so i went shopping...

The Fabbies: Beauty Nominees

So there's a lot of competition in the beauty blog space. It took me three sessions to go through these sites and summarize them for you. I think what it's taught me is that I want to stay away from Glam Ads and that I want to diversify my content a bit more...I am a sucker for beauty products, but I'm not sure if I could offer unique enough content. Hmmm. Much to ponder.

Afrobella: I LOVE the design of this site. The imagery in the left column is very clever. Must keep in mind for my own redesign! Glam and Google ads in effect. Strong about page. Nice personal feel.

Tia Williams: Not digging the scroll box on the home page. Once you get to the main blog, it's much better. Glam ads, Google ads, and Amazon affiliates are all in effect. Strong content...good, personal product reviews.

All About the Pretty: Great banner. Love the overall look and feel. Fantastic content. Would like larger images. This is a really great blog full full of personal product reviews and newsy bits about new products. Glam and Google ads present, as well as some affiliate programs.   

Lipstick, Powder & Paint: Nice banner. Good content. Strong About page. Could be a tad more personal?

A Girl's Gotta Spa!: Another blog with really strong content in the Beauty category. Love the review of Freeze, which I've been very curious about. Great banner. Strong product reviews and contests! Glam, Google, and affiliate programs in effect.

Beauty Addict: This is a very slick, professional looking blog. I find it amazing that there's just one woman behind it. Glam and Google ads present, as well as BlogAds again. Great About page.

Kiss & Makeup: Online magazine with multiple authors. A Shiny Media property. A lot of Google ads.

Delush: I LOVE this site. This is the site I would have created if I could clone myself. Love the lipstick kiss ratings. I love how all the reviews are very neatly categorized. I really like the personal nature of the reviews. Love the bios on the left of the site...I like to know the brains behind the buzz! Real ads.

Beauty Anonymous: A pretty comprehensive and frequently updated make up blog. Would like to see a better About page. (They are anonymous, but perhaps they could be more coyly so.) Lots of affiliate programs.

The Scented Salamander: Interesting concept--all perfume reviews! Lots of Glam ads and some Google ads. There's a lot here. Lots of scrolling.

We Love Beauty: This site took forever to load for me. Real advertising. Very professionally done. Very magazine-y.

Elke von Freudenberg: Great tips from a real makeup artist. This is an old-school blog.   

Jack & Hill: I like this blog. It's personal and professional. I like that they write, "Ads for things we actually like" in their left nav. Well done.

The Organic Beauty Expert: Good content--focused on natural and organic beauty products--but too many of those Snapshot widgets (the rollovers that show you what you'll get if you click on a link). Too much clicky-clicky noise as I was exploring. Glam ads.

55 Secret Street: Cute blog, somewhat akin to what I'm doing here. Fashion and beauty content. Glam ads. Google ads. I like her About page, where she explains how she was tired of finding cool things, but dealing with editors who didn't "get it."

Now Smell This: Another perfume blog. Perfume is a hard topic to write about online! Well-targeted ads and affiliates. Nicely done. Love the About page...impressed by the number of contributing writers she has!

Sugar Shock Beauty: I think this is a really well done beauty blog with a touch of celebrity style. Very frequent updates. Would like to see a better About page.

2008 Fabbies: Blogs about Shoes

Shoes are good. The shoe blogs out there though? Hmmm. I did a quick tour of the many Shoe nominees for the 2008 Fabbies and here are my thoughts. (Ads and affiliates are not a bad thing, by the way. I'm just really intrigued by the way bloggers these days are trying to commericalize their sites, and I'm also dying to know how it's working out for them.)

Shoe Blog: A high-fashion Shoe blog. These gals have their eyes on the runway. Great close-ups of the newest styles. Good About page. Glam and Google ads both present, as well as a number of affiliate programs. I like this blog.

Shoewawa: A pretty commerically-minded blog that focuses on mid-priced shoes. Good writing. Very frequent posts. Glam and Google ads both present.

I love shoes: All in French! But seems to focus on mid-priced and higher-priced shoes. Frequent posts. Google ads.

Grand Mademoiselle: A bloggers blog. Personal write-ups. Would love to know more about the author. No ads. I think this is my favorite, although I would love to see a more extensive About page, and some more spacing in paragraphs.

