I am feeling so exhausted of all the new stuff, new job, new office, new colleagues, new environment, new rules... I read somewhere that a new job is one of the most stressful things in life and I can't agree more. It is unbelievable how much energy our body requires to get used to things which it is not used to doing/seeing. On top of that my annoyance for the blogging world grows bigger each day. All those samples which were "just a few" or "sorry we don't have any" are being delivered in double, triple numbers to some as some of us get nothing. I know life is not fair and all that jazz but I started feeling PR/Blogger relations started to be way too unfair for me to ignore. It started to bother me to the point that I am trying to avoid logging into Instagram not to see what the others received as I am constantly being told that there is no sample left for me. I feel lucky to be able to buy the stuff I like myself, no doubt about that but why would I put so much time and energy in something which is not appreciated by the companies? Samples go to those who don't even feel like posting about the items while I am taking hundreds of photos, spending hours in editing and putting in so much time & energy in a post. It is also not clear what they expect from a blog. Once I asked constructively how I can "improve" my blog so that I receive what the others are receiving, they told me "we can't give you this information". *sigh* Then I ask myself what am I doing here on a Friday night typing this post instead of meeting friends or watching a movie? I am afraid slowly this hobby of mine started to get more disappointing than fulfilling. Some changes have to be made.
To shake off some stress, I was at Breuninger yesterday and did a major haul on Chanel and YSL. In the beginning of the blog, YSL was one of the brands I enjoyed a lot, together with Armani. Now I hardly visit their counter anymore since when I see the brand logos, unintentionally I remember how much they appreciate (!) all my work. Anyhow, I love YSL nail polish formula and they haven't released anything for such a long time. The last nail polishes from YSL were very sheer, glossy top coats which I didn't see myself using so I ended up skipping them. This time around I saw that they released four new & limited matte nail polishes with their new lipsticks and decided to pick them up although I am not big on matte nail polish. Here are my thoughts and swatches of YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #201 Le Rouge Mat, #213 Le Orange Mat, #219 Le Fuchsia Mat & #270 Le Nu Mat.
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| YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #201 Le Rouge Mat, #213 Le Orange Mat, #219 Le Fuchsia Mat & #270 Le Nu Mat |
YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #270 Le Nu Mat is a medium nude/tan shade with cream matte finish. When I say cream matte, I would like to emphasize that there is no shimmer which may seem very interesting and complex in matte finishes. #270 Le Nu Mat has a nice consistency, it is easy to apply and it dries very fast. In two coats (as in the photo below) it is perfectly opaque.
I personally find matte finish a nice alternative to glossy ones but this particular nude shade gave me the impression of wearing the same nail polish 3-4 days and having lost the glossiness of it. Another problem through the collection was that it emphasizes imperfections on the nail. I filed over my nails for these swatches. That said if you like matte finishes, you may enjoy these a lot since they have good formula and a good lasting power compared to other mattes I tried.
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| Swatch: YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #270 Le Nu Mat |
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| Swatch: YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #270 Le Nu Mat |
YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #213 Le Orange Mat is a vivid orange coral with matte finish. If you are shy of bright colors on your nails, because of the finish this one is more wearable. It also has a good formula which applies easily and opaque in two coats as ween in the photo below.
You can see that although these are matte, they still reflect the light a little. You can recognize that in the second photo once the sun hits the surface.
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| Swatch: YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #213 Le Orange Mat |
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| Swatch: YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #213 Le Orange Mat |
Surprise surprise my favorite of the collection was YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #201 Le Rouge Mat. This one has a slightly thicker texture which covers the nails better and doesn't show off everything going on underneath. Also I like deeper shades with matte finish. #201 Le Rouge Mat reminds me of a red velvet dress, so gorgeous! In the second photo it looks more orange under the sun but in reality it is slightly deeper than what my camera captured.
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| Swatch: YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #201 Le Rouge Mat |
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| Swatch: YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #201 Le Rouge Mat |
Here comes another favorite of mine among the four. YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #219 Le Fuchsia Mat is a stunning pink fuchsia which I am wearing on my fingers now. This one is exactly my type of shade, love me a hot pink fuchsia. The formula of #219 Le Fuchsia Mat is unfortunately the thinnest and runniest out of four but in two coats it covers the nail nicely and becomes fully opaque.
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| Swatch: YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #219 Le Fuchsia Mat |
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| Swatch: YSL La Laque Couture Matte Finish #219 Le Fuchsia Mat |
Final thoughts: Matte finish nail polishes are not my preference over the glossy ones but these four have a nice formula. My picks are #201 Le Rouge Mat which looks like a stunning velvet red dress and #219 Le Fuchsia Mat just because I love the shade. #201 Le Rouge Mat also had the best formula among the four. If you have many imperfections on your nail surface, you might not how these look. As for the matte nail polish lovers, make sure to check them out since the formula is better than other mattes I have tried so far.
