How long before you form an opinion on a New Product?

Make up a few times on application & skincare depending on the product 4-6 weeks so see SOME kind of improvement.

three months for skincare.

makeup a week.

Skincare – I’ll wait anywhere between 2-4 weeks to see if (a) I react to anything & (b) I get any results. Sometimes it takes a while for results to show, especially with serums & that. If I do react to something I’ll give it a rest for a few days before re-introducing it, just to see if it’s that product that’s causing the problem. More often than not it’s the product’s fault.

I’ve had to stop using a serum recently (Rohr Remedy’s Kakadu Plum Vitamin C serum FYI) because it was breaking me out in my T-zone, which sucks because it wasn’t cheap & the packaging was already faulty to begin with (the serum is too damn thick to be pumped out of my bottle). I’m really inclined to chuck it rather than pass it on tbh.

Makeup & Hair – generally anywhere up to 5 uses is enough for me to know whether or not I like something. Again, I will perservere if the product was expensive just so I can get rid of it; but there are times where I cut my losses & pass it on, provided it’s not an eye makeup product. Those things I just chuck out instead.

I usually wait 2 months, especially with make-up. Always interesting to see if pigment fades or reactions occur

Skincare,

Generally 4-6 weeks, as long as no bad reactions. Sometimes certain products just don’t feel right earlier. Like if you skin doesn’t feel hydrated and dries out etc.

In terms of haircare, probably a few weeks for a shampoo and longer for a treatment to allow for time to see results.

Make up – usually fairly close to after one use or a few uses.

I try for a minimum of one month for face products. If the product isn´t doing anything after two months I´ll start looking for something else. If the product is an expensive one, I´ll stretch it out to three months cos I feel bad for wasting it. I do find though that natural products take a lot more time to work, so I have to stick with those for a lot longer to see the results. For example, it took about two months for me to see the benefits of almond oil and shea butter on my skin, compared to a normal skin cream which seemed to work in the first two weeks. BUT after a month use of the normal skin cream, it actually started drying my skin out even though initially it seemed really moisturising.

With skincare I give ideally a month before I form an opinion as to whether it is effective/suited or not.
Haircare such as shampoos, conditioners, leave in treatments and masks generally after a couple of uses I can see if it is doing anything for my hair (or causing damage/not suited)
Makeup I would give a week minimum, to test what is the best way of using and removing, how well it wears and performs.
Body products such as moisturisers, shower gels etc I can generally see whether it is going to be effective or not within the first few uses.

I can judge some things on first use – like the scent, texture and compatibility with other products (like pilling).

A few days for things like causing irritation or getting breakouts (if I know I’ve not used anything new but that one product).

Other things like “claims” eg, reduces puffiness, pigmentation, fine lines etc that takes 6-12 weeks for an answer and even then it’s hard to judge for myself unless I’ve taken before/after shots.

I’m capable of having a reaction to anything – often very quickly, sometimes over 5 days so discontinue use if I have any issue immediately. Often I can tell by sniffing the product it isn’t for me.

I won’t persevere if something is useless after a month. Eye gels/creams I think need 3 months but should feel lovely from the beginning. The serum I have used for some years now, Springfield’s Rose Gel Serum, made a difference to my skin the first use as it felt so calming and lovely and continued to assist from the first use.

The product I have had most amazing results from was a Trial Team item, Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist Pro Rapid Firm + Lift Treatment. I couldn’t believe how quickly it showed results and I still love it, some months down the track.

I stick with skincare for at least a month if my skin doesn’t react negatively to it, except for cleanser which I can usually tell if I like it or not from a few uses. I will use the whole product up if I don’t mind it but I won’t repurchase.

With makeup, again, I can tell if I like it after a few uses. If I really dislike how the product goes on, it goes in the bin (I don’t have any one to give my opened products to). If I don’t mind it, I will try to use it up.

Of course, for both categories I also factor in how much I spent on the product. If I dropped a bomb on something (hardly ever), I will keep going with it until it is all gone so I don’t completely waste my money (unless it breaks me out). I’m more likely to chuck something cheap than something more expensive.