The Guardian; my favourite online source of news

Okay, so I know this is a slightly different post to my last few, but as a journalist it's important for me to be able to write about a diverse range of subjects. This is something I wrote about my favourite online source of news- let me know what you all think!     

With incremental changes over the past twenty years, new media sources have emerged. The mass adoption of the internet has served as a catalyst for many newspapers, thriving from their decisions to launch online; The Guardian being no exception. 

‘The Guardian has become the world's third most read newspaper website, with over 30.4 million readers’, according to industry analyst ComScore. With this in mind, it’s no wonder The Guardian has been my personal favourite for years. This is especially due to the neutral views of the writers and editors, who concentrate on the quality of the information provided, as opposed to other sites using hyperbolic headlines and pictures to strike readers’ attention.  

The Guardian is a newspaper that leans slightly left, however this makes it far more trustworthy than online publications such as The Daily Mail, who are very much right-wing predisposed. When compared to online papers such as this, The Guardian undeniably becomes an unbiased and well written newspaper, providing an in-depth overview of current affairs. Other online publications appear frivolous in contrast. 

As a student studying Business at A Level, locating the most current news regarding finance and other business related matters is essential. The Guardian is the perfect outlet for me to do so. Unlike many others, subjects such as this are a focal point for the online newspaper, making for a far more sophisticated and honourable read.

For informative, accurate and well balanced news- available for free- the Guardian is my favourite online source.   

http://www.theguardian.com/uk

Do brands matter?

Brands are everywhere. Everything we buy, drink, eat, watch or look at is, in some way, a branded item. Brands are far from equal in almost every sense and there can be stratospheric differences between one brand and the next. From size to quality, intensity to purpose, brands are about as different from one another as we are from giraffes.

Clothes, of course, are all about the brand. Marketing strategies are what make a company successful and when it comes to looking good and dressing well; it’s ALL about the image.

In this post I’ll be looking at how brands have developed, along with how this may have changed our perception of these particular brands and the way we consume them and/or dress with them. I’ll also reiterate the idea that we shouldn’t totally discount brands due to a tiny proportion of their clothing, the associations of the people that wear them or their history.

How Have Brands Developed?

In the last couple of years there has been a huge shift in the way brands are marketed and the way they create their image. Styles and tastes have also changed and a shop’s focus must change with it. As the consumer moves on to something new the brand must follow.

The brash signature pieces from the likes of Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister and Jack Wills are seen less and less, whilst other youth-targeted brands like Superdry, Diesel and Armani are taking a much more grown up approach to their collections- ditching the lurid designs plastered on their t-shirts and jumpers in favour of classic, stylish pieces.

Key Transformation: Marks & Spencer

I've also seen a huge change at some of our most well-known high street retailers. Marks & Spencer seem to have turned themselves right around in the past couple of seasons and are now releasing collections that rival some of the most established and respected clothing brands on the market.

Combine this new, more youthful approach to design with the kudos Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who lends as the face of their new womenswear campaigns and you’ve got yourself a serious contender. Shaking off some of the ‘where your mum shops’ images has been crucial to their new found appeal and the development of their product range.

Marks & Spencer have turned around their reputation thanks to the help of Rosie huntington-whiteley And a new, more youthful design ethos.

Forgotten & Budget Brands

At the same time, many forgotten brands have returned to mainstream fashion’s consciousness and regained their position at the forefront of the industry- the likes of Ben Sherman and Dr. Martens immediately spring to mind.

Budget retailers are also on the up, with Next, New Look, Matalan and Primark all pushing strong collections and offering some excellent pieces at a much lower price for consumers on a budget. No longer are we confined to a limited number of stores, there is now a wealth of brands and retailers to shop at, and it looks like things will only get better.
 

 Budget retailers such as Matalan, Primark, Next and New Look have become genuine contenders for our attention.

However, more worryingly is the loss of good brands and changes wrought in previously respected companies, which are now fighting for survival. In the case of Aubin & Wills (which ceased trading at the end of 2012) the issue was a parent company wishing to promote another side of the business.

Yet with other brands there has been a marked reduction in quality, quantity and design; perhaps a symptom of a poor economy and an example of the shift in styles and attitudes towards womenswear that we have seen in the last couple of years.

