The secret behind Kylie Jenners controversial plumped up pout

Being part of the Kardashian clan, theres always going to be some sort of controversy surrounding you. So when the youngest of the siblings, 17 year old Kylie Jenner showcased an unfamiliarly over the top pout, the industry have been speculating whether or not she had had surgery to boost her once frankly, non existent set of lips.

Yet in her latest interview for Remix magazine, Kylie revealed that her new look is all down to makeup! She even revealed that it takes her 40 minutes to purely create those iconic lips. 40 minutes!! Would you go so far to get Kylies look?

Kylie Jenner - Remix magazine cover star

She may only be 17, but she is killing it!

The QVC & Jill Goldsmith rule

Today we had a lecture with Michelle Hoines-White; co founder of Front Cover cosmetics. Michelle taught us all about the art of communication. We learnt about how to brand and promote our product with the use of a logical process to which followed a strict step by step order, to ensure that we didn't just jump to the end result and forget about the vital elements in between.

Tone of voice:
- What is your brands personality?
- What unique qualities does it have?
- What does your customer want to hear?
- Who is your customer?
- What does he/she read?

3 step rule to presenting your research and brand development:
1. How did you spot a gap in the market for your product?
2. What primary/secondary research do you have to back up your concept?
3. Explain the brand direction - how are you ensuring that you create a solution to the customer need?

Michelle introduced us to the QVC & Jill Goldsmith rule, to which she had experienced first hand when promoting her product on QVC. Michelle said that in order to sell your product to someone in 30 seconds, you need to have 3 key reasons as to what your product offers, how it is different from other products in a similar market, but also selling the product so that it is presented as extremely desirable. We were then presented with a task to apply the rule to our fragrance products and see what we could come up with....

1. Redress your skin with the scent you're in.
2. A scent collection to fulfill your luxury lifestyle. From washing to wardrobe, we've got you covered.
3. Unwrap your personalised perfume parcel and begin your Lavabo experience.

Overall, I was really pleased with the 3 key taglines that we created to help sell not only our product, but the luxurious experience that comes with it.

Graphics Students x FCP Students

With our Fragrance product designs, we were partnered in our teams with another team of 2nd year Graphic students in attempt to create a finalised product design for our idea.

Immediately, the team we worked with grasped our concept straight away and understood what we were trying to achieve. We worked together on typefaces for the logo and name of our brand as well as labelling of the products and the overall presentation of the product.

Here are the final designs that were presented to us...

Overall, we were really pleased with the designs that the graphics students presented to us, as we felt that they not only grasped the concept and what our product was all about, but also the target consumer that we were aiming our product for.

Strengths:
Love the slogan, logo design and the in detail sketches of what the gift box would look like and the fabrics that would be used.


Weaknesses: 
Need to work on the balance between texts on the logo; the name of the brand, Lavabo needs to be made into a larger font so that it is the focal text of the logo, where as the AVA logo of our product needs to be made smaller to ensure that the consumer does not get confused to which is the actual name of our product.

We feel that the designs that we have been presented with have given us the perfect starting point of being able to visualise what our final product will look like, yet by changing a few elements and adding our own touch to the designs, it will allow us to become more involved with the designing element of the product.

Lily Allen is the new face of Henry Holland Eyewear

 I think that Lily Allen was the perfect choice to face the new Eyewear range from her BFF Henry Holland. Not only is she quirky, out of the ordinary and a fresh face to the fashion industry, but also she stands up for herself and is not afraid to get involved with a bit of controversy within the industry. A breath of fresh air!

This Girl Can

The team at FCB Inferno created the viral video 'This Girl Can'. The concept is aimed to get more women, aged between 14-40 to exercise regularly (atleast once a week).

CONTEXT
Trends: Feminism, obesity, body image, size zero, healthy eating, fitspiration
Insight: Sport England discovered a big gender gap in the market.
              2 million fewer women are exercising regularly than men.
              Currently in Europe, England ranks 3rd for male participation but 19th for female participation within the sport & exercise category.

