I've got to admit, I'm a sucker for trends! I definitely get what you mean though! I think that in blogging we can get caught up in trying to please others (including PRs, other bloggers, our readers) rather than ourselves. We can think that taking every opporunity is what we should be doing - but in fact, being selective is more sensible and makes your blog more unique!

Another thing that bugs me is that as blogs are becoming fantastic platforms for brands, some bloggers are still unaware of the rules around things like links, 'sponsors' and samples. Don't get me wrong - a lot of these can be great opportunites for content and to pop on a CV or whatever floats your boat. But I feel that some brands / marketers take advantage of this sadly, as it's convenient for them to do so. Bloggers should equally read up a little on these things to ensure they're not going against Google's rules (if they want to have a decent shelf life!) and aren't being taken advantage of. Maybe that's something I should do a blog post on haha!
xx

I completely agree with this post, so many people seem to be blogging for the wrong reasons these days and it really grinds my gears!

Sophierosehearts x

This post was a really interesting read :) it does frustrate me when a load of almost identical posts pop up about a certain product - I feel like they aren't as trustworthy even though that isn't necessarily the case. That's why I quite like reading reviews longer after the products have been released - if you're writing about them a day or two after release date, how can you have given them a thorough testing? Your fashion posts, even though they include gifted items, stay true to your style and I like that :) xx
www.LaurasHaven.com

I completely agree, a few weeks ago my feed was rave reviews of the Marc Jacobs Honey perfume & they were all PR Samples. The reviews all seemed the same but just worded differently. :/ It's sad to see the people who once inspired me to blog now do it for all the wrong reasons. xx

AMEN.
I entirely agree with this post! I'm not even reading popular blogs anymore because they all talk about the same product at the same time and you can see that it's not completely honest. They're not talking about a product/item of clothing/ or whatever it is that they "truly" love and use on a regular basis or as you said that they discovered themselves.
All this blogging thing became too commercial for my liking.
I don't receive any samples as my blog is not very popular but at least I talk about things that I adore and that's been in my routine for ages. But let's stay positive! :)

Http://Lilyavenuee.blogspot.com

Well said. In addition to reviewing the same pr samples, I find that some bloggers/youtubers struggle to find their own inspiration. As soon as I saw one of my favourites review a box of cereal I new it was time to look for new bedtime viewing!

Becky | Beau Blushes

I agree with you one hundred percent! Take for example when Marc Jacobs Honey was released there was a blanket blog coverage from some more popular blogs, and I was personally excited because I love Marc Jacobs. I've been blogging for just under a year and everything I have ever featured I've bought with my own money. Sometimes I wonder if someone really likes yet another (same) shade of eyeshadow of feel they have to be nice about it as they've been sent an expensive product.
catrinteleri.blogspot.co.uk

Well said! A good post and interesting to read, but it's good to know that there are bloggers to genuinely like the products they say about, rather than just saying it for the freebies!

Hmm maybe...

This is sa great post and I agree with it all. I turned down a sponsored post yesterday because I didn't believe it suited my blog content, I have also turned down a couple of other bits because I like to only blog about something I would buy.I agree though that some "big" bloggers have far too many PR related posts and I therefore don't always believe what's written.

Great, honest post

Claudia xx

Beauty and the Chic

The one thing you've got to remember is that these more popular bloggers have to have the new bright shiny thing to stay relevant. How do you think temptalia etc. stays ahead of the game? Sometimes it's a good thing to have a greater voice on a genuinely great product. I have rarely felt as though a blogger is lying to my about their opinions just because the product was sent to them and I don't feel like it changes them either. This was a very well written post and I agree with you on some points but there is more to it.
Jennifer

I completely agree with you here - particularly on the trust issues with blogs that first inspired you. I've found that a lot of blogs that initially inspired me have actually stopped disclosing PR samples and I that's what bothers me.

Of course blogs are a great way of getting products and brands more coverage, particularly since the decline of magazines that generally just push PR samples that haven't even been tried, but there's definitely a line and some blogs do cross that.

I love this post Meg and what you say is so true. I think its so important to remember why we started blogging in the first place and bring back some of those posts and reviews that required a bit of imagination. Being a part time blogger means you only get a limited time to blog and if all of those posts have to be of samples because you've accepted them then your not going to have the time to be as inventive and could loose that magical spark. You said everything perfectly :) Fabulous post beauty xxx

Danielle || Miss Sunshine & Sparkle

I completely agree, really. I was thinking the same thing the other day, whilst going through the different blogs I follow via Bloglovin'. I admire the guts you got to write "black on white" as we say here in Italy. Well said. Hear Hear.

