Girls Love Make-Up

Hello my blog readers, 

I as most of the girls in the world are make-up geeks. There are thousands of make-up brands in the world, and sometimes it might be confusing to find exactly what you need. Some of the brands can be found in beauty department stores like Boots and Superdrug. But how many people actually know what do companies need to do to get their products on the shelves? 

  

Companies pay money for various reasons. Few of the reasons are product placement in a shop (slotting fees), merchandising, and promotion. These are the things what customers will need to pay for ( it is included in the price already). That's why sometimes it is cheaper to shop online. Many companies offer 'online only' offers to get people to purchase stuff online. As mentioned before i am a make- up geek and i love to spend money on make-up. Online might seem to be cheaper option but you don't get to test products. I had situations when i order something and it doesn't look the same as advertised online. The right option what to do would be to send the item back and complain (in UK people can complain to ASA - Advertising Standards Authority to get the issue investigated) but i know that there is many people like i who can't be bothered to go the extra mile to send the item back so i get stuck with a product i don't like and i won't have a use of it.  

  

My newest discovery is Glossybox and Birchbox. These are boxes of make-up samples which cost £10 (& £2-3 for delivery) and they arrive every month containing new products. I love this idea because sometimes i struggle to find the perfect item for me as i like discovering new brands. This is a perfect option for those who like to try out something new. If the customer likes a sample then the big size products can be purchased online with 10-20% off discount to the original price. The items are nicely wrapped. They ad brands like Smashbox, Benefit and Mac in boxes and those are the newest items so people have an exclusive chance to try thr products before they are launched. Normally, for example Benefit would cost as much as £19 for a mascara in Boots stores.  

  

I also love the option that the products can be reviewed and other reviews can be seen. For one review of the product people get points and after collecting a certain amount of points they can ge either a box for free or a gift card from one of the retailers.  

  

In nowadays internet and online shopping is big as never. People can get almost everything online and get it delivered to the door for a little charge or no charge at all. People who have no access to the big stores now has the chance to get whatever they desire. I come from a small town in Latvia and this is a great option on how to get fahshionable items not even leaving my house. I do like the 'oldschool' shopping as i get to touch and try out items.  

Did you know if people get to touch or try out an item they are most likely to buy the product. The funny thing that i have noticed is, if i go in a specialized shop, let's say a perfume shop, and if i would lift or touch an item a shop assistant would run to me straight away and say 'is there anything i can help you with?' and even when i say 'no, thank you', they sometimes trying to continue the chat as they did see that i was interested in a specific item. Personally i do not like this kind of experience when someone is being annoying and try to convince you to buy something. I find it very irritating and not helpful at all.  

Make-up business in my opinion is a total 'rip -off', girls are wanting to pay £20 for a mascara or
a lipstick just because of the brand. The things is not always the big brands are the best ones,
from the products i have tried, some cheap ones are better.The cost of my make-up bag would
Probably be around £200-300 and that is crazy.

Do you, my reader, have had a bad experience while shopping? If yes, comment below. 

  

Thank you for your time and till the next time! 

  

Yours Justine  

Is Heinz your fave?

Hello my blog readers,

A time ago I made a focus group on product testing were ketchup was tested. I chose 3 different types of Ketchup – Heinz (just the original one), Sainsbury's owned brand and a random brand (Daddy's) from Poundland. I put the samples in 3 small bowls for the testers to not have any clue which brand is what. If I compare this product testing with the chocolate one (previous blog post) then it was a little bit easier for me to take notes but harder for people to understand which product is what. Because each of the chocolates had different textures, even logo on the actual chocolate square were the participants actually could have guest what is what. But as the ketchup is in similar consistency then it is harder.  

