February 10, 2022

As I Get Older, I’m Not Getting Smarter Because I Still Fall for Bad Marketing Ploys

I receive a small commission if you shop through my link.

Summer Fridays Light Aura Vitamin C + Peptide Eye Cream isn’t going to change my life but good marketing (or should I call it bad?) still somehow convinces me it will. As I’ve gotten older and I’ve grown and experienced many, many beauty products I know that my eyes bags aren’t going to be instantly cured my a new eye cream that promises me they’ll be gone in seconds or make my fine lines magically disappear! I know all this and my logical side is more and more present as I’ve grown up and I’m not spontaneously throwing money at a brand new product. Nowadays, I tend to study ingredients more to see if marketing of a product actually lives up to the hype around it.

This morning there was a click bait article that flashed across my skin about the “SOLD OUT Summer Fridays Eye Cream which was back in stock!” And it was so amazing a user attended a Zoom meeting with no concealer! “It worked so well, I forgot to put on concealer for my Zoom calls that day!” Wow! What a life! I wanna go back to the days when I could attend Zoom meetings or go in public without concealer under my eyes for fear of scaring small children. I haven’t yet met a concealer that does that job for me.

Oddly as I read it I actually felt excited. I needed to try it. The article was working! It had sold me on an eye cream I didn’t need. I was clicking add to cart at sephora.com as fast as my little fingers could work.

My logical side took over thankfully.

And I went back to read the ingredients and I even decided, “eh, I’ll read a few reviews!” And hey, I rarely read Sephora reviews because they are filled with people who got advanced products from marketing firms in exchange for posting a review which pretty much results in ten out of ten reviews across the board. But I was pleasantly surprised to see bad reviews.

“DO NOT BUY IT! This eye cream is not hydrating at all and it doesn’t wear well under makeup neither. It made my skin burn and look red.”

“Burning skin! The cream slightly burning the skin under my eyes. I have noticed the shimmering, which I like. Didn’t feel any changes in puffiness. Definitely not worth the price, I am returning it.”

“This product did not work for me at all – it burned my under eye skin and gave me a really unpleasant texture. Would not buy again.”

Who even knew you could get a bad review at sephora.com? Am I right? But here they are rolling around in all their glory.

After reading a few I moved on to the ingredients which are hydrating enough but the peptides are so low on the list chances are they aren’t going to do much. All in all, looks like Summer Fridays Light Aura Vitamin C + Peptide Eye Cream isn’t going to change my mind but I think it’s rather funny I can still fall for some of these crazy marketing ploys. It makes me feel like a teenager again flipping through Teen Vogue or Glamour and being absolutely hypnotized by everything the writers were telling me which products I absolutely needed to become a model living in Paris eating Pain au Chocolat everyday without getting a pound. Marketing is a rather fantastic beast that can easily sway even the most logical person.

I’m a little sad that Summer Fridays Light Aura Vitamin C + Peptide Eye Cream but I’m also glad I saved $42 today!

Where to buy

Sephora

Water/Aqua/Eau, Behenyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Pentylene Glycol, Coco-Caprylate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Niacinamide, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Glyceryl Stearate, Jojoba Esters, Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, Isostearyl Isostearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Rosa Canina Seed Oil, Caffeine, Allantoin, Propanediol, Phospholipids, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Papaver Rhoeas Extract, Tocopherol, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Helianthus, Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Bambusa Vulgaris Leaf/Stem Extract, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract, Glucosamine HCl, Silica, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Polyglycerin-3, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Sorbitan Isostearate, Sodium Phytate, Glyceryl Caprylate, Glyceryl Undecylenate, Xanthan Gum, 1,2-Hexanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Benzoate, Phenethyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

I receive a small commission if you shop through my link.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Glenda

    Your anecdote reminds me of food commercials that have your stomach growling like mad then five minutes later, engrossed in your favorite program, you realize you’re not hungry at all.
    Marketing is powerful.

  • Lara / The glossarie.

    Thank you for doing this important work! Removing from my cart…

  • Dee

    I’m a sucker for all eye creams too so don’t feel bad! I have finally realized it will take a miracle to cover what I need to cover under my eyes and so far I haven’t seen that for sale:)

  • Becky

    Thanks for the warning! LOL
    I am a sucker for marketing ploys. I have several eye creams and none of them knocked my socks off.

    • Isabella Muse

      Same girl same! I have quite a few and some are incredible for moisture but not really anything that will cure dark circles, puffiness, etc…!

  • Jade

    I’m always looking for the holy grail eye cream, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that nothing will perfect my eyes overnight. What ingredients do you recommend looking for to minimize fine lines?

    • Isabella Muse

      Hey Jade! MOISTURE! it’s your number one fan! Fine lines always look worst when they are dry so anything that contains good, hydrating ingredients always helps in my experience! Ceramides, Hyaluronic Acid to plump up those finer lines and fill them, Retinoids to actually treat the lines. 🙂

  • Lisa Marie

    I am so glad you shared this- I have experienced this myself an awful lot lately! Winter, stress, and aging are making me increasingly desperate for some magic brightness in a jar.