Consumer generated marketing| ASOS Fashion finder

 

                         

 *Disclaimer: This post is part of  my University marketing communications assignment. 

Although I have already discussed the effect of consumer generated marketing within the fashion and beauty industry, I have decided to also focus on ASOS, who dedicate a whole section of their site to customers sharing their outfits and personal style!

 

ASOS aim to create an online community of customers, bloggers and other influencers to develop an online portfolio of product reviews; encouraging customers to: "connect with new friends, build your fashion following". This type of marketing is effective as it goes beyond showing visitors to the site few images of stick-thin models wearing ASOS clothes, instead the outfits are seen in real life, and shows the products used in multiple different outfits by customers with very different fashion styles. Entitled; "create, share and shop" this provides ASOS with creative user generated content, directly uploaded to their site, providing potential customers with the option to interact with other customers and they are able to see how others have styled a product, displaying the potential for an item.

 

ASOS fashion finder works by encouraging customers to become a member and upload images of their outfits, in which they create a mini portfolio of all of the ASOS clothes they wear. To encourage customers to take part and contribute, they also hold competitions. Some of the looks featured allow the audience to 'shop the look'- something which others in the industry could benefit from if they encouraged consumer generated marketing better, as this feature goes beyond creating awareness of products and showing the items potential; in fact it encourages others in the community to make a purchase and invest in the whole outfit.

 

This is an example of consumer generated marketing being beneficial for both parties. ASOS has valuable marketing content created for them, whilst the users can regularly upload outfits to their online 'look book', motivating them with the hope of appearing in the sites 'Top picks' or 'Outfit of the week' section. This allows them to feel like a fashion influencer and trend setter for ASOS products as more people follow and connect with their fashion finder profile.

 

 The fashion finder site is very easy to use and despite containing such a huge catalogue of users and their looks, it is categorised by; this week/this month, most popular, by occasion, celebrity style and by individual trend using tags including "90's, floral, rich colour". This makes it easy for users to browse through the collection of looks which could help to influence their purchase.

 

Furthermore, to get even more coverage, ASOS allows you to share the look you have uploaded across many social media platforms such as; Twitter, Google +, Pinterest and Facebook to create even more awareness of ASOS products and drive traffic to the fashion finder site.

 

For users who upload pictures of themselves wearing ASOS products regularly, this does not only create customer loyalty, but it also develops relationships  between the member with other members on the site and with customers who may visit the site often to keep up with a certain members profile, you can do this by searching by name.  

 

It is important for brands to recognise the increasing number of messages that are now created and shared online by the average individual. Not only are they used to communicate with companies, but they are also shared with peers, friends, family and others in their social network communities. Those who contribute to the fashion finder site are not just the one off customer, they are individuals who have a passionate interest in ASOS products, who are brand loyal and want to support the brand.

 

 Similarly, they include bloggers, who enjoy creating content based on their personal interests, and have then used this to develop 'opinion leader status'. This has been described by Muniz and Schau (2007) as 'vigilante marketing', which involves the creation of self-generated content to promote brands with which they have a strong affiliation.

 

ASOS has benefited massively from inviting and enticing customers to create user generated content on their fashion finder site. Not only will they experience increased awareness and credibility of their products, and possibly an increase in sales, but also increased brand loyalty and stronger customer relationships; a competitive advantage for any company operating in the fashion industry.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

                                

MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you all had an absolutely amazing time and Santa left you some lovely presents! I am so busy at the moment I have unfortunately neglected my blog over Christmas, so I apologise that this is only a small post! I thought I would share with you some pretty self explanatory pictures of how I spent my Christmas and would love you to tell me about yours in the comments below! 

Christmas Eve I always spend at the carol service at Durham cathedral, it is becoming quite a tradition now, it is always so magical I love it! Then, I spent Christmas Day at home, I got some absolutely lovely presents, some of which included an I pad mini from my boyfriend, a giant polar bear toy, a ted baker makeup set, pandora ring and charm, daisy perfume, fashion books, fiorelli bracelet, a beautiful faux pony skin leather handbag,ted baker tablet case, Zoella book,nail polishes, mac lipglosses and my favourite present; a build a bear reindeer toy.. I literally LOVE it. What did you all get for Christmas? 

I spent the evening of Christmas Day at my dad's house, meaning more prezzies! Boxing Day was also spent at my dads and my boyfriend also came over. As always the week between Christmas and new year will be spent keeping up the festivities! 

                      How did you all spend your Christmas? Leave me a little comment below! :)

Consumer Generated Marketing| Models Own & Instagram

*Disclaimer: This post is part of  my University marketing communications assignment.

Having launched in 2010, Instagram is one of the most popular social networking sites and is used by around 300 million active users to date, making it a fantastic outlet to encourage customers to create and share consumer generated marketing content.   

