Are the message boards dead?

[itscarin]

Just a casual observation here but it seems like there aren't as many new posts as there used to be.  Is this just me or does it seem that way to other people, too?  Don't get me wrong, I know a lot of the new posts used to be the same topic over and over again, but it seems a little dead around here.  You can tell me if it's just me!  🙂

[Tarabotti]

A lot of people have either lost jobs or have had to adjust their budgets due to the pandemic. It's hard to justify spending $100 on an eyeshadow palette when there are other bills to pay. Some people discovered that they might have been using buying make up as a 'fix' for something missing in their lives. The pandemic made them take inventory of what was going on and maybe try to solve their problems in a different way.

Working from home also might translate into wearing less make up. No need for a full face for Zoom meetings. Wearing masks means that you can't really wear lipsticks for most of the day (I miss my reds!). I feel that the anxiety level has increased tremendously so people might not feel like going on message boards. 

[KateGreen]

I come to lurk sometimes but Ive been buying direct as I feel there are better deals and way better samples included with the package

[itscarin]

@KateGreen No kidding!  Pat McGrath did 35% off for orders over a certain threshold last week.  A few weeks before she did 30% off all orders with no min spend.  Last week I just bought the Natasha Denona Biba and Triochrome palettes for $145 *total* which is like 44% off.  I got my mom something she asked for from the Strivectin direct website, which had great sets, and was 30% off and came with 1 deluxe sample and 3 foils.  Fresh, Biossance, and Farmacy have all been doing amazing deals, too, and I've got Amex offers from all of them on my card.  What was the best deal you saw at a brand's website so far?  I think the best thing I saw was the Tarte Maneater face palette that normally retails for $30 but was on sale for $10 on Tarte's site.  I could talk about the sales all day!

[KateGreen]

Wow! That's some great deals. I shopped charlotte tilbury and they were offering full sized eye pallets, lip sticks and other goodies with purchase of $125. I'm still waiting on 3 sephora orders to ship from weeks ago. Ulta shipped my order and shampoo opened all over everything in the box. 

[nhunka]

It is funny you should post this because I noticed this too.

I think people are also buying much less from Sephora than a few years ago. I have been shopping here since 2014. Normally, most holiday/great value sets would be sold out during VIB/Rouje 20%/15% off and some would be sold out before during friends and family week. 

Now I see many amazing sets still in stock. They would be sold out even without the additional discounts that Sephora is offering lately but now they are still in stock. I am very surprised fresh sets are still available, even at discount. 

I think people have been trying to consume less and use up what they have. Personally, I was a Rouge in 2014-2017, then did not even hit VIB until this year. 

[itscarin]

@nhunka Yes, I’m definitely buying less, looking at decluttering more, and shopping at other retailers besides Sephora. I picked up the biba and triochrome ND palettes from ND direct for $145, so they were almost half off. Then I picked up huetopian dream for 30% off from pmg direct earlier this month. I’m definitely not making rouge this year and I don’t think I’ll miss it next year.

I know everyone complained in the past about there not being a distinction between tiers, so Sephora responded by keeping rouge benefits the same and chipping away at the other tiers. Now the benefits are so minimal for the lower tiers that they’re completely incentivized to shop elsewhere. 

::shrug::  I know some people say they prefer to shop Sephora for whatever reasons but I prefer chasing the best deal.  If I can buy the same item from Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, or Saks, I’m going with whomever has the lowest price or is doing the most cash back in loyalty points. 

[nhunka]

I discovered SoKo Glam last year and am amazed at their point system. You get 50 pts per review of a purchased item, it only takes 200 points for  a full sized product. 400 points gets you $20 off. 

Sephora need to step up their game. 

