We’re a small, but mighty team of actual real editors, meaning we’re choosing products we love, researched, reviewed and, in many cases, tested ourselves. No robots here!
Founded in 2006 (originally as IBBB, Inc) Trendsicle covers a wide variety of trendy product categories including tech, toys, gifts (like a ton of gifts), grooming, skincare, men’s fashion, and so many of our favorite retailers and brands.
Our editors have researched thousands of products – from new and trendy to the tried-and-true classics everyone loves.
We’ve independently reviewed hundreds of products we’ve recommended…and still counting. More on this below.
In all of our individual reviews (Trendy AF and Is It Worth It) we’ve hand tested each product ourselves for a period of time.
Our nimble team of editors have personally researched more than 10,000 products online in a wide variety of categories. From the research, we’ve recommended more than 1,000 products that we stand by. We’ve probably missed the mark less than 5% of the time, like that one time we swore that magical pooping flamingo would be the best toy of the year. That’s a mistake you just make once!
We never will take a product in exchange for a favorable review. Ever. And trust us, we get pitched a lot!
About 99% of products we purchase ourselves. If a brand wants to partner with us we’ll clearly display in the article that the product was given to us for consideration. We can’t be bought. Well, we can for a price. We’re joking. Sort of.
Every product we review or recommend is different, so the amount of time being spent on the research and review phase can also differ.
Our gift guides are more subjective and require much less testing. Editors will recommend gifts that they’ve either gifted in their own lives or have extensively researched.
This can include reading dozens of customer reviews, independent honest third-party reviews, and even news articles.
Reviews and research can also keep us in the TikTok rabbit hole where we’ll watch endless comments to see what the real-deal is for the average everyday consumer.
Overall, editors will spend anywhere from 2-4 days (16-32 hours) on just about each and every roundup and recommendation guide.
When our editors are testing out a product in-person, it happens in the privacy of their own home and they’ll typically spend up to 1 full week testing it out. Again, we’re purchasing these ourselves and, no, not every product we test will get a glowing review.
Look, we’re real people and not robot-monsters that we’ve been reading about. So, while we think we know everything already, we’re humble enough to admit that there are some proprietary third party tools editors will use to come up with some ideas, cross-reference trend appeal, overall popularity, and current online buzz.
These tools give us access to products that are currently trending at over 2,000 of the most trusted retailers (including that big one that we all use). It doesn’t mean we’re going to definitely add any of those products, but we want to at least take them into consideration and see if it’s something we think our readers would want to know about. Some examples from the past included items like: infuser machines, the Hyperchiller, Theragun massager, that whole posture corrector craze – and more.
We currently work with thousands of retailers in which we’ve formed both direct and indirect partnerships with, including Amazon (of course!). If and when you click on one of our links and end up on a retailer site, we may make an affiliate commission. Our editors still stand by all their recommendations and we do not solely link to brands and retailers who pay a commission. We want to make sure we’re recommending great products for you first and foremost.
PATRICK VARONE
Founder / President
ALI KELLY
Sr. Editor
JOHN ZISA
Deals / Trends Editor
JENNIFER RAE
Contributing Editor
JOSH GRIMM
Mens / Fitness Contributor
TOBY VARONE
Office Dog / Cutie
Need more info, want to pitch a product, have a question, or just want to say hi? Send us an email at heythere@trendsicle.com. We look forward to being pen-pals!