Although the functions of Instagram are limited compared to other social media networks such as Facebook or Twitter, restricting the amount of interactivity that can be created, it is important to remember that "a picture is worth a thousand words". Instagram have recently introduced a lot more effects that can be used to edit photos that users upload,  thus providing the potential to display a high quality image of a product, increasing its attractiveness to potential customers.

In particular, nail polish brand; Models Own, use their Instagram account to encourage customers to share images of their nail art designs, which they have created by using Models Own nail polish and nail art products. The best designs are then chosen to be re- posted on the Models Own Instagram account to a massive 52K followers, allowing them to showcase the potential of their products. This is something that Models Own could not do themselves, and is particularly important in showcasing their products, as all the brand can show you is a pot full of colourful liquid, whereas customers can show other potential customers what they could do with the product, inspiring others to buy the product the replicate the design themselves. Thus, marketing generated by their customers help to effectively market their products. In return for this, customers try to create the best designs so that they are in with a chance of being featured on the  Models Own page, which increases the amount of likes and followers they may receive, which is perceived as an indication of popularity and credibility on the site.

Not only do those chosen to be re- posted effectively show the product in a more effective way than just a picture of a nail polish bottle, but with a large amount of customers using the Models Own hashtag, and tagging the brand in each post they create, this creates high exposure to for the brand, as not only do all of their followers see this, but also anyone who views their profile or searches for the hash tag. This allows the audience to browse through a catalogue of amazing and beautiful nail art designs. From the image above a huge 103,491 posts were created using the models own hash tag, not to mention the other posts which have also been created using a similar hash tag.

According to Chris Fill (2013), the creation of consumer generated content requires three core conditions to be met. Firstly the content must be published on a social networking site or publically accessible website, in this example; the platform is Instagram. Then,  the material must display creative effort, for Models Own, this is the creation of nail art designs. Finally it has to be created outside of professional routines. In this case, the creators of the content are brand supporters and advocators of the Models Own brand, and those who have a passionate interest in nail art and nail polish products.

It is important to reflect upon the fact that consumers are becoming increasingly important in creating and generating more engaging brand communications, this is a vital factor for any company to ensure their products are promoted more effectively.

 

#Blogmas day 20| Yankee Candles

Yankee candle mini 'Christmas Eve', £1.35, Clinton cards

I don't know about you, but to be honest I am only really interested in candles at Christmas time. Candles are absolutely perfect for creating a beautiful atmosphere in your home but I just never really think about candles any other time of the year. 

The one thing I love about Christmas is the smell, you just can't beat it. As soon as you smell spiced cinnamon and cranberry you know it's Christmas! My mum is a huge fan of candles at Christmas which is why I love them too, we have sooo many! What inspired me to but this one was down to seeing a blogger reviewing this candle on her blog, it's so cute! I just love that it's called Christmas Eve, I literally can't wait to light it!

The best thing about Yankee candles is not only the smells, but they are such high quality at affordable prices and they have such an array of scents, especially Christmassy ones! They have mini candles, medium, large or even sets, this little one only cost me £1.35 from Clinton cards but you can also buy them most places! 

Do you like candles? What's your fave Yankee candle? Leave me a comment below! :)

#Blogmas Day 19| My weekend in pictures

I haven't done a post like this in absolutely ages so I thought since I've had such a good weekend I would share a few pictures with you all!

 My weekend started on Friday when I finally got picked up to come home for Christmas, honestly I have wanted to home home from uni for so long I just couldn't wait! When I got back I was literally so excited to see my kittens, love them! Friday night was one of the best, despite only being able to go out in the very small town that I live in, it was so good seeing all my best friends from home! I don't know about you, but I would rather have a night out at home where I know everyone, than in Leeds where I know very few people! 

Saturday was such a good day, I went to York with my dad to do some last minute Christmas shopping, despite it being freezing cold, York is such a beautiful place I just love it! When we got home I made some Christmas decorations (I can't help being so festive) hehe. 

Sunday I went to the metro centre with my boyfriend, I haven't seen him so long it was amazing! I also haven't been to the metro centre in ages so I was so so excited! We went to see paddington, (I highly reccomend) it's so funny! I can't help but love kids films haha. After this we went to Brewsters, if you've heard of it it's just like a chain of pub restaurants, nothing fancy but sometimes I love it more than nandos or frankie and benny's or something! Anyway, my evening ended with some Christmas wrapping with the help of my kitten miffy, she kind of just laid across all the presents and tried to unwrap them all but nevermind!

What have you all been up to this weekend? Leave me a comment below! :)

#Blogmas Day 18| Top 10 Christmas films!

Okay so it is less than a week till Christmas now so to get in the festive spirit why not whack on a Christmas film?! I absolutely love it when TV channels begin to show all of the Christmas movies... there is even a Sky channel dedicated to Christmas movies, it couldn't really get any better. So if you're looking for a little inspiration of some Christmas films to watch on those cosy nights in, have a look at my 10 top picks!

