Yes, you read that right. FLIPPER. Before I start explaining what this system is and what it stands for, I really want to mention that I got my idea from of Cassie's PAWS rating system for products. Her reviews are so great and her rating system really does help put things in perspective! So what is it? Let's get into it.

Since I'm going to be testing and reviewing a lot of products for this blog, I figured it would be a good idea to set up criteria or benchmarks to be able to evaluate everything in the same way. Using a numerical system seems to be something that would be fair and easily measurable. I will be rating products on 7 criteria and allocating 5 points to each for a total of 35. If need be I will use decimal values as well. 

I like the idea of using an acronym to simplify the whole system, although I will admit I had to look for a while before finding something that worked! In the end, FLIPPER is what I came up with, let's see what it stands for. Warning : Some of the words might be a bit of a stretch, but hear me out!

F - FEEL OF THE PRODUCT

This is all about how the product feels and how it interacts with the skin (or with the environment, depending what it is I'm testing). Some questions I'll be asking myself are:

• Does the product feel nice on the skin?
• Does the product have a smell?

L - LABOUR

What this actually means is ease of use but I couldn't find a better L-word for it, oops! For this I'll be asking myself the following:

• Does the product require a lot of effort to use?
• Is the product practical?
• How is the application process (for beauty bits) ?

I - INGREDIENTS

Easy and pretty self explanatory. Here's what I'm going to base the grade on:

• Does the product contain toxic chemicals?
• Are all the ingredients good for the ocean/planet?
• Are there any ingredients harmful to the skin?

P - PACKAGING

Packaging plays a big part in the ecological impact of products as well as impacting how we use what we have.

• Is the packaging recyclable/sustainable?
• Does the packaging work with the product?
• Is there excessive packaging?

P - PRICE

As much as I'd like to be a millionaire and ignore price tags, I can't.

• Is this product worth its price?
• How does the price relate to other similar products?

E - ETHICAL

This factor is often overlooked by reviews, but I think it does matter and should count towards a product's score.

• Does the company have a sustainability policy?
• Is the product Cruelty-free?
• Does the company give back to charities?
• Is the company making efforts to minimize their environmental impact?

R - RESULTS

And finally the most important factor...

• Does it work?
• Is the product holding up to its claims?