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.