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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TCNJ chapter.

When was the last time you opened your phone and weren’t bombarded with influencers trying to sell you a product? Influencer marketing has become all the craze over the past few years. In the time of influencers and TikTok it is easy to be influenced into buying products, most of which you probably do not need. The unfortunate truth is that nowadays influencers are paid, more often than not, to post about products in a positive light, even if they have negative opinions of the product. 

With the rise of influencing also comes the rise of de-influencing. So what is de-influencing? Starting on TikTok, it is a massive trend that involves discouraging consumers from buying unnecessary and over hyped products, whether that be clothing, jewelry, hair, and makeup products. De-influencing, to its core, is giving honest and realistic reviews of products that aren’t worth it. With this being said, you should also look out for if the product is truly bad, and not worth the hype, or if this is just the person’s personal opinion about the product.

Here’s something I want to make very clear, most of the people reading this article are probably not influencers, and therefore do not have the bank account of an influencer. Like I mentioned before, most influencers are either paid or sent the products they talk about online for PR. Therefore, people with normal jobs, and normal bank accounts, should not listen to or buy every product that influencers like Alix Earle say that you “have to try,” as normal people don’t have the same bank account as Alix Earle. Consumers should specifically steer clear from products that have a link attached to them, because that just means the influencer is hyping up the product for you to buy, so they can receive commision for the sales of the products. 

I’m not gonna sit here while writing this and say I have not fallen victim of buying a product that an influencer hyped up **cough cough…The Drunk Elephant’s “D-Bronzi Drops.” I do have to admit that some of the products I have bought because an influencer said to have been worth it, but most have not. 

Now here is a short list of products that I have tried that I don’t believe are worth the hype *disclaimer these are just my personal opinions*

  • The Drunk Elephant’s “Lala Retro Whipped Cream Moisturizer”
    • This product has adorable packaging, but when it comes to the actual product it falls short. There are much cheaper options for a better moisturizer.
  • Tarte “Shape Tape”
    • This was a product all the big makeup influencers were using a few years back. Now, maybe this was just a me problem, but I found this product to crease so much after just a few minutes of putting it on my face. 
  • Benefit “Benetint”
    • I used two different shades of this tint as a blush and both would smudge off of my face very quickly.
  • Elf’s “Power Grip Primer”
    • It is a very affordable product, and there have been some very good reviews, but for me it was way too sticky and felt like I was just putting glue on my face.
Angelina is a Sophomore Psychology major at The College of New Jersey. Her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and researching future fashion predictions. She is currently HCTCNJ's Social Media and PR chair!