The company discovered that 75% of women aged between 14-40 said that they wanted to exercise but were put off by the "fear of others" perception. Therefore they decided to do something about it...

THE BIG IDEA
-The campaign uses 'real' women of all different shapes and sizes.
- Celebrates 'real' women, who are already smashing through the fear of judgement barrier (#ThisGirlCan).
- Gives girls and women the confidence to overcome their fear of being judged.

CREATIVE CONCEPT
- The team at FCP Inferno hit upon the idea of 'T shirt' style slogans. to which each one is used to represent a different judgement barrier:
1. "I jiggle, therefore I am"
2. "My gameface has lipstick on it"
3. "Damn right, I look hot"
4. "Hot and not bothered"
5. "Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox"
6. "I kick balls, deal with it"

- The campaign is slick, fast moving and glamourising working out
- Showcases real stories with 7 real women
- All of the women presented are shown to be aspirational.
- The women were street cast; they are not secret athletes
- Women wear oridinary gym kit with "pops of colour"
- Not glossy but a high performance, fast paced ad

- The use of Missy Elliot's "Get Ur freak on" was selected as the brand explained that it "just felt right". But the use of the song has created great interest within the social media world as now Missy Elliott herself has shared and spoken about the campaign on Twitter.

EXECUTIONS
The campaign is promoted to best fit in with the consumer
COMMS MIX - Based on the consumer:
- Advertising
- Public relations
- Direct marketing
- Retail
- Sales promotion
- Personal selling

Ad was launched on Monday 12th January 2015
- Launched during 7.45pm ad break in Coronation Street for 30 seconds
- 8.4 million viewers
- ITV reaches 86% of housewives (intended audience)

- Reaches outdoor, PR, PPC (Paid search online - doubled in real estate) as well as on the Web through the use of both their own website but also through YouTube and social shares on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Overall, I feel that the ad itself is extremely powerful as it truly represents the real women through their stories, who have suffered with the judgmental "fear of others" perception. It shows how the women have moved past the negativity and taken to excersise as the form of getting back to those who had spoken negatively about them. Proving that by taking part in sport and exercising, you are not only standing up to the judgmental people but also empowering yourself by leading a healthier lifestyle.

Advertising analysis essay - GARAGE Magazine

As the layout inspiration behind my advertising analysis essay, I decided to focus on GARAGE Magazine and the layout that present in the magazine. I particularly focused on the Fall 2014 edition of the magazine as I have the paper copy of it and therefore I found it more visually engaging to get inspiration from it. The layout of the magazine inside is differentiates on each page, something that I find to be extremely engaging when looking at a magazine, as it means that my eyes never tire of what I am looking at or reading about.

I found one particular article layout to which I was instantly drawn to, It was made up of bold black lines to frame the article, with snippets of coloured boxes throughout to fill the white space. I decided that the layout would be a great starting point for my essay layout, as I immediately noticed that the coloured boxes used would be perfect to show of the colour palette used within my chosen images; a dewy soft pink and a harsh juxtaposing black.

As a magazine, I find GARAGE to be much more interesting to study above other magazines as I feel that it incorporates the perfect balance between text and imagery when necessary. For example, for an article, the ratio'd between text and imagery perfectly, yet when looking into photoshoots within the magazine, the images used take up a full page and are at full bleed, meaning that it is impossible to not notice the image. I love the use of variety as I feel it makes for a much more invigorating and exciting read.

The White Company

For our fragrance product, we knew we wanted to keep the bottle and packaging of the product fairly simplistic, clean cut and minimalistic, so therefore we decided to look into the white company who follow this product template. We decided to do some instore primary research into the company to see how they display their products in store...

