Bloggers

Starting a new fashion blog when I had never done anything like this before is quite daunting, and I don’t really know where to start of what to write about. I sometimes feel a bit uncomfortable writing on blogs as it’s not guaranteed anyone will actually read it, and if they do, will they even like it? I wanted to know what other bloggers were doing and my tutors asked the students of out FCP course to look up some popular fashion bloggers we have never looked at before, and I hoping this will give me the push and confidence I need in order to really strive with writing my blog posts.

Beautycrush is one of the most well known UK beauty bloggers today. Starting her own fashion blog in her teens, Sammi, the face behind this blog, then decided to stretch across more e-media sites in 2009 and create her own beauty guru channel on YouTube during her time at university, after viewing Kandee Johnson who was her inspiration to create Beautycrush. This has created so much confidence for many girls, like me, to begin these fashion and beauty blogs whilst at university, showing that they can be hugely successful and rewarding, whilst also help with the writing and communication skills needed for my Fashion Communication and Promotion. 

 Covering a wide range of topics on her Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and blog, she has become extremely experienced in the world of fashion blogging and now making appearances at prestigious events many young girls only dream of attending such as London Fashion Week, IMATS and also organising her own meet ups. After reading Beautycrush.co.uk and watching various videos for the first time, it is clear that Sammi has made a very strong relationship with her 1,349,000+ subscribers. Whether she talks about her outfit, her personal life or her make-up, she always receives extremely positive feedback which is very reassuring for new bloggers like me to continue with what we are doing; as these aspects may inspire and help the people who are viewing them. 

I really like Beautycrush’s visual style on her blog, using mainly photographs in order to portray the looks and information she’s showcasing to her audience. I think that this is most appealing to younger female teenage target audience, as the fashion styling looks very beautiful and creates an area for passive and quick viewing. Sammi uses varied angles on the same product to give a complete overview of the items, and her love for photography really shines through, an aspect I am also very passionate about after completing my photography A-Level at sixth form. This has inspired me to use some of my photography on my fashion blog in order to create more visual content, which will appeal to a much wider target audience. Using this, Beautycrush has influenced me to create an Instagram account, like her own, to showcase some images I take on my mobile, as this creates a cross-platform blogging experience for my viewers. As I have not read fashion blogs like this before, I was unaware fashion bloggers like Sammi were so dedicated to their work, spending time and money in order to show their passion for fashion, and this is pushing me to become more excited about posting on these blogs and sharing where I receive my inspiration from; whether that be in stores, on streets or by travelling. 

why not visit www.beautycrush.co.uk ?

 

Whereas Beautycrush’s blog posts are very down to earth, with many product reviews and clothing items seeming reasonable prices with high-street brands, another fashion blogger with the title SomethingNavy is much more up-market, working with brands such as L’Oreal, Armani Exchange and The Coveteur. SomethingNavy began in 2009 by a female called Arielle Nachmani who lives in New York City, the capital of fashion. Coming from a fashion background, she has always been interested in the industry and with all this emphasis on fashion in NYC; it’s no wonder where she gets her inspiration for her amazing posts from. But www.somethingnavy.com was just the beginning! Now working on Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest and having a following of nearly 217,000 on Instagram, she has worked her way up to become this fashion guru who is adored by many around the world. However, Arielle does not do this alone. Working with her best friend who photographs her trends, they have worked their way up to collaborate with some of the biggest brands around, whilst remaining down-to-earth. 

 By looking at SomethingNavy, it has shown me that blogging can be difficult and time-consuming, and you should not be afraid to ask others for help. Whether that means I would contact a photography student for a shoot or interview other fashion students for content, people are always friendly and excited to help you build up something which may become inspirational to others. I also really like that Arielle’s writing style is very chatty, despite her high-end fashion, keeping an informal and comforting relationship between her and her readers, something I think is important to gain a sense of trust from the people you are writing for. This is something I really need to become more comfortable doing, as sometimes feel my blogs have a very formal style.

Check out somethingnavy on twitter!

  

 The third and final fashion blogger I looked at for inspiration was Style Me Grasie, the blog of a Latina Born lady who is also living in the vibrant NYC. Grasie Mercedes chats about her personal life as well as her fashion, entertainment career and travel, also creating a strong relationship with her readers that I mentioned SomethingNavy does in her posts. I think that by talking about every single aspect of your day-to-day life makes readers feel like they really know you, and makes them want to know even more about your successes, and is something I hope to include. Although I originally intended this blog to be about fashion and the industry surrounding this, I am becoming more convinced to include other aspects of my life, also widening the target audience the blog may appeal to. 

Grasie uses a mix of high-street and high-end fashion in her blogs, creating versatile reading material for all. This therefore appeals to not only those who can buy these expensive products, but also aspirers who are reader her blogs for inspiration and motivation to become as successful as her. Grasie started styling in 2007 and has continued to have a passion for clothing and accessories regardless of moving into the entertainment industry. This is admirable, as suggests to her readers that you do not need to work in the industry to enjoy fashion, and is a message I hope to portray, as fashion should be fun! Winning various ‘blogger of the week’ and ‘editors pick’ awards over the years, Style Me Grasie has grown from strength to strength, and by looking at her visual style, may be due to the professional location shoots and confident writing style, which is very convincing and reassuring to her readers; something I have learnt is great in order to achieve a dedicated fan base.

 

Go see for yourself at www.graciemercedes.com

 I really enjoyed looking at other bloggers work and understanding the ways in which other people communicate about fashion, lifestyle and beauty products. It’s all about opinion and getting your view across, and this has inspired me to really push with blogging and experiment with new ideas. #fcpreflection