DISCUSSION | THE LEGITIMACY OF FINGER SWATCHING

It's Sunday and I wanted to have a little discussion with you all because I am actually dying to know what you think of this. Not too long ago Kevin James, a well-known celebrity makeup artist, posted on Instagram (see above) discussing the legitimacy of finger swatching. I know, as of late, many big name influencers and even bloggers have come under fire for "selling out". In other words, promoting products that don't live up to the claims because they are paid to or affiliated with them. I don't know if this is true but the constant speculation is getting tiresome. There's just no trust anymore. I would say if you harbour any doubt unsubscribe, but at the same time we are not mindless consumers. We are all capable of making our own decision to buy or pass on a product based on the information available, I don't think anyone should hold up one source as their sole guide. I posted his caption below so you can see his valid argument. He does call out "influencers" in particular, which makes me think he is specifically directing this comment at the YouTube community. I do understand what Kevin is saying. I have seen countless videos where the YouTuber literally swirls their finger in a product for a minute straight and then waxes poetic on how creamy and pigmented it is. Bullshit. We all know because for that one YouTuber there are a thousand, that will tell you the truth, albeit with a smaller following.

I have to say I did have an initial defensive reaction to this because I always take finger swatches of eyeshadow palettes and other powder products, even foundations actually and I categorically do not feel like I am lying to my readers at all. I admit it is not the same as a brush swatch, but you can definitely tell the difference between a good and bad shadow from a finger swatch as long as they are all produced in the same way. To explain, the reason I do finger swatches is because they are easier for me. Truly, I think my finger swatches are honest and sufficient. I don't use primer, I touch the product once with my fingertip and swipe it once on the inside of my arm or the back of my hand. I do know there are bloggers out there that build up swatches because they just look better in photos and good images draw more traffic to your site. Fact. But let's be honest my photos aren't winning any prizes so the very least I can do is be honest with you. Many, if not all, will still share their opinion in their post and say that they had to build up the product and they wouldn't buy it again etc. 

Honestly, all I want is for everyone to be honest. The power imbalance is what gets to me the most, it is skewed towards the influencer and brand. It makes me weary because although we all make our own minds up in the end, a lot of them have a young, impressionable following. It's not fair that their money gets caught in the crossfire (or mine for that matter) to line the pockets of people that don't give a damn and by that I mean both the brands and influencers. Makeup and new products used to be so much fun and now every release is received with righteous skepticism. Collaborations make me sick to my stomach and every time a cosmetics company takes a plane full of YouTubers to Bora Bora I feel like I have been robbed. We're customers, we're not paying for your holidays or your shipping fees when you send every available product to big names and then post half-ass apologies when your paying customers don't receive theirs or you sell out in "three minutes". 

Wow, sorry, no idea where that came from. So what do you think about this finger swatching malarkey as both a reader and a blogger as long as I trust the content creator I couldn't care less. I appreciate channels like Stephanie Nicole because I think she understands the level of distrust because she feels it herself and that's why she takes her channel so seriously and I love it. She has earned my respect and admiration and I think she is a cut above the rest. Please let me know what you think in the comments, apologies for my mini rant. I love you all, thank you so much for putting up with my shit. I have been ill for the past four days and feel awful, sorry for being so absent. I hope you all had a great weekend. Thank you for reading, it means so much to me. Take care. 

How do you feel about the legitimacy of finger swatching?

Love ❤

Kiran

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