Grading Guidelines Update, Version 2.0

This blog is a learning experience for me, and one of the things that I'm always trying to improve (besides my photography) is the grading system.  I've decided that basing 40% of the grade on the price and value of a product is too limiting; this means that even great products like the theBalm Balmbini palette get not-so-great grades.  In addition, I've come to appreciate more how important scent and feel are to the overall experience and quality of a product.  Nothing turns me off a lipstick faster than that plasticky drugstore smell, while a light tingle from mint is a welcome addition (please don't douse me with it, though [Noxzema, said in my best scolding mother voice]).  Soooo, I've decided to tweak the grading guidelines I use, yet again.  I'm not going to go back and change all the grades of things right now [I may eventually, though no promises!], though I will update the most-viewed and palette posts shortly.  My hope is that the new guidelines will give a better representation of the product's virtues and vices, and help you make a more informed decision about whether it's worth your time and money.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, here's the new guidelines, along with a short description of what each criterion means, and the amount the score is out of.  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! As noted before, I was inspired by Temptalia's grading scheme.

Quality (how good do I think the product is, overall; how well do all the aspects come together): 10
Effectiveness (does it do what it says it does): 5
Ease of Use (how much work does it take to make it work): 5
Senses (how does it smell, taste, and feel when worn; does it irritate in any way): 5
Pigmentation (is it evenly pigmented, at a level congruent to what it should be): 5
Duration (how long does it last): 5
Consistency (is it smooth and blendable): 5

Price (how expensive is it, taking into account the price of other similar products, regardless of quality): 5

Value (how much product do you get, compared to other similar products, and is the product any good): 5

Packaging (only really good or really bad packaging will get a score here; is it durable packaging, does it protect the product, is it easy to use, etc.): 0
Total: 50


There's more categories by which I'll evaluate products now, and I really hope that helps give the best reflection of the product possible.

So!  Questions?  Comments?  Jokes?

Grading Guidelines Update

I've decided to modify the parameters I use to grade products just a smidge: the nebulous "quality" score will be out of 10 now instead of the previous 15, and the remaining 5 will go towards an "ease of use" score, reflecting how much hassle proper application and use of the product is.  I'll go back and modify most of the scores I've given so far, which may change the grades somewhat, but my hope is that I will now be able to give a more accurate reflection of my opinion of the product.  For the original explanation of the guidelines, see here.  Okay, back to regularly scheduled programming!

Grading Guidelines

I am inspired in part by Temptalia's awesome grading schema, but I've tweaked it a little for my own use.  The categories I evaluate are:

Price (out of 10): How painful do I find the price?  Since I'm on a college student's budget and have very little money, I like low initial costs.  Also taken into account are the general price range for the product; a $10 eyeliner would receive a lower score than a $10 foundation, just because eyeliners are generally cheaper than foundation.  The price for evaluation is the amount I paid for it (or, similarly, the cheapest it can be found on eBay, Beauty Ticket, or All Cosmetics Wholesale), not the amount it retails for in stores, unless, of course, they happen to overlap.

A 10 would be given to straight-up cheap products (say, a $1 Wet 'n Wild eyeliner), as well as to cheap-for-their-category products (like a $6 foundation) and cheaper-than-usual items (like a $5 Smashbox lipstick), while a 1 would go to extreme luxury products (the likelihood of me ever giving out a 1 is really slim!) like a Guerlain Gems lipstick ($46) or Le Metier de Beauté eyeshadow ($30).

Value (out of 10): How much product do you get for the price?  If it has a higher initial cost but you get enough to last forever (as with, say, the older Benefit boxed powders [which I still wouldn't buy full-priced!]), the product will get a good score here, as long as the quality is there, too.  If you get a ton of product, but it's terrible, that's not great value, either, though it will lose points under quality, not value, if that's the case.  Low-scoring products for value would be those that have offensively little product for the price (like the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick, $18 for 0.03 oz, when most lipsticks are 0.10+ oz--and yes, I realize it's a hybrid lipliner/lipstick, but that's no excuse for such a tiny amount!).

Quality (out of 15): Is it a good product?  Is it something I will actually want to use?  A product can get a great score in price and value, but terrible in quality, if it's cheap with a lot of product, but the product is bad and you'd never want to use it up.  This is a pretty nebulous category, but I hope that over time I'll be able to figure out what things really make a "quality" product; until then, I'll be sure to explain my rationale thoroughly.

Pigmentation (out of 5): Is the product as pigmented as it claims to be?  If it's supposed to be a full-coverage foundation, is it?  If it's supposed to be a sheer lipstick, is it?  Does it apply evenly?

Duration (out of 5): Does it last at least as long as it claims it will?  There are few things more annoying than wearing a "stain" only to realize it wears off in an hour.

Consistency (out of 5): Does it apply nicely, and feel nice on?  Nobody wants to wear something that feels icky on--grainy lipgloss, I'm looking at you!

Packaging (bonus points only): I don't care much about packaging, and since I gravitate towards cheaper things, I didn't want this measurement to bring down the scores of otherwise great products.  However, awesome packaging is great, so if something is truly stellar in its presentation, I'll give it 1 or 2 extra points.

Buy again?: Pretty self-explanatory; this doesn't count towards the score, but it will serve as a nice reminder for myself as to whether something is worth repurchasing.

I hope that helps clarify things a little!  It's certainly helpful for me to have a more concrete set of rules for how I want to evaluate products.

Note: These guidelines are really only applicable for makeup; skincare will either have a different set, or will have only prose explanation.