You Beauty Box - August 2017

The August You Beauty Box has arrived and this month the theme is 'The Sumptuous Spa Edit' and there was a great list of products to choose from to create your box. Right now, I would love nothing more than a few Spa Treatments and some time to wind down and relax, but having not got that option to hand, I chose some products from an extensive list that can help me to wind down at home.

The freebie this month is a sachet from Philosophy and it comes in the form of the well known Purity 3-in-1 Cleanser for face and eyes. This is an award-winning, one-step daily facial cleanser that removes makeup, cleanses, tones and lightly hydrates the skin. Working rapidly to dissolve dirt, oil and makeup it also deep clean pores while maintaining the skin's proper moisture levels.

Gentle enough for the eye area and even for the most sensitive skin. For me a sachet of this size (6ml) is never really enough to get a real feel as to whether or not it is a good product, but thankfully from Boots, you can buy a 90ml version (here) for just £8.50 and for me, this would have been a better inclusion.

When choosing three products, I actually struggled to decide whether to have brands that I am well acquainted with or opt for those I know of and have used, but haven't done so for quite some time.  The latter was the winner.

The first product comes from SenSpa and it is a 50ml tube of the Sleep Therapy Bath Soak. Described as being the ultimate bath tool for a deep sleep, it is pack full of natural ingredients which are kind to skin and help to soothe the mind. 

Using a combination of organic lavender with an exotic blend of bergamot, patchouli and geranium essential oils this is moisturising bath soak which nourishes and hydrates the skin and leaves you feeling ready for bed and a good nights sleep.

The second product in my box is the Comfort Zone Sublime Skin Essence. This is a new brand and new product that I hadn't tried until now and as I really am liking essences right now, I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to try something know.

Described as being an intensive and concentrated solution that stimulates skin regeneration and youthful appearance to the skin. 

Finally we have the Ultimate Salt Scrub from Sanctuary. Containing sea salt from the renowned Dead Sea and a rich mix of moisturising jojoba, coconut and almond oils, this is referred to as being an 'iconic salt scrub' which leaves your skin perfectly polished and gorgeously moisturised.

The use of salt works to gently exfoliate dead cells and to stimulate and promote renewal, the oils soak into skin leaving it gleaming and exquisitely scented.

So despite this months freebie not being too impressive, I do have three amazing brands with amazing products to try and they do all fit within the Spa theme of the box, now I just need a proper Spa experience. The You Beauty Box is one of the best around and for just £8.95 which includes P&P you get to make a choice as to which products you want each month and that way you won't be disappointed. More information can be found here.

Makeup Revolution Baking Powder Ghost Finish

I don't know about you but keeping up with all of the new releases from Makeup Revolution and their sister brands is quite exhausting and whilst I do have my eye on one or two products, this product dropped through my letterbox.

Following on from the success of their version of the Luxury Banana powder, the clever people behind the brand have developed something for those of us with much paler skin, whom might find the Banana Powder a little too yellow - meet Ghost Finish, a baking powder with a light finish for users with a paler skin complexion. 

The term 'Baking' is one that is banded about all over the place currently and in simple terms it refers to letting translucent powder sit on your face for five to 10 minutes, which allows the heat from your face to set your base foundation and concealer, and then dusting it off your face, leaving you with a creaseless, flawless finish - something Kim K is a huge fan of and I am told the drag community have been doing it forever!

Ghost Finish is a finely milled white mattifying powder which is designed to set the areas you generally place concealer, for me this means under the eyes, the centre of your forehead, the bridge of your nose and the chin. You can also use it over the entire face to set your foundation and to give that overall highlighted look.

With a name like Ghost Finish, I was expecting to find my face looking as though it had been covered in Talcum Powder, thankfully however this is not and has not been the case.  Whenever I apply my makeup, I admit I am a faffer (technical term!) and I am easily distracted, so applying my base products and then this, gives me that chance to faff whilst my face 'bakes'. Packaged inside this plastic tub, the powder is tipped out through holes, similar to those you find on a talcum powder bottle and I pour it either into the lid or onto the top of my hand and then use my setting brush to ensure it goes onto my face in the places I want it to go. It doesn't clump and it doesn't show up or give you a 'talc face' instead, it does lock your makeup in place and it does help to enhance the wear ability and last ability, the latter I found quite surprising.

If you have never tried Baking before and want to give it a try, then Ghost Finish comes in a plastic tub which contains 42g of powder and it retails for just £5 this is well worthy of grabbing it quickly whilst you can and giving it a try.

*this post contains PR samples/Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - see my Disclaimer page for more detail.

Rimmel London Beauty Box

If like me you A) love beauty boxes and B) think Rimmel are just killing it right now with their new releases, then how about purchasing a Rimmel London beauty box which has 5 amazing products inside for less than £20?

With a value of over £30 this box, as you can see features:

Brow This Way Filling Powder - This is in shade medium.  I featured these powders here on my blog not too long ago and expected to dislike them but was pleasantly surprised to find how much I did like and do use them. Described as being a lightweight powder to fill and define brows and line the eyes.

Match Protection Loose Powder - This is a transparent loose powder which blends and gives a semi-matte finish to give your skin that flawless look.

