Birchbox X Vogue

As a bit of a second year present, my mum brought me a Birchbox subscription. I've always loved beauty boxes -you might remember my Glossybox/product reviews when I first started the blog! My second Birchbox arrived last week, and from the box to the contents, I was so pleased with it.

The great thing about Birchbox is that the packaging is a key component of the experience too. Last month they used a purple and pink marbled pattern, whilst this month, the box hints the collaboration with Vogue. The Vogue logo covers each of the sides, including several letters on the top using a gold foil, and a red label against the white minimal box, giving a sense of class, which the Vogue brand associates itself with.

Like the October box, this month's box didn't fail to impress. I think each month has a selection of products, however each person's box is slightly different depending on the options you selected in the beauty profile when setting up an account. Within this month's box, I received:

• Benefit Hoola bronzer
• Percy & Reed Smoothed, Sealed & Sensational Volumising No Oil, Oil
• James Read Overnight Tan Sleep Mask Tan Face
• Seche Vite 
• Birchbox brush cleanser 

I haven't trialled any of the products yet, but I'm very excited about trying some of them out. The Benefit Hoola bronzer, for example. This is a product which is very much a staple to the Benefit brand and I'm very aware of it but have never had the chance to try it - now I have no excuse! Hoola is a matte powder, which gives you a natural sun-kissed tan look, hence the beachy theme. It's also won a number of awards, which is why I'm so excited to use it. 

I'm also looking forward to using the Seche Vite, which is a fast drying top coat. My mum's a beauty therapist and when I told her there was a bottle of it in the box she gave it her approval, so it must be good. I'm always too impatient when I'm waiting for my nails to dry, and somehow manage to mess them up, so fast drying top coats are life savers. 

The Birchbox brush cleanser is also going to be a bit of a life saver because cleaning my brushes is always a mega chore; I'm sure you can all agree with me on that. I already own the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Gel, which does my brushes wonders, but I still hate having to run it through my fingers and end up with wrinkled skin from having them under the water for so long whilst I rinse the brushes out. 

The two products that I haven't read in to yet are the Percy & Reed volumising oil and the James Read overnight fake tan mask. If the volumising oil does what it says on the tin then I'm all for it. Flat hair is one of my many struggles. I'm not 100% sure if I'm going to use the James Read fake tan mask though. I've never used fake tan; I've never really needed it, and even if I did attempt it I know I'd make a mess of it, so I'm definitely not going to do my first try on my face! 

So that was a brief look at what I got in my November Birchbox. What did you find in yours?

Georgia.xo

A Conversation with Alexandra Shulman

Today, one of my dreams came true. I got the opportunity to listen to Alexandra Shulman, the current editor-in-chief for British Vogue, talk about her experience in the industry and the highs and lows of working for Vogue. And she was amazing.

Alexandra has been working at Vogue for 25 years - longer than most of us in the room had been alive! During that time she got to celebrate the 100 year anniversary, and wrote the book, 'Inside Vogue'. She is definitely your definition of Girl Boss, that's for sure.

During the hour that she was speaking to us, she covered a number of topics, and we were also able to ask her questions.

On Journalism in today's society...
She was very certain on the fact that journalism hasn't really changed since she started, apart from the fact that you didn't have a 24/7 website and social media accounts to back magazines and newspapers up back then. This has caused physical sales to decline in recent years, which is why once or twice a year they make price reductions. Saying that, people prefer to have a physical copy of a magazine as they feel as if they have more of a relationship with it. In terms of celebrity culture, she thinks that journalists can sometimes be lazy and just regurgitate what celebrities choose to show their followers through Instagram photos and tweets, however journalists should try to go looking for alternative stories.

On the centenary issue...
Firstly, she spoke about the cover star, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. Alexandra had already asked twice before if she would feature in an issue, before realising that having her on the 100 year issue would be perfect, due to the fact that Kate is the patron of the National Portrait Gallery, where the 100 year exhibition was being held. Next, she spoke about the documentary. When she was asked if it had turned out how she had hoped she was very quick to answer "no", then went on to explain that Richard Macer was filming for 9 months, and all of that footage was edited down into 2 hours (two 1-hour episodes).

On the new editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful... 
Alexandra hadn't actually met Edward yet; funnily enough she was going to speak to him tomorrow! She has absolutely no idea what he'll do with the magazine, however she is positive that he'll do a good job. Although he probably will stray from journalism about women, which Alexandra had incorporated a lot into the magazine, and more towards diversity, he has a very strong visual eye, especially for styling, which is crucial for a fashion magazine. When asked if he'll bring in any men's fashion, she simply said "Vogue is a fashion magazine, not a women's magazine".

On independent magazines...
She admires indie magazines very much, as some of them produce such beautiful magazines without any direct income, compared to the likes of Vogue where they generate income from sponsors and advertisers. You have to let contributors, such as photographers, do what they want though, because they're usually funding themselves. However, generally there's more freedom in the content you make compared to magazines that are part of the Conde Nast group, for example.

On the death of David Bowie...
She had grown up listening to Bowie, so when she heard the news she was "utterly unprepared" and it saddened her very much. The music you listen to during your teenage years is the music that shapes your identity. The cover where Kate Moss wears the famous lighting strike is one of her favourite covers.

Would you pursue a career in a magazine knowing what you know now?
The need for stories is as great as ever, however wanting to work JUST at a magazine is not a brilliant approach. You need to be open to a variety of roles before you reach the top.

How do you keep yourself motivated?
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing. Don't try to achieve perfection instantly, just make a start.

And, last but not least, what's next?
Most likely journalism. Have a summer holiday first. Many newspapers and TV channels have been in contact, but that's unlikely to happen. "If you see me on I'm A Celebrity you'll know it's really gone pear shaped!"

There we go. Full of wisdom.

I learnt a lot in that short 1 hour slot, however I am truly grateful to have been given the opportunity and I can't believe that within a year of just being on this course, I've already been face to face with one of the most influential women in the fashion industry.

Georgia.xo

The End of an Era For British Vogue

Today is the beginning of the end of an era for British Vogue, as today I woke up to the news that Alexandra Shulman will step down as editor-in-chief for British Vogue in June, after 25 years. Ever since I've read Vogue, or even been alive for that matter, Alexandra has been in charge, so it's hard to imagine the whole situation changing.

This year, the magazine celebrated 100 years, which included an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, a special centenary issue featuring the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, and a BBC documentary 'Absolute Fashion: Inside British Vogue'. That means that Alexandra has been editor-in-chief for a quarter of Vogue's life and I think that's pretty impressive and something that she should be incredibly proud of.

“It has been very hard to find a rational reason to leave what is unquestionably a fascinating and rewarding role but last autumn I realised that I very much wanted to experience a different life and look forward to a future separate to Vogue." 

 - Alexandra Shulman. 

Although it will be hard to see change within the magazine, change is already set to happen for the Conde Nast company overall, and I'm sure it's all for the best, but whoever's next will have some big shoes to fill!

Georgia.xo