A very huge Happy 10th Anniversary to Latest in Beauty who continually keep me on my toes and pique my interest with their well thought out boxes filled with delightful beauty treats – it still amazes me how they manage to fit everything in! Continuing with the celebrations, I caught up with the lovely Jemma who is Editor and Social Media Manager at Latest in Beauty (her hair is to die for!) to find out more about their special edition ICONS Box, how they’ll be celebrating in addition to what we can expect for the remainder of 2018 (spoiler alert) – you heard it here first!
I can’t believe LIB is 10 years old. What was the inspiration behind the ICONS box and why did you opt to focus on iconic brands/products as opposed to a birthday box?
Birthdays happen every year, but an anniversary is more of a milestone celebration, which is what we wanted to be the focus of the campaign. For the last 10 years, Latest in Beauty has featured thousands of the most acclaimed beauty brands and products, and we wanted to celebrate the fact that over the years we’ve made word-class makeup, skincare, bodycare, haircare and beauty tools accessible to beauty addicts across the UK. We’ve also worked with a number of media partners and have tried and tested many products internally, which made us realise that it was the perfect time to share our voice and our beauty experiences with our customers. Our 10 Year Anniversary has been designed to be as personal as it can be; everything is recommended by our team of beauty experts and we’re passing on our knowledge.
What was the selection criteria for the products that got shortlisted?
The selection had to be brands and products that we believed in, loved, and used in our own routines. We wanted to showcase key brands we have previously worked with, in addition to those specific products and brands we see becoming future heroes; those that have immense potential to impact our ever-growing industry and should be shared and shouted about. We each had a list of our favourite brands and products and it was born from there.
How will LIB be celebrating their 10-year anniversary?
As a team of prosecco aficionados, it will involve a few (or many) glasses of fizz. Every Friday we have drinks in the office to celebrate the week, so it will – most likely – carry on from this. We also have our Summer party looming, which will be the perfect chance to celebrate as a team. LiB is one big work family where we all share the same drive and passion for our company, therefore we will make it our aim to celebrate in style.
What was LIB like at the very beginning and what can we expect to see in the near future?
Nort (CEO and Founder of Latest in Beauty) started LiB in 2008 to give customers an opportunity to try out beauty products in the comfort of their own home, rather than having to go to a store. At the time ecommerce was just up and coming and to be able to try before you buy was very important. At first, this was translated through the Little Beauty Box (LBB), whereby a customer would create a profile and we would suggest samples suitable for them. These were actual samples as opposed to our current day selection of deluxe or full-sized products. To get a box, people would send us a text message costing £1 and this would give them a code to enter at the checkout and that was it. This would be sent within a couple of days and after trial a customer would come back and give us feedback about the product. Over the next years, we launched the first ever CEW Beauty Awards Box and LBB started to develop into our current build your own box platform. From here, we launched many partnerships with media partners, including YOU magazine, Glamour, GQ, Powder, Hearst, Sheerluxe and British Beauty Blogger. We also had many redesigns of the site and at the end of 2016 we launched our current platform with the subscription service.
As for the future, there are many more exciting partnerships to come, many more fabulous brands showcasing as Star Product and lots of fun, interactive activity. Watch this space!
If you could choose just one favourite edit from the LIB collection past or present which one and why?
For me, one of the first big campaigns I worked on and had so much fun bringing to life was the Harper’s Bazaar Award Winners Box we launched. Not only was it full to the brim of high-end products that we all collectively loved, the campaign was very much creatively executed. My colleague and I spray painted all the products a bright shade of pink for a teaser reveal, which lead me to being accused of graffiti because we made a little bit of a mess on the pavement outside – ha, all part of the fun! The box was so well received and to no surprise, sold out quickly.
How long roughly can it take to plan a curation? Do you plan a year in advance?
We always have a rough plan in place for the year, but many collections are turned around very quickly. I think the fastest has been within a month, and it’s so refreshing to see the whole team pull together to launch an exciting box campaign! We’re perfectionists and don’t stop until we’re happy with the product we’re putting forward to our customers and subscribers, so we do the best we can with the time we have.
Will there be an advent calendar this year?
Yes there will be an advent calendar this year, potentially even more than one! You’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for later in the year, but let me just say, you’re all going to love what we’ve done!
Any hints on what we can expect to see from LIB for the remainder of 2018?
As previously mentioned, our Advent Calendar launches are going to be very special, but we also have a dedicated brand box upcoming, as well as a few more collection boxes with some of our media partners. Oh, and something very exciting for the males in your life is also in the pipeline!
The ICONS Box is available now for £50.00 via www.latestinbeauty.com