The brand game has definitely changed. There is a push towards a more mature, classic style across the board, whilst still retaining an appreciation of alternative looks and fashion forward thinking. Think Urban Outfitters advocating streetwear and Topshop continuing to push boundaries in the search for the next big thing.

To use an often overused moniker, the shape of the ‘Topshop Mannequin’ has developed into something completely new- but how does this affect the way we dress?

The Effect On Us

So if brands have changed and styles have changed, then the way we think about, consume and buy into these things must have changed as well.

Trainers are an excellent case in point and show a notable shift in consumer attitude toward brands. I mean, at what point did trainers specifically designed for running become the must-have footwear style for high level fashionistas and well-dressed women over the world?

Where once we might have turned our noses up at the idea of wearing a pair of New Balance 574s, Nike Air Max or Gourmet NFNs, now almost everyone owns them.

Air Max in particular have undergone some kind of wild metamorphosis that has seen people completely ignore the fact that they are wearing the same trainers as everyone else, including some rather unfavourable sub-cultures, whilst the sheer number of colour ways and special editions being released shows just how much brands like Nike are altering their product to suit the current market- at the expense of pushing some iconic designs as far away as possible from their roots.


Recent iterations of Nike’s iconic Air Max 1 silhouette HAS left it almost unidentifiable


With the mainstream fashionable image continually evolving, brands will inevitably fall in and out of vogue. Places like Urban Outfitters, previously populated by hipsters and those looking for alternative items, are now being frequented by people more usually associated with Topman and River Island. AllSaints seems to be dropping off the radar, snap backs are in and the sports trainer is big.

As some stick to the high street, others will begin to look elsewhere for new and emerging brands that they can call their own. There has also been a huge shift towards quality and an emphasis on fit and finish- people want to spend more on their clothes to look good.

Looking Past The Brand

I would like to highlight the importance of not discarding a brand just because you don’t like it or it doesn’t fit your unique style. Every brand has its purpose and its intended market and I think we are often guilty of believing every single brand should cater specifically to our own personal needs.

Furthermore, your opinion on a particular brand shouldn’t be influenced by the people that wear it or the occasional mistakes they make. For example, consider the stigma attached to Burberry during the early to mid 2000s after the media linked a small minority of football yobs with the brand’s signature check pattern.

Fast-forward to today and Burberry are considered by the entire industry as one of Britain’s finest fashion exports. They are always one of the most anticipated shows at global fashion weeks, models/celebrities clamour to be part of their ad campaigns and the signature Burberry check is now considered a status symbol, rather than a mark of the unfashionable. What’s worse is that in terms of quality, nothing has changed. The brand simply clamped down on the replica/knock-off market, repositioned itself and altered public perception with the help of the genius that is Christopher Bailey.

With all this in mind, how you wear your clothes is much more important than what you wear. Companies will have a signature style that epitomises their desired image far more than their branding, so we should all try to look past the logos and stereotypes and open ourselves up to the possibility of trying labels we may have previously dismissed instantly.

Final Word

Brands are an unavoidable part of our lives; they are everywhere and in everything. Many household names have undergone huge changes in the past couple of years and transformed themselves into real contenders for our attention.

But now it’s time for you to weigh in on the debate:

·         How do you think our high street brands have developed in the past couple of years?

·         Do you think all the changes have been good?

·         How do you think they have affected the way we shop and dress?

·         Do you purposely avoid any brands?

Leave your comments below!

Product review: Mac's Studio Fix foundation vs. Yves Saint Laurent Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation

For my first ever blog post I thought I'd do a review on my current favourite foundation, Yves Saint Laurent's Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation in Shade BR30- Beige Rose, in comparison to my ex- favourite foundation, Mac's Studio Fix- NC20. My first ever purchase of Mac's Studio Fix Foundation was a few years back, during the days when Maybelline's Dream Matte Mousse was all the rage, and if you didn't own a pot then quite frankly you were an outcast in teenage society. The problem with this foundation however was that it is so thick and cakey, it didn't help that I wore a shade about 3 times darker than my actual skin tone either! Yes, looking back I can see that I did in fact look like an oompa loompa (I know, attractive look) but at the time I was completely oblivious to this. So, as you can imagine, it took immense persuasion on my friends part to get me into that Mac store, but since that day I have not looked back. Pretty ironic with the whole 'once you go Mac you never go back' expression! I was matched to the colour NC20, which suited my skin tone perfectly and meant I was no longer walking around looking like a carrot! Hallelujah. One thing I do absolutely love about Mac is their diverse range of foundation colours- there is a shade for every skin tone and a foundation for every skin type: whether you have dry, combination or oily skin.