1. The Santa Claus, and The Santa Clause 2 & 3

2. Elf

3. Home alone 1 & 2 (not keen on 3 and 4 without Macaulay Culkin)

4. Grinch

5. Nativity! 1,2 and I've just seen 3 it's so good!

6. The Holiday

7. Fred Claus

8. Deck the halls

9. Muppets Christmas Carol

10. Miracle on 34th street

What's your favourite Christmas film? Leave me a comment below!

#Blogmas Day 17| Christmas Decorations!

Right, well when thinking about what I could do todays blogmas post on today, I remembered I meant to share with you a Christmas decorations post! I actually put these decorations up on the 29th of November... this might seem excessively early to you all, and when I told my housemates they were mortified of how early I was but it was the only weekend I was back from uni so why not?!

 

I don't know about you, but putting the Christmas decorations up is one of my absolute favourite things about the festive season, they just make your home look so cosy and inviting, and what is better than living in a beautiful Christmassy home throughout December?

 

When it comes to decorations, it becomes an expression of yourself, and that's what makes your tree individual. Do you love a real tree? Do you hate tinsel? White or colourful fairy lights? Is your tree colour coordinated? The possibilities are endless. At home we tend to stick to a real tree which we buy from a local castle, they make your home smell divine! We always get a huge tree, the rule is it has to be taller than all of us! Then to decorate, anything goes really, everyone puts on their favourite decorations and all of the hand made bits and pieces are saved till last. Although some people hate tinsel, I really like it! I just love the different shiny colours.

 

As for the rest of the house, well, I wish I had included a picture. Me, my brother and sister aim to transform the house into a Santa's grotto, so we have a lot of paper chains and snowflakes daggling everywhere imaginable. Have you ever seen the Christmas film Elf? When he transforms the department store that is basically us.

  What are your Christmas decorations like? I would love for you to leave me a comment below! :)

#BLOGMAS DAY 16| OOTN

 

I'm wearing: Ripped Joni Jeans, Topshop| High neck velvet top, Missguided| 'Cyber' satin lipstick, MAC.  

So last night was actually the first time I have had a Christmas night out this Christmas, so when all of you have been dashing around trying to find your perfect Christmas party outfit I have been sat alone doing my uni assignments... with no plans. Anyway last night I went to a house party to celebrate the end of this semester, I cannot believe how quickly it has gone, like it has seriously flown by! SCARY.

 

House parties are always so difficult to dress for, because although it is usually a really informal occasion where jeans will do, but sometimes you have absolutely no idea what everyone else is going to be wearing, are they going to be too dressed up or not enough? It is a true dilemma. Anyway I decided that I was going to wear my ripped Joni jeans which are my absolute fave right now, and then teamed it with a velvet high neck crop top. Velvet is such a great trend right now, even if there is just a hint of it in your outfit, high necks are also very on trend at the moment, this one was only £9.99 from Missguided!

 

So I think I got the balance right between smart and casual last night, but just to be on the safe side I made sure my hair was kept simple and then dressed my whole outfit up with my favourite MAC lipstick 'cyber', its deep purple tones are so great for winter!

 

What have you been wearing for Christmas parties and get together's this season? Leave me a comment below! :)

#Blogmas Day 15| My Christmas List!

   1.  Christmas bauble pendant charm, £50, Pandora| 2. Babyliss curl secret styler, £100, Boots| 3. Models Own nail polish (Blizzard), £5, Models Own| 4. Leather zip front across-the-body bag, £50, Next| 5. Girl Online, £5, Amazon| 6. MINICON Bow mini tablet case, £39, Ted Baker| 7. Ipad Mini, Apple| 8. Christmas bauble pendant charm, £50, Pandora| 9. Models own nail polish (betty blue), £5, Amazon| 10. MAC Objects of affection, £26, MAC.

 

So today is exactly one week until Christmas Eve, so if you haven't decided what you want now then you'd best start making your list!  I always take absolutely ages to decide what I want despite wanting absolutely everything I lay my eyes on all year, does anyone else have this problem?!

 

Anyway I have managed to compile my wish list, as always Pandora has made an appearance on my list, I have had my Pandora bracelet for 4 years now and I prefer to get only a couple of charms a year for Christmas and Birthday to slowly add to my collection as they are always such special and meaningful gifts. I have also started to develop a little collection of Pandora rings, the star stacking ring is right at the top of my list, I absolutely love it and it's so Christmassy!

 

As for the nail varnishes, these make such cute stocking fillers, I always love to add a few inexpensive items to my list so that I have a few little presents to open on Christmas morning, it's so boring only having 2 or 3 things to open on the day! Girl online is also one of my stocking fillers, I have resisted the temptation to buy it myself or pick it up in-store for a sneaky peek and I absolutely can't wait to have a read on Christmas morning!

