What I Expected FAQ: Your Questions, Answered

  • What I Expected is a product and brand review platform that rates whether products, services, and brand experiences live up to what they promise. Led by Holly Bohn Pittman (formerly Holly Bohn), a founder and brand executive, our team compares marketing claims against real-life experience and rates each one MISS, MEET, or EXCEED. It covers beauty, skincare, haircare, wellness, style, home, travel, food, and hospitality, written for women over 40.

  • What I Expected uses a three-level rating system: MISS, MEET, and EXCEED, to evaluate whether a brand, product, service, or experience lives up to what it promises. A MISS falls short of what was promised, a MEET delivers as promised, and an EXCEED performs better than expected. Expectations are based on explicit claims (packaging, advertising, stated results) and implicit ones (price point, positioning, category norms)—a $150 serum implies luxury quality, so falling short there is a MISS even if it performs as labeled.

  • What I Expected was founded by Holly Bohn Pittman (formerly known professionally as Holly Bohn), a founder, CEO, CMO, and brand/customer experience executive who has brought hundreds of products to market at retailers nationwide. She's widely known for founding See Jane Work, a women's office and lifestyle brand, and for leading its long-standing exclusive relationship with Office Depot. She created What I Expected to close the gap between what brands promise and what customers actually experience, and reviews are shaped by her team and a wider network of trusted opinions rather than one point of view alone.

  • What I Expected rates whether a brand delivers on its promises rather than just showcasing a product. Reviews are led by Holly Bohn Pittman, a founder and brand/customer experience executive who has brought hundreds of products to market at retailers nationwide and is widely known for founding See Jane Work and leading its long-standing exclusive relationship with Office Depot, with her team and a wider network of trusted opinions weighing in when it matters — so each review reflects what the brand intended to communicate against what the customer actually experiences, not just how a product looks on camera.

  • What I Expected is for consumers who want honest reviews before they spend their money, especially women in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond who feel underserved by social-media hype. It's also for brands, particularly those targeting women 30+, that want honest feedback on whether their pricing, messaging, and customer experience match what this audience actually expects.

  • What I Expected reviews beauty, skincare, haircare, wellness, style, home, travel, food, hospitality, and other everyday buying decisions. Every review focuses on real-life details — quality, comfort, ingredients, fit, ease of use, value — and whether the brand delivers on what it promised, rather than first impressions alone.

  • No—ratings are not for sale. What I Expected offers corporate services such as product feedback, brand consulting, and content partnerships, but paying for these services does not change or guarantee a review's outcome. Every product or service is still rated MISS, MEET, or EXCEED based on whether it actually delivers.

  • Yes. What I Expected may include affiliate links, including through ShopMy and Amazon, and may earn a commission if you buy through them at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not affect how a product is rated, ratings are based on whether the product lives up to its promises, not on commission potential.

  • The Goldilocks Guide is a What I Expected roundup format for comparing several good products (each rated a MEET) that aren't all right for the same person. Instead of naming one winner, it identifies what's too much, too little, or just right depending on your budget, lifestyle, skin, body, or routine — helping you find the product that fits your real life, not just the one with the best marketing.

  • The latest reviews and real-life buying experiences are posted most often on Instagram, with more detailed reviews, comparisons, and Goldilocks Guides on the What I Expected blog. Product links from reviews are collected on ShopMy, and What I Expected also posts on TikTok and Pinterest.

  • Yes. Brands can work with What I Expected through product reviews, product development feedback, brand promise evaluation, customer experience audits, launch messaging, content partnerships, and consulting — especially useful for brands trying to reach women 30+, an audience that's experienced, discerning, and often underserved by traditional influencer marketing.

  • Yes. Holly Bohn Pittman and her team, review early concepts, packaging, claims, pricing, positioning, and launch messaging from the perspective of both a consumer and a brand executive, before a product reaches shelves—especially useful for brands launching into crowded categories, where clear positioning and credible claims determine whether a product gets noticed.

  • You can reach us anytime via our contact page.

    This is the right channel for corporate services, product feedback requests, partnership inquiries, and brand consulting questions.