This is a great post, and I totally agree with you! One of my pet hates is seeing all the 'top' bloggers be sent the same thing in the same few days and then they all review it within the same 24 hours! I like reading new things, a little bit different...and I like to read honest reviews! I haven't been sent a lot of stuff to review but the handful of times I have, I like to make sure it's something I'd actually wear/use and it suits me/my wardrobe. I've bought lots of make up products I've read about on blogs and been disappointed (obviously been some out there I've loved too) but it would be nice if everything single thing wasn't 'amazing' and then (*)!

Love your blog, so keep up the good work :)

xxx

allaboutthegirlblog.blogspot.com xx

Hit the nail on the head there Megan!
I consider you to be a 'bigger'(ish) blogger and yet it's very clear that you stay true to your own opinions and content (gifted clothing at times or not, you work them your own way gurllll!) and I thank you for that :D you are a doll!
These days I seem to skip straight past blog posts which are either obviously sponsored or duplicates of other posts I've read that day on the same items, which are clearly PR samples - the Marc Jacobs 'Honey' perfume mentioned above is a good example!
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have received one myself haha, *currently own no perfume and love Marc Jacobs' 'Daisy'* but it gets a bit tedious at times - you're right, not EVERYONE can 'love' the same thing.

I'm a small blogger and as much as I'd love my blog to grow and I'd love to work with PR peeps more than I do, (less than a handful of times ever) I'll never change my style or fake an opinion to suit them; I have a very specific way of writing which quite possibly puts some companies and/or readers off, but there's no way I'd change that to suit a blog post and be dishonest.
Couldn't change my style even if I wanted to if I'm honest haha :p
My blog is what it is and I'd rather it stayed small and remained that way, than it grow but lose it's 'me-ness' in the process.

Holly Mixtures
xx

Literally feel like you've taken my thoughts straight out of my head. Really refreshing to hear and I'm so glad you took the plunge to publish this.

Respect girl!

Georgina at itotallypaused.com

It does make me wonder when I browse my bloglovin feed just how much honesty is going on, I mean, we can't all love the same thing can we. I think the key to blogging, particularly beauty blogging is to be honest to your opinion. So long as you're polite and not rude about things and offer constructive criticism then I think you're onto a winner; honesty after all is the best policy.

When I started off blogging I reviewed everything I had which I had purchased with my own money. I personally don't think there is anything wrong with receiving pr samples as they do come with time but they are certainly not the reason why I ever got involved with writing about beauty.

I agree with you on reading newer blogs, I do it all of the time :) plus, it is a great way to find new favourites!

Amy x
-A Little Boat Sailing-

Ive been thinking the exact same thing recently. Where is it going to end and where will it lead to. Makes me almost wonder if blogging is going to have a shelf life as after a while, there will be far too many opinions, too much choice and too much propaganda. I too do not read my once favoured blogs as much, as they are just one big PR advertisement. Literally. But then again, when you work so hard on a blog, you do feel as though the odd sponsored post or sample is a little reward for it. I spend almost half the day every single day writing and updating my blog. Whilst I work full time. Sometimes I need that extra boost of income or a lovely dress to just make me feel as though my no social life is worth it. But I always make sure every review or item I show, is something I do rate or love. And I have found myself turning away samples because it is just getting too much and I don't want to sell out. What blogs will be in a years time will be entirely different to now and Im scared of what that is actually going to be.

Wonderful writing Megs, as always, oh wise one xx
Inthefrow xx

Great post! I completely agree with everything you said, and it was so good to actually read that someone else has been thinking the exact same as you. Some bloggers seem to only be in it for the freebies, which is kinda pointless to me. And it gets to a point where, if loads of bloggers have been gifted the same product, I just stop reading reviews on it because they all sound pretty much the same. Luckily, I've found a couple of blogs where even though something was a PR sample, you can tell it's an honest review they've given so I always stick to them now when it comes to new or upcoming product xx

D Is For...

Hi Meg..
I Totally agree with what you've written !! That's def the reason why I don't follow (on my instagram and blog) after those 'top' bloggers, but I look for honest!!
I wrote 'top' in ' ' because I do follow huge bloggers cut only if they are honest!