Firstly, I love the packaging of this foundation. It comes in a luxurious glass bottle that I think looks really chic and stylish, however it's not that great to travel with because I was always scared I'd drop it and it would smash into a thousand pieces right in front of me (it happened to my sister twice... we're a clumsy family). It comes with a matte top lid, which I always found quite annoying because it captured finger prints like no other! Not good for someone with OCD in cleanliness like myself! It's also rubberised which leads to it getting even dirtier, comparable  to the Nars foundation packaging. Probably the worst thing about the packaging though is the fact that it doesn't come with a pump, and if you want one Mac expect you to dish out an extra £3.50! I thought this was a bit cheeky, but it didn't put me off buying the foundation.

I have a really weird skin type. You might call it combination but combination to the extremes. I have normal cheek areas with an extremely dry nose and oily chin and forehead. It has a medium coverage which nicely covers all blemishes and can be used sheer to even out my skin tone and also can be built up for heavy heavy coverage. However, with a full coverage comes a cakey and thick feel. Although it stayed on for an entire day, I found this thickness lead to breakouts and made my skin drier around my nose as well as accentuating  the dryness when worn also. It is waterproof and needs a good make-up remover and a lot of time in order to take it off, which can be a pain after a long tiring day out! (Especially when all you want is to curl up in bed and sleep.) The smell of this product can sometimes really put people off it because it smells exactly like paint, it's got a really strong scent which I don't feel completely goes away when applied to your face, you can without a doubt smell it when you open the bottle. I personally really dislike this smell and it bothered me a considerable amount, but if you're a bit less sensitive to smells it may not bother you as much. 

Anyway, at the time I absolutely loved this foundation. I was fixated on having the fullest coverage foundation possible and it wasn't until recently that I realised less is definitely more.

Not so long ago I discovered YSL's Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation, which is basically a follow up of their Touche Éclat pen, as it boasts the same illuminating properties with 'weightless perfection'. The formula is free of any opaque powders so it doesn't give you a cakey foundation look much like the Dream Matte Mousse or Mac's Studio Fix. It also claims to define the natural contours of the face with 'dimensional radiance'. I was matched up to the shade BR30, which is a warm but light enough shade to give me a sun-kissed glow with my paler skin tone. I am really happy with the colour the assistant matched me with as it does everything I want it to. It brightens my skin tone without making me look like I've rolled in Doritos! No more oompa loompa days for me. I also made sure to get a free 7-day sample before I made the full purchase and this definitely helped cement my decision to buy the actual bottle.

Blended in, you can instantly see the luminous and flawless coverage it gives. I find that it has a build-able consistency and it is able to cover any blemishes I get. It does an exceptional job of covering and concealing redness or uneven patches. I get quite blotchy skin without make-up but this foundation does a superb job of concealing all of that and making me look like I have a good skin base. I have had various comments saying how flawless and luminous my skin looks when I've worn this which I think is a fab compliment! My only negative is that when you first apply it, it can feel very 'wet' on the face as it's so dewy and oozes luminescence. I therefore am unsure if it would be suited to individuals with oily skin, similarly to Mac's Studio Fix. I make sure I buff it into my skin with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush for a bit longer than necessary than always- I repeat always!!

I set it with my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder to ensure it doesn't get too slimy in the day. With the powder, it stays luminous but also feels dry on the skin simultaneously. The staying power, with my powder, is sublime. It doesn't wear throughout my working day or even if I've gone out for an evening. It stays put even when I'm at the gym so that shows it has great staying power! I completely love this foundation and really do feel like it eradicates all dullness in the complexion and illuminates all of the dimensions in the face. Your skin immediately looks radiant and awakened when it's put on and that's something that I haven't been able to achieve with any other foundation so far. You can pick up this beauty for £28 from House of Fraser, Debenhams, Boots and many other retailers. I recommend you get yourself a colour match and free sample when you're next near the counter as it's 100% worth it! 

I personally believe I will never try another foundation as long as I live. YSL's Le Teint Touche Éclat is flawless perfection.

YSL's Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation- BR30