About SoundlySensibleBeauty

I get alot of questions about why I do things the way I do here at SoundlySensibleBeauty and this is my attempt at a preemptive explanation to help you understand my method behind the madness! If there's anything else you want to know please contact me at SoundlySensibleBeauty@gmail.com!

Purpose of SoundlySensibleBeauty

SoundlySensibleBeauty differs from other cosmetics sites because the purpose is twofold; the first and foremost priority of SoundlySensibleBeauty is to provide readers with realistic, Cruelty Free alternatives to their favorite products. This can only be done through performance and formulary comparisons that require me to be familiar with products that are tested on animals so that I can accurately recommend products which aren't. For more information about my process and how I do this without contributing to Animal Cruelty, please visit my page about animal testing here.

The second goal of SoundlySensibleBeauty is to find truly innovative and unique cosmetic products to recommend. Unfortunately, the vast majority of formulas out there can fit neatly in to one of only a few different categories of makeup. When this happens, I will suggest alternatives that are not only Cruelty Free, but are also safe for your skin and (ideally) a fraction of the cost!

Using Swatches of Shades

One of the first impressions people have when they hear the term "internet swatches" is that there is no way they are going to be an accurate portrayal of a shade and they will be useless in finding a match. Its entirely true that monitors, lighting, and photograph quality can all impact how an image appear. In addition to that, skin type, skin care, and things like setting powder can all affect a products performance and potentially lead to (or prevent) things like oxidation. 

Because of all these variables, the most important thing to remember when using internet swatches is that you may not find the best shade match for your skin, but hopefully, you will be able to find the best shade of the swatched product for your skin. This is why I will always swatch every shade available to me so that readers are able to compare the different options!

Reviews

All of my reviews are done by thoroughly comparing a product to the thousands of other products I have tried and sharing the results. I will always consider the quality, the manufacturer, the shade range, and the price, (in addition to if the product is Cruelty Free) and I will describe the performance of the product to the best of my abilities but I am not a makeup artist and your results may vary if you are exceptionally skilled with makeup application.

I always try to consider different skin types and skin tones when evaluating a product and I try to convey that indiscriminately. I have very light, normal skin which serves as an advantage because I can "simulate" dry skin or oily skin by using different skincare products in order to get a more accurate idea of how a product will perform with those conditions.

For skincare ingredients, I am not an expert and I will often check sites like Paula Begoun's Beautypedia to see if her team has noted any potentially irritating ingredients or safety concerns, but they are not my sole source of information and my reviews will often vary from theirs, especially for makeup products which are much more subjective!

Photography 

I am constantly doing my best to improve the quality of photos so please bear with me! I will always try to photograph a product when it is first applied but my main focus is on the product once it sets since that is essentially the shade users will be wearing!

Ownership & Use of Content

If you would like to copy any of the photos or text posted on SoundlySensibleBeauty, you are more than welcome to use it provided you don't remove any ownership tags in the photos and you link back to SoundlySensibleBeauty. If you are featuring any original content in a blog, vlog or website, I would appreciate being told about it but that's not mandatory by any means! 

Before & After Photos

I don't like to do Before & After photos for several reasons, but mainly because I think that they're very very tricky to do in a totally impartial manner and there are too many variables that can affect the finished result such as application, time of day, skin condition,and shade match to name a few, and personally, my techniques just aren't consistent enough to warrant that kind of responsibility! There are many bloggers and vloggers out there who do great before & after pictures and videos and I would recommend checking them out before relying on a company produced presentation!