Marie Antionette

Marie Antionette was born as the Archduchess of Austria, aswell as being the Dauphine of France from 1770 to 1774, and Queen of France and Navarre from 1774 to 1792. She was the fifteenth and penultimate child of Maria Theresa of Austria and Francis I, Holly Roman Emperor.

Marie Antionette is a key historical icon within Christian Diors work. She has been known to influence not only the Miss Dior fragrance with her admiration for the natural world and all of the things that surround it, but also Marie-Antionette and her private domain, the Petit Trianon, inspired the Dior makeup creations of this season, with luxurious Macaroon shades and Fontages bow, which present the atmosphere of Versailles and its flourishing gardens, beautifully.

I love the way that Christian Dior uses iconic figures to influence his products and how he allows the consumer to not only own a beautifully produced product, but also learn about the iconic historical references behind it. 

Grace Kelly

Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after marrying Prince Rainier III, became Princess of Monaco.

After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of 20, Kelly appeared in New York City theatrical productions and more than 40 episodes of live drama productions broadcast during the early 1950s Golden Age of Television. 

In October 1953, she gained stardom from her performance in the film Mogambo. It won her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination in 1954. She had leading roles in five films, including The Country Girl, for which her de-glamorised performance earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress.Other films include High Noon (1952) with Gary Cooper, Dial M for Murder (1954) with Ray Milland, Rear Window (1954) with James Stewart, To Catch a Thief (1955) with Cary Grant, and High Society (1956) with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.

Kelly retired from acting at the age of 26 to marry Rainier and begin her duties in Monaco. They had three children: Caroline, Albert, and Stéphanie. She retained her American roots, maintaining dual U.S. and Monégasque citizenship.She died on September 14, 1982, a day after a stroke caused her to crash her car.

I feel that Grace Kelly was a huge influence within the makeup, hair and styling of Natalie Portman in the Miss Dior fragrance campaign with the use of her feminine and simplistic soft makeup, that includes an iconic feline eyeliner flick in a stand out black shade with a dewy nude lip, as well as her luxurious and voluminous softly curled hair. 

Using Grace Kelly as a styling influence for Miss Dior I feel is a perfectly fitted choice as Grace Kelly showcases all of the feminine qualities that the modern day Dior woman presents also; high glamour, sophistication and traditional values. 

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibition

 

“London’s where I was brought up. It’s where my heart is and where I get my inspiration.”
- Alexander McQueen, January 2000

In the Easter break, I am going to make sure that I pay a visit to the latest Alexander McQueen exhibition Savage Beauty in London at the V&A museum.

The exhibition itself is the first and largest retrospective of the late designer’s work to be presented in Europe, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty showcases McQueen’s visionary body of work. Spanning his 1992 MA graduate collection to his unfinished A/W 2010 collection, McQueen’s designs are presented with the dramatic staging and sense of spectacle synonymous with his runway shows.

The original version of Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2011 was organised by the Costume Institute and became one of the museum's top 10 most visited exhibitions. 

The exhibition itself presents the two sides of McQueens work...the gothic mind and the romantic mind. The exhibition showcases both sides of his work both separately and together, so that people can experience the mind of Alexander McQueen and what influenced his iconic designs. 

As a huge fan of McQueen's work, I cannot wait to go to the exhibition and see what inspiration I can take from his work and see how I can incorporate it into my own.

Fragrance making workshop

"Fragrance is a way of communicating without words"

Last week we took part in a fragrance workshop with fragrance expert Karen Gilbert. We learnt about all of the vital elements that make for a bespoke fragrance. Karen taught us about mixing different notes to create a desired smell, whether it be fruity, fresh, earthy or more traditional.

In order to create a successful fragrance, it is key that the scent engages with all of the senses and not just through smell. It has to engage with the consumer through a narrative element in order for the consumer to be able to make a personal bond with the scent that is given off, whether it is used to evoke memories or a particular time in the consumers life that they wish they could return to.

