Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline. Or maybe, she’s from Clark, New Jersey. Let me paint you a picture: I have just wrapped up my freshman year of college, and I have one month at home before my job at a summer camp starts. I need to do something to do with my time and I also need a new concealer. So, in a broke college girl’s attempt to make some money and try some beauty products, I enroll in the L’Oréal Consumer Testing program. Reader: I achieved both.
Before I get into explaining my experience, how it worked, (and the free goodies I got), there is one thing I should cover: L’Oréal isn’t just L’Oréal. They own a bunch of cosmetic brands, from drugstore beauty brands like Maybelline, NYX Cosmetics, CeraVe, La Roche Posay, L’Oréal Cosmetics and L’Oréal Paris to luxury beauty brands like Urban Decay, Maison Margiela, Kiehl’s since 1851, and so many more.
My experience started in the hair color division. After parking (and getting lost) outside the many buildings which make up L’Oréal’s Clark New Jersey campus, I, with the help of a friendly security guard, made my way to the hair coloring building. My first visit was just a consultation; a chatty hairdresser took some pictures of my hair, explained that I would need a trim before they could test anything on it, and that they would have to bleach part of it. This made me a little nervous; what made me more nervous was when she told me I’d have no control over what color or shade range they dyed my hair. I wasn’t ready to have “brat summer green” hair for three months! Luckily, she explained that the section of my hair she’d use for testing would be small and covered beneath most of my hair. With that, I was convinced. After I signed up for my hair color session, I got my first goodie bag, containing Nyx Cosmetics’ Pore Filling Primer and L’Oréal’s Glow Paradise lip gloss in the shade Angelic Daydream.
Now we’re getting to the part of the story where my hair is bleached and dyed. I arrived at the hair color division in the late morning, and after bleaching my hair twice to get it light enough to test on, they finally applied two different formulas of a peachy, warm hair dye onto a test strip of hair. I was soon on my way, about to be paid two hundred dollars. But here’s a word of warning: you might discover that you have a very sensitive scalp. I know I did. As I was leaving the hair salon, I noticed some itchiness and irritation; I had never gotten my hair dyed before! By the next day, the bottom of my scalp had ballooned in size and hurt like crazy. I’ll spare you the gruesome details.
Fortunately for my scalp, I also had the chance to test different mascaras.
I tested three different mascaras. For the initial two mascara tests, they were testing the mascara’s longevity. A L’Oréal labs employee applied a mascara (covered in electrical tape to prevent bias) to my lashes; after that, I left and returned two-four hours later so they could record how well the mascara held. However, the last testing was different entirely. They were testing for user friendliness, so the technician had me and the other testers go into a room, remove any makeup we were wearing, and apply the mascara ourselves. They then took pictures of my eyes before and after applying the mascara. Now, the fun thing here was that I got to keep the mascara I was testing. In fact, I still use that mascara, Maybelline lash sensational, to this day.
This brings us to one of the big perks (aside from getting paid) that the L’Oréal consumer testing program gives you: access to the Company Store. Not only do you have access to products from all of L’Oréal’s brands, but products all 50-60% off retail price. As an avid beauty lover and a discount zealot, I was in heaven. Haircare lining the walls, mystery bags with different products perched in an organized kiosk near the checkout counter, and everything at half off. There were some things that I had always wanted to try but could never justify the price for, like the Urban Decay Cosmetics – All Nighter Waterproof Setting Spray, that suddenly were within my reach. There were also things that I had never even heard of, like Kiehl’s since 1851’s dog shampoo. In my two trips to The Company Store, I bought L’Oréal Lumi Glotion, CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Face Lotion with Sheer Tint SPF 30, and L’Oréal – Elvive Dream Lengths Wonder Water Treatment, as well as a slew of shampoos and conditioners from the L’Oréal Ever Pure line.
All in all, I’d say it was a pretty great way to try new beauty products, make money, and have access to products at way below retail value. I would definitely recommend signing up if you’re in North Jersey! You can sign up using this link. It’s pretty self-explanatory. One tip: answer as many surveys as you can, even if you’re not interested in that specific trial, because the activity will draw in more surveys you are interested in. Happy testing!
Links to Productions Mentioned:
Sign up for the L’Oréal VIP Testing Program: https://consumertesting.lorealusa.com
Nyx Cosmetics’ Pore Filling Primer: https://www.nyxcosmetics.com/face/primer/pore-filler-primer/NYX_068.html
L’Oréal’s Glow Paradise lip gloss: https://www.lorealparisusa.com/makeup/lip-color/lip-gloss/glow-paradise-lip-balm-in-gloss-pomegranate-extract-angelic-daydream
Maybelline Lash Sensational: https://www.ulta.com/p/lash-sensational-mascara-xlsImpprod11851141?sku=2282879
Urban Decay Cosmetics – All Nighter Waterproof Setting Spray: https://www.ulta.com/p/all-nighter-waterproof-makeup-setting-spray-xlsImpprod15371001?sku=2503490
Kiehl’s since 1851, dog shampoo: https://www.nordstrom.com/s/cuddly-coat-grooming-shampoo/5126859?color=NO+COLOR&utm_content=1264438534153636&utm_term=pla-4582627027257945:a
L’Oréal Lumi Glotion: https://www.ulta.com/p/true-match-lumi-glotion-natural-glow-enhancer-xlsImpprod17161513?sku=2520143
Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Face Lotion with Sheer Tint SPF 30: https://www.ulta.com/p/hydrating-mineral-sunscreen-face-lotion-with-sheer-tint-spf-30-pimprod2013299?sku=2559459
L’Oréal – Elvive Dream Lengths Wonder Water Treatment: https://www.ulta.com/p/elvive-dream-lengths-detangling-wonder-water-rinse-out-treatment-pimprod2042892?sku=2621582