I like Oprah's quote..( And your blog !! =] )
xx
Nitsan

Hallelujah! THIS. I just find that blogs have a blueprint now on how they should be run - their look, their content - it all seems so formulaic. I like you see all these bloggers with these amazing opportunies and sometimes wished I'd started similarly, doing reviews etc. But I like being proud of my content and writing things in my style about things I genuinely believe are important. That's not to say I don't think beauty and fashion are wonderful things, I completely love reading them. But it does feel like a lot of things are losing their integrity, and I find this a lot with youtube soon. And it won't go on forever, which is why staying true to yourself is so important.
Thanks for this great post. x

I can tell almost instantly why someone blogs (call it my bloggy senses, or whatever you fancy!), or at least the ones who have gone in it for the free stuff. And, I'm not sure about you, but the moment I notice the weirdest things popping up in posts (erm, would you really wear a bright wig to work?) that I start to wonder why people have chosen to accept an item. I don't know whether this is because I'm in the current mindset that my blog is a hobby; I do not deserve to be treated like a member of the press, and so whenever I am given a sample I want to show it at its best, with the best photos I can take, and not write a negative review, which more often than not necessitates me turning down the things I think are a load of rubbish, or simply wouldn't fit in with my blog. I've only ever received one item that I haven't blogged about, and that's only after my emails trying to sort it out with the PR fizzled out. I try to be honest, particularly when it comes to sizing and quality. I'm not so big on the beauty scene, but there does seem to be a massive influx of reviews for the same thing which comes across as false, and although it's similar with fashion, brands tend to offer a choice or a voucher, which gives a nice variation. I know that I've changed my attitude to PR samples a lot since I started (I completely ignored my first blog email ever - I didn't know how to reply!), then started to accept everything, and now I'm a lot more selective, but I do try to remind myself that it's just a bit of fun and that in turn means I keep (I hope!) the kind of attitude I started it with, namely that it's a place for me to share things I wear, regardless of whether it's high end, gifted, or from a charity shop. For me, I read blogs based on their photography, what they write, and whether they're a nice person, and couldn't really care where their stuff's from, although I do put this down a lot to the fact that I don't actually buy that many clothes new, so the reviews don't really bother or affect me. I keep coming back to yours though, and that's what matters ;) xxx

Love this post! I too have been subscribed to blogs which I have followed for a long time, and have noticed them change - with at least 4 I could think of at the top of my head that post only product sample reviews. Do they not buy anything themselves anymore? Or do they receive so much free stuff they don't need to anymore?!
I've found that I've turned down more stuff than i've been offered lately - as I just refuse to accept something for the sake of it. Some bloggers take ANY thing offered - but when they're reviewing a moisturiser from 3 different brands in 2 weeks, has any of those 3 moisturisers had a full testing period?! I think it's so important for bloggers to remain true to themselves xx

Gemma | Miss Makeup Magpie

Amen! I've stopped following quite a few blogs because I felt that they weren't being quite true or honest with their readers--every review is a PR sample and they LOVE all of them, etc. etc. I don't know, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I completely agree with you, it's become harder to know who to trust and which products are really good because there a lot of hype around a lot of products. I am also with I about looking to blogs with smaller audience they do seem to be more honest but I still love looking at the amazing products the 'top' beauty products rave about.

thebeautifullydisastrous.blogspot.com

Brilliant post and thank goodness you had the balls to say it when others wouldn't. I've been attending lots of events recently and then firing up a blog post, thinking this is great I'm getting out and about. But what I really need to be focusing on is delivering good, honest and quality blog posts and staying true to why I started blogging, to have a place to share my inspiration and love of writing. :)

Foreverscarlet.com

Well written, honest and truthful post. Plus totally relatable. I have a couple a blogs that I read day in day out before I started blogging and whilst I started blogging, but now, I just skip them, unless a title or product intrigues me.
I do seem to make some purchases based on bloggers opinions and I still buy some products even when the reviews wasn't 100% positive, as, like you say, not everyone has the same skin tone etc.
I also agree with a comment above, that, sometimes you can tell with some reviews that they're pr based etc as certain products surely need time to be fully 'tested', not just a few days. Obviously if you had a breakout, or a rash etc, then ok, but, a month is surely a more realistic time frame?

Caroline.x
notesfromcaroline.com

I'm extremely pleased to discover this great site.
I need to to thank you for ones time just for this wonderful read!!
I definitely liked every part of it and i also have you book-marked
to look at new things in your website.

Visit my weblog acmlive.info; ,