Do you like nail polishes with matte finish?
Disclaimer: The products in this post were purchased by me.
Now I am irritated by these press people. Your blog has such quality, and I wish they would recognize what we all see. Maybe they don't have taste.
ReplyDeleteNot such a huge matte fan. Find that I never reach for them, although you can always apply top coat, of course. For some reason, the nude color is interesting to me. Probably because it is the exact shade that I would wear as a lipstick, while for example, the whole Les Beiges collection, all those nudes looked wrong for me. Too yellow or brown or dated or something. On another note, the Sisley Orchidee arrived. And it is truly stunning. Thank you so much for that post.
Also I have been boycotting YSL and I caved and ordered the Black Addiction palette. Also reminds me of some of the Asian color schemes.
ReplyDeleteHey Sara, I hear you on the PR thing. It took me a few years to be more acknowledged (for lack of a better word), but still there are brands that completely ignore me (these are usually brands you don't read about on my blog anymore. I know this sounds vindictive, but I really prefer to invest my own money and energy in brands that support me back). Just keep doing what you're doing and one day you will be on the top of the list! It takes PRs a long time to come to terms with the fact that the winds are changing, but they will!
ReplyDeleteAlso, matte nail polishes: I don't think I own a single one. My nails are SO horrible that I really can't afford to wear nail polishes that accentuate the flaws! I do like the orange and fuchsia tho! For the moment I have Dior Smile on my nails. You were right: STUNNING shade!
Hey Sara, I had no idea how things work in the beauty blog world but it is completely ridiculous if companies don't recognize your efforts. I came upon your blog when I was searching for google images of some nail polishes, and have been following ever since. You saved me so many disappointing buys! (And also added quite a few items on my wish list like that Sysley blush I just cannot get off my mind) I hope it helps to know that you are very appreciated by your readers and you are helping us!
ReplyDeleteHi Alison,
ReplyDeleteI swatched Black Addiction here and I was not impressed. The shades were so close to each other but the packaging is stunning so I understand that you caved
;-). You will love the Sisley Blush once you start wearing it. I have been reaching for it daily now, it is sooo good!
About the press, it looks like quality is not important but reaching as many people as possible counts. Think about all the commercials, do they really talk about the product? This is how they see blogs should be like. Fashion bloggers makes nice photos of the products, don't show how they apply or how they perform. This is kind of coverage they are after.
Hi Sunny,
ReplyDeleteI am amazed how good some of your relations are. These would keep you motivated as the others, well, can go to hell lol. On these side of things, it has been better and everything goes for the worse. I used to receive more samples half a year ago. As I gain more readers and improve my photos and blog, it looks like they don't care, even worse they sed less. I wonder what is going on here.
I know mattes are unforgiving. I have a few peeling nails and they don't look at their best with this one.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeletethanks for your kind words. The readers are what keeps me going or I would have quitted long time ago. The interactions and the feedback have been amazing. Still I feel like deceived when I am told there is no sample and two days later I see 2-3 pieces sent to someone who also got the sample from the previous collection and didn't even bother to review it. Anyway I shouldn't be ranting here on the blog but sometimes I can't help it. It becomes all too much. Thanks for understanding.
Xox
Nice colors really, and not so mat fortunately ...for me a nail polish can't be too much glossy 😋
ReplyDeleteI think you may have hit the nail on the head there - sheer numbers and not depth is what matters. I also wonder does geography count? It seems like US and Asia are the big targets for cosmetic companies and PR concentrate their efforts on bloggers there. Pretty silly given the size of the European markets but even here I suspect UK bloggers get an advantage?
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteGeography counts, you are very right. I am in Germany where the bloggers are especially thought to have less value. Also here the printed press is perceived as more influential because it is an aged society. Once I was telling a PR that my readers knew more about Alia than me and she was so surprised that I had older readers. She asked me "does people over 40 read blogs?".
Another problem is blogging in English in Germany. I don"t want to put so much effort in something only a limited part of the world can read, so I write it in English. I wrote my PhD Thesis in English for the same reason! Anyway, some brands refused my collaboration request because I don't blog in German, like Givenchy, which is a international brand. Go figure!
That said UK and US bloggers blog in their language, which brings an advantage.