 

I decided to ask my Grandma for the Babyliss secret curl styler as I  have wanted to try it for absolutely ages, like literally since it came out last year, I currently just curl my hair with my GHD straighteners but I feel like this styler would be so much easier to use and give a much better effect, plus it would save so so much time. The bag will be a gift from my Dad, as well as the MAC objects of affection lipglass set. Although the bag is either love it or hate it, I find the ponyskin trend so lovely (not OTT) but when it is just use to accessorize your outfit a little, I absolutely love this bag! As for the MAC set, I am in love with all of their objects of affection collection, especially the lipglass, you get 4 mini's for only £26!

 

Finally, the biggest gift I will be receiving this year will (hopefully) be an ipad mini from my boyfriend, he always gets me the most amazing presents, in the past I have received Tiffany Jewellery, a Pandora bracelet and charms and a Michael Kors watch, he seriously is the best! God knows what he is going to think of my gifts for him though.. haha.

 

What have you all put on your Christmas wish lists? What gifts have you bought for others? Leave me a comment below! :)

#Blogmas Day 14| Festive Lip Balm

Frosted Cranberry Lip Balm- £4- The Body Shop  

If you haven't been inside one of The Body Shop stores recently you are seriously missing out! Their stores smell absolutely divine and are jam-packed full of the most amazing Christmas gift sets, and products that are perfect for making you feel extra special in the run up to Christmas.

 

I Don't know if any of you have noticed but inside this months issue of Cosmopolitan there is the perfect festive treat for you. The magazine contains a little gift card with a minimum of £3 credit on it, all you have to do is take it into one of The Body Shop stores to reveal your prize! You could win anything between £3 or £50 off on Body Shop products (no minimum spend applies) or even £1000! Anyway when I went to see what my prize was the other day I found it was £3 but I was really satisfied with it, not everyone can win £1000 right?

 

I have had my eye on the 'frosted cranberry' range that The Body Shop has at the moment, if you remember, they had a similar product range last year called "cranberry joy", I had the body butter for this last year and I just loved it. Not only does it smell typically fruity and wonderful, but it has an added festive touch to it, the scent is divine!

 

I am a massive fan of lip balms at the moment, as during the cold months my lips are so prone to cracking and becoming sore, so I love to use a little balm to soften and smoothen them. Despite having several lip products on the go at the moment, when I saw a frosted cranberry lip balm I knew I just had to have it, and with my voucher it only cost me £1, bargain! (it is still only £4).

 

The thing I love most about this product is the fact it is so smooth and easy to apply, you only need to add a little but it adds a lovely shine and reddy/pink touch to your lips, plus it smells absolutely gorgeous! I highly recommend you bag yourselves one of these, or if you're buying Christmas presents this year, it would make a perfect little stocking filler :)

  What is your favourite body shop product range? What's your favourite product? Leave me a comment below! :)

Consumer Generated Marketing| Bloggers & Product Reviews....Zoella

 Source: YouTube

 

*Disclaimer: This post is part of  my University marketing communications assignment.

 

According to Stoeckl et al (2007); Consumer generated marketing, or 'CGM' is where "customers freely choose  to create and share information of value", it also refers to when customers create brand focussed messages with the intention of influencing others.

The growth of consumer generated marketing is inevitably due to the rise of social networks, and the increased use of social media. These networks provide the perfect platform for customers to engage with brands and to express their views and feelings about a product, or a company online, and then share them with others in their online communities. Although there can be some disadvantage to companies from the creation of  consumer generated marketing, for example once a customer has expressed a negative view online, this cannot be removed and is beyond the control of the company. If it went viral, this could potentially significantly damage their reputation. Despite this, CGM provides massive opportunities for brands to interact with their customers and provoke positive conversation, brands can utilise this advantage by inviting customers to create material and then respond to what they say. Not only does this lead to brand loyalty and stronger customer relationships, but it develops the frequency of product opinions online.

 

Other customers may then respond to these opinions by using them to consider where to shop and which products to buy, for example this may affect the decision making process; it will influence the evaluation of alternatives and the information search stages. This is a form of 'word of mouth communication' which involves consumer-to-consumer conversations about products, services and brand-related messages. It is also when customers and potential customers exchange information without influence or being prompted by the brand, making it the most trusted form of marketing communications.

CGM has massive effect if created by an opinion leader or a person with high influential impact, an example of this is product reviews, and the use of bloggers. Bloggers have become an increasingly important and influential channel of communications; 'Zoella' (Zoe Sugg) for example is a hugely popular beauty and fashion blogger/ vlogger with over 6 million followers across social media platforms such as blogger, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, this is why companies target bloggers such as Zoella to share reviews of their products to all of their loyal followers, which creates huge exposure for their products.

 

Blog- http://www.zoella.co.uk/ - 246,691 (followers)

Instagram- http://instagram.com/zozeebo- 3.6m

Twitter- https://twitter.com/zozeebo- 2.65m

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/user/zoella280390/featured- 6,739,879

Here is an example of one of her product reviews: "Beauty| Autumn colours",  she also created  a YouTube video to compliment this post in which she created a makeup tutorial on how to apply one of  the lipsticks featured in the post, and with what other products in could be combined. This review would be valuable to the brand as not only was a large amount of exposure created for the product, but it created awareness in a way the company cannot; i.e the brand may show pictures of the product on their website, but Zoella demonstrated how to use it, what effect it would have, and what other products you could use it with.

