Pretty Little Instagram

I have been looking to Ashley Benson for guidance through social platforms since the start of Pretty Little Liars, which began while I was in high school. She is an avid Instagram user and she uses it show her fans what she uses in her daily life. Her character on PLL is very girly, but very fashion forward as well. However, in reality she has much more of a trendy street style or hipster per say. She's very open about being herself through social media and by this I mean she may be paid to promote certain brand, but she actually uses them. Not only does she let her fans know what makeup preferences she has or what hair product she is using, she also jet sets all over the world regularly, posting pictures of her journey along the way. These kind of posts provide inspiration for her 5.6 million Instgram followers.

To me, because Ashley is so young she has fabulous trendy taste that isn't so far past the reality of what's possible for people like me. I can model almost any outfit after something she has worn and what's so neat about Ashley like I mentioned prior, she's not a model who has to wear something she doesn't choose to. She shops at two of my favorite stores, Free People and Urban Outfitters which I find to be extremely cool about her because like I said, she provides so much fashion guidance for me. In other industries, she loooooves her some Starbucks and what young girl doesn't??? She is so frequently pictures with a Starbucks cup in hand.

On National Daisy Day, Ashley posted this picture of Marc Jacobs 'Daisy' perfume. Several of my friends and I own this perfume/ To me, this makes Ashley look so easy to relate to and on the same level as us even though she's outrageously famous. 

Here she's got FitTea. I tried FitTea after she posted this because as many reviews as you read on what works and doesn't work. Celebrity endorsers drive me to make the most purchases.

Another huge trend these days in the Birchbox, it allows you to provide specific beauty/cosmetic preferences and they sent you samples once a month for 10 bucks. super super affordable. (RED) is also a movement to stop the effects of AIDS. Ashley Benson is cooler than you thought she was huh?

Needless to say, I have gone to Ashley's Insta on so many occasions seeking beauty advice and just to stalk her because naturally I think we are friends.... 

Guess Who

This week I decided to spotlight one of my greatest inspirations for all things fashion, hair, makeup etc. Her name is Gigi Hadid and some of you may recognize her because you love her as I do, or you may have seen her mom Yolanda on RHBH. Gigi is not only a model for Guess (and has been basically her entire life) but she also shoots with Sport Illustrated and many others. Her modeling career has taken off the past couple of years and it seems as if that trend is going to continue. Her modeling photos are obviously edited, but Gigi is one of those girls who doesn't only post photos from her career, but just her on a daily basis. That is what drives my liken toward her. 

Because she is a model, it is her job to promote each brand and she does a phenomenal job. Just recently she became the face of Maybelline and since then I have purchased several of their products just because I believe Gigi to be credible. Through her Instagram and other forms of social media, Gigi has formed a huge following and I know I can't possibly be the only one using her preferences to gain my own. 

Just in case you don't know who this gorgeous girl is,

This is Gigi's latest ad for Guess

Here she is getting ready for the Daily Front Row Fashion LA Awards, using a Maybelline mascara.

And finally, in this picture she is walking around NYC (which she now calls home) and she tagged the designer she is wearing, shamelessly promoting him and her own style.

Companies/Brands within the beauty industry have been using different celebrities as the face of their brand for years, but it wasn't until the advances in technology that you could see these women using brands in their everyday life, instead you watched a TV commercial and didn't actually believe that they liked the brand, but it was for business purposes. Social media has shed a new light on the relationships we have with the celebrities we look to for guidance, especially in relation to beauty.