I admire Bethenny Frankel. I realize that outspoken women don’t get good press sometimes, and Bethenny is known for being outspoken. But I like her brains and marketing savvy. She would be a fascinating and interesting woman to have dinner with and I bet I would learn a lot. She’s also got a great sense of humor which is always a plus in my book.
Lately she has taken to reviewing skin care and cosmetic products on her Instagram channel. Her point is that packaging and marketing can create millions of dollars in sales for products that aren’t all that great. Her second point is that influencers can make millions from recommending products through sponsored advertising, or create their own products that are not good but cash in on the celebrity status of the influencer.
Humans have been helping (or hurting) each other with word-of-mouth referrals since time began. Word of mouth is the one best, most solid advertising any business owner can get. We all ask around to find good names when we need a referral for home services or a doctor or a new hairdresser. It’s just the nature of things. Bethenny is pointing out that this can be bastardized when people of influence recommend a product, not based on how good it is but on how much he or she was paid to promote it.
What Bethenny is doing
Bethenny decided to use her Instagram channel to test out celebrity cosmetic brands, low end brands, designer brands – anything she could get her hands on and try. She says that she has always known good skin care products but wanted to learn for herself more about makeup, cosmetic products. And she wanted to see what was hyped and what was good. You can go to her Instagram to see all of her videos about the products, both bad and good. She also posts her reviews on TikTok.
Bethenny’s “worth it” list
Like Bethenny I have always been a student of good skin care, but unlike her I almost never wear makeup. I’ve never thought it was good for one’s skin. So while my skin care product drawer is full of superior, 5 star products I’ve known and used all my life I don’t even have a drawer for makeup. But I also know that over my lifetime cosmetics have become much better at offering good skincare as well as makeup so I was curious about what Bethenny is recommending.
So I took an afternoon and patiently watched quite a few of Bethenny’s Instagram posts, and I created a short list of her “good” products. I didn’t list the “these aren’t worth it” products. You can download her list by leaving your name and email below. I’ll send it right to you, and you can add to the list yourself as she does more reviews.
I’m fascinated that she did this. It’s a smart move on her part as I’m sure she’s gotten more viewers and engagement on her social channels, which benefits her own celebrity status. At the same time she has added something of value to her channels and helped women (and men) who are interested in her take on good skin care and make-up products.
Will her list change what I’ve done for most of my life? Probably not that much. I will probably try a few of her skin care recommendations and I might try a few of her recommendations for makeup. For the most part I believe in taking the time to do daily facial cleansing, use top notch products that are a match for your own skin, and being consistent every single day of the year. Oh, and using a physician-recommended sun screen, too!
I hope you enjoy Bethenny’s list. Personally, I appreciate her doing this and it’s been fun to watch her videos and create this short list. Have fun!
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