 

I myself have reviewed products for companies and have also written sponsored posts to share with my followers. For example; the last product sent to me was a hair piece,  for me to review and share with my followers.

 

 

Overall consumer generated marketing is a beneficial process for both brands and bloggers, whereas bloggers reap the benefits of possibly receiving a free product in exchange for a review, or even just enjoying featuring products on their blog voluntarily, the brand will find this exposure invaluable. Bloggers have such a high influence and are increasingly becoming opinion leaders, becoming a valuable asset to any brands communications strategy.

#Blogmas Day 13| Festive Nails #2

 "Little angel"- £2- Claire's  

This is the second of my festive nails posts, what?! I never change my nails this often! Really.. I literally change my nail polish colour every month minimum, but seen as its Christmas I have so many lovely Christmassy nail polishes, I just want to try them all out. This one in particular is from Claire's Accessories, now if like me, you used to spend all of your pocket money on Claire's hair scrunchies, sparkly hair clips, fluffy purses and garish eye shadow palettes when you were younger, you probably stopped shopping at Claire's a long time ago. However, after popping in there on a couple of occasions recently, I remembered just how much I loved it. I am such a girly girl so I can't resist their jewellery and most importantly, their nail polish collection.

 

I have been looking for a snowflake effect nail polish for quite a while but don't really have the money to spare for a Nails Inc one, so when I found 'Fluffy' on their shelves I just had to have it (I probably should have included it in this post but never mind!) Anyway for £3 I thought it was an absolute bargain, and on that day all of the nail polishes were in the sale for just £2 EACH. This is when I decided I would try 'Little Angel'- a glittery pink polish, right up my street.

 

I knew I wanted to go for a full glitter nail but I know that with some glittery nail polishes it can take quite a while to apply layer upon layer of glitter until it starts to even become noticeable, and by that point you've put a big squishy dent in them anyway. So, I used a plain pink nail varnish as my base colour (you can see it on bits of my fingers in the picture as I forgot to clean it off) but this helped to provide a base in which to apply the glitter, it only took 2 coats! It also dries quite quickly and the effect is beautiful, and exactly what I wanted, although the picture makes it look a little darker than it is.

  Have you seen any great glitter nail polishes that you think I may like? What polish are you wearing at the moment? Leave me a comment below! :) 

#Blogmas Day 12| Christmas gift guide- the beauty edit

(Left to right) Frosted cranberry body butter, £5, The Body Shop| Pretty parfait, £29.60, Benefit| Babyliss perfect curl styler, £100, Boots| Barry M Limited edition nail paint 'jingle bells', £3.99, Superdrug| CHRISTMAS Nail stickers, £1.00, Charlie's Nail Art| No7 The cosmetics case, £50, Boots| Diamond luxe 'Heart Red', £4.99, Models Own| Crimson red lip glitter, £13, Belissimo| Miss Dior Eau de parfum 30ml, £46.50, Boots| No7 Eye shadow palette, £20, Boots

Beauty products make fab stocking fillers, this is definitely the time of year despite buying makeup on a (I'm guessing) regular basis, to ask for something a little more special, and if like me your makeup budget cannot stretch to MAC and Benefit, now is the time to stock up!

 

When browsing in Boots the other day I visited the gift section, I honestly think this year has the greatest selection of beauty gift sets I have seen anywhere on the high street, in particular No7 and Ted Baker gifts are not to be missed! This No7 cosmetics case and Eye shadow product particularly caught my eye as they are filled with such beautiful makeup! I was also distracted by the Benefit counter by this 'pretty parfait' cosmetics set, filled with absolutely products at such a low cost!

 

One thing I always ask for at Christmas is nail polishes. I absolutely love unwrapping glittery nail polishes and trying them out on Christmas Day, and to be honest I never ever buy them during the year so really this is the only time I get them. I absolutely love Models Own nail polishes at the moment, especially their Diamond Luxe collection, they have so many different collections and effects to choose from I just love them all! What is even better is that they have an offer on of 6 for £20 at the moment, bargain! Another polish which caught my eye was the 'Jingle Bells' polish by Barry M, which you can get for free when you spend just £6 or more on Barry M makeup! If you're a fan of nail art I highly suggest you check out Charlie's Nail Art website, where you can find amazing Christmas nail stickers for just £1 each! I bought 4 packs...

 

The item which is at the top of my wish list right now is the Babyliss perfect curl styler, I have been after one since it was introduced last year and I really  hope it is under my tree this year! If you also want one, they are on offer in Boots at the moment for £100!

 

As for the perfume, well which girl doesn't want a new fragrance at Christmas?!