"Fragrance makes us think, feel and react without ever knowing why"

In the workshop we got a chance to test lots of different notes to pick out our 5 favourite within the 3 categories: Heart, Fixtative, Accessory or a combination of 2 together. After testing the scents and deciding on what notes we wanted to combine in order to create our final fragrance, we then had to decide on how many drops of each element we wanted to add, in order to total a final number of 120 drops. Our final notes that we decided on were Vanilla, Fruity, Naturelle, Woody and Mossy. We decided to use Naturalle and Woody as our main notes with the majority of drops and used the stronger notes such as vanilla and fruity for an added element to the fragrance in order for it to not be too overpowering or sweet/sickly.

We were really pleased with our final fragrance as I feel it perfectly encapsulated what we wanted our final product to present. The outcome that we created was a soft, luxurious, slightly peachy fragrance that engaged each of us with the memories of childhood and being carefree.

I found the workshop to be extremely interesting as not only did we get to create our own fragrance, we also got the chance to learn about what lies beneath the scent of a fragrance and how it is influenced and created.

Audrey Hepburn - The inspiration behind Miss Dior?

When looking further into both past and present Miss Dior fragrance campaigns, I couldn't help but notice that each campaign dared a striking resemblance to that of the iconic 1950's fashion figure, Audrey Hepburn, through both the use of styling, hair and makeup selection, as well as the location choices and camera shots used to capture Miss Dior in action.

When previously looking at the Miss Dior campaigns, I never before noticed these subtle resemblances, yet when looking into them deeper, I found myself continually picking up on similarities between the two. Even within the ways that both women present themselves; a feminine, lust after, business headed woman who never let anyone get too close.

Both Audrey and Miss Dior represent the woman that other females want to be like. They are both presented as desirable characters through their extreme femininity and sex appeal, yet also with a more mysterious and secretive side, to which is stereotypically seen as a trait to allure a males attention.

Miss Dior

The miss dior fragrance is a strongly feminine fragrance with soft and gentle notes such as rose absolut, madarin and vanilla. The fragrance was first launched by Christian Dior, on the 12th February 1947. Dior said that the fragrance ,"Embodies modernity, femininity, sophistication and freshness, making it an iconic perfume of the world".

The Miss Dior fragrance campaigns follow the story of the modern day Miss Dior woman and the decisions that she makes within the key stages of her life. In the first campaign we see her find love, yet in the latest 2015 campaign we see her ditch her husband to be at the alter, in favour of a life of her own to which she has complete control over. The modern day Miss Dior empowers women and allows them to believe that they can achieve anything that they set their mind to.

I find the Miss Dior advertising campaigns to be interesting and engaging as they allow the consumer to become a part of Miss Diors life as they follow her journey of self discovery.

Myers & Briggs personality test

After hearing about Myers & Briggs famous personality test, I decided to give it a go! The test is quick, with only 10 sections of questions to which you choose 'agree', 'disagree' or somewhere in between as the answer. After answering all of the questions you get a result.

I found the results of the test to be very interesting, as at first I thought that they had not summed what I thought my personality was, up very well, but then when looking into the results further, I realised that they were actually a lot more like myself than I initially thought. I found it really interesting to see how a set of such simple questions could define a person pretty well! Definitely worth a go!

TOMS - a brand with a difference

TOMS offer an engaging proposition to which helps it to better communicate with its consumers. Through consumers purchases of their products, TOMS help to provide, shoes, sight, water and safer birth services to people in need.

Their 4 step plan:
1. Purchase
Sales of TOMS shoes, eyewear, coffee and bags drive giving through the TOMS one for one model. Everytime a TOMS product is purchased, a person in need is helped.

2. Plan
The TOMS giving team collaborates with giving partners to plan how we can further the partners' work, by giving TOMS products or helping the partners to provide services.

3. Support
TOMS uses business for good, through tailored products and services, logistical support, local production and more.

