own money, because packaging, batch quality, and customer experience are part of what we test.
We rate products after weeks of use across multiple skin types, not from a single first impression. A product that feels amazing on day one can score poorly after a month — and vice versa.
Yes — reader requests drive a large share of our editorial calendar. Send us the product or brand through the contact page and we will add it to the queue.
One email a week: what we tested, what surprised us, and the one product actually worth your money. No spam, no fluff.