Trial Teams

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What are Trial Teams?

A Trial Team is where we send a product out to 20, or more, members to independently trial and review.

The majority of Trial Team products will only be sent out to members of our Expert Review Panel.

We announce every trial team on the home page – and often we announce several each week, so keep your eye out!

How do I join the Expert Review Panel?

The first step is to register with us and fully complete your Beauty Profile.  Then dig into your beauty stash and place some reviews.

Once you have at least five well written reviews against your profile you can apply to join our Expert Review Panel by filling out this survey.

Every three months we’ll go through each application and either welcome members onto the team or let them know why they haven’t been accepted.

If I’m not accepted can I apply again?

Absolutely - have a look at what you can do to improve your existing reviews, get some more reviews under your belt, and take the survey again.

So, I’m on the Expert Review Panel – can I go on a Trial Team now?

Steady on tiger!  All trial products are carefully matched to their reviewers – for example, if you are an 21 year old woman with dry skin, you're not going to be selected for an Anti wrinkle product aimed at 35+ year old ladies with oily skin. 

This is where a fully complete Beauty Profile is super important!

Sounds great! Is there a catch?

Nope :-) Accept your invites, use the products and review them. That's all there is to it! 

There is no charge for receiving a product to review – we even courier them to you free of charge. 

How do I know if I've been invited to a trial team?

If you have been invited to a trial team there will be a notification in your BR inbox. We also send an email to the email address you registered with.

I've got a trial team invite! How do I accept it?

To confirm your place on the team, visit the 'inbox' link next to your username in the top right corner of your screen. Follow the link, reads the terms and conditions and fill in your details! It's that simple!

You only have a limited time to accept your invite and there will be limited spaces on the trial team. Its first in, first served.

To avoid missing out, its a good idea to log in to your Beauty Review account regularly and to make sure we're added to your safe senders list to avoid your invites going to your junk mail.

Why are there only limited places, and why is it “first in, first served”?

The number of review spaces depends on the quantity of product we have available, this is driven by our clients not by us. Sometimes there may be 10 spots, other times 20 spots and often for market trials there are 100 spots or more.

We will always “over invite” for review teams and it is on a “first in, first served” basis that slots are confirmed. If you go to confirm your invite and all the places are already taken, then you will get notified that the trial has “closed” as all spaces are filled.

The reason we “over invite” is that often people invited just never respond, meaning it then takes additional time to go back into the data base and pull out additional names.

How long do I have to accept my invitation?

48hours, or until all spots are filled.

I really wanted a product, I commented and commented and I didn't get it – why?

At the end of the day we can not select everyone for every trial. We'd love to make everyone happy all the time but we only have a limited number of products and an ever expanding member base. You might not be invited but that's just life. Don’t let it spoil your day…Your time will come.

I can see the inbox link, but it doesn't show my trials?

When you hover your mouse over your inbox it should drop down with a menu showing any trial invites (that you need to accept or decline) or links to products you need to review (this only shows up after your product has been shipped to you).

If you have no trial team actions you need to do, it will display 'No new messages'.

I've accepted my place on a trial team, how long until I get my review product?

We will send you another notification once your product has been shipped. From that time it should take approximately 2-4 working days to reach you.  Generally products are shipped within a fortnight of invites closing, but occasionally we run into delays - but we never (ever, ever) forget about a trial team!

How do I review the product?

To review a product we've sent you make sure you're logged in to your BR account.

At the top right hand side of the screen you'll find your BR Inbox - click through to the invite sitting in the inbox - it will contain a link to the product review page.  It's important you use the link in your inbox to review a product we've sent you - it's the only way we can guarantee the review will be logged against the trial and that you will receive the correct points.

Rate the product out of 5 on the three areas specified and write your detailed review and any tips you have for the product.  You'll then be asked to accept a disclaimer confirming you have personally used the product and your review is genuine.

You can review any product on the site (that you have personally used) to earn points - simply sign in to youraccount and locate the product you'd like to review.   As long as you are signed in to your account, you'll find the option to review the product underneath the product information.

What happens if I don't fill out my review in time?

If there's an issue with filling out your review in the time allocated to you, it's important that you let us know by sending us an email to [email protected]

If you know you cannot fill out your review in time, please decline when you receive your invite as our trials run according to strict time frames. It's also unfair to our other members who would have been able to complete the trial.

Can I get an extension on my reviewing time?

We arrange these trials to strict deadlines and except in very rare events, we are unable to extend your reviewing time. Please take this into consideration when you receive your trial team invites; if you are unable to perform your review within the allocated time, make sure you decline the invite.

By accepting the terms and conditions of the trial you agree to complete your review within the time allowed.  Refusal to write an acceptable review, or ignoring our attempts to contact you will result in your profile being disabled - you will not be allowed to participate in any future trial teams or Beauty Vaults.

What happens if I didn’t like the product that I was sent to review? If I write a poor review will that exclude me from future trial teams?

Absolutely not! It is really important that you review the product based on your personal experience, as that is what other members are interested in. Writing a review that does not favour product will not exclude you from future trial teams!

How much do I need to write when do my review?

How much you write is completely up to you, if it is your first time posting a review we suggest that you go through and read what other members have written to give you some ideas. That said, be respectful for the job we’ve asked you to do! We do read each and every review and if you have been sent a product worth $150 and you post a review that is one sentence long, and just said, “I liked it” be mindful that it is unlikely that you will make the cut for future products reviews.

You'll find our Review Standards here.

Are reviews moderated?

Yes!  We really do read every review - before it's published. Our moderator will message members who have submitted substandard reviews for trial team products.  

We ask that our members help us with moderation - if you see a review that is unacceptable, please take a moment to "Report this Review" (You'll find this link next to every review). 

For every review you'll also be asked "Was this review useful to you?".  It's a simple one click Yes or No, that will make all the difference to the site - especially as we can now sort reviews by "Most Useful".

What happens if I “decline” an invitation, will this affect my position on the panel?

No, if you decline an invitation because you may be away and won’t be able to review it or it simply is something you are not interested in, then your status will not be impacted.

What happens if I don’t respond to a trial invitation sent to me?

We know if you have not responded to a trial invitation or if you responded and “missed out”.

• If you just do not respond to 3 invites in a row your status will be downgraded and you will no longer be eligible for selection for our trial teams
• If you have responded and "missed out" then your status will not be impacted.

I got accepted for a review but my product never arrived what do I do?

You will always be notified when your “product has been shipped” so you know when it has left us, if do not receive it within 4 days of this notification please contact us on [email protected]

If we don't hear from you then we will assume that you received your product and will be expecting a review by the set date. So please contact us within 4 days of your product being shipped if you did not receive it.

We will always try and send you a replacement product but this may not always be possible. If this is the case then we will invite you on a replacement product trial.