 

Something which you may not have seen before is the Belissimo lips lip glitter, it is so simple to apply actual glitter with a little lip glue, it stays on even when you eat or drink and it comes in so many different colours... you can see my review of my pink glitter in my last post, it is my new fave product!

 

Finally, if you haven't visited The Body Shop store recently, you seriously need to get yourself there! Their Christmas gift sets are fantastic and the products are absolutely lovely at the moment, check out the frosted cranberry range, it smells divine... so Christmassy!

 

What beauty products are at the top of your wish list this Christmas? Leave me a comment below! :) 

#Blogmas Day 11| Glitter lips!

Holographic fuchsia- £13- Bellissimo Lips  

This is literally the most amazing makeup product I have ever seen...forget balms, lipsticks and glosses, and embrace glitter lips! Literally my lips are covered in glitter. When I first saw the 'Bellissimo lips' concession stand in Topshop a month a go I just had to have a look. Bellissimo offers the cutest packs of lip glue and glitter to create the cutest sparkly lip, despite being October at the time I knew this was a must have for the festive season!

 

They sell so many varieties of glitters, whether its crimson, pink, fuchsia, blue or purple they have such an array of colours; I was spoilt for choice, and being so indecisive I almost took them up on their offer of 3 packs for £20. I decided in the end to get the 'holographic fuchsia' glitter, which is a very bold pink but has hints of other colours too, making it the perfect colour!

 

I only actually tried this out as a tester the other day when I was bored, but honestly as soon as the glitter was on my lips I didn't want to take it off, it looks so pretty! Those of you who read my blog regularly will know how much of a sparkle lover I am, so this was perfect for me! I intend to wear it all through Christmas, especially for Christmas Day and New Year.

 

Despite being so pretty I would say there was a few issues, although it is super easy to apply with a cotton bud to avoid getting glitter all over the place, the glue used to apply dries super fast, so you have to be really quick in applying your glitter or your cotton bud starts to stick to your lips, not nice. Also although it I good that the glitter withstands food and drink meaning you don't need to re- apply, it is an absolute pain to get off , literally I had to scrub it off and then I had an awkward faint line of glitter around my lip line all day that just wouldn't budge!

 

Overall I absolutely love this product, although for what it is, you could definitely buy it for cheaper or make it yourself rather than paying £13. You can find the lip glitters HERE .

 

What do you think of the lip glitter look? Would you, or have you tried it yourself? Leave me a comment below! :)

#Blogmas Day 10| Party wear!

1. Lurex crop top- £22- Topshop| 2. Crystal embellished bodycon dress- £22- Topshop| 3. ALDO beaded box clutch with chain shoulder strap- £45- ASOS| 4. Sequin cami top- £25- ASOS| 5. Sleeveless feather trim top- £45- Topshop| 6. Maddiee crepe fur trim mini skirt- £24.99- Missguided| 7. All over sequin co ord- £110- ASOS| 8. Bonded seam corset- £45- Topshop| 9. Lace bodycon dress- £100- Tophop| 10. Silver platform gemstone statement heels- £65- River Island.  

The Christmas party season is well under way now, unfortunately I haven't actually been to one this year...but I am still thinking about, and planning my outfits for Christmas eve and day, and New years eve/day, I don't know about you but I absolutely love to have a special outfit as it is a special occasion! I am certainly not the type of person to chill in my pj's all day! However if you've left it a little last minute to find yourself a party outfit, or like me you're planning ahead to New year celebrations I hope my party wear compilation gives you a little bit of inspiration!

 

From this you can definitely tell what type of style I go for, anything sparkly. But I guess it makes your outfit more festive, right?! And anyway, the festive period is definitely the perfect opportunity to go OTT with the glitter. A lot of my top picks are also black, there is just something so classy about black and it makes it so easy to accessorise your outfit as practically anything goes.

 

Some of my absolute favourites from this collection is the lurex burgundy crop top, the fur trim skirt and the bonded seam corset. I'm such a fan of sequins, faux fur, feathers, corset and crop top designs at the moment, I can't get enough of them right now! There are so many amazing pieces on the high street which are perfect party wear, and plus there are so so many offers on too, for example 50% off selected party wear items at Missguided at the moment. Don't forget 'party wear' is not just an LBD or an OTT sparkly dress, you can be casual and dress up with accessories, or have one statement piece in your outfit, so don't be afraid to mix and match!

 

What is your favourite item from my selection? What are you wearing this festive season? Leave me a comment below! :)

#Blogmas Day 9| M&Co Blogger Challenge!... All i want for Christmas...

Flower and pearl stud earring pack, £2.40| Guipure lace shift dress, £65| Sateen cami top, £9| Underwired padded lace overlay bra, £9| Slinky collar necklace, £9.50

 

I absolutely love blogger challenges at Christmas time, in particular this is such a fab competition! The M&Co "All I want for Christmas challenge" has a fabulous prize too, all you need to do is  create an M & Co Christmas wish list for under £100 and you could win everything on your wish list! :)

 

So... I think my wish list comes to around £97, and what I chose to include is all ultra festive! Firstly this gorgeous lace shift dress is absolutely perfect for the Christmas season, it is also in the sale at the moment, despite being only £65 it looks like it is so much more expensive, definitely a must have for your Christmas party!

