This weekend, as I was scrolling through my Instagram, I kept on seeing posts with the hashtag #friendswithbenefits. Apparently, Benefit Cosmetics has some new product out and decided to take a bunch of influencers to the desert in the hopes that we will begin to care about their products again.
Ouch….I’m feeling feisty today.
But seriously, I hate that. I mean, I really, really hate that. I hate Benefit for suggesting that we are all so gullible into thinking that throwing a bunch of our favorite gurus into the desert for an impromptu “Out of this World” photo shoot is going to make me want to buy their shitty new mascara. The same goes for all those beauty gurus who go on these expensive trips. How stupid do you think we are?
To be honest, I would have bought their mascara before I saw all this stupidity over my feed. I mean, I LOVE mascara. I can practically have philosophical discussions about mascara and which types of bristles are best for full or thin lashes and whether a curved wand will really help curl your lashes or not. So it’s not their mascara that turned me off, it’s the total waste of money that went into this trip.
I get that beauty trips are just part of their marketing campaigns, but come on! I would love to see a beauty brand use all that money they spent on wining and dining these gurus, and maybe donate it to help Hurricane victims. Yeah, last I checked, loads of people still don’t have a place to live in yet in Houston and the Florida Keys. Same goes for all those people who lost their homes during the Caifornia wildfires. Why not go to a hospital and do makeovers on cancer victims? I’m sure they would appreciate the pick me up.
Heck, if you really want to take these people on a getaway, why not bring them to Puerto Rico and donate some much needed feminine hygiene products, along with some feel good makeup, to all the woman in the island who STILL don’t have power and are still pulling their drinking water from the rivers. I would love to see pictures of all these influencers putting their fame and power for the greater good of humanity.
And this is not to say that they have not already donated millions of dollars towards these causes and many other charities, but I want to see those posts pepper my Instagram every now and then rather than a random pic of XYZ guru enjoying her continental breakfast poolside in their private cabana. I mean, if they can possibly encourage just 1 fangirl into donating her time or the money she will spend on yet another mascara towards a good cause, wouldn’t that be worth it?
It’s just so damn excessive and I just don’t like it. I think it’s so much more genuine if they would showcase the damn mascara that they received via PR (which is fine!) on their channel, try it on, give me their first and final impressions. But why the hell are you posting a picture of your backside in a bikini?
WTF? Aren’t you there for mascara?? Why are you showing me your butt?
Trust me, I know it’s just make up. It’s not world peace I’m writing about myself, so I get how some might accuse me of being hypocritical, but I don’t make any money off this blog. My full time job is not taking selfies and writing my thoughts on the latest Too Faced palette. I do this because I love makeup and writing provides me a creative outlet. I’m not saying these gurus don’t feel the same way, but I have about .0006% of followers compared to all those gurus who went on this Benefit trip, so when you have that kind of influence, why not use it to make a small difference in the world?
Anyways, like I said. I was feeling a little feisty today, so please excuse the rant.
Till next time, my friends.
Maritza
The Beauty Swatcher 