The 6-step review process
Every product covered on Shelzy's Beauty goes through the same 6 steps before it makes (or doesn't make) a roundup. The process takes between 2 and 6 weeks per product depending on the category.
Initial screening
I start with a longlist of products in the category -- usually 30 to 60 candidates pulled from Amazon bestsellers, dermatologist recommendations, beauty editor coverage, and reader requests. Anything with under 4.0 stars or fewer than 500 reviews on Amazon gets cut unless it's brand-new and showing strong early signal.
Ingredient analysis
The full INCI ingredient list goes through a check against three reference databases -- INCIDecoder, EWG Skin Deep, and Paula's Choice Beautypedia. I'm looking for: actives at meaningful percentages, irritants in the top 5 ingredients, fragrance load, and any ingredient that contradicts the product's marketing claim.
Real-world testing
For products in my own routine categories, I personally test for a minimum of 14 days (4-6 weeks for actives like retinol, vitamin C, or hair growth treatments). For categories outside my skin type or hair texture, I rely on a small tester pool of 4-8 people across different skin types, tones, and ages.
Verified review analysis
I read 50-100 verified Amazon reviews per product, sorted by "most recent" and "most helpful." I'm filtering for: complaint patterns (irritation, breakouts, packaging fails), repeat-purchase signal, and red flags like "smells different from last bottle" (a counterfeit indicator on Amazon).
Comparative scoring
Each product gets scored against the others in its roundup using the rubric below. Scores aren't published per-product (they're directional, not absolute), but they determine the ranking and the "best for" labels you see in articles.
Final write-up & placement
Only after all 5 steps does a product get written up. Picks are labeled by use case ("best for sensitive skin," "best on a budget," etc.) so you don't get a generic "best overall" -- you get the right one for you.
The scoring rubric
Every product is scored on five dimensions on a 1-10 scale. Different categories weight these differently -- a sunscreen weights "performance" higher than a lip oil, for example.
| Dimension | What I'm looking at | Default weight |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Does the product actually deliver on its core claim under real-world use? | 35% |
| Formula | Ingredient quality, active percentages, presence of fillers or known irritants. | 25% |
| Value | Price per ounce / use vs. comparable products at the same performance tier. | 15% |
| Tolerability | How well most skin/hair types tolerate it, including sensitive and reactive types. | 15% |
| Experience | Texture, scent, packaging, application -- the things that determine whether you'll actually use it daily. | 10% |
What I won't do
The editorial promise
- No sponsored content. Brands cannot pay for coverage, placement, or favorable scoring.
- No PR samples that influence rankings. Anything sent to me free is disclosed in the article and only included if it would have made the list anyway.
- No "best of" lists generated from Amazon bestsellers. Every roundup is built from the testing process, not algorithm-friendly listicles.
- No links to products I wouldn't use myself. If something doesn't make my final cut, it doesn't get an affiliate link -- even if it would convert well.
- No counterfeits. When a product has a known Amazon counterfeit problem, I link to the brand-direct storefront on Amazon (or skip the product entirely).
How I'm funded
Shelzy's Beauty is supported by Amazon affiliate commissions. When you click an Amazon link from this site and buy something, I earn a small percentage at no extra cost to you. That's it. There's no membership, no paid newsletter tier, no brand deals, no display ads.
The honest version: this means I have a financial incentive for you to buy things on Amazon. The mitigation is that I'd rather you buy one product you'll actually use than five products you won't -- so I'd rather rank fewer products well than pad lists with mediocre filler. That bias check is the entire point of this page.
Found an error or disagreement?
If you've used a product I covered and had a different experience, or if you spot a factual error, please tell me. The contact page is the fastest way. Updates and corrections get applied to articles with a "last updated" date.