Tested, not sponsored
The Cici Verdict
We buy the product with our own money, use it long enough to form an opinion, and then score it out of ten. Every verdict says what worked, what did not, and who should skip it.
In testing now
The first verdicts are being written
We would rather publish nothing than publish a review we cannot back up. Products are already in use; the first scored verdicts appear here as each test period ends.
In the meantime, the standards below are the ones every verdict will follow.
Read how we testStandards
How we test
A verdict is only worth reading if you know how it was produced. These are the rules we hold ourselves to, and the reason a product can score badly here even when it is everywhere online.
01
We buy it ourselves
Every verdict starts with our own money. Press samples and gifts are labelled on the post. A free product never earns a higher score — several have scored below 5.
02
There is a minimum test period
Skincare and haircare: 28 days. Makeup: 14 days of real wear. Clothing: at least 5 wears and one wash. Home and lifestyle: 30 days. We publish the number on every card.
03
Five things are scored
Performance, value for the price, fit and feel, longevity, and whether we would actually buy it again. The score is a weighted average, rounded to one decimal.
04
The cons are published
Every verdict lists who should skip it. If we cannot name a real drawback, we have not tested it long enough.
05
Affiliate links never change a score
Some verdicts use affiliate links. The score is locked before links are added, and every verdict shows the cheapest retailer we found — affiliate or not.
06
We update when products change
Reformulations, price changes, and quality drops trigger a re-test. The card shows the test date so you can tell how current it is.
What the score means
| Score | Verdict | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 9.0 – 10 | Exceptional | Buy it without waiting for a sale. |
| 8.0 – 8.9 | Worth it | We would buy this again at full price. |
| 6.5 – 7.9 | Good, with caveats | Buy it on sale, or if the caveats do not apply to you. |
| 4.5 – 6.4 | Only if | A narrower use case where this earns its place. |
| 0 – 4.4 | Skip it | We would not spend our own money on this again. |
Some verdict links are affiliate links. They are marked on the post, and a commission never changes a score, a ranking, or whether a product appears here at all.
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