Kate 15 Lipstick - In shade Boho Nude, this is one of the lipsticks to celebrate 15 years of Rimmel and Kate Moss. Described as being an iconic shade, it could be that perfect nude!

Wonder'full Mascara in Black - This Mascara has Argan Oil as an ingredient and it works to smooth and define lashes without giving that annoying clumpy, spidery looking ones. 

The final item is the Magnif'eyes Eye Contouring Palette.  The chosen palette is London Nudes Calling and it features a mixture of high-shimmer and matte shades, perfect for sculpting, shading and defining.

I think this is such a great offering from Rimmel and something a lot of other brands could learn from when it comes to promoting their products. It would also make a great little gift for someone who is new to makeup, a huge Rimmel fan or just to give some of their products a try. At £19.99 you can grab it here.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate links unless indicated otherwise. Please see my Disclaimer page for more details.

The success of social media fashion campaigns

The power of celebrity endorsement on social media is becoming more apparent – with the number of likes measuring the success of many campaigns. In the worlds of music and fashion, ‘likes’ are now essential to a clothing brand’s or artist’s overall success.

Once upon a time, traditional methods such as billboards and TV advertisements led your campaign along the road to success – however, with the rise of the digital age and celebrity influencers, Trilogy Stores, retailers of J Brand Jeans, investigate how and why social media is having such a significant impact on the world of fashion.

Who are the most liked?

The figure who leads the way within the worlds of music and fashion by claiming the most liked title is Queen Bey herself; when Beyoncé posted herself with a picture of her baby bump on February 1st 2017, she gained 11m likes, a dramatic increase of 4.3m on Gomez’s record the year before, when she participated in the Coca Cola campaign.

If popular figures such as Beyoncé, Selena Gomez and Kendall Jenner create such an impact on social media – whilst influencing the world of fashion with the clothes that they wear – then how is social media influencing and changing the way the fashion industry operates to suit millions of users every day?

What comes first, the model or the followers?
Does success come with the model, or with the followers? In previous years, the popularity of a model would be founded upon their success within the fashion industry and the modelling shoots they appeared in. Now-a-days, have circumstances changed?

The model
At the age of just 15 years old, Naomi Campbell got her first break, and then went on to grace the covers of Time magazine, French Vogue, Russian Vogue, and was the first black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue. Her success then is based on how long she has been in the industry and how popular she has become over the years. Based on this fact, it has meant she is now known as one of first five original supermodels.

However, with new celebrity influencers such as Kendell Jenner, has the industry changed for good? Kendall Jenner is currently the world’s most popular and in-demand model, but was already famous before she became the model she is today. By appearing on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, her involvement with the world’s most televised family still has a direct impact on her popularity on social media, and consequently, her exposure within the world of fashion.

The followers
Kendell Jenner has over 81.6 million followers with 2,796 posts, almost guaranteeing a campaign some level of success on her social media account – it’s no wonder she has become the face of global cosmetics giant Estee Lauder. Having Jenner as the face of a campaign carries the already established success of the ‘ultimate Instagirl’, which encourages the industry to choose these popular faces over newcomers who haven’t already had their first break.

Similarly, when Brooklyn Beckham had 5.9 followers in 2016 – now 10m – Burberry approached him to photograph Maddie Demaine for Burberry’s Brit fragrances ad campaign. After being chosen over many professional photographers in the industry, this created a new precedent within the fashion industry. Now, fashion campaigns can be dictated by the level of followers a particular model or person has, not their knowledge of the industry or their contributions to popular culture outside the online world of social media. It’s not just the model that needs social media leverage, even the backstage team (make-up artists, stylists, and producers) need to be known on social media before they can be involved in a major fashion shoot.

Helping to change consumer behaviours

Evolving tradition
If the fashion industry and social media apps such as Instagram are joining forces, in certain instances, the celebrity endorsed image can be used to help drive sales and increase consumer awareness regarding branded products from fashion retailers.

Shifting away from the tradition fashion industry, which has been built on exclusivity and a ‘private members club’ mentality, social media is presenting campaigns with a more casual look – as though users are being exposed to this secretive world for the first time.

Buying the image
Now, some of the biggest fashion houses are starting to combine the ability to purchase their products with the images and catwalks that help to build-up their brand identity. By doing so, their online businesses receive more customers through greater engagement with smart devices.

Burberry was the first fashion house to integrate their fashion catwalks with their social media and buy platforms online. They were the first to stream their catwalk online, and in some instances, guests at the show were able to buy a garment on their smartphone as soon as the model walked past them. As well as this, to debut their spring/summer collection in 2016, Burberry previewed it on social media platform snapchat before its official release.

Michael Kors have also taken advantage of this by using smart hashtag campaigns. The fashion house sent an email to users who liked their products with the link to buy the product online, with the hashtag #InstaKors. Through considered hashtag campaigns such as these, fashion houses are able to bridge the gap between a fashionable image, and their ability to buy the product.

As a result of higher levels of engagement on Instagram, fashion brands are starting to increase their product portfolio online, and they are growing their online sales faster than competitors that aren’t taking advantage of online social platforms. If companies within the luxury brand market are unable to take advantage of how consumers are interacting online, in the future, they may lose out to their competitors who are.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise