What: New York Magazine beauty writer Arielle Avila explains how she evaluates products for the publication, from talking to experts to trying things out herself: “I’ve often said to friends that I feel like a walking test tube, because I’m frequently slathering on or testing products, literally from my head (i.e., face toners and CC creams) to my toes (i.e., callus removers and toenail clippers).”

Why it matters: There are affiliate links all over the article, but Avila’s dedication to spreadsheets makes me trust her reviews: “The most helpful thing I’ve done was creating an overly detailed spreadsheet that documents my results, even if it’s as banal as “face felt normal today.” I’m often sending myself Slack messages like that at random hours of the day and entering them in later to keep up the log. If I didn’t have this, I don’t think I could remember every detail while I’m testing multiple things at once.”

Source: The Strategist