The participants said that the most popular ketchup in UK is Heinz. Those participants who were from other countries said that their favorite ketchups are the ones which are made in their countries but they also like Heinz. 3 of 5 respondents picked Heinz ketchup when they were asked to pick their most favorite. One girl picked Sainsbury's but another picked the cheapest Poundland version.  When the same person who picked the Sainsbury's one got asked to choose in her opinion the most expensive one she chose the Heinz sample. She could have been influenced by other because 3 other participants chose the Heinz sample. 4 of 5 participants chose the same sample they did not like which was the Poundland one. 3 of the 5participants said that Heinz is replicable by other brands but i need to add that these people were from other countries. The other two said mostly not, but if there is no choice and a ketchup is needed (depending on the occasion) then it can be replaced. Two of the 5 participants were surprised about the Sainsbury's brand, 'it tasted more expensive' they said. 

This test once again reveled the power of marketing. When two of 5 participants chose other ketchups over Heinz, one person thinking they are choosing Heinz no other brands.  The price difference is big enough – Heinz, roughly about £1,50 per bottle, Sainsbury's roughly about £1,25 and the Daddy's Poundland ketchup - £1. This shows that people are being loyal to the brand even though they might like cheaper alternatives. Heinz is the ketchup which will be found mostly in all UK food shops, starting from the local corner shops to the big department stores.  

Personally I do not like ketchup and I do not actually care about the taste because I rarely eat it. Ketchup must be one of those things to which people will stick to brand wise. As the focus group reveals, it is hard to replace Heinz in the market because everyone is familiar with it. The same as Kellog's cornflakes or Cadburry's chocolate almost taking over the specified categories. In for example Latvia, there are few brands which are fighting for the space. Because demographically high percentage of population are Russian they tend to choose Russian makes which are available at almost every store. One thing i know now that British people are crazy for Vinegar and Heinz Ketchup.

Thank you for reading and i hope you have a saucy day! 

And what is your favoite colour?

Let's open this blog post with a question, what is your favorite colour? My favorite one is purple, but I would not say that in my wardrobe I would find a lot of purple clothing or that my flat is decorated in purple. This is the colour I like to see the most. My favorite colour for clothing is black or peach. I like these two colours because they are simple to wear, easy to combine and looks good on me. I personally find it hard to combine bright colours and to even wear them. The lifestyle that I am having just now is fast and organized, it means that I want to make quick decisions and spend less time on for example, picking what am I going to wear. Some people might say that black is quite depressive colour but according to color-wheel-pro.com it is also a colour which denotes strength and authority. If to take a look at the big sports brands, most of them have logos in black. Nike can appear in orange as well. This colour is symbol of strength and endurance. Even the boxes for trainers are in different colours – orange for sport trainers, black for Jordans or exclusive shoes, brown shade ones for casual trainers. There is also green coloured boxes but these are for skateboard trainers like Janovski range. Adidas have blue, black and green boxes. Blue for the originals range, black for sport professionals and green for the Neo range. According to mandalupasaule.lv blue colour symbolizes creativity and stability which are the main things of Adidas Originals range. Adidas originals is known by its creative designs and well established brand. The most expensive and exclusive range of both Nike and Adidas will be in black boxes or with black tags. As mentioned before black is the colour of authority and strength as well as elegance and prestigiousness, so the black colour in this case is symbolizing exclusivity. So you know, if you will buy something from the 'black' range you might pay more than for other range trainers but you will have the best or the exclusive items.

Many restaurant chains or food companies choose to put red colour in their logos or even design of the store. For example Pizza Hut, Burger King, KFC and Nando's have red colour in their visuals. According to colour-wheel-pro.com red and orange colours stimulates hunger. So whoever wants to paint their kitchen in red should think again (could make you to look in the fridge more often). Red colour is a powerful colour. It makes items, text and signs to stand out. This is a colour which is hard not to notice especially in combination with other colours like black and white. It is commonly used in advertising to promote the 'sexuality' of a product. For example red lipstick on a women's lips or a bright red dress. It kind of shows that the item would make the customer look more attractive and sexual.