In some countries there is an established blogger scene. About Asia I am a little confused. Yes there is a big market there but it is leaving me in awe how much samples one of my good friends from Singapore receives, say from Tom Ford, along with 5-6 other bloggers. Each receive like 4-5 pieces from each collection and Singapore is a tiny country with 5 million population. Germany has 80 million!! We also have around max. 7-8 bloggers in the pool and to receive one piece is a fight! The same goes for Canada. I know 4-5 bloggers (at least) who receive the full collection. In Germany if one is lucky there are two products. Not to mention that I am not accepted to the Dior list because they only get big influencers and fashion bloggers at the moment.
Alright too much analysis. I think I will write a post about how pitiful the blogger's position in Germany is. Even the biggest blogs are sent one lipstick from a collection with 30-40 pieces (MAC I am looking at you!). I have the feeling that at some point it will change but it will happen in Germany last after everywhere else it is so far ;-)
Yes I also like glossy top coats. Surprise because I like my lipsticks mat ;-)
ReplyDeleteI didn't get why this collection has nail polishes with matte finish since the lipsticks are not matte after all.
I suspect Singapore is seen as a conduit to the Chinese blogosphere though and it's all about China these days. Also TF is primarily a brand with an older market in US and Europe but I believe does well with a younger Asian market and it seems to be all about attracting the younger buyers even for high end luxe brands. Maybe they think older clients will be more discerning and less influenced by blogs but I think the opposite - we are much more likely to research but have less time to shop in person and want trusted recommendations so we can buy on-line.
ReplyDeleteI'm very sorry to hear about your experiences with PR, and I can imagine how frustrating this might be for you. It's silly that PR doesn't appreciate a true, quality blog like yours. Thankfully there are plenty of people who do (as in myself and your other readers!) and I hope this will help you remain motivated! I feel like it does seem very unfair, but I am hoping PR will realise soon enough where the real blogging gems are!
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteif they would be writing in Chinese, I can imagine what you say but the friends are blogging in English and most of their readers are not from China from what I can tell. I suspect though there is no real worldwide internet strategy of the companies. Most of the time just by the change of the local PR, the strategies change. For example in Germany Shiseido PR changed and it suddenly became "no make-up blogs but just celebrity You-Tubers". I was also not accepted in that list because I don't have thousands of kiddies subscribed to see me getting ready for a party! Lancome also just changed their strategy in Germany, suddenly make-up blogs can't even receive a mascara while fashion blogs get half of the collection sent as a surprise. How odd to write to a PR with which you have good relations to and hear short and unfriendly answers to your questions, even if you are just asking for "information".
I am with you, without seeing a few swatches and reading a few reviews, I wouldn't order a product. Especially here in Europe since we cant send things back like the lucky ones from US.
Hi Sara, I think you probably answered your own question here. Most blogs only post a photo of a product, don't even bother to swatch sometimes. They usually have not tried the product on themselves by time of writing either :) So they don't share a firm opinion. Maybe this is what these companies want - someone to share the news without swatches, detailed analysis and comparison to other brands. They might be simply afraid that you won't like the product and will say so. Others can't even make their mind or don't say anything. This is just my guess.
ReplyDeleteI have never tried a matte nail colour. That vibrant orange looks gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteAnd btw I do think that others are right: brands would probably rather that someone with 900000000 followers posts a pic of the bottle on Instagram than risk a thorough evaluation. This must be terribly frustrating to you given the quality of what you produce, but really, only purchase what you love and would have bought for yourself anyway and review that. That way your hobby remains about what makes your heart beat faster.
ReplyDeleteSorry that these makeup companies are so clueless that they don't appreciate an honest, hard-working blogger like you. I buy a lot of makeup, and I refuse to buy after only seeing swatches on Instagram with no review or seeing blogs/you tubers that only rave about products all the time and never seem to have anything bad to say about anyhting. I really enjoy your blog and hope you keep blogging. The YSL nail colors are gorgeous, and I love how you showcased them in a garden setting
ReplyDeleteI can tell that the formula and opacity of these YSL Mats are excellent! Your nails look beautiful and I love the shades. But like most folks, for me the preferred finish is glossy and glossier the better! It's like wearing little jewels on the tips of your finger. :D
ReplyDeleteIt's mind boggling how the PR & press sample machine works and how different it is from country to coutry or region to region. I hope you know how your hard work is so appreciated by your readers that come to you regularly, and even those that land in your blog because they are searching for all your comprehensive swatches, analysis and photos. Boy, the blogging work can get very expensive for sure.
Agree with Bella & Jane here! Maybe these brands don't want all that critical reviews of their products. They want press release-type praise and a product photo.
ReplyDeleteHi Sara, I'm with you on the unfairness of brands PR. So feel free to boycott those brands! I do that sometimes to, especially when they don't produce anything that really excite me enough to buy. I'm honestly not feeling these shades, and you hit the nail on the head about how I feel about matte finishes. Hope you settle into your new work place soon! 😘
ReplyDelete