How We Test and Review

A Sixated guide is only worth reading if you trust how the six picks were chosen. So here is exactly how we work: the criteria, the timelines, the sourcing and the firewalls between our recommendations and our revenue. If any of this ever looks like it slipped, tell us at corrections@sixated.com.

Everything starts with a named editor

Each guide is owned by the editor who leads that vertical, or by a qualified contributor working to the same standard. That editor decides what the guide is really trying to solve, who it is for, and what “good” looks like before any product is considered. A denim guide by Priya Nair and a retinol guide by Camille Rousseau are judged against completely different criteria, and we say what those criteria are inside the piece.

How we test beauty

Skincare, make-up, haircare and fragrance are tested on real skin, over real time. A moisturiser or SPF earns a place only after weeks of consistent use, because that is how long it takes to see whether a product actually delivers, causes breakouts, pills under make-up or simply runs out too fast for the price. We note skin types, undertones and hair textures, because a product that transforms one person’s routine can do nothing for another’s. Where a claim is clinical (“reduces the look of fine lines,” “SPF 50”), we treat the manufacturer’s testing as a claim to be reported, not a fact to be repeated, and we say plainly what we observed ourselves versus what the brand states.

How we evaluate fashion

Clothing and accessories are judged on fit, construction quality and versatility. We look at how a garment is actually made: fabric weight and composition, seams and finishing, the hardware on a bag, whether a white shirt survives a wash without going translucent. We consider fit across more than one body, not a single sample size. And we weigh versatility hard, because a piece that only works with one other thing you own is a bad recommendation at any price. Cost is always assessed as cost-per-wear, not sticker shock: an expensive coat you will wear for a decade can be better value than a cheap one you replace every winter.

How we curate shopping and home

Some Sixated guides are curation rather than hands-on lab tests, and we are honest about the difference. When we build an edit of, say, the best hostess gifts or a round-up of standout pieces from a sale, the picks are selected on our editors’ subject expertise, the demonstrable quality and track record of the product, brand reputation, materials and specifications, and — where we have it — our own past testing and long-term use. A curated guide is still a set of real decisions by a named expert; it simply is not a claim that every item spent six weeks on an editor’s bathroom shelf. We tell you which kind of guide you are reading.

PR samples, and why they change nothing

Brands send us products. That is normal in this industry, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest. Here is our rule: we disclose when a product was received as a PR sample or gifted for review, and receiving something free never obligates us to cover it, never guarantees a positive verdict, and never buys a place on a six-item list. Plenty of gifted products are tested and never mentioned again because they simply were not good enough to displace something better.

Our editors are not paid for coverage

No Sixated editor or contributor accepts payment, in cash or in kind, in exchange for including a product, writing a favourable review, or ranking something higher. Full stop. If a brand wants to reach our audience, the route is clearly labelled advertising or sponsorship, handled entirely separately from editorial and detailed in our Sponsored Content Policy — never a quiet payment to a writer.

Affiliate links do not choose the picks

Many of our guides contain affiliate links: if you buy through them, Sixated may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This funds our work, and we are grateful when you use those links. But the picks are chosen before commercial links are attached. We do not rank a product higher because it pays more commission, and we routinely recommend items that earn us nothing, including things we suggest you buy secondhand or already own. If the best answer to a guide is “you don’t need to buy anything,” we say that too.

When we get it wrong

Products change formulas, prices move, and sometimes we simply make a mistake. We revisit and update guides, and we correct errors transparently — see our Corrections and Fact-Checking policies. A Sixated recommendation is a living judgement, not a monument.