 

I also chose this sateen cami top, this is such a great piece as you can do so much with it, and best of all it is only £9! Personally, I think this would look great tucked into a pencil skirt or dressed more casual with jeans, perfect for a get together meal or cinema date with friends.

 

As for the lingerie, I was pleasantly surprised by the selection I found, especially their Christmas underwear!

 

Finally the jewellery... well which girl can resist?! These two pieces are absolutely perfect for accessorising your festive outfits, and they are such a bargain, you should definitely consider adding some M & Co jewellery and a touch of sparkle to your outfit this season!

 

What would be on your M&Co wishlist? Leave me a comment below! :)

 

#Blogmas Day 8| New Shoesies!

 

  Black extreme heel Chelsea boots- £29.99- New Look 

 

I have literally been looking for the perfect pair of winter boots for MONTHS. I bought some from River Island but I feel like I have made such a mistake and wasted £38 when I bought them on impulse a few months ago, they are baggy, and not high enough, I hate them. So then I looked around some more, and the only ones I could find were soooooo over priced (£60-£90) which is just so out of my budget... then to my amazement I found a whole range of boots in Garage shoes which were literally cheap replicas of all the boots Topshop, River Island sell at the moment, honestly it's crazy, they may not be the highest quality shoes but for half the price they are such a bargain!

 

Anyway I am going off track a little... just after I set my heart on a pair of River Island replicas from Garage shoes, I came across these babies in New Look. I can't believe I forgot how amazing the shoe section in New Look is... literally shoe heaven. Despite my money woes I knew I had to have these, they are shoe perfection I absolutely love them!

 

Although the material is suede and therefore very unsuitable for rain or snow, they look gorgeous, the shape is beautiful and they are super comfy inside... there is even extra padding to support your feet. Most importantly they look gorgeous! Honestly I feel so amazing wearing them I don't think I have ever owned such nice shoes for just £29.99, they are such great quality! Definitely recommend you bag yourself a pair of these while you can.... you can find my boots HERE.

 

What do you think? Do you like the Chelsea boots trend? What are your winter boots? Leave me a comment below! :)  

 

#Blogmas Day 7| Christmas Jumpers

 1. Alycia fluffy knit cropped jumper, £15, Missguided|  2.Christmas tree jumper in snowman fairisle, £35, ASOS| 3. Grey snowman Christmas sweater, £28, Next| 4. Christmas jumper with Rudolph winter scene, £32, ASOS| 5. Navy snowflake boxy sweater, £26, Next| 6.Christmas tree DIY knitted jumper, £22.99, Misguided| 7. Scatter embellished necklace jumper, £46, Topshop| 8. Co-ord Christmas jumper in reindeer fairisle, £35, ASOS| 9. Sparkle fluffy jumper, £32, Warehouse| 10. Red snowman print Christmas jumper, £19.99, New Look

 

One of the most Christmassy fashion traditions which I never ever actually take part in is the festive jumper trend. They are absolutely everywhere, and it's not like I wouldn't want to wear one, but I just feel like I never ever have an appropriate occasion to wear one, instead I simply stick to my fluffy and glittery jumpers... kind of festive I guess!

 

Anyway... even if I am not the biggest fan myself, I know a lot of you are! So I have decided to compile a selection of Christmas jumpers from the high street and online that I would personally love to wear over the festive period. What I have actually noticed from searching for these jumpers is that they aren't actually very cheap, for some reason I expected such a novelty item to be a little bit cheaper, but I guess you can wear it throughout the festive period and for many Christmases to come... so really its just as much as an investment piece as an LBD!

 

Just a little post today, have you been wearing a Christmas jumper? Do you like them? What is your most festive piece of clothing? Leave me a comment below! :)  

#Blogmas Day 6| Gingerbread house!

Okay so it might have a massive hole in the roof, the walls are stuck together by the skin of their teeth and I have been told it looks like a gingerbread man crime scene, but this was one of the most fun things I have done in ages!

 

My boyfriend came to visit this weekend so seen as we won't be seeing much of each other before Christmas, we decided to have a super festive weekend together instead! Honestly, making a gingerbread house is the most difficult and frustrating things to make in the world, but so completely worth it! I can see the idea behind it, you make the perfect mixture, cut out the gingerbread pieces to the exact millimetre, everything falls into place, and everything is decorated fabulously to make a culinary masterpiece... but in reality it isn't going to happen. Some of your pieces will be thicker than others, some will be burnt to a crisp, and you'll spend half an hour holding all the pieces together and hoping the masses of sticky icing will act as super glue.... just for it all to fall to bits time and time again.