My physiotherapist once suggested not to wear black coloured training clothing because it would take my energy away but suggested to wear vivid colours especially in red and orange tones because these colours would help to release energy. Believe it or not but when I was wearing overall black then I felt more tired. It feels like when I am wearing bright red tones then I am able to do more. I don’t know what to believe. Is it like an placebo effect when it is a psychological factor that I believe it working or it actually works?! Imagine the world in black and white, like watching an old TV. World would be boring, it would be hard for us to recognize places, items even brands. I do not know why do people see colours but I believe they influence us how we perceive and fell about things around us. And marketers take an advantage of it by making us to see things the way they want us to see.

Lift Your Hand For A Bargain

When going through a supermarket there are thousands of items 'staring' at us, asking to be lifted up and put in the basket. But how to know which item is for you and which would suit your expectations? Marketers in now a days have various ways how to make people to put an item in a basket.

My first realization and a point I should be aware of - don’t go shopping when your belly is not full. When people are hungry they tend to pick up more stuff than they actually need. There is a saying in Latvia "you have big eyes" which means you want more than actually needed. Have you noticed that sometimes when you walk in a grocery shop a smell of bakery can be noticed, but the bakery normally is in the end of the store. This is on purpose, this is to make people feel hungry (who doesn’t love a pastry?) and to go through all the store till the end to get your basics like milk, bread, meat etc. On the way you would pick up some more items because you are hungry.

One of the hilarious things I have seen in Aberdeen is that in Kittybrewster (region) there is a retail park and in the retail park there is Pure Gym. And all of a sudden McDonalds decided to make their drive through just next to the gym. I would say – a smart move. Athletes after a gym sessions are really hungry, i know it for myself and the temptations are in a high level when there is no prepped meals done. There have been times that I went to Mac's straight after to get my chicken nuggets, making myself believe that I am getting protein and that’s ok, right?

Second point – bargains. As Easters are over now and we are back to our daily routine with some extra weight on after having all those chocolate eggs and Easter dinner. For some reason I am excited just after Christmas or Easter, why? Because all the chocolate figures are on 60-70% off sale. It is really hard to be focused on your main reason, why did I go into the store, when all i see is sale on chocolate. My suggestion – follow my point one, have a list of items what you want to purchase, that will make you to get out of the store faster. It will also save your money because no extra cash will be spent on things which are not needed. But if you like chocolate and a bargain, it is a great time for you to shop.

One of the craziest times for a baragain is 'Black Friday', it is also created by marketers to make people spend as much money as possible. Black Friday is especially brutal in USA when people previously got hospitalised because they were fighting over a sales offer. People take things what they don't need. They just take it because it is cheap, thinking 'oh maybe someday i will need it'.

From my survey analysis which was made for my Industrial investigation 48,6% of respondents said that they take time to consider different options and see what kind of offers are available in store. People like to search for a bargain, especially students when their income is small. 33 respondents have said they believe that expensive goods are not always better, sometimes it is the same quality. The main reason though, why people choose the cheap option is because of money issues. 40 respondents have said that they chose the cheaper option to save money. More than half of the repondents have said that quality and taste of the product is very important. Almost 1/3 of the respondents have said that they do not care about companies values like Fairtrade, against animal testing or organic ingredients used in making a product. Personally I try to buy organic and healthy products but they're not always accessible or affordable. Few respondents have said that they would rather chose organic food but it is too expensive in UK. I Think this is where the Government should look into. 55,6% replied that the most appealing thing when purchasing a product is it's price, only 10% said that it is the quality of the packaging. It only means that promotions and marketing are effective to affect people purchasing decisions. This survey received 182 responses.


This just shows how complicated is marketing and every aspect of our lives is considered for a marketing strategy. Marketers are trying to find new ways on how to target their audiences and how to change their behaviors and attitudes. It is complicated but it is interesting at the same time. The ironic thing is that even the marketers are 'tricked' into their nets of strategy...