[haleyvvvv]

I think for me (having just been away for like 5-6 weeks), that the pandemic has just made everything take so much time/effort to complete, so some things fall to the wayside. And now that things where I am are returning even more to "normal" which is stressful as a high risk person (even through I'm vaccinated), as well as feeling I need to catch up on productivity for the past year and half, so I don't feel like I have a lot bandwidth. Even though this is a fun thing to be in the BIC, it takes more effort than reading or scrolling through instagram while watching youtube/tv, so it can be hard to motivate myself to do it during any spare time I have (the same with video games, which I really like, but are a bit more involved than just passively watching things). 🤷‍♀️ I hope it picks up again, @itscarin!! 

[itscarin]

@haleyvvvv @You know I never stay logged in so having to login is a barrier to entry for me sometimes. 

re being vaccinated— I just found this out a few weeks ago: two Pfizer shots are only 46% effective after 6 months. I’m “fully vaccinated” but not really because I need a third Pfizer shot. 

and re effort— I’ve been meaning to get my shot but it’s just so much effort. I signed up online then got to the pharmacy the next day and they didn’t have my info. So I had to fill out a paper form. Then they wanted my insurance info, which I didn’t have on me, so I couldn’t get the shot. I know it all seems like minor stuff but when you never leave the house it proportionately is a lot of effort!

[haleyvvvv]

Omg, exactly!! when I started having to go back into work on a more consistent basis, getting out of the house was such a hurdle, @itscarin!! (Which is obviously a privileged place to be where I didn't have to be physically going to work all of the time). The activation energy required to do anything is just so high for me right now. 

[riverbirch1967]

I have had to really cut back on spending, with the current world crisis of economics. Maybe that has some things to do with it?

[riverbirch1967]

I think Covid killed a lot of buying new things, since no one could go to a store and look around (online isn't often enough). So now things should kick back up. The key is getting people to know that.

[pocketvenus]

As an aside, I don't think this is just a BIC thing. A lot of message board communities have folded as people moved over to Facebook and other social media platforms. The thing is, I find a lot of people find spending time on social makes them anxious and unhappy but the algorithms are really good at keeping people addicted and from participating in less fractious online spaces. The old message boards of yore never felt addictive to me the way these new platforms do. I often see people my age missing older platforms. Things were more pleasant, safer, better moderated. You could have more in-depth, nuanced discussions. You could write things without risking a pile-on of strangers harassing you.

[nhunka]

You must be younger than me because as a young Millenial I remember there being no moderation at all and missing those forums. Everything seems more censored nowadays. 

[itscarin]

@nhunka Ok, I remember getting on the internet back in 1996.  That was the real wild wild west!  Haha!

[pocketvenus]

@nhunka I think there's a difference between human moderation, which reddit still has but good community boards used to have and the algorithmic moderation we see today. I'm not sure I'd call what I see today as moderation but yes, the censorship is far, far stronger now.

[greeneyedgirl107]

Another thing that's stymying me is that before the updates, I was able to copy and paste online pics.  Now, 99% of them won't copy and paste; and, most of them don't seem to work when I try to upload the URL.  I have to save online pics now, then upload them.  I usually just give up.  It could be an issue with my desktop...IDK.

[itscarin]

@greeneyedgirl107 You know what I hate most about this format?  When I go to reply to someone it opens a new page and I can't see the whole context of the conversation; just that one thread I'm replying to.  So everything feels more like a one-on-one conversation than a group conversation because everything is happening in a bubble, and it feels like you have to @ someone every time to get their attention, otherwise it's like you're kind of talking to yourself, even if you replied to their message!

[greeneyedgirl107]

@itscarin Yes - that's a good point!  There are times when I want to reference multiple posts, but can't see them b/c it just displays the one I'm replying to.  It's inconvenient b/c you have to get all the info in you heard - the usernames, the products, the comments.  I find myself clicking back and forth -- or not, and just winging it.

[pocketvenus]

@greeneyedgirl107 Not sure if this will fix anything but the url needs terminates in a file format that's recognized by the software - I find with a lot of links now, I need to delete extra stuff on the end.