 

However, it's what makes it so fun! If like me you had no idea where on earth to start making your own gingerbread mixture, then you can pick up a gingerbread house kit for just £5 in Sainsbury's, or quite cheaply in other supermarkets too, although I do recommend you buy a lot more sweets and icing to decorate!

 

Just a quick post today anyway, i'm off to munch my way through this gingerbread house... have you made one? I would love for you to send me a link to your picture or comment below! :)  

#Blogmas Day 5| #AnabellesWigsChallenge

*When I found out about this challenge I just had to get involved! #AnabellesWigsChallenge basically requires you to style your Anabelle hair piece in three different ways! One of things I dislike the most about myself is my hair, I just can't get it to grow so this hair piece was absolutely perfect for me! 

 

Annabelle's Wigs are a hair company based in the UK who aims to stay ahead of fashion trends. Celebs such as Adele, The Saturdays, Amy Childs, Pixie Lott, Kelly Osbourne and

Katie Price are just some of those who have been spotted wearing Annabelle’s wigs hair pieces.

 

Their range consists of 1/2 or 3/4 hair pieces and they are so easy to wear, literally you clip them in and your done! The quality of the hair pieces are also fantastic... from somebody who spent £70 on hair extensions a few years ago which turned out to rubbish quality, I didn't expect much from this one for just £29.99 but I was pleasantly surprised. Although you cannot use heat on them, they are already perfectly styled and you can buy them in whatever style you like! I chose Daisy which is loose curls I would say with layers and is a 3/4 hair piece. You can find the whole range at http://www.annabelleswigs.co.uk/.

 

So, it's time for the challenge! I decided to style mine in my 3 favourite hairstyles; the big ponytail, to the side and also big bouncy curls. The hair is so easy to play around with, and the hair is so glossy and life like, this is literally my dream hair! Although there can be issues with matching the hair piece colour to your own hair, I sent a picture and they colour matched me perfectly, could not be happier!

 

Although this style is not something I would wear daytime as it is very big and thick, it is perfect for special occasions or a night out! :)

  What do you think? :)

#Blogmas Day 4| Stocking fillers!

Unicorn hottie, £9, Topshop| Marc Jacobs daisy eau so fresh mini perfume, £17,99, Amazon| Minnie and Mickey pyjama set,£22| Christmas bauble pendant charm,£50, Pandora| Bow mini tablet case, £39, Ted Baker| STELLE crystal chain bracelet,£59, Ted Baker| Marabou feather bag, £45, Topshop| Babyliss curl styler, £100, ASDA|Digital penguin toe ankle socks, £3.50, Topshop| Girl Online by Zoella, £9.90, Amazon

 

Okay, it is now less than a month until Christmas and it's time to start making those wish lists! I always get a little stuck at this time of year as to what I want to ask for, despite wanting so much stuff all year round, when it actually comes to deciding what I want to ask for I'm lost! If like me you have the same dilemma, here is a little inspiration!

 

As you can tell, these stocking fillers are very girly and very much to my taste, some of this I will actually be asking for this Christmas. Whether it is a hair curler, piece of jewellery or even a pair of socks it is always nice to have a few little bits and pieces to open on Christmas day! One gift on this list I will most certainly be hoping to get is the new Zoella book, you have no idea how much I have had to stop myself from pre-ordering it at a bargain price or popping into Waterstones to grab a copy, but I want this to be my little Christmas read so I'm going to wait! As for the unicorn, I just love novelty gifts and this hottie is so cute, this is at the very top of Santa's list! Also how could I resist these cutesy penguin socks? Everyone needs a pair of Christmas socks in their stocking... these ones are 3 for £8 which I would love to mix and match with some glittery socks which I am so addicted too right now!

 

These pyjamas are an ultimate fave, Topshop pyjamas are so good at the moment and they have so many to chose from, but I particularly love these Mickey and Minnie mouse ones. I'm not sure if I can actually class the Babyliss curl styler as a 'stocking filler' as it is a little pricey... this is something which I really want to ask for this Christmas as I have had my eye on it for the best part of a year, it seems so simplistic and considering my hair takes forever to curl, I need it in my life!

 

It has become tradition for me since my boyfriend bought my Pandora bracelet and two charms 5 christmasses ago to now get a new charm every year, I absolutely love Pandora, their jewellery is amazing and their charms are beautiful, I love how every Christmas they have a new range. This year I would love to get the bauble charm, so cute! I would love to know your opinion on this fluffy bag... I saw them in River Island a while ago and since they have really grown on me, I absolutely love how girly they are but are they socially acceptable to wear in public? Let me know what you think!

 

Finally, who can deny a girl some perfume and jewellery at Christmas? This Ted baker crystal bracelet really caught my eye because firstly it's rose gold...my fave, and secondly the crystals are stunning! Love. As for the Daisy eau so Fresh perfume, this is such a beautiful scent, I cant get enough!

 

What is on your Christmas list this year? Leave me a comment below! :)