4. Give
Our giving partners provide TOMS products or services, supporting sustainable and responsible programs for communities in need.

I feel that what TOMS as a brand are offering is something that needs to be noticed more in the market. Their caring nature not only affects those who need the help, but also those consumers who want to help but do not know how else to.

How did Starbucks become the No1 desirable coffee brand in the world?

#1 Consistent Branding
Starbucks has a brand personality that comes through in every communication.  No matter where you are in the world, the logo, storefront and store presence all have a familiar look and feel. When I am in an unfamiliar place, I always notice when someone walks by carrying the distinctive coffee cup. When driving on a highway, all I need to see is the logo and I know refreshment is nearby.

#2 The World Wide Web
The web experience is tailored to the audience.  For example, each personal web experience acknowledges a rewards status, so anytime you go to the web site you can easily access your account, check on your rewards, find stores; all the things that coffee consumers want to do.

#3 Content is consistent across all channels

Once you subscribe to email communications, you regularly receive messages.  These messages are appropriately paced, visually oriented, providing interesting information about the products Starbucks offers.  The content is focused on education and information, not promotion. Therefore you are rewarded for frequent purchases and special occasions.

Starbucks have a presence in social media.  Although they have a large Twitter and facebook audience,  I’ve also noticed that they have found their voice in these channels and it’s appropriate and consistent with who they are as a brand.

#4 Mobile Experience
Starbucks is leading the way in the mobile experience, which makes complete sense when you consider their product.  At a basic level you can view their content from a smartphone. Email communications are optimized for the mobile experience, so it’s easy to consume the information while you’re on the go.

The Starbucks app is one of the more powerful features in their marketing advertising.  Once the app is downloaded one can use the phone to pay for products, reload funds on a card, and find stores. 

#5 Easy to share content
Each communication encourages readers to share content with friends. Following best practices, Starbucks provides easy one-click options, to ensure that sharing content is simple and easy to do; most important, they ask you to share.

#6 Engagement of consumers
Starbucks has a separate presence for collecting ideas.  For some time, they have branded an experience around the idea of collaboration: the site is your own ideas. Once again the web serves as the hub of the experience.  Here, one can submit and comment on different ideas.  Starbucks wisely provides feedback so consumers are able to see how the company uses consumer ideas and feedback. Starbucks even has a twitter account for this initiative.

Kate Spade

"Kate Spade inspires you to lead a more interesting life"

The persona of luxury designer Kate Spade's brand is colourful, welcoming, multicultural, upbeat and whimsical. The high end quality of her products are described to be graceful-much like Kate herself.

The ideal customer for the brand would be a consumer who is culturally curious, quick, playful, spirited and upbeat.

As an owner of a Kate Spade handbag myself, I find that these qualities of her brand persona are represented through her luxurious, high quality products, yet with a fun and playful edge. The use of a soft leather on the outside and a quirky printed lining to the bag on the inside, add an innovative edge to her products which I feel makes them much more appealing to a wider consumer-both young and old.

Elton John calls for D&G boycott

Elton John has called for a boycott of Dolce & Gabbana after the designers made what he called "archaic" comments on in vitro fertilisation and same-sex parents.

In an interview with Italian news magazine Panorama, the designers called children born of IVF "synthetic" and said they opposed adoption by same-sex parents.

The musician, who has two children with his husband born through IVF, criticised the designers for "wagging your judgemental little fingers" at the fertilisation method.

Fashion designer Stefano Gabbana has since responded, saying that "it was never our intention to judge other people's choices."

I personally feel that the comments made by both Dominico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were highly disrespectful and distasteful to which they have offended many people. IVF offers many people the opportunity to start a family, that they may be genetically unable to, so for the designers to make sarcastic comments regarding the matter in order to try and get a 'laugh' from it, is extremely disrespectful and I feel that more needs to be done to solve the situation than a pathetic statement over twitter apologizing on Stefano Gabbanas half.

