About

Bella Noir Beauty started out as the answer to a question I would always get on a daily basis – what did you do to your hair?

It is now a thriving source of information for beauty, hair, and skin care. You can look forward to honest, detailed, quality, and relevant reviews and opinions on all things beauty!

How I review products

When I first started blogging, I would just write what I felt at the time. Fast forward many years later, as I noticed increased traffic to the blog, I decided there should be a method to my madness. I now format my reviews as categories, where I can thoroughly discuss different aspects of the products. I may venture away from this format if I am discussing more than one product in a single post.

I’ve streamlined the review process to basic breakdowns of what I think is important when considering a product. I believe in positive and negative reviews and always make sure to include a “What Could Be Better” category on reviews. This allows me to be reasonably critical of every product, and makes me feel like my reviews are more reliable. There are times where I can’t think of anything reasonable to complain about and will say so in those posts. I’ll also say that Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV), especially in skincare products! I recently included the Joy Factor category because a product can be lackluster in performance but still sparks joy in something else about it, for example, packaging. In contrast, there could be a product that performs well, but is boring in every other way. This is what that category was meant to express.

Makeup: It doesn’t usually take me very long to test makeup products; usually a day or two depending on the nature of the product (whether it’s a foundation or a color product, or makes skincare-related claims, which would take me longer).

Skincare: It takes me longer to review skincare products than it does for makeup because of the benefits associated with taking care of your skin. For products that are simply providing moisture (such as a moisturizing toner or a first or second moisturizer, it doesn’t usually take me more than a week. For products that may have anti-aging, brightening, or any other skin-changing benefits associated with it, it takes me at least one month, sometimes longer, to form a solid opinion on it.

Hair: Hair products vary – a styling product doesn’t take me long to review, but something like a shampoo, conditioner, or treatment might, depending on the ingredients and claims made by the brand.

All thoughts will always be my own

I started reading blogs back in the day because they were reliable sources of information for regular people looking to investigate a product before they spend money on it. Blogs were a breath of fresh air from the magazine ads and commercials we had to depend on. When I started my blog, honesty was an important part of why I even bothered to do it and it remains that way to this day. Products reviews will always discuss my own thoughts on the product.

Affiliate Links and Sponsorships

I do occasionally post affiliate links (see this article on How Affiliate Marketing Works) to help with the maintenance and costs of keeping up with this blog. This does not in any way affect how I review and suggest products. Information on this blog and on this page may change at any time. Thoughts and opinions on this blog will always be my own. I accept sponsorships at my own discretion if the product/content is relevant and timely to the blog. If a post includes a sponsored product or is itself sponsored, it will be indicated at the end of the post.

My Skin Type

I have oily skin that lets up a bit in the winter, however, I would still consider it oily in the winter months. I am on a long-term battle with hyperpigmentation from acne, or messing with breakout bumps. I’ve experimented heavily with my skin, which I am happy to do, but boy am I paying for it! It’s getting better, though!

As far as makeup, I prefer full-coverage foundation to cover up those acne scars but can make due with medium coverage. I am on the hunt for a true tinted moisturizer for my skin tone! I’m obsessed with liquid lipsticks and currently am very much into blush.

Thanks for tuning in!

Want to get a hold of me? Shoot me an email bellanoirbeauty@gmail.com

-XX