Hello friends! Getting you a second post this week *gasp* because I really think before I start my palette series or my gimmick series (already have the first items in the mail for my first gimmick series post!) I really wanted to talk about a subject that has been really bothering me lately: the shit-show that is social media marketing.

I know that normally on this blog I create very thorough (at least I hope) step by step guides and how-to types of posts. I make these for two reasons: 1) because people in my life ask me to and I love it, and 2) because I think makeup should be accessible to everyone and you need a place to start and learn from that is judgement free.

Lately though, I do not feel like major makeup companies are agreeing with me on that second point. I’ve kind of touched on this in my Why I Am Over “Beauty Gurus” post a few weeks back, but I am just experiencing marketing overload that has made it almost impossible for me to be a smart consumer.

Obviously, social media has completely taken over how humans interact with each other, and I’m not going to include an anti-millennial selfishness rant or anything like that here because whether I think that or not (hint – I don’t) that’s not what this post is about. What I am going to talk about, though, is how major companies have followed the natural progression of capitalism and are exploiting a love of social media to shove their products completely down our throats.

Story time! I remember when I first got into contouring I did what many makeup lovers do and typed “how to contour” into youtube’s search bar, and found a somewhat helpful video that stated proudly that Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer ($29) was the perfect contouring product and exactly what you need to achieve a perfectly chiseled face (spoiler, it’s not).

I did not know what a sponsored video was at this time, or what an affiliate link did, or comprehended the concept that people would recommend products for money, because I just assumed anyone making how-to content would have the kind of love that I have for talking about makeup – and maybe she did, but my point is that now after watching a video like that, my thought process is that I need a very specific, high-end product to do a certain thing which is just not true.

Luckily, I did not fall for it and instead googled Hoola dupes until I found things that worked better for me that were more affordable, but I can’t help but think about the teenagers, or really anyone else new to makeup watching these videos who might not be able to comprehend marketing and how marketing has a brutal history of praying on our insecurities and our wallets. You know exactly what I am talking about – companies convince you that you need a thing to be beautiful or awesome or sexy. Even more sad, is that there has been a shift in marketing that exploits feminist ideologies, and now more and more products and companies are telling us that “yeah you’re beautiful the way you are, but use our products because they’ll help you feel as beautiful as you are” (Dove Real Beauty campaign anyone?).

Even MORE exploitative in my opinion are the companies that are using stances on sexuality and gender identity to get your money – but that’s another post about gender in the makeup industry for another day.

So how does this all fall back onto social media? Social media, in my opinion, is very personal and very proud. We use social media to show ourselves of and to express ourselves and show our lives. Social media is arguably a personal thing, but now that so many people are living their lives on social media openly and getting paid for it, companies are using them as their their own personal marketing campaigns.

If you follow any beauty influencer on youtube, instagram, or snapchat I can promise you you’ve seen a PR haul or a PR unboxing at some point. I’ve touched on it before, but these types of relationships influencers have with brands are definitely a two-way street, and it benefits the influencer to show off a company’s products as much as it benefits the company for getting the free exposure. And because you can get this kind of exposure and wealth just for being cool on the internet, many people are making social media their jobs, which makes us as their viewers and subscribers sort-of their paychecks.

I have basically accepted this as just part of the “beauty community”, and I am so numb to it that as much as I might admire specific influencers, their product recommendations no longer tend to sway me just based on the overload of it all.

What really has put the final nail in the coffin for me, though, is these crazy PR vacations that makeup companies have not only be sending large amounts of influencers on, but have been paying them to go on as well (and when I say pay, I’m talking like college tuition kind of paying). Tarte sent a bunch of influencers to Bora Bora over the holidays, Benefit recently sent basically the same people to Necker Island, and Urban Decay just hooked up a Coachella extravaganza last weekend for a bunch of influencers that I could not get away from on instagram.

I realize at this point I sound like I’m jealous and that I’m just lashing out because like 20 people read my blog and most of the people who follow my instagram are my friends – but what honestly is driving me nuts is this exclusive “cool kids club” that these companies are creating by investing in these influencers more than their customers. You can best believe that the entire time these influencers are on these trips they are posting on all their social media, and especially posting about how great those companies and their products are. Can you honestly tell me, that even if the products are good, that their opinions might not even in the slightest be influenced by all the free stuff?

Now the message becomes “don’t you want to be pretty and cool like these people? buy these products so you can be pretty and cool too” – and these people aren’t even buying these products! In fact, in a lot of videos, you might even hear some of them complaining they weren’t sent new products fast enough! Seriously?!!! Not to mention, anyone else trying to be a “beauty blogger” or youtuber or anything like that is now being held to these crazy standards that these other, famous influeners are creating, when social media is supposed to be open to everyone in the first place.

Again – I have the common sense to navigate all this BS, but what about the young guys and girls who are saving up their paychecks to get these items being peddled to us in such an aggressive marketing campaign? What about the fact that companies are spending money sending influencers new sneakers, Beats by Dre, and on expensive trips, then pushing out non-stop mediocre quality products for these people to then push on to us? Where is the consumer value for the things we buy? It’s not like they have created the last blush collection you’ll ever need and now we need to celebrate – its generic, same as everything else stuff that is going to get lost with the rest of your generic stuff.

What is also sad is the pressure newer, lesser known, or indie companies must feel to contribute to this social media mean girl’s club as well, or else they stand no chance at surviving. There are so many great quality brands that are not getting the recognition they deserve, probably because they aren’t sending huge free PR packages to people who are going to open them up on snapchat, act grateful, then move on to the next thing to unpack just to give away all the extra stuff they don’t want in giveaways that make it seem like they are “giving back” to their followers.

Where are OUR free trips as the people who actually pay these companies’ bills? Where is the investment back into high-quality products that can last and be worth the money we are spending, as opposed to the onslaught of “limited edition” hyped up garbage that you’ll end up putting away in a drawer when the new best thing ever comes out.

Yet again, through marketing, we are once again indirectly, bordering on subliminally, being told that to be as cool as these influencers (who tend to be greatly lacking in diversity, just saying) that we need to be using the same products they use, and it’s infuriating and insulting to consumer intelligence.

I am speaking from an honest place of frustration, because I tend to fall for this. I constantly fall into the hype of new products and end up filling my drawers with stuff I simply do not need. I am sure if you read my beauty blog or any other beauty blog you might do this too. This is why if you take anything from my blog or my recommendations or any upcoming series I just truly want to stress that I am writing from a love of makeup, and I hope you are taking everything you see online in the beauty world, including my posts, with a grain of salt and are making up your own thoughts and opinions and doing your own research at the end of the day.

This is why I really felt like this post was a necessary prelude to any posts or reviews to come. Because you know what? After that trip to Bora Bora, I don’t see any of those same people using that Tarte palette they were pushing. Coincidence?

I can’t imagine I’m the only person getting sick of all of this, either. I think that’s why there is now a new generation of gossip/drama channels on youtuber trying desperately to show everyone just how much these influencers and companies are praying off you.

Anyway, rant aside, just remember at the end of the day to think before you purchase. I know that sounds hypocritical of me, but I just recently went through all of my makeup, organized it, and got a huge box of donations together for Project Beauty Share. I am trying to make a positive change, I hope you can think about what it means to be a smart consumer as well.

Have a great rest of the week, and I will (hopefully) have a new post up this weekend! As always, thanks for all the support and thank you to everyone who takes the time to read my posts and have really awesome conversations with me about the things I write about!

-Lacie ❤︎❤︎❤︎