Jourdan Dunn turns designer

Model Jourdan Dunn has revealed that she is launching her own clothing line for children and young adults. The model's London agency, Storm model Management today confirmed a licensing deal between the model and Fluid World, which will create at least two collections for the time being! Jourdan said about the announcement: 

"I love kid's clothing and have been obsessed with them ever since my son was born"...."through my career in fashion I have come to love and respect great design, and as a mum I also expect great quality and value for money, as well as the coolest clothes for my son, Riley. I am thrilled to be working with Fluid World, and I am looking forward to developing my own collection and turning my ideas into reality".

Watch out fashion world!

Rihanna is the first black woman to campaign for Dior!

The French label confirmed on Monday that the Bajan pop princess is set to join in with the brands next Secret Garden Party campaign, joining Jennifer Lawrence, Marion Cotillard and Natalie Portman, who have all previously starred in Dior campaigns.

MTV spoke to Rihanna and here is what she had to say about the new campaign deal..."It feels fantastic. It is such a big deal for me, my culture, for a lot of young girls of any colour. I think, to be acknowledged by Dior is just...it means a lot as a woman to feel beautiful, and elegant, and timeless".

I think that Rihanna is a perfect choice by Dior to star in their next campaign, with her natural, effortless beauty, combined with her quirky and unique style, she has the winning combo!

Zoolander hits Paris fashion week!

Valentino's latest collection showcased at PFW was all very samey to what we had seen before, until Zoolander made an apperance on the runway! Comedy duo Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson took to the catwalk ahead of the Zoolander 2 release next week, a very smart promotional move! The appearance of the duo was completely random and unexpected, but made for a much more interesting and engaging show, to which will no doubt help to connect with a wider base of consumers outside of the fashion industry. Very clever move Valentino!

The history of fragrance

The 1920's
Emancipation

The 1930's - 40's

Hollywood Glamour

(Mae West)

The 1950's - 70's

Establishing mass market

The 1980's

Money and Power

The 1990's

Zen and Spirituality

The 2000's

The cult of celebrity

Fragrance

A way of communicating without words...
A way to make us think, feel and react without ever knowing why...
A reflection of society...a sign of the times

Gigi Hadid

Much like the Olsen twins, model Gigi Hadid is a fan of the monochrome colour palette. However I love the way in which her style is much more casual and relaxed; almost countrified in some aspects. She uses both tight and loose fitting garments to accentuate her model figure. Her style is classy yet seductive at the same time. She knows how to put together an outfit perfectly so that she gets the right balance to ensure that she does not expose too much skin at once.

I like the way in which she switches up her looks depending on the event or day she is dressing for; one day she may be relaxed in ripped jeans and a tank top and the next in a figure hugging bodycon dress or some culotte trousers and a flattering crop. I think the way in which her outfits are all so different is what makes her one of my style icons.

The olsen twins

I have always followed the evolving style of both Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen. I love the way in which they both present chic, straight line, A-symmetric shaping within their outfit choices. Their love for a neutral and monochrome colour palette makes them two girls after my own heart, seeing as my whole wardrobe appears to be a sea of black and white. The way in which they are able to take such an effortless, simplistic look and make it look like something straight from a Celine collection is something that I admire. The understated yet well thought out outfit choices are timeless and are looks that can be worn casually in the day time yet also have the ability to be transformed for a more formal, evening look.

The 1940's

Whenever looking for fashion inspiration both within the beauty and fashion elements, I always find myself transfixed with the 1940's style. From Veronica Lake's soft and subtle side parted waves to Katharine Hepburn's masculine city chic style.

I love the way in which the 1940's was all about elegance and experimental fashion choices made by women. I feel that the 1940's almost presented the idea of extreme femininity juxtaposed with subtle masculine style. From soft, delicate, womanly hair and makeup choices contrasted with sleek, A line high waisted trousers and collared blouses, I find the whole decade fascinating.