Shoe-n-Tell: Content generated by an array of writers. Seems to focus mainly on mid-priced shoes. Lots of affiliate programs, but no ad-ads per se. 

Shoebunny: A bit voyeuristic! Celebrities and their shoes and where to buy their shoes. No About page. A few affilliate programs.

Shoeflyer: I think this one is interesting in that it's a blog associated with a small chain of shoe stores! Good on them for going new media in their marketing. Good tips about taking care of your shoes. Good About page about both the shop and the writers. A clean, nice site with a personal touch. No ads.

Shoeaholics Anonymous: Fun mid-priced finds from a gal in Nebraska. Looks like there's at least one other contributor as well. Glam ads and Google ads and eBay affiliate widgets.

ShoeSense: This is a good blogger's blog, but it hasn't been updated in ages. (OK, late January, but that's too long for a blogger! Particularly one who's been nominated for a Fabbie!) No ads.

ShoeIQ: Love the "Wordless Shoe Wednesday" when they just post a photo of gorgeous shoes. Google ads and affiliate programs.

Style Bard Shoes: I like the idea of this site. The author(s) post links to shoe sales online. Glam and Google ads, as well as affiliate programs.

Lessons Learned: Not all that much different from last time around, but let me maybe mention a couple of other things. I like blogs that are personal. I like to know who the author is/authors are. If I can't find information on the author, I consider the site more a Web site than a blog.  I also like blogs that tell stories. Hmmm. Must be more conscious of good story-telling for my blog. 

Again, I can't take credit for the gorgeous photo. It's another shot by the talented jeltovski, who has his photos available on Morguefile.

2008 Fabbies: Blogs about Accessories

If you like things (like shopping), you will like the 2008 Fabbies and all the great shopping blogs that have been nominated. Everyone has an opinion. Here's mine on the Accessories blogs in the running. And remember...who am I to judge?

The Purse Blog: Love the banner and color scheme. Love how they call themselves delightfully shallow. Like the layout of articles and photos, although I wouldn't justify my text like that. Very professional looking and commercially-minded shopping blog. Strange that there's no "About" page. I want to know more about Megs & Vlad!

Knickers. A lingerie Weblog. Love the "work-safe" version. Great idea. Love the lingerie, but wish that the text wrapped around the images because I'm doing a lot of scrolling. Must buy new pajamas now.

In My Bag: Author has fun taste. Like the little widget at the bottom of each post, where you can "vote" on the insightfulness of comments. Would like a better About page, more consistency in image sizes and aspect ratios. This is the most "blog like" thus far.

Her Accessories: Like the punchy text. It's short and sweet and to-the-point. Like the finds and the photo sizes...nice and big and clear. The woman who writes this blog is pretty fascinating...a professional puppeteer! A slick shopping and accessories blog that's commercially minded.

Bag Bliss: Love the twinkly bits on the top nav. This is a very clean and professional site with a good About page. Like the ability to browse by manufacturer and celebrity.

HATtastic: A blog about hats! Great inspiration for Henley and Ascot. I am not buying a hat at House of Fraser this year. Wish background color was a bit livelier. This is a blog-blog.

I, Bejeweled: Firstly, I LOVE the title. Like the Tiffany-like color. Really interesting finds. Would love to see more frequent posts and know more about the author. I think this is my favorite accessories "blog blog."

Jewelry Weblog: Some good finds here. Bios of contributors are pretty interesting. Clean layout and design. Seems to be a commercially-minded group of folks.   

Lessons Learned
All these blogs seem to be a member of the Glam Network but me! Five of the eight! (The Purse Blog, Knickers, In My Bag, Her Accessories, Bag Bliss all have Glam ads. Interestingly though, they are all house Glam ads...where are the product ads? Must keep eye on this. Wonder if anyone is making any money?)   

Google Ads: Five of the eight again accessories blogs have Google Ads, although a slightly different selection. In My Bag, Her Accessories, Bag Bliss, HATtastic, Jewelry Weblog. Again, curious about who's making money off these puppies.

Although I would love to take credit for this lovely photo, I can't. It was taken by the talented jeltovski, who has his photos available on Morguefile.