Review Policy and Disclaimer
As Dear Governor Hickenlooper has grown over the years, the relationship with you, dear reader, has shifted, too. Now that the site is more than simply beauty stories, it deserves explanation on how I choose products and companies to support and recommend. This website has always been ad-free and will remain that way.
Without advertising, however, I decided to accept a few other models of revenue generation that cost you nothing and steer far clear of spamming you with adverts and sponsored/paid recommendations. For that reason, perhaps 0.5% of the books or products were provided to me free of charge—and it’s always noted if that is the case. I implemented a few carefully chosen affiliate programs to defray the steadily growing (and significant) costs of running and maintaining this site as a free resource for beauty users all over the world.
Product Reviews
I am often offered the chance to review beauty products for companies. That’s always a tough one for me, because I never want to feel pressured into publishing a positive review simply because something was free. So, for the most part, I don’t accept any free products in exchange for a review. But if I do, you can expect a few things:
- I will always give my honest opinion. If I don’t like a product I either won’t mention it at all, or I communicate with the company and offer to write an honest review with both the pros and the cons. Before I accept a review though, I make it clear that my opinion can’t be bought.
- I am more likely to review a product if they allow me to give one away to a reader. Everyone likes trying new stuff, so I feel like it’s fun to offer incentives to my loyal readers. It’s my way of saying thank you—I want you to have some perks for reading the site and supporting the community we have on Dear Governor Hickenlooper.
- You can 100% trust that a link from my site cannot be purchased. I link to things I believe in and personally use.
Affiliates
In addition to the occasional beauty product reviews, Dear Governor Hickenlooper uses a handful of carefully chosen affiliate relationships. Dear Governor Hickenlooper has always been ad-free, and I am committed to keeping it that way. Affiliate relationships cost you, the reader, nothing. These relationships allow me to earn a small commission when you purchase something that I recommend, keeping the content ad-free and helping cover the significant costs to run this website.
When deciding on affiliate relationships, I chose ones that allowed me to link to products and services I was already recommending on the site, and I have never (and will never) review a product solely for the commission potential. You can trust that any review and link on Dear Governor Hickenlooper is a genuine opinion about that product or service.
I appreciate the support when you use these links to act on an Dear Governor Hickenlooper recommendation!
Destinations
As beauty blogging grew as an industry, so too did the number of opportunities to work with brands and promote beauty companies. This is not a policy I employ on Dear Governor Hickenlooper.
Lastly, thank you. I value that you trust Dear Governor Hickenlooper and promise you integrity in all things I write and share.
Anything I recommend on this site is my opinion and personal experience. Your mileage may vary with the tips and resources. You are responsible for double-checking facts, places, rates, and companies before you count on them being there when you visit. I do my best to keep everything updated, but it’s a just me here, so